Teaching maths - Time to ban calculators?

ENGINEERS IRELAND has made some practical and valuable suggestions about how we teach maths.

Their objective is to encourage more students to take maths at a higher level so they can consider science and engineering courses.

The engineers suggest that it should be made easier for unemployed engineers to become maths teachers. This is a valid point as so many of those who teach maths are not highly qualified in the area. The suggestion that primary and junior cycle students not use calculators also has a ring of practicality about it.

Calculators are wonderful conveniences but if they get in the way of students reaching a basic understanding of maths, as it seems they do, they do these young students a great disservice.