All About Abacus Training
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pokemon:
Those who have seen level 1 books will know how tough it is. Your boy is amazing. :salute:
my son also from cma but we stop last yr since he has finish level 1, we did not contd with duan wei. Till now, i still pract with him aural mental daily and in his sch work, he need not used his fingers for counting, juz stare at the number and able to give the correct answer even to number over 100. Im still trying to get some abacus books or material for him to cont pract, exercise his brain at home, anyone knows where can i get such books?
Actually when your boy reach Duan Wei, you only need to pay 1/2 the fees. $125 spread over 2.5months is not a lot. Why not just let him continue but slow down his pace, let him do less work, ask the teacher to give him less homework?
Not sure where you can get Duan Wei books. I think very hard to find from outside. -
tohwei:
Hi,JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU, THIS ABACUS SCHOOL IS GOOD. MY FEIRENDS SEND HER KIDS THERE SINCE KI , CURRENTLY P2 VERY COMPREHENSIVE http://WWW.CMA-SG.COM
THIS SCHOOL USES TWO HAND NEAREST BRANCH JURONG EAST FOR WEST ZONE
Can you share how good is this CMA Mental Arithmetic? -
abacus_trainer:
Hi abacus_trainerHi, I am a abacus trainer from CMA. Saw some earlier questions on pricing and difference in fees between different centres.
There is 2 different scheme of fees. Scheme A is the lower one ($250/term), scheme B is the higher one ($280/term). Its due to the location and rental. Lower rent - scheme A, higher rent - scheme B. If I am not wrong, most centres are scheme B, except for Bishan, Toa Payoh, Tampines, Kovan and Yishun.
1 term is 10 lessons, a cap of up to 5 books included in the fees (no need to pay for books unless your child exceeded 5, additional books cost $8 each). For the once a week, $250 or $280 will last 10 weeks or 2.5 months time. For the twice a week, $180 or $200 will last 5 weeks or slighly more than a month. If the lesson falls on public holiday its not counted.
There are 4 graded examination every year, not compulsary but recommend to take at least once a year. $20 for abacus, $20 for mental, $15 for aural.
Registration $70, comes with bag, abacus, t-shirt, picture and number cards. Deposit $50, refundable if given one month notice for withdrawal.
If your child missed the lesson, you can arrange for a makeup class.
If you ask me.. I think the charges are reasonable. I signed my kid for a weekend class, registration $70+ (with nothing at all), deposit $70+, on top of that I need to purchase the t-shirt and shorts separately. No makeup or refund for missed classes.
I won't say CC are no good. It all depends on the teacher. Even signing up with CMA does not gurantee a good teacher. I guess the only thing you can be sure of is there is some quality control on books used, they are all originated and shipped from Taiwan, written by the founder. To find out which is better... Its up to you to talk to the teacher, understand how is it conducted, what's the class size, look around at the environment, etc.
Abit lor soh... I do believe abacus/mental arithmetic provides a strong foundation for math. I have seen P1, P2 children who still can't do simple addition, subtraction without using their fingers. After learning, they calculate faster, more sensitive to numbers and are more confident. Mental arithmetic also excercise and trains the right brain when they learn to visualise the virtual abacus. Improving their memory, concentration and calculation speed. Its not limited to only +,-,x,/.
:lovesite:
I notice the CMA Prog are using the 5 beads Abacus. I have saw other centre which they are using 7 beads Abacus. Does that mean the school of teaching is different?
Lastly if a child is into Abacs training when would be the right time to quit? Many people said at least have to complete until P2 orP3 then stop. -
abacus_trainer:
Actually its not about the cost, its i find it nt necessary to get to that level, mayb more for challenging the brain, even if slow down the pace still hv to do the work. For the past year, he is constantly surrounded by cma work, it really took up alot of his time. My ds very good with +-X divide but when need to apply to problem sum, he still need pract, so need to expose him to another type of math enrichment.
Those who have seen level 1 books will know how tough it is. Your boy is amazing. :salute:pokemon:
my son also from cma but we stop last yr since he has finish level 1, we did not contd with duan wei. Till now, i still pract with him aural mental daily and in his sch work, he need not used his fingers for counting, juz stare at the number and able to give the correct answer even to number over 100. Im still trying to get some abacus books or material for him to cont pract, exercise his brain at home, anyone knows where can i get such books?
Actually when your boy reach Duan Wei, you only need to pay 1/2 the fees. $125 spread over 2.5months is not a lot. Why not just let him continue but slow down his pace, let him do less work, ask the teacher to give him less homework?
Not sure where you can get Duan Wei books. I think very hard to find from outside.
Btw, i dont need duan wei books, just some books on +-X divide question to exercise his brain. Any idea where to get? -
titank:
The older one with 2 beads on top, 5 beads below, originated from china. The ones we used with 1 bead on top, 4 beads below, originated from japan. It's also call the soroban.
