Tally Ho! Abacus Education for Home Schools

By: Dhaval Shrimankar
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:26:58
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Enter a classroom in any abacus center in India and you will see children busy with something that looks like a toy — tiny brown beads compiled neatly in columns. On the wall is propped a similar toy, though bigger with large, shiny yellow beads.

The teacher calls out a complex calculation, almost like an open challenge. A little boy, barely seven, comes forward and recites a seemingly funny rhyme. He also moves the yellow beads up and down and gets the answer down pat. No furious adding, counting or subtracting! Amazed?

Welcome to the world of abacus education, where rigid arithmetic takes a backseat and visuals and imagination gain centre-stage. Here children learn to use the abacus, an ancient Chinese invention, to solve basic arithmetic sums with speed and accuracy. Institutes, which offer abacus education, claim that they use arithmetic as a tool to develop mind skills, memory and lateral thinking abilities.

Popular in Asian countries like Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand, abacus education is relatively new in India. But several entrepreneurs have been quick to tap the business potential of this non-formal education tool.

Scientific theories associate the left hemisphere of the brain with numerical and academic abilities, and the right hemisphere with creativity and intelligence. Proponents of abacus education claim that while formal education focuses merely on left-brain development, the abacus brings about "whole brain development".

"If the brain is not developed at an early age, one's mental abilities can start declining by 20 years of age. That's why we must tap them young," says Dhaval Shrimankar, CEO, NurtureMinds.com.

The brain gyms — as these institutes are called — are not stand-alone entities, but, instead, operate through a network of local franchises in urban and semi-urban areas. The reach and popularity of abacus education can be gauged from the burgeoning franchisee network.

Today, the same innovative education is available in the US and Canada. The system has taken the home-school communities by the storm. Private centers just like Score or Kumon are springing up from west coast to the east coast.

As an alternative to investment for a franchise, books are directly sold to the interested customers. Many of the patrons take up on roles of tutors as well as franchise owners.

How does Abacus work?

The abacus consists of 13 vertical rods, separated into two sections by a horizontal bar. Each rod contains one bead in the upper section and four beads in the lower section.

When given a sum, the child recites a rhyme corresponding to the kind of calculation involved. This also makes learning fun and easy. Simultaneously, the child moves the required beads up and down. The position of each bead signifies a specific numerical value. At the end of the rhyme, the position of the beads touching the horizontal bar, gives the answer.

As the course advances, the abacus is taken away and the child is encouraged to picture the abacus mentally to come up with the answer. After sufficient training, the child becomes adept at moving the beads mentally and no longer needs to recite the rhyme aloud to arrive at the answer.

Dhaval Shrimankar believes in nurturing minds of young children using mental math techniques. You can find more information at the nurtureminds blog and http://www.nurtureminds.com/

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Homeschooling category

  • Choosing to Home School - By: Veronica Scott
    There are many reasons that families opt to home school their children instead of sending them to school everyday. Home schooling has continued to become more popular over the past few years. When you know that it is an option you have a genuine interest in, it's wise to spend some time picking it apart. It isn't something that should be entered into lightly. Take some time to think about how it benefits you and what it is that appeals to you as opposed to traditional schooling.
  • Pros and Cons of Home Schooling Your Child - By: Veronica Scott
    So you are thinking of homeschooling your child? There are many reasons to choose homeschooling over public schools. To help you with your decision, here are some advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling:
  • Is Homeschooling the Right Decision for Your Family? - By: Rebecca Walker
    Home schooling requires a parent or caregiver to take full responsibility for the education that their child or children will receive outside of the traditional parameters of the classroom.
  • Tips for Successful home schooling - By: Rebecca Walker
    Are you interested in creating a great home schooling program? Home schooling has many benefits and is no longer a matter of debate. Here are some tips to make learning at home an even more beneficial for you and your child.
  • Some Homeschooling Home-What you need to know - By: Rebecca Walker
    Homeschooling has come a long way from relative obscurity two decades ago. It is now a leading education trend in America as well as around the world. Estimates put the growth in the sector to about 15 percent per year
  • 5 Things To Take Into Account When Moving Your Child From Public School And Into Home Schooling - By: Donald Saunders
    If you feel that your child is stressed in the public school and is becoming more and more downcast as the weeks roll by then home schooling might well be something that you should consider. But, prepare yourself for a transition period after removing your child from public school before diving into 'full-time' home schooling.
  • Homeschooling: How to Get Started - By: Heather Brunson
    Homeschooling is becoming a common alternative to traditional classroom teaching. Today, more parents and guardians are opting to teaching their children at home, with an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000 students learning in a home environment. Many parents believe that homeschooling provides their children with a custom or more complete education than public or private schools.
  • Algebra: How To Start and Why You Really Need to Practice a Lot - By: Markella M.
    The most importand factor about algebra and mathematics is that you really need to practise in order to understand the concepts. There are a lot of algebra books, tutorials, interactive lessons, online tutors and courses that can help you a lot, but without some homework and practise you are bound to fail.You cannot remember the thousands of algebra concepts and equations without truly understand what each equation really means.
  • 3 Tips To Help You Reduce The Cost Of Homeschooling - By: Ricky Lim
    Homeschooling can be an expensive choice for parents. There are many expenditures that need to be taken into account and the financial burden can be heavy particularly if only one parent is working.However, many families have chosen homeschooling and found the homeschooling experience to be rewarding and fruitful.
  • Homeschooling Vs Public Schooling - By: Razvan Ionut Rovinaru
    The time has come for your child to begin his education, and you are faced with the ever present question: What should I choose? Homeschooling or Public Schooling? Both offer advantages and disadvantages and we will discuss some of them in this article as it is best to know all the facts before making the decision.