New ClassWiz features and how to use them in your lessons

With more than a year having passed since the relaunch of our ClassWiz range, we’re taking a closer look at how you and your students can put our scientific calculators to effective use.

In this blog, we explore what you can do with particular keys on the upgraded handsets and how to make the most of available resources and support.

Getting to grips with Function and Format

The Function and Format keys are among the most notable upgrades we’ve made to the ClassWiz range. As soon as you know how to use them, you could find it quicker and easier to access some of the most useful functionality available on our scientific calculators.

Experimenting with Function

Pressing the Function key will give you options to define, recall and evaluate functions in terms of f(x) and g(x). What’s more, you can input one function in terms of another, allowing for deeper investigation and understanding. When exploring functions, you could easily define f(x) as x² – 2x – 3, for example, and recall this data to use in templates or applications whenever you need it simply by entering f(x). This saves time and reduces the risk of input errors.

Taking things a step further, you could define g(x) in terms of f(x), perhaps with something along the lines of g(x) = 2f(x) – 2, i.e. 2x² – 4x – 8. It’s also possible to define g(x) as the derivative of f(x), 2x – 2, by pressing Catalog, opening the Func Analysis menu and selecting the Derivative template.

Exploring Format

Continuing with the example of the quadratic function stored as f(x) above, to evaluate for a given value of x, if you were to enter f(2.5) while in Calculate mode, you would get an answer of if your calculator is set to default input/output settings.

By then pressing the Format key, you can access options to present this value in different ways. You can switch from standard to decimal, as was previously possible via the S↔D key, but also convert your answer between an improper or mixed fraction.

Furthermore, the options available in the Format menu change depending on your previous input. Entering a whole number before pressing this key, for example, will give the option of prime factorisation.

When you have a classroom of students all using the same handset, encouraging them to experiment with possible uses of these keys can fuel their curiosity, improve topic understanding and raise their confidence ahead of exams.

Extending functionality with ClassPad

The range of ways in which you can use your ClassWiz scientific calculator is extended by ClassPad, our web-based teaching and learning environment.

ClassPad incorporates the ClassWiz emulator as well as various other tools. One of the most exciting aspects of the technology is its ability to graph function data from your calculator, via a QR code scanned on a smart device. To put this into context, when you’re exploring quadratics with a class, you could use the Solver functionality available on the fx-991CW to confirm that the roots of the equation x² – 2x – 3 = 0 are x=-1 and x=3.

But if you want to add a more visual dimension to the topic and encourage your class to really engage with what they’re learning, you could use ClassPad to enter and display the graph of this equation.

Students will then be able to find the roots by looking at where the curve crosses the x axis, and also investigate how plugging different values into the equation changes the shape of the graph.

Making the most of free resources

We’ve spent the past year building up an extensive library of resources to help you and your students get the best out of the new ClassWiz range.

What’s particularly exciting is that we’ve had lots of external input from teachers and education experts, to help ensure these resources are as relevant and useful as possible.

Joely Fashokun, a former secondary school maths teacher turned university lecturer, has created five worksheets designed to improve calculator proficiency and address some common misconceptions and mistakes.

They’re all available now on our ClassWiz help page and can be printed out or accessed as PowerPoint files for classroom teaching.

Another experienced teacher we’ve had the opportunity to work with is Claire Clay, the Lead Practitioner for Maths at Ormiston Academies Trust.

Claire is a big advocate for efficient calculator use and has spoken about why she thinks scientific handsets should be incorporated into lessons as early as possible in secondary school.

She has also created her own collection of videos and step-by-step instruction cards showing how to execute a range of tasks on ClassWiz calculators, including using the Format key and performing time calculations.

These extremely useful resources are all available for free on Google Drive.

You can also find a full playlist of ClassWiz video tutorials on the Casio Education YouTube channel, which are designed to help you maximise the benefits of our scientific calculators for you and your students.