Calculators in mathematics education: a rapid evolution of tools, with differential effects

International audienceThe appearance of more and more complex tools in mathematics classes is not a response to an institutional need of school. It is‚ rather‚ the expressionwithin this institution of a huge social phenomenon (the increase in the number of screens and machines) arising from the utilization of computerized tools by certain branches of mathematics and science.Alongside other computation tools‚ calculators have been taken into account in very different ways within the educational institution: students rapidly appropriate them‚ regarding them as of potential assistance to their mathematical work; teachers hesitate to integrate them in their professional practice;the French mathematics curriculum attempts to promote the utilization of these tools.However‚ the spread of calculators raises various questions (about assessment‚ for example) and provokes lively discussion within professional associations