All too often, I run into teachers (both preservice and inservice) lamenting that kids are using calculators to compute something simple, like 6 x 7. These teachers express their frustration by threatening to not let kids use any calculators until the kids prove that they know their facts. And there will be no calculators for any simple computations. I understand this thinking but I am not sure it will achieve the desired result - wise calculator use (i.e. phronesis).

Confession of a control-freak: I want lessons to run smoothly (exactly the way I envision them). I have written about this issue before and my efforts to give learners more control in the classroom. If the goal of my teaching is learners who possess phronesis, then I need to provide them with ample opportunities to practice making and evaluating choices. In this post, I give another example of my efforts to turn over more responsibility to my learners.

This was the question guest host, Susan Page, asked author, Eric Greitens, on an episode of The Diane Rehm Show. Greitens responded: