Desmos in Pinoy Math

By Herman M. Lagon

In today’s fast-changing classrooms, especially when it comes to math, digital tools are no longer a luxury—they’re becoming a real necessity. For many Filipino students who see math as something to fear, technology might just be the helping hand they need. One tool that’s been making a noticeable difference is Desmos, a free online graphing calculator that turns cold numbers into something students can actually see, move, and make sense of.

Desmos helps bring abstract math to life. Instead of solving problems mechanically on paper, students can now explore how equations behave visually. Over at desmos.com, both learners and teachers can play with graphs, patterns, and even animations that make complicated topics easier to understand. It shifts learning from memorization to meaningful understanding.

In my classes at ISUFST, Desmos has truly changed the game. Subjects like calculus, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and statistics—often the ones students dread—suddenly feel more approachable. I’ve seen students’ eyes light up when they slide a variable and instantly see how the graph reacts. Those moments of clarity, those “aha!” sparks, happen more often with Desmos than with traditional board work.

There’s research to back this up. A study in the Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education found that students who used Desmos performed better in understanding functions than those using traditional methods. For a country like the Philippines, where we often struggle in international assessments like PISA and TIMSS, that’s a bright spot worth noting. Desmos helps students not only catch up but understand why the math works in the first place.

What I love about Desmos is how it encourages experimentation. Students get to play around—try equations, make mistakes, and learn from them right away. It turns math into a puzzle they want to solve, instead of a chore they have to finish. It builds a growth mindset, helping them realize that making mistakes is part of learning, not a reason to stop trying.

Teachers benefit as well. Desmos offers real-time insights into how students think. It helps us ask better questions, guide discussions, and create a classroom culture that values understanding over just getting the right answer. Because it promotes collaborative learning without putting anyone on the spot, it works well with our Filipino value of pakikisama—harmonious learning, together.

Of course, like any tool, Desmos works best when used thoughtfully. I always start small, beginning with simple graphs before layering in more complex ideas. That way, students build confidence step by step. Combine this with open-ended questions, and suddenly the classroom is full of curiosity and conversation.

What really excites me is how Desmos connects math to everyday life. Want to figure out the arc of a basketball shot? Desmos. Want to design a dream house using lines and slopes? Go for it. Math stops being just academic and starts becoming personal and practical.

But we can’t ignore the hurdles. Desmos is free, but not all students have access to gadgets or stable internet. That’s where we need serious support—better infrastructure, more training, and policies that prioritize digital learning. Every student deserves a shot at tools that can help them succeed.

No, Desmos isn’t a silver bullet. Some lessons will still need textbooks, guidance, and plenty of support. But it lays a strong foundation. It helps students understand the “why” behind the math, something rote memorization just can’t do.

As we look to the future of math education in the Philippines, we need to think bigger and bolder. Desmos is just one piece of the puzzle, but it’s a powerful one. It helps shift the conversation from fear to curiosity, from memorizing to truly understanding. And that shift can make all the difference.

With tools like Desmos, we’re not just teaching math. We’re helping students see its beauty, its logic, and its real-life power. And maybe, just maybe, we’re helping them fall in love with learning again.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a “student of and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed or connected with.