In 1988, my elementary school was introduced to a tool that would revolutionize teaching and learning as we knew it. It was so powerful some wondered whether it would destroy the need to learn. Some teachers wanted it banned or considered using it cheating or dishonest. This revolutionary tool? The TI-30 SLR+ scientific calculator.
The TI-30 SLR+ was not the first calculator at school, but that’s not what made it special. What made it special was the scientific aspect of its use. Most fourth-grade experiences have long since been forgotten, but when Ms. Jurgenson held up the calculator in class, it marked a major shift in learning at school. She asked us if we knew what made a scientific calculator different from a regular calculator. She pulled out an older non-scientific calculator, a Casio, and asked a volunteer to type in a series of numbers and math operations. As she spoke, she wrote the formula on the board. When she finished, she asked the volunteer to press equals and then read out the number. Her TI-30 number was totally different from the Casio. Thinking we made a mistake, we copied the equation over and got the same number; we even did the math without the calculator, thinking maybe it was broken. Still, different numbers.
To read the rest of the article, subscribe to the International Admission Bulletin for free.
To read the 2024 issue of the International Admissions Bulletin, click here. If you are interested in contributing to our 2025 edition, please email bulletin@openapply.com
