Concept | Woodley | Abacus Maths Tuition

ABACUS TUITION CONCEPT

The concept is to assist children in getting mastery over numbers through the development of arithmetic skills, primarily by the skilled use of a Soroban abacus. Fundamental arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are solved using the Soroban abacus. Numbers will not be abstract any more and hence the fear of numbers goes away. Using an abacus to solve arithmetic problems is a skill on its own.

Full brain development is not the hallmark of any activity that asks for memorisation or repetition alone. Kinesthetic, visual and auditory skills should all be used and improved in children to allow for well rounded mind development. A child solving arithmetic problems using an abacus improves their KVA skills dramatically as opposed to memorisation or repetition.

The Abacus Maths Tuition programme is based on the Smart Kids Abacus way, a proven technique already used by thousands of students all over the world, including centres in India, UAE, USA, Australia and the UK. It utilises the Japanese 1:4 Soroban abacus which requires the use of both hands.

In the classroom, children will be made to solve arithmetic problems. The course programmes are designed over multiple levels where initially a child will be trained in simple addition and subtraction of single digit numbers- leading onto increasing complexity of arithmetic problems as they progress through each level.

The Abacus Maths Tuition programme combines the core principles of Soroban and mental calculation. This ensures that students make speedy progress and are soon familiar with the base - 10 number system, enabling them to perform quick and accurate mental calculations. Addition and subtraction of 2 - 5 digit numbers, multiplication of 1-4 digit numbers, division of 1-4 digit numbers, fractions etc., will be introduced at various levels.

Children are first taught the basics of the abacus, as they progress through the levels they will be trained on number visualisation. This is a unique system where the children imagine a picture of an abacus in their minds and manipulate the beads of this virtual abacus, as if they were manipulating a physical abacus in their hands.They solve simple to complex arithmetic problems by visualizing the abacus. Hence their mental arithmetic skills improve drastically.

Though arithmetic is used extensively in the entire training program, the objective is not just improving a child’s arithmetic skills but improving a child’s overall academic performance by developing their learning skills. In the entire process, number is the language and Abacus is the tool.

Unlike traditional mathematical education which only trains the left brain, the Abacus Maths Tuition technique uses the right brain to create the visual imagery of an abacus and uses the left brain to manipulate the virtual beads. This concept of two-hand mental arithmetic utilises both hemispheres of the brain, encouraging a more balanced brain growth.