Mathematics as Brain Training

The work focuses on the comparison of basic strategies in the teaching of mathematics. The first option is to use a calculator and ICT in order to solve more complex tasks and not waste time on algorithmically simple tasks. The second option is to solve all tasks with a paper-and-pencil strategy, while the number of tasks will be lower due to the fact that we need time for numerical calculation. Pupils of the 7th grade of elementary school were compared with pupils up to two grades higher in order to find out the differences between their performances. Pupils of the 7th grade do not use calculators during the math classes and thus have to cope with each task without help. Pupils of higher grades have been using calculators for numerically more challenging tasks for the last two years. Results of the nonmetric multidimensional scaling showed that the 7th grade pupils have the different position on the onedimensional scale than the pupils of higher grades.