All About Abacus Training

[venuschan]

Now I’m cycling back to this topic…Last year around this time I let DD learned abacus with CMA 2 hands’ method, half year later I thought she didn’t actually improve in terms of technique, felt something missing in the class, then I decided to change to another abacus center with a stricter and more experienced instructor, and shortly lesser than 2 months I could see how she improve her mental arithmetic and abacus skill tremendously…so in nutshell, to have an experienced instructor is SOOOOOOO IMPORTANT…especially those instructors who have couching experience or those who actually have gone through the entire ABACUS exam system until 段位(dun) instead of just obtaining a teaching certificate…bc abacus is an activity that needs a lot of details…

[venuschan]

Bluepanda:

Hi,

My DS is currently at this abacus level doing:
i) Mental arithmetic for 2 x 1 digit multiplication
ii) Mental arithmetic for 3 digits divide by 1 digit division

The daily homework is all about this and I find it quite repetitive. I'm pondering if I should stop at this stage or should I continue so that he will be able to learn things like 2 x 2 digit multiplication and 4 digits divide by 2 digits division in time to come?

Hoping to get advice from experienced parents out there. Many thanks in advance.

If time permits think you may just let him learn 2 digits x 2 digits and etc...it actually makes a kid to think faster...my 2 cents. My DD has been almost a year with abacus...I must say abacus teaches us another perspective, i.e. breaking the big numbers into smaller and deal with it in hands-on way. Like I said, abacus is only a calculating skill yet an essential skill to have...I always think to see a child acquiring pure \"mental arithmetic\" calculating skill is something they have to learn not just using abacus...Imagine if marks lost for simple wrong calculation..Again only my humble opinion.

[bluemiffy]

Hi venuschan,

can you pm me the centre for abacus?

thanks

[hoo1688]

“珠心算”.

小小的幼童，打小就被所谓的珠心算弄的失去了童趣，整天被“零岁智能”方案之一“珠心算”弄的不宜乐乎。

心算的速度能决定幼童数学的发展吗？
心算的速度能决定幼童科学思维的形成吗？
心算的速度能决定幼童的创造性吗？

[venuschan]

hoo1688:

“珠心算”.

小小的幼童，打小就被所谓的珠心算弄的失去了童趣，整天被“零岁智能”方案之一“珠心算”弄的不宜乐乎。

心算的速度能决定幼童数学的发展吗？
心算的速度能决定幼童科学思维的形成吗？
心算的速度能决定幼童的创造性吗？

Sorry to say, abacus can't actually provide the above as mentioned by you. Perhaps it helps establish beads imaging or memory?!...the way I see it. But definitely not so much on the ones as you said, so I suggest for those who want to teach better early child's Maths should then start with real quatity counting, I know one method called See's Maths....whoever interested can google to search for details.

[hoo1688]

My DD had start doing the P1 math when she was 4.5 yo in Sep 2011, she enjoyed the learning process and gained excellent results, she kept asking me to let her join the abacus class, but due to some negatives reviews in Taiwan and China about the abacus, I had put on hold the abacus since 2010.


My DD (K1) asking me again let her join the abacus because her P1 friends (abacus) perform calculation in speed with accuracy, 2 to 3 time faster than my DD.

[venuschan]

hoo1688:

My DD had start doing the P1 math when she was 4.5 yo in Sep 2011, she enjoyed the learning process and gained excellent results, she kept asking me to let her join the abacus class, but due to some negatives reviews in Taiwan and China about the abacus, I had put on hold the abacus since 2010.


My DD (K1) asking me again let her join the abacus because her P1 friends (abacus) perform calculation in speed with accuracy, 2 to 3 time faster than my DD.

Hi hoo1688,

Guess we have the same situation..when my daughter was 3.4 I started math's concept with See' Maths, so she could figure mentally 24-5 or understand 24+4, the leap that I saw was in 4yo, she started to understand 243-43 or even 1,345+456, 20,000+4000, concept of thousand and millions..then she understand numbers below 0, either decimal or negatives. So she started doing mentally in decimal and negatives counting @ age of 5. I started her with abacus when when was 5y9m, now she is 6y10m, a year plus we did abacus, I find the short of abacus, abacus does provide speed, but as parent we need to keep real close at their work as well as what's taught in abacus class, in the class young child is taught 2389X3 by first counting digits, ie. 5digits, so it should be in ten thousand place but bc 2x3 is 6 less than 10 so it is then at thousand place instead....Do you see my point? I asked why they were taught this way, the teacher said because the child was still unable to comprehend place value conceptually so they needed to do with rote memory initially. Luckily my daughter wasnt learned in this way, she is able to understand why it's such and not otherwise. Abacus student has difficulty to see negatives....at least they stuck with -3-4, -4(-6), they just don't see it. Speed / accuracy is one of the many ways, but it won't bring a child to move far if we are not cautious. Actually I could see my daughter is moving fast, but in order to do fast one must understand both logic, understanding and work with speed simultaneously. I consider the child is able to ABACUS counting when s(he) is able to discard the use of abacus, then you could see the amazing brain's working memory. My 2 cents.

[hoo1688]

My K1 DD is quite good with her math, she always likes to challenge the calculation speed and accuracy with her P1 friends (P1 tuition classmates – some are 2 years abacus students) but never win the P1 abacus students, my K1 DD felt disappointed! therefore my K1 DD asking me let her join abacus!

[venuschan]

hoo1688:

My K1 DD is quite good with her math, she always likes to challenge the calculation speed and accuracy with her P1 friends (P1 tuition classmates – some are 2 years abacus students) but never win the P1 abacus students, my K1 DD felt disappointed! therefore my K1 DD asking me let her join abacus!

Hi hoo1688,

It's definitely alright to join cause passion makes the work perfectly well...what need to be in our concern is abacus is only the calculating skill, it's not actual math, to gain speed and accuracy, the child needs to practice, it's more like playing piano, you have passion, you put effort, you like it then of course you gain the skill FAST...So in order to pick up skill, apart from class, we also need to coach and make sure s(he) gets the right technique...for instance an experienced instructor will tell the kid way to minimize mistakes, way to expedite counting and way to save time....a lot to learn though....., but if the kid likes it, why not!? Just don't get carry away by thinking this is actual math or this is mathy....this isn't...Still she has to do high order thinking sum simultaneously. Again my 2 cents. And I do strongly encourage the child picks up essential skill like taught in abacus. Apart from teaches persistency, it also teaches concentration skill.

[venuschan]

I’m still with abacus class and I also join Olympic math class too, this is what I meant. When the child likes it then it has become a passion and not Real chores.