Technology in education gets plenty of hype, but let’s not forget the importance of teaching and learning,
Pamela Wright
Technology has permeated every part of our existence. It has spawned new industries and improved the efficiency of existing ones. Technology is a hot topic in education these days. Some people are enthusiastic about incorporating technology into classrooms, while others are concerned about the negative effects it may have on students. The question is whether we, as educators, should abandon teaching foundational skills such as cursive writing, spelling, and multiplication tables in favor of using technology? The answer is clearly NO in my opinion. Literacy and numeracy are really important foundation skills for children. We may say that we can ignore cursive writing but I believe that basic math and spelling skills can not be replaced by technology because these basic skills are essential for the students to be successful in the future.
The transition from knowing how to add and subtract numbers to mastering multiplication can feel daunting. Once mastered, though, it can become second nature to a child and is essential in everyday life. Although many of these methods of teaching multiplication have become outdated, the importance of learning these mathematical basics is as important today as it has ever been. Multiplication is an important tool in a variety of math subjects, including algebra, calculus, equations, and more. I believe our children will be able to confidently and skillfully tackle increasingly complex mathematical subjects if he or she can practice and grasp multiplications. It also helps them to familiarize and feel confident with the teachings presented to them as they progress through education.
Our child’s confidence in the subject will be boosted if he or she can thoroughly comprehend multiplication and recall it quickly.
It’s critical for kids to understand multiplication on a conceptual level. So students may understand “why” and “how” the times table works instead of just “what” the result is. This deeper level of understanding allows for more meaningful application. This will allow them to successfully apply the skill to other elements of their schooling. As a child becomes faster at recalling multiplications of 2 -12, they will be able to answer more complicated math problems in less time. This is due to the fact that the fundamental understanding has already been formed. This talent will become second nature to them, allowing them to concentrate on the more challenging components of the assignment.
Spelling, the art of correctly assembling words from their letters, is one of the essential components of successful writing. Research has found that spelling, reading, writing and comprehension skills are all closely linked. A research study conducted by L.C. Ehri for the Scientific Study of Reading found that spelling instruction improves reading ability, as it builds a learner’s knowledge of the alphabetic system as it is used in reading. Misspellings can make text more difficult to read (e.g., Oelke et al., 2012), whereas improvements in spelling ability are associated with enhanced reading skills
Teaching young spellers the tactics, rules, and concepts that will help them improve their spelling and vocabulary knowledge will help them in all aspects of their education as well as in their daily lives.
Hence in this week debate I was with the disagree team that school should no longer teach skills that can be easily carried out by Technology. Basic skills like cursive writing, math and spelling is cumulative, so learning and understanding the basics is a must. Technology is a powerful tool that can make learning easier. However, it can actually interfere with the learning process.
Thank you for reading 🙂
Great summary of the points in the debate. I like how you articulated each point as well. I too am on the disagree side (thank goodness as I had to debate this side the other night), and I still think it’s a valuable skill that students need to have.
Thank you kelly 🙂
Hi Fasiha!
I was too on the disagree side, although I believe that there should be a balance of incorporating technology into the classroom. Some students will understand different math programs or spelling programs better than the traditional way of learning these skills, so why not do what works best for students? The form of adaptation and differentiation is essential to help children understand the learning outcomes, therefore we need to find the balance between what works and what does not. I still believe that technology cannot do all of the work our educators do, and I applaud teachers at the elementary level to be able to give these students such important skills. Great summary of points within the debate.
Hello Britney, Thank you for your enlightening comment. I agree with your point of balance. Really balance is important in every aspect of our life. and as an educators, its our responsibility to find that balance in our teaching in order to find the best learning solutions for our students.
Thank you for your reflection! In the beginning I was on the disagree side but later when another team said that technology can help in inclusion and composition in cursive writing, I changed my mind. Technology is a handy tool by which students can spark their creativity and get motivated. Personally I can not think of teaching my class without technology. Technology is fun even in teaching addition, subtraction and so on.
Thank you Amanpreet for your enlightening comment.