All About Abacus Training

[Picolo]

I suppose, only the very interested (and they are usu. the very numerically inclined ones) will continue for many years through primary schools. Many kids opt out of abacus when they start primary schools, when their interest for it as well as their parents’ patience dwindle.


After considering long and hard, I finally put ds3 into one of those PCF enrichment class held at night. My friend’s kid has gone through it in K1 and K2 and I think he has benefitted from it. Since ds3 is ready and very interested in numbers, I let him start now so that he can learn for 3 years till end of K2. And till then, if he is still keen, I would be just as keen to let him continue. If it is CMA, it would work out to be a hefty amount after 3 - 4 years.

Whether it is 1-hand or 2-hand method, it seems that the most important is still:
1) the kid’s ability
2) quality of the teacher

I personally feel that so long as we are not sending our kids for competitions, it’s alright to learn a ‘slower’ method. For me, my objective is to let ds3 have the chance at a young age to appreciate numbers more, that’s all.

[buds]

Heyya chixchix,


I agree.

Montessori has their own concrete way of teaching addition
and the other three operations (subtraction, multiplication &
division). The beads used in the Montessori method is good
enuf for tactile learning experience and the worksheets that
entail from the concrete exercises help children put the lesson
learnt into print. Maria Montessori’s quote goes like this…

"What goes through the hand, goes thru the mind…"

Besides, when in P1, children are given marks for workings
done for their sums esp problem sums. And drawings or
diagrams that show how the reach the answer are also given
points. Though its good to be faster in mental calculation, it is
also important to have the patience and the developed-discipline
to do workings by the side.

[Picolo]

I've been so blur to assume that all non-CMA abacus classes are using 1-hand method. I just realised last night that my son's abacus teacher is teaching the 2-hand method. so happy....

[ryankwek]

picolo,


whereis your son attending his abacus class. Wanted to have daul hand but find that CMA is too expensive.

[Picolo]

The teacher teaches at Jurong West, Jurong East and CCK. My understanding is the class is opened only at the beginning of each year, but I could be wrong. Let me check with the teacher on Thurs first.


------------------------
Update 13/7/10

For those who are interested or PMed me

After about 9 months (actually only 7 months, cos the teacher went on one-month leave and the centre was temp closed for renovation for another month) of mental abacus lessons, less than 10 students wished to continue with the lessons and so the class cannot contunue. Quite a waste for the older kids. But mine was only 4 y.o. then, I take it as a break and start him on E&P in June this year. Within 5 lessons/ weeks, he has finished Pre-Sch Book 1, 2 and 3, skipped Grade 1 Book, and now in the middle of Grade 2 Book.

Again, this confirmed my belief that the speed at which a child can advance in math depends very much on his own sensitivity to nos (his ability). It does not really matter where you learn abacus from. My niece (now in sec 4) learnt abacus as part of pri school enrichment at her time can still remember how to do calculations the abacus way, and she’s good with math too.

[Rosella]

Hi, Parents


My son is in K2 this year and he was rather slow in his mental calculation for addition & subtraction. I thought of signing him up for a math enrichment to build up his math foundation for P1. I’m in dilemma whether to enroll him into CMA abacus or the drilling based MPM. Can parents give me some opinion? . Hmmm, do you think is Math enrichment necessary for a child who is slow in mental calculation. :? He is good in other math topics like graphs, time, and fractions. Any parents have kids in MPM, can share your experience?

For parents with kids in primary school with abacus background, does your kid have problem adapting to the number bonding method taught in school.

Thanks for yr 2cts :lol:

[TENTEN]

Hi,


I’m also new here. Reading all the posts plus feedback from my 5yo girl’s classmates’ parents started me panicking…

I am considering sending her for maths reinforcement, coz she lacks discipline of sitting down to do sums.

Would mental abacus (like CMA) be useful when she gets to P1? I don’t want her to come home crying that the school has different method of teaching, and she’s all confused! And I heard some schools require workings to be shown, which I believe CMA’s method doesnt produce.

What about Kumon, is that MOE approved? Just worried that the amount of homework will put DD off schoolwork totally. She is already not at all enthusiastic about doing her K1 homework on weekends!

I am more swayed towards a Chinese-based Abacus lessons with Crestar when they have slots available, coz I can also expose her to the language more. Any parents know if CC abacus is similar to theirs? (I understand parents can sit in for the CC lessons?)

What do u KS parents think?

[nmhmum]

my nephew went for the cc abacus for about half a year. Did not really learn much because the class size is very big… about 20 in one class…

[Picolo]

ryankwek:

picolo,


whereis your son attending his abacus class. Wanted to have daul hand but find that CMA is too expensive.

Hi,

Just PMed you the teacher's contact no.

[achin]

Hi picolo,


I’m also interested in sending my daughter to learn dual hand abacus. Is it ok to pm me the teacher contacts? Many thanks