All About Montessori

[tiredmummy1972]

RE: abacus & Montessori Maths


i dont think a child will get confused with Montessori maths and abacus.

My eldest son took up abacus when he was 5yrs old. So far so good. he is now 8 years old,. stopped abacus recently because I personally feel that it doesnt help alot in maths, but does help abit in mental calculation and concentration.
Just my own opinion…

[cantbearit2]

Hi toddles,

Is yur DD oso in e Simei branch?

[toddles]

Yup! you too?

[cantbearit2]

toddles:

cantbearit2:

Hi toddles,
Is yur DD oso in e Simei branch?

Yup! you too?

Unfortunately, my kids din not have a chance at Montessori sch yet. :sad: My DD1 is already in P1, previously in mainstream childcare. IM not KS enough to prep her well so she seems to lack understanding fr e ground wen doing her sch work.
Thus din wan to repeat e same mistake wif DD2 (4y.o.). She's currently in a mainstream childcare. Read a lot abt e diff preschool & found Montessori materials 2b v impressive (esp in making diff thgs seems easy). Impressive at least to me. So DD2 will b doing her once a week Montessori phonics first & we c how it progresses. :xedfingers:
My DS3 is only 18mths so it's still wait & c. My mom helps me take care of him for e time being. Logistics is a big issue for us as IM a FTWM. My DH although works fr hm, can sometimes have last min work. Fetch/ send for half day montessori program is a big headache for us.

[buds]

sean wife:

Hi buds and other parents, in your opinion,do u think learning Montessori maths and abacus at the same time will compliment or confuse the child? Thanks.

Simutaneously?

Hmmm.. in a way, yes a lil confusing but not totally.
It also depends on age. The maturity of the child is
important when handling mathematical concepts.

Which is why in Montessori they only take in children
for enrichment maths lessons only for 4yrs and above.
Some centres may even have a minimum age
requirement of 4.5yrs.

Abacus helps in mental calculation and best when the
children are younger, not so much when older.. As for
the Montessori Math, it really encompasses everything
from concrete impression of number values to abstract
calculation.. great if you want to embed foundation for
Math concepts. While it may not display focus on mental
calculation, i personally find that with concrete concept
understanding the children will find it easier to tackle
questions from the roots and also get faster as they
go along with math practice questions. Montessorian
children are also more careful and they learn to check
their workings consistently.

Montessori Math starts introducing operations for eg
for additions... beginning from right to left. ie. units
to thousands. But abacus style i think for CMA... it
begins calculations from right to left. ie. thousands
to units. So i suppose thats where the mini confusion
could come in. But like i mentioned about the maturity
part that comes with age... older children should be able
to discern between the two effectively. Abacus for speedy
calculation, and Montessori for the procedure.

In Primary school, the method of instruction follows/
complements the Montessori Math method.

Hope this information helps somewhat.

I remember you have young twins. Depending on what you
want them to achieve ie. the skills you want them to have...
both programmes have their own merits and it is really a
matter of preference to do either one or both. I do not think
your children are old enough for Montessori Math if do recall
correctly they should now be abt 3 years plus.. not even 4 yet,
right?

You joined the forum when your twins were only 2.5yrs then...

[buds]

cantbearit2:

Logistics is a big issue for us as IM a FTWM. My DH although works fr hm, can sometimes have last min work. Fetch/ send for half day montessori program is a big headache for us.

Darling... you need to find a centre that caters transport service for students.
This way your parents also get reprieve from caring for the children. Some
break time for ah ma and ah gong.

Have you checked out Shekinah Montessori yet?

[sean wife]

Hi buds,


Thanks for your reply…wow, you sure have a fantastic memory. Yes, you are right about my twins gals who are in fact turning 4 very soon in Sep. I have actually signed them up for Montessori Maths enrichment class starting in Sep. However I am not sure if starting abacus at the same time will be complimentary or detrimental to them at this point of time. What you have described about the different ways of addition/subtraction between Montessori Maths and abacus is exactly my worry about confusion and end up, they may get frustrated and the damage may take a long time to un-do, especially that I feel my gals do not absorb Maths concepts so readily and do not really like Maths activities as much as say reading…of course, I also know abacus has tonnes of worksheets and it will be an uphill task to get them to sit down to complete without lots of whining and hair-pulling on my part… Maybe I should start them on the Montessori first (since I have already paid up) and when they are more familiar with the concrete part of it, then try out abacus.

[buds]

Hi seanwife, i've been told many times over that i have elephant mammaries... i meant oliphant memory.. :rotflmao: Err.. so okay, you do know what you're in for so i suppose problem solved then yah? I have always advised parents that there are a lot of other concepts to introduce to children other than just reading. Even out what we teach our children so that we can avoid the hair-pulling stage. They shouldn't just be great at one thing when they can be equally good at everything a toddler or preschooler should know at that age. Learning to read is not the only important skill to teach to a child. I'm sure your twins can adapt fine with Montessori Math since the method being multi-sensory and all. All my best okie? I'm just around if you require further clarifications. Where did you eventually sign them up for math enrichment if i may ask?

[sean wife]

Hi buds,


In fact, I find that I have cut down reading time to maybe just 1-2 books a day, and spending the rest of the time on introducing simple maths to them. When doing maths either with manipulatives or worksheets, I haven’t had much success on coaching both of them at the same time. For eg, when they start counting aloud, they disturb each other and it’s just so difficult to sustain the attention of both at the same time. I wonder how the school teacher or enrichment class teacher can teach so many kids at the same time….So if I do one set of activities/worksheets with one, I have to repeat it with the other one. It’s really time consuming and not the best use of time….wondering if things will get better when they get older and more independent to do their own work…

Maths enrichment – they will be starting on weekly Montessori lessons in Aug or Sep. I just hope the teacher is half as good as you, hahaha…although my gals are turning 4, they can still be very clingy especially starting on new lessons…just hope that the teacher can handle them….

[cantbearit2]

buds:

cantbearit2:

Logistics is a big issue for us as IM a FTWM. My DH although works fr hm, can sometimes have last min work. Fetch/ send for half day montessori program is a big headache for us.

Darling... you need to find a centre that caters transport service for students.
This way your parents also get reprieve from caring for the children. Some
break time for ah ma and ah gong.

Have you checked out Shekinah Montessori yet?

Aiyo, but no one at hm even wif transport cos DH may go for last min meeting or worst still overseas. My mom prefers full day childcare if given a choice (hee....) cos she told me she needs a break. :faint: I can perfectly understand as she's getting of age & \"machinery\" breaking dn.
My DS3 is getting her hands full so she's hoping I can send him to a fullday childcare asap. On e other hand, ah ma being ah ma, worried abt him being bullied (cos his verbal development quite slow, still babbling only). sigh.
On e bright side, DH seems 2b v supportive of tis whole Montessori saga. :imcool: He agrees tat we can free up time if no add'l enrichm is required by sending em to a preschool which preps em well.
We shall see.....update u agn.
As for Shekinah, I have checked out only one of the enrichment branch (no childcare) but failed to convince me to sign up. Mayb IM too picky. :oops: