September 2020: Why the Abacus Invention Changed the World

This article explains why the abacus is significant even though it was invented in the 300B.C.

Readers will also understand about a few abacus teaching methods made possible even with online learning.

 

I'm the author of this article and I'm a qualified abacus teacher, answering questions from around the world online abacus and various questions from online-soroban.com students.

Table of contents

When you are trying to find something useful as well as productive for your kids, parents always use the abacus as it helps with brain development.

Learning is worth it especially when students find joy in it.

Soroban is also a huge part of the abacus academies online.

So to understand it better, we should understand more about the soroban.

This tool is a mechanical device used to assist a person in performing mathematical calculations and equations.

It is a frame that is constructed with beads or balls that can be slid on wires or in slots, for performing or educating arithmetic.

It is basically an open wooden rectangular shape that represents a different range of numbers.

It is divided into two parts- the upper part, and the lower part.

The division is marked by a center rod which is also known as a bar.

Though each abacus is equally different from each other in nature, they manage to keep the process almost identical.

Here we will discuss its usefulness, teaching methods, and how it brings happiness and joy to students all around the world.

With fun and joyful way to learn, you can do well in the things you find enjoyable.
 

1-1.Why the Abacus Was So Heavily Used by the Japanese and in Asia?

In Japan, where the use of this mathematical device started becoming popular is known as the abacus.

It is derived from the ancient Chinese suanpan.

As they say, a seconds’ worth of education can impact students for a lifetime.

Here you can note that the abacus's physical appearance is inspired by the suanpan but the number of beads is identical to the Roman abacus, which had four beads below and one at the top.

These variations are all closely related to each other which is a manual that helps children to understand mental math better and also to increase their academic stamina too.

Online Soroban follows an interactive approach to train your mind with math fundamentals.

Despite not being a new invention, it has been taught in schools for over 500 years and is deeply rooted in the values of learning the fundamentals as a form of art.
Soroban used to be an institutionally required subject in school for children grades 2 to 6.

But after the second world war, it gradually lost its charm due to the advancement of mankind.

The invention of calculators replaced it.

People started to look for a quick solution which basically needs no work.

As time passes, elementary schools is no longer need to teach students how to use the soroban because of its infrequent use.

But even after all these, new inventions can never outshine the importance of soroban.

Most of the primary schools in Japan and Asia teach their students the advantages of Soroban.

It helps to understand the advantages of being self-reliant by increasing their calculating speed.

When there is a good understanding of the fundamentals of maths, students are able to set higher goals for themselves and grow further than their peers!

1-2.Why the Abacus Was Invented in the Past and Still Used by Teachers Today?

Learning the abacus from licensed and qualified experts offers an environment where kids can express their true selves.

It has colorful beads to make learning exciting and fun while reinforcing concepts through the child's sense of touch.

When a teacher starts his class, he or she tries to make their students follow some basics rules by mimicking moves, teaching them to round numbers up or down to the nearest ten, counting by fives or twos, and even some simple addition.
With Online Soroban’s new educational platform available on the web, teachers have to make sure that kids are looking at the movement of the abacus as the beads move and then ask them to follow what they did.

There are also mathematic soroban games where students need to start identifying numbers by moving the first row of the soroban and move a certain number of beads to one side.

Then they ask children to count exactly how many beads they moved on one side and moved the same.

Also ask them how many beads are left behind.

Counting and Basics With Abacus such as make the placements correct, assign place values to each column help your kids to learn abacus fluently.

1-3. Why the Abacus Was Invented and How It Helps You

When we use brain activities to provide training for our little ones, we are giving them the gift of knowledge and wisdom.

With increasing competition, it has become necessary for children to perform well in academics.

The advantages of the soroban, in particular, is something which we are going to discuss in short.

Only a 20 to 30 minutes session can help your child to sharpen their skills daily.

Abacus enhances logical reasoning in the right brain where children won't end up relying on a calculator.

Here, your children will learn with specially designed classes made to increase concentration with constant visualization.

This helps them to see an image of an abacus in their heads every time they will solve a math problem.

It fosters a greater sense of numbers.

Helps to develop an intuitive understanding of numbers through their concrete representation on the soroban.

It cultivates addition and subtraction skills when numbers are placed on the abacus and also manifests the concept of decimal places and the progression of units.

And all these mentioned activities can be learned while they are in school to further increase their understanding of the things they learn in school, propelling them towards greater accomplishment and mental capabilities.

Holistically, it is truly a great success one can achieve thoroughly.
 

Overall  
Our left hemisphere works as a digital brain. However, with technology, consistent use of the soroban online can develop the unused right-side of the brain which contributes to their whole brain.

So when children are growing up, using the abacus can change and positively influence your little ones.