Towards a calculator-aware number curriculum

While many current position papers and policy documents advocate a place for the use of calculators in elementary education, and point to their potential to enhance mathematical learning, there is continuing professional uncertainty over how to realise such aspirations. This paper reviews a pioneering effort to craft a 'calculator- aware' number curriculum. It examines pedagogical strategies based on Diagnose- Explain-Reinforce and Observe-Predict-Surpass sequences, and the wider use of calculators for purposes of Computation-Implementing, Result-Checking, Trial- Improving and Structure-Modelling. The paper then reports on research which examined the long-term impact of such a curriculum. It identifies the complexities of supporting pupils' development of personal methods of calculation, and of systematising such a curriculum to support progression in children's learning. The major long-term impact of the curriculum was on pupils' attitude to mental calculation and proficiency in it. Pupils proved more prone to calculate mentally, and more liable to adopt relatively powerful and efficient strategies. Analysis of pupils' calculator use in tackling a realistic number problem shows how effective use of the machine calls not only for mastery of operating procedures but a grasp of underlying mathematical ideas and the development of distinctive calculator methods. Finally, implications for policy and practice are suggested, emphasising that a calculator-aware approach cannot simply be improvised around a conventional curriculum.