A boon to
parents and teachers, a simple technique taught in early childhood, the abacus method
originated in China. It is more than a 2000 years old art and skill. This ancient
art has survived the onslaught of time, because it is a proven technique for the
brain development.
Abacus!, the word is not an uncommon word. It is now accepted and practiced in several
countries China-principally, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Brunei,
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, U.K., and other countries in the Middle East. This
helps children far better in all areas where learning is required.
The program Mental Arithmetic System is only a tool to develop the right brain.
The brain is made up of two hemispheres, the left and the right, Research on the
brain science reveals that the left hemisphere provides analytical information concerning.
Language and sound; the right hemisphere provides integral - information process
dealing with information concerning shape and space. This program by increasing
processing and is good at dealing with contribute to the whole brain development
of the individual.
Left-brain
governs the right limbs and the right brain, left limbs. Conversely the action of
the limbs also has an influence on the development of the brain. The children are
from infancy taught to use their right hand for most have the work they do like
eating and writing. So the right hand is used more than the left hand throughout
life, so the right brain function is not well developed. The learning of Abacus
mental arithmetic accelerates the development of brain.
The brain
of a six-year-old child has reached the weight of 1200 gram making up 86% of the
adult brain. At this time the child has approached the sensitive period of thinking
in their visual receptivity, aural recognition of sound and flexibility of finger
muscles. So we work with children from 4 to 12 years.
In western
countries today, the abacus is seen chiefly as a kindergarten-teaching tool. In
the Middle East, Russia, and the Orient, however, it is still very much a part of
modern life, used not only by tradesmen but also by business offices and even by
racetrack cashiers. The Russian abacus is a frame of ten undivided rods holding
ten beads each, called the s'choty. A somewhat similar abacus is called a cherub
by the Armenians, and coulba by Turks. This type apparently developed among the
Arabs or Persians and was carried northward to Russia in comparatively recent times.
As a result
of more efficient design and methods of operation, the use of the abacus has actually
been increasing in Japan in recent decades. The use of the abacus is part of the
arithmetic curriculum in grade schools; Japanese abacisats are recognized as skilled
professionals, trained in special schools and licensed as first-grade, second-grade,
or third-grade operators according to speed and accuracy.
The speed
and accuracy of abacus calculations was demonstrated in 1946 in Japan in a contest
held between a Japanese soroban expert and a highly skilled desk-calculator operator
selected by competition among U.S.Army payroll clerks. The abacus came out ahead
in addition, subtraction, division, and problems involving combinations of these
operations. The electronic calculator won only the multiplication contest.