The abacus is considered the oldest arithmetic calculation instrument in the world. For thousands of years it was an indispensable tool in commercial transactions. But with the arrival of the calculator, computers and new teaching methods, many described the abacus as an obsolete and inefficient technology that does not match the digital and modern world in which we live.
at a level of speed and precision that are comparable with the use of the calculator
However, and to our amazement, the abacus continues to be used in different places around the world, mainly in countries that excel in international education assessments such as Singapore, India, China and Japan; And not out of pure whim, but they have found that this instrument offers advantages in terms of speed and precision that are comparable to the use of a calculator, in addition, it allows people to carry out operations even when they are talking.
There are two ways to use the abacus: the traditional way, with the material instrument; and the mental abacus, a technique that simulates their movement with the hands and allows you to do the operations mentally (like when you multiply without pencil and paper).
A few days ago I came across a video from a school in India that teaches children to use the mental abacus and I was very impressed when I saw the speed and precision with which these little ones did complex arithmetic operations.
Look at the video:
If you value articles like this, consider supporting us by becoming a Pro subscriber. Subscribers enjoy access to members-only articles, materials, and webinars.
The video is surprising, but what do the studies say? The scientific literature does not have many investigations that have compared the use of the mental abacus versus other learning methods.
Interested in this topic, a group of psychologists from Harvard and Stanford universities published a study in the journal which took three years of research and offers very interesting data about the benefits of the abacus.
The team managed to involve 183 children who were between five and seven years old in a school in India. A test preliminary to know their cognitive and arithmetic skills. They were then randomly separated into three groups: one group received three hours a week of abacus training (at first with the physical abacus and then with the mental abacus); the second group received three hours of after-school math tutoring; and the third group received half and half of the tutoring.
They had improved their mathematics, calculation, arithmetic and conceptual understanding skills
After three years, the psychologists took cognitive and arithmetic tests again, compared the data, and found that the children who received mental abacus training had improved their math, calculation, arithmetic, and conceptual understanding skills; They also outperformed all those who received the three hours of traditional tutoring. The results also showed modest gains in children’s grades in math and science.
The psychologists explain that the use of the mental abacus did not translate into greater benefits in cognitive skills and did not change children’s attitudes or anxiety towards mathematics. This may seem like bad news, but it’s actually a good thing, since it means that the findings are not the result of the placebo effect.
“Our evidence suggests that the mental abacus provides these benefits by building children’s pre-existing cognitive abilities rather than modifying their ability to visualize and manipulate objects in working memory,” the authors conclude.
Maybe it’s time to dust off this old teaching tool and use it again.
Fountain: