TODAY'S TIPSHEET
                  University of Virginia
                      Dec. 3, 1997


	Item:  The Commonwealth of Virginia purchases
nearly 200,000 graphing calculators for eighth-, ninth- and
10th-graders to aid in math instruction and prepare them to meet the
revised Standards of Learning.  With the machines scheduled to begin
arriving in the coming weeks, teachers must decide how to integrate
them into their lesson plans.

	University of Virginia Expert

      Joe Garofalo, an associate professor in U.Va.'s Curry School
of Education and co director of the Center for Technology and Teacher
Education, says, "If used properly, the calculators can enhance and
extend the kind of math learning kids can do," including aiding visual
learners, using real-world applications and presenting different ways
to solve problems.  Garofalo has taught teachers how to use the calculators
since the spring of 1993, both at the University and in workshops around
the state, and consulted for 18 months with Casio, a manufacturer, on the design of its graphing
calculator line.  He can be reached at his office (804) 924-0747; at
his home, (804) 295-3059; or via e-mail at jg2e@virginia.edu.

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                                                         Dec. 3, 1997