MathGuru,


what software do you use to draw all your models? I am truly impressed! Perhaps the teachers in school should start doing this…

When you say "poor in maths", do you mean the child is failing or getting around 60 - 70. If it is the latter, most enrichment programs dealing with heuristics will help.


If the kid is failing, it would mean fundamental concepts are not mastered. In this case, better to get a tuition teacher to go through the P4 and P5 topics first.

Mastering heuristics without a firm foundation is like sweeping dirt under the carpet.

Hi Team Scharff,


A better way to solve your activity question would be to first have the children understand that 95 is made up of 9 tens and 5 ones.

Then, all the child has to do is to add up the tens. While there requires a trial and error here, adding single digit up to 9 is not difficult for a P1 kid.

This method - elimination - can probably be used in more situations than the one you are teaching, which is specific to the activitiy only. Moreover, doing it this way reinforces what schools teach about place values.

You can try brainfitstudio.com at Novena. They used to be called brain revolution. I am not sure if they have something that is appropriate for your child.


My ex-colleague once worked there and he says that they really have a good program going for younger children. They are very ex though…

Hi Candy,


your example is excellent! In terms of number flexibility, that is definitely the way to go.

Encouraging the child to solve via different methods is a good thing only if the child can thoroughly understand the advantages and disadvantages of both methods.

Perhaps what we are both driving at is simply this:

To be a master of one with knowledge of some!

Cheers,
M.S.

Hi Candy,


I agree with you that scoring A* is not the ultimate goal in life. My apologies if my post has led to that conclusion

On Verdic vs the abacus: the mechanics at how each arrive at the answer may be different but both require the child to memorise mechanical rules to solve the mathematical sum.

Developing mental skills of creativity, flexibility and problem solving requires the application of a procedure (whether abacus or Vedic) to a particular situation. More importantly, the situation must be unfamiliar. A familiar situation is simply drill and practice.

For example, a child at P1 may learn how to add numbers up to 20. A verification of the addition skills is not scoring full marks in a test but having the child solve a 3 X 3 magic square.

What’s your take?

Hi Candy,


I am glad to hear that your child is motivated to do the centre’s work and is learning well. Motivation comes from praises and physical incentives such as stickers and stars, which commercial centres are so good at, and schools so sorely need.

Hi all,


I have practiced the methods used by Verdic. It is an advanced form of mental calculations. It is actually similar to the abacus, just presented in a different way. Vedic Math by itself, like the abacus, does not teach the concept of numbers. It only provides the answers.

If you like your child to possess such mental prowess, by all means go ahead. The ability for complex mental sums is while useful, is not essential.

The drawback of the Vedic method is that the child has to remember the particular situation to apply a particular rule. I am not convinced this results in less mental work then using the normal methods, at the primary level.

PSLE has shifted away from raw mental ability via the introduction of calculators at P5. While good number sense is important, it is no longer the standard for an A*.