Avoid Calculator Mistakes
Tags
Skills
Avoid Calculator Mistakes
All students, especially those with weaker working memory or attention, or who rush through problems
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Objective: Students will avoid calculator mistakes by taking deliberate steps to write down and understand the problem. -
Instruction and Practice: When teaching your students when and how to use calculators, make sure they understand that mistakes with calculators are common and it is important to work carefully in steps. Introduce the guidelines (next slide) to students and monitor their use when relevant so the calculator is a tool, not a hindrance to performance.
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OER Resource: Calculator Practice (Teachers Pay Teachers)
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It is easy to mis-type on a calculator, so double-check your work for accuracy to be sure the answer makes logical sense. Common calculator mistakes include punching in an incorrect number, using the incorrect order of operations, or missing a negative sign.
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Start by writing down the equation on paper. If order of operations applies, use parentheses and brackets to show which parts of the equation you need to calculate first.
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Estimate roughly what you expect the answer to be: large whole number, small whole number, negative number, fraction, etc.
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Perform the calculations you cannot do easily in your head on your calculator. If it's a multi-step problem, write down the answers to the interim steps, especially if you need to take into account order of operations.
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If the final answer from the calculator isn't close to your rough estimate, you know you probably typed in something incorrectly.
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As always, if you have time, go back and check your work by re-solving the problem.