EdTech entrepreneur responds to calls for Times Tables to be scrapped
An ancient counting tool first used as early as 2,400 BC should be brought back to classrooms if the new UK government decides to scrap times-tables tests, a Scottish business is arguing.
Glasgow-based British Youth International College (BYITC) specialises in teaching maths using the abacus and says the device, which involves sliding beads along a frame to count, can help children perform mathematical calculations faster than a calculator.
Students of the College include 10-year-old Tejas Mittal, who can solve 90 to 100 complex sums mentally in just 60 minutes.
“Instead of memorising numbers – like the multiplications of the times-tables – the abacus teaches children to actually visualise the calculations,” explained Dr Rashmi Mantri, who founded BYITC in 2015 after using an abacus to teach her son basic arithmetic.
“Students are then able to do big calculations mentally without the use of any calculator or paper. The abacus method doesn’t require your child to physically handle one of these ancient instruments. We teach children to visualise the abacus in their heads, then use their fingers to manipulate the imaginary beads.”
The annual Maths Week Scotland takes place from Monday 23rd September, a matter of weeks after news outlets reported that the government might make times-tables tests optional, to simplify the school curriculum.
If this were to become policy in either England or Scotland, abacus maths could be introduced in schools to make maths and arithmetic more fun – and improve learning outcomes, Dr Mantri said.
“Research has shown that abacus learners had 200% better memory than non-abacus learners,” she added.
“Because it’s a visual way of learning – using either a real or a virtual abacus – we find students enjoy it and engage with it more than they might do in a traditional maths lesson.
“From the thousands of students who learn maths with us, we also believe the abacus method is one of the best confidence-building tools in education. Children who do well at maths tend to have more confidence in other areas of study. And the better they do in school, the more that confidence carries over to areas outside of the classroom.”
Dr Mantri said school pupil Tejas Mittal, from Edinburgh, demonstrated “remarkable speed and accuracy” in mental arithmetic.
She said: “His father tells us that Tejas uses his abacus skills in everyday scenarios, like calculating grocery totals and measuring the carpet areas in square feet of a newly constructed building.”
Tejas’s father, Mukesh Mittal, Senior Delivery Manager at Cognizant, said: “As a parent, I am beyond thrilled with the progress Tejas has made through the Abacus Maths course at BYITC. The transformation has been remarkable, not just in his academic performance but in how he applies maths in daily life.
“Tejas confidently uses his abacus skills in real-world scenarios, impressing us and even our friends and family. We are incredibly grateful to the team at BYITC for their dedication and the positive impact they’ve had on our son’s education and overall development. Thank you for making maths not just a subject but a life skill that Tejas will carry with him always.”
BYITC teaches abacus maths online to students globally through its interactive Supermaths programme, which offers a mix of weekly teacher-led abacus maths classes and online tutorials.
The abacus is thought to have been first used by the Babylonians, an ancient Middle Eastern civilization, as early as 2,400 BC. The device consists of several rows of beads grouped in tens and mounted on a frame. Maths calculations are made by sliding beads back and forth to represent the various numbers in the calculation.
“Fingers, pebble calculators and computers have been used across history to calculate big numbers,” Dr Mantri said. “But the abacus is the one device that stands the test of millennia and is known to be highly effective at training the brain to make mathematical calculations involving huge numbers.”
BYITC says research in countries including Japan has shown that benefits of the abacus method include:
- Numerical Memory – Learning to do maths on an abacus makes it easier for students to memorise long numbers. A study at Japan’s Shinshu University showed that nine-digit memorisation was ‘fairly easy’ for students
- Problem-Solving Skills – The abacus method improves problem-solving skills, both in maths and other areas of life. The method teaches children to think through problems logically.
- Rapid Calculations – Learning maths with the abacus method equips a student to do rapid calculations without the need for electronic devices or writing instruments. All calculations are performed in the head by visualising the abacus.
- Critical Thinking – The skills learned in the abacus method make students better at critical thinking in other areas of life. They are better able to conceptualise all sorts of challenges. They think through solutions and reach conclusions more easily.
Dr Mantri started teaching her son, Dhruv, maths using the abacus method when he was in Primary 5. By the age of 12, Dhruv – who has featured on TV shows for his “human calculator” skills – was developing web programming tutorials and giving online cyber security seminars. Now 18, he is pursuing a career in data science and analytics.
BYITC holds regular maths competitions to showcase the remarkable skills of its students.
- As part of Maths Week Scotland 23 – 29 September 2024 – Maths Week Scotland the school will run its annual Maths Olympiad competition which is free to enter. Find out more and enter here.
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