Background
Introducing technology is a vital component in modern teaching, and math lessons in elementary school are no exception. According to studies, practice and drills of math skills are currently taking up most of the instructional time in elementary schools (Schielack, 2019). Technological elements during the math lesson allow teachers to achieve better results in interactive work with students, show them how to apply new competencies in practice and make the lessons relevant from children’s perspectives (Schielack, 2019). It allows stating that the emphasis on the technologies during math lessons is the necessary curriculum change for 5th-grade students, which requires curriculum changes.
The research question is connected with the pedagogical and practical justification of implementing technologies during the math lesson in the 5th grade. It is possible to articulate it in the following words: Does using innovative technologies during the math lesson in grade 5 allow educators to achieve better results? The null hypothesis (HO) is that using technologies during math lessons among 5th-grade students improves academic outcomes and learners’ motivation by 50 percent. The alternative hypothesis (H1) is that applying technologies in the 5th-grade math classroom distracts students’ attention and decreases the inability to acquire competencies by 50 percent. The statistical notation is the following:
H0: μ = 0.5;
H1: μ ≠ 0.5.
It is necessary to collect data related to the existing technologies that can be implemented into math lessons in the 5th grade, information about the curriculum of the discussed subject, and the opportunities of the educational facility to provide technological solutions. The techniques to collect the relevant information include quantitative and qualitative research methods. For instance, surveys must be conducted among students, teachers, and parents to understand the need to implement technological changes in the curriculum. In addition, it is vital to analyze the financial justification of these changes and compare the educational facility’s economic opportunities with the cost of the changes (Popkewitz, 2018). The last point to consider is measuring and evaluating the results of the shift in the curriculum to conclude the topic.
The overall curriculum and particular curriculum initiatives or programs can be evaluated using observation, questionnaires, and interviewing methods. Students are often given organized assessments as one method of estimating the results of curriculum programs. This approach is typically used to assess a student’s academic performance (Popkewitz, 2018). Additionally, by giving students tests in the subject’s numerous content areas, the content of an issue can be evaluated. The findings of this kind of assessment are provided to curriculum developers so they can analyze the impacted topic areas and implement the required adjustments.
Methodology
The choice of the statistical method is connected with several diverse factors that focus on the nature of the correlation between the discussed variables. When two variables are correlated, it means that alterations in one are related to changes in the other. Correlation does not necessarily imply that alterations in one of the variables directly result from changes in the other. Sometimes, it is evident that a causal connection exists when one variable influences another, becoming its cause.
For the current investigation, the Pearson correlation test is the statistical method used to conduct the study. This test supposes that there is a linear correlation between several discussed variables (Tipton & Olsen, 2018). It allows for applying this statistical method to the problem of curriculum change, where the variables are the academic performance of students and the use of technologies in the classroom.
Therefore, in this particular example, there is a correlation between technology implementation and academic progress in math among students in the 5th grade, which proves the null hypothesis (H0). A positive link exists if the correlation value exceeds zero (Tipton & Olsen, 2018). A negative association exists if the value is smaller than zero. If the value is zero, there is no correlation between the two variables (Tipton & Olsen, 2018).
In other words, students’ academic success in math class results from the excellent use of innovative technologies in the education process, which supports their motivation to learn and shows them how to adapt their knowledge in practice. Academic performance and motivation among students in the 5th grade are lower when the teacher refuses to use technologies in the classroom and prefers traditional instruction and solving mathematical problems without using technology.
By utilizing technology, teachers can design compelling interactive educational opportunities that encourage creative problem-solving and flexibility in thinking. Up until recently, the lack of technology for learning in many American schools was one of the main worries among teachers (Murphy, 2019). Although that gap is closed, a new technological split has appeared because technologies are developing rapidly, and schools must keep pace with the progress.
Teachers know that obtaining answers quickly should not be the aim of mathematics, which is consistent with the alternative hypothesis (H1).
Additionally, timed knowledge tests are a well-known source of anxiety related to math, which can lower proficiency in math and cause math avoidance. Nevertheless, there are several openly accessible and frequently used math websites and applications that emphasize quickness and memory retention (Chen et al., 2020). This kind of technological application can increase anxiety and stress while conveying false ideas about the value of mathematics (Chen et al., 2020). Math requires critical thinking, pattern recognition, and connection-making (Cuthbert & Standish, 2021). It shows that technology use can be controversial in the context of the math curriculum.
Reporting About Findings
Reporting the findings of the research should follow the scheme that is common for the scholar’s works. The results should be discussed in light of relevant prior research and hypotheses (Tipton & Olsen, 2018). A review of preliminary studies and why the current research advances the field should be included. It is essential to consider the extent to which the study is applied to different contexts. In qualitative studies, addressing specific aspects of the findings is typical before moving on to a conclusion paragraph (Tipton & Olsen, 2018). The person conducting the research should critically assess the effect they had on the planning and execution of the study, in addition to gathering and analyzing data.
Potential Ethical Dilemmas
Several potential ethical dilemmas are connected with using more technologies in the math class among the 5th graders. The first issue is associated with the increased social and economic inequality of students with different circumstances at home (Murphy, 2019). For example, some students can use technologies at home, including personal computers and rapid Internet connection. Their peers from less privileged families, in turn, might not have unique gadgets and stable Internet connections due to their cost or the need to share the computer with their siblings. For some of them, it can become a problem, and they will hesitate to articulate to the teacher because it is the question that makes them feel vulnerable (Murphy, 2019). Therefore, using technologies actively during math lessons in the 5th grade is connected with the higher chances of aggravating students’ social and economic inequality.
Another ethical issue connected with the use of technology in the classroom is associated with cheating. For instance, when the teacher uses technologies to conduct online tests and take-home exams utilizing access to the Internet, the risks of cheating and plagiarism increase compared to the traditional examination in the classroom (Murphy, 2019). Students are not controlled when they study from home and complete their tasks, which requires additional measures from the educator to supervise them. It states that using technologies in math class is directly connected with the increased risks of academic dishonesty.
Conclusion
Technologies should function as standard instruments to develop students’ thinking, perform precise and speedy calculations using actual data, and encourage patterns and conjectures. The use of technologies during the math lesson in grade 5 makes the ability to simulate, research, and connect mathematics to physics, social studies, the arts, and other subjects possible. The integration, dialog, and use of all learning modes are expanding thanks to interactive technologies, which justifies the need for curriculum change and implementation of the technologies during math lessons. The wide range of these valuable tools necessitates the inclusion of modern technology as an essential component of the educational curriculum in math instruction.
References
Chen, S., Zhang, S., Qi, G. Y., & Yang, J. (2020). Games literacy for teacher education: Towards the implementation of game-based learning. Educational Technology & Society, 23(2), 77–92. Web.
Cuthbert, A. S., & Standish, A. (Eds.). (2021). What should schools teach?: Disciplines, subjects and the pursuit of truth (2nd ed.). UCL Press.
Murphy, R. F. (2019). Artificial intelligence applications to support K–12 teachers and teaching: A review of promising applications, opportunities, and challenges. RAND Corporation.
Popkewitz, T. S. (2018). What is ‘really’ taught as the content of school subjects? Teaching school subjects as an alchemy. The High School Journal, 101(2), 77–89. Web.
Schielack, J. F. (2019). Looking back, looking forward. Teaching Children Mathematics, 25(5), 262–264. Web.
Tipton, E., & Olsen, R. B. (2018). A review of statistical methods for generalizing from evaluations of educational interventions. Educational Researcher, 47(8), 516–524. Web.