Project nurtures future geniuses
CMATHS is the abbreviation for Calculating Mental Arithmetic Tuition with Help of a Soroban.
LYDENBURG – CMATHS, formerly known as Semas Abacus Maths, was launched during a parents meeting at Lydenburg Laerskool a week ago. CMATHS is the abbreviation for Calculating Mental Arithmetic Tuition with Help of a Soroban.
“This project teaches children between three and 11 years old maths. The aim is to make it part of their daily lives and instil a love of it,” said Marietha van den Berg, the franchisee of CMATHS in Mbombela, White River and Lydenburg.
“It is a powerful brain and skills-development course aimed at not only improving children’s mental arithmetic ability, but also abilities like memorisation, concentration, speed reading and listening, information processing, insight and fine motor movement,” said Van den Berg.
“Our goal is to accomplish the whole brain development. CMATHS will also heighten the skill levels learners need
throughout various learning areas, like comprehension, concentration, the ability to pay attention, creativity and problem solving.”
According to Ms Ramona Mouton, a Lydenburg CMATHS teacher, the session starts with a brain gym, which achieves integration of the left and right brain hemispheres, then the next step will be practising flashcards.
Flashcards are widely used as a learning drill to aid memorisation and speed writing. Learners will move around on the carpet and will then continually use the big soroban to familiarise themselves.
“Practicing finger