CAS in the Classroom: A Status Report U. A. Mueller, P. A. Forster and L. M. Bloom Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia u.mueller@ecu.edu.au, p.forster@ecu.edu.au, l.bloom@ecu.edu.au Abstract Computer algebra systems have been around for nearly twenty years now and have gradually made their way into tertiary and secondary mathematics classrooms. Their inclusion has accelerated in the last ten years through the advent of CAS graphics calculators. The potential impact on the curriculum, on teaching and learning and on assessment has been the subject of numerous studies and has received a considerable amount of attention in the literature. To start with there were “show and tell” articles that gave examples of how particular topics can be treated using a CAS. More recently topics of empirical inquiry have been pedagogy associated with the use of the CAS, assessment and key skills. In this paper we present an overview with regard to these topics and detail both the issues and proposed courses of action. Introduction In this paper we present a review of the literature on the use of Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) in mathematics education. This use has expanded in recent years. One reason for this expansion is the impetus of the calculus reform movement whose proponents advocate a multiple representation approach to teaching and learning of calculus at all levels, exemplified in the textbook by Hughes- Hallet et al (2002) and as the SONG (Symbolic, Oral, Numeric and Graphical) approach by Gretton and Challis (2000). Another reason is that technical advances in miniaturisation have allowed the inclusion of CAS on calculators such as the high-end models TI-92, HP49G, and Casio FX-2. Use of CAS in the tertiary sector appears to be widespread, but by no means uniform. Most reports in the literature centre on the introductory undergraduate and service mathematics curriculum, while the use in higher-level mathematics subjects is not made as explicit. Some instances of the latter are discussed by Kulich (2000), in the setting of abstract algebra. At this stage the secondary education agencies in a number of countries are actively engaged in the investigation of the inclusion of CAS calculators in the high school curriculum. There is a wide range of views as to where the use of CAS is headed and how, if at all, it should be regulated. Advocates of the use of technology argue for its inclusion in all aspects of mathematics learning while others are concerned about a perceived loss of basic skills through the inclusion and would be inclined to censor the use of the technology. In the sections below we consider some of the dominant themes in the literature. These are the implication of the CAS for pedagogy, the question of how to incorporate CAS in assessment and the definition of key skills students are to possess when the use of CAS is assumed. We do not claim to be exhaustive in our review and acknowledge that in general there are multiple instances given in the literature of the points raised. However, for economy of space usually only one reference is cited. Implications of CAS for pedagogy In the sections below we review the constraints CAS raises for learning, the resources it offers, and students’ and teachers’ responses to the inclusion of CAS.