Using ICT in math education: How to investigate its influence on students’ cognitive achievements? Anna Rybak Institute of Computer Science, University of Białystok, Poland

What do we know about the reality of using ICT in education? Computer and information technology become a part of school reality. Students enjoy lessons in the computer laboratory. Students are more motivated for learning when the educational process is more attractive and didactical tools are modern. Results of many studies over the world show that using computers with proper educational software has positive impact on students’ emotional achievements, including higher motivation and self- confidence, and better attitude to education as a whole.

What about cognitive achievements? Does the use of computers during the lessons lead to better understanding of concepts, increased level of knowledge, and higher level of skills to apply this knowledge in problem solving? Are results of class-tests and exams better in this case?

It is difficult to measure the connection between using ICT and students’ learning outcomes, because using ICT is never the only factor of changes in students’ knowledge and skills. Such study requires special tools.

Investigation 19 kids of fourth grade (10 years old) from middle school in a rather big town. Circumstances: access to computer lab with 15 computers for math lessons. 13 math lessons conducted in computer lab since October 2006 until the end of May 2007 Used software: Mathematics 2001 for grade fourth and for grade fifth, Mathematics around us

Topics of lessons Arithmetic operations (oral and written exercises) on natural numbers, Numbers in decimal system, Numbers in Roman system, Measurement of angles, Perimeter of a rectangle, Scale and plan, Area of a rectangle, Units, Fractions.

Tools of verification of students’ outcomes Homework assignments after each lesson, Short tests, Class-tests.

Example of homework assignment Name: Class: Fraction as a part of a whole, ( ): 1. Write down as a fraction what part of chickens already hatched and what part of flowers wilted.

Example of homework assignment 2. Colour the proper part of each figure:

Example of short test Addition and subtraction in written way grade IV, 2006/ (4p). Calculate : a) b) (4p). Calculate in a written way: a) =b) 5300 – = 3 (3p). The price of house and orchard is PLN. Orchad costs PLN. What is the price of house? 4*. Father has bought stereo for 880 PLN and DVD-player for 428 PLN. In cash desk he gave 14 bills for 100 PLN each. banknotów stuzłotowych. How much money did he receive as the rest?

Example of class-test Naturak numbers – written calculations, grade IV, 2006/2007, SP7 1 (4p). a) Write down with words number b) Write down with digits number: ninety eight thousands sixty five. 2 (6p). Calculate x and check your result: a) x : 180 = 3200b) : x = 60 3 (5p). Calculate: 2800 – ( ) · 3 : 5 = 4 (6p). Calculate in a written way and insert proper symbol: >, < or =. a) – 229 b) 36 · : 3 5 (4p). Calculate the sum of three numbers that first one equals 235, the second one is three times bigger than the first one and the third one is 118 less than the second one. 6*. Tome has paid 120 PLN for 12 pens and 6 ball-pens. What is the price of one ball-pen and what is the price of one pen if ball-pen is 7 PLN cheapper that pen?

Method of investigation Comparison of results of solving indicated exercises (that were trained with the aid of technology) to the others. The main disadvantages of this method: Level of difficulty of „indicated” and „not-indicated” exercises may be not equal. We never can be sure that only using computer has influenced the students’ outcomes (in natural way of teaching, not in circumstances of strict experiment)

Conclusions The results of homework assingments were very good. Kids were very eager to solve exercises just after lesson, type of exercises was the same that exercises that students had solved on the lesson with the aid of software, so kids’ interest was rather high. It is possible to conclude that „short-term” effectiveness of learning with using computer was good. „Middle-term” effectiveness (observed on base of short-tests) and „long-term” effectiveness (observed on base of class-tests) was not so good. Significant differences between the level of solutions of indicated exercises and the others were not observed.

Thank you for your attention