Teaching Math with Technology

I am all for the idea. Math teaching and learning can be brought to a whole new level with the use of technology.  I love how this teacher in the video used technology as a tool to reach out to his students, help them visualize Math concepts better, AND as a classroom management tool as well!

The Math teacher here was seen using a projector to enhance his teaching. If he tried to demonstrate a concept with these little tangram pieces without the projector, his students sitting at the back of the class would probably be at the disadvantage of not being able to see his demonstration very well. Instead, by using the projector to enlarge the demonstration and inviting a student to help him with the demonstration while he explains the concept, the teacher does two things: He reaches out to the WHOLE class while teaching, and fosters active learning with the child at the projector as well as the rest of his class who are able to follow his instruction closely. By using technology in the classroom,  the children are also observing the teacher use the technology tools and gaining tech savvy themselves in the process.

Technology can help to enhance hands-on learning in the classroom. For instance, children who use technological tools to solve or present their work have to make independent decisions about how to manipulate the tools or the problem, the format in which they are going to present their work; and when activities are conducted and presentation time follows, it is more effective and efficient for children to 'show-and-tell' on their work through displaying it to the class through the projector than it is for everyone to walk around the class to examine each other's work. Also, if a child has a question, the teacher can use his technology tool to share the problem with the class to call for collective problem-solving and various solutions.

With technology as the mode of instruction, a teacher's role also changes. The focus is now on the subject presented via the technological tool, as well as the tool as the instructor. The teacher takes a back seat and becomes a facilitator who peers over children's shoulders to check on their learning process, intervening only when necessary.With the present craze over in technological gadgets among the youth today, integrating technology into education means fostering greater interest in learning. This greater interest in learning may also mean better attitudes toward subjects taught, and better results.


Technological tools are set in this day and age to replace the old-school textbooks and paper-and-pencil style of work. With technology, work can be done faster, time spent more efficiently, and children are willing to do more if that means they will be using the technological tool to work. Using technology to teach Math may also be a means of reaching out to some learners who just can't seem to take to the conventional 'worksheet' or 'exercise book' style of math practice, and can help students with visualizing difficult concepts.


The only dampener in this whole discussion is the reality of lack of resources in some of our schools and childcare centers to use technological support to enhance teaching and learning. If the benefits of using technology to teach could be proved to all, perhaps institutions would be more willing to invest in these tools which will bring educational improvements in almost every way across the board.