Using the Graphing Calculator to Enhance Mathematics Instruction

This workshop equips mathematics teachers with strategies to effectively integrate graphing calculators into daily instruction. Participants will explore how graphing calculators can be used not just as computational tools, but as instruments for fostering conceptual understanding, visualizing mathematical relationships, and supporting problem-solving. The session emphasizes embedding calculator use in lessons aligned with standards, ensuring technology enhances rather than replaces critical thinking. Teachers will engage in hands-on practice with graphing calculators to design activities that deepen student learning and engagement. Participants need to bring TI-83 or 84 calculators.

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• Overreliance on rote procedures without developing conceptual understanding
  
  
• Underutilization of graphing calculators as learning tools beyond computation
  
  
• Student difficulty in visualizing functions, interpreting graphs, and connecting multiple representations
  
  
• Teacher uncertainty in integrating technology while maintaining rigor

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1. Designing Technology-Enhanced Lessons
   Teachers will learn how to create lessons that incorporate graphing calculators strategically to support standards-based instruction and student exploration of concepts like functions, systems, and data analysis.
   
   
2. Building Conceptual Understanding through Visualization
   Participants will gain strategies to help students connect algebraic, graphical, and numerical representations using graphing calculators, fostering deeper comprehension and flexible thinking.
   
   
3. Promoting Student Engagement and Problem-Solving
   Educators will practice using graphing calculators to design interactive tasks that encourage inquiry, experimentation, and collaborative learning while reducing math anxiety.