Hi abacus_trainer
I notice the CMA Prog are using the 5 beads Abacus. I have saw other centre which they are using 7 beads Abacus. Does that mean the school of teaching is different?
Lastly if a child is into Abacs training when would be the right time to quit? Many people said at least have to complete until P2 orP3 then stop.
There is no hard n fast rules that say when you can or should stop. We even have p5, p6 children joining our classes. Most important is that you feel they have mastered it and its helping them in their work. -
pokemon:
Oic.. Yah, I can imagine the amount of work he has done to attain level 1. I thought if you intend to let him continue practising at home. No harm sending him to class and let him practice 1.5 hrs a week with the correct material n supervision from the teachers. You can even tell the teacher not to give your boy homework at all. But of course there is also the hassle n time needed to bring him for classes. I understand.. Most kids has alot of work n activities these days.
Actually its not about the cost, its i find it nt necessary to get to that level, mayb more for challenging the brain, even if slow down the pace still hv to do the work. For the past year, he is constantly surrounded by cma work, it really took up alot of his time. My ds very good with +-X divide but when need to apply to problem sum, he still need pract, so need to expose him to another type of math enrichment.
Btw, i dont need duan wei books, just some books on +-X divide question to exercise his brain. Any idea where to get?
I am not sure where you can get duan wei books. Someone once told me can purchase online, I tried looking but cannot find. Maybe if you have friends going Taiwan, you can ask them to help you look for it there. I heard from a sporen parent who was working there for a few years, she say in Taiwan learning abacus it's a big thing. Every parent send their children to abacus classes. -
abacus_trainer:
Tks for the tips to get in taiwan. We do have frens there and wil ask them to look for it at their local bookshops. But again, its better to see and choose yourself cos some materials can be quite easy, junior level. Nevertheless, at least i have another avenue to hunt for abacus books.
Oic.. Yah, I can imagine the amount of work he has done to attain level 1. I thought if you intend to let him continue practising at home. No harm sending him to class and let him practice 1.5 hrs a week with the correct material n supervision from the teachers. You can even tell the teacher not to give your boy homework at all. But of course there is also the hassle n time needed to bring him for classes. I understand.. Most kids has alot of work n activities these days.pokemon:
Actually its not about the cost, its i find it nt necessary to get to that level, mayb more for challenging the brain, even if slow down the pace still hv to do the work. For the past year, he is constantly surrounded by cma work, it really took up alot of his time. My ds very good with +-X divide but when need to apply to problem sum, he still need pract, so need to expose him to another type of math enrichment.
Btw, i dont need duan wei books, just some books on +-X divide question to exercise his brain. Any idea where to get?
I am not sure where you can get duan wei books. Someone once told me can purchase online, I tried looking but cannot find. Maybe if you have friends going Taiwan, you can ask them to help you look for it there. I heard from a sporen parent who was working there for a few years, she say in Taiwan learning abacus it's a big thing. Every parent send their children to abacus classes. -
It seem that have to go 2 visits a week to practise Abacus (CMA) then would achieve effective results. Some people said CMA Abacus the child would get confused when they go to P1, it is best to go through 3G Abacus.
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titank:
It seem that have to go 2 visits a week to practise Abacus (CMA) then would achieve effective results. Some people said CMA Abacus the child would get confused when they go to P1, it is best to go through 3G Abacus.
Hi, r u saying 3G Mental Math at RC or CC? Is oso abacus and is much more cheaper. Which is good? CMA or 3G Mental Math? Is it really useful for their maths foundation? Actually, my 1st choice is to let my DD1 go to E.nopi math -
[Editor's note: Topic selected for http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/abacus-mental-arithmetic-good.]
The 7 beads (2 beads on top and 5 beads below) is Chinese abacus.
Taiwan's abacus, or the so call 'traditional abacus' (1 bead on top, 4 beads below), is a Japanese modified version of the Chinese abacus, aka Soraban. (There is a long history on abacus which you can googgle to find out.)
Then there is also another school of people who feels that there are too many formula to remember so they prefer 9 beads abacus and adopt essential formula from traditional abacus. The adventage of this is it is similar to regrouping/renaming taught in school, easier to understand.
All have their pros and cons. All have been around a long time. All require the students to practise diligently. Result wise, it is individual. Some went through the tedious foundation learning but some prefer to do a quick and run learning approach.
In my opinion, the best time to learn abacus is K2 to P2. Once kids achieve good mental calculation skill, they will attain confidence in exam and it will be easier when they are promoted to P3 to handle more complex problem sums. Also P3 onwards kids have additional subject - science to handle, that leave them lesser time to devote time to practise, not to mention they usually have lots of other enrichment classes to attend.
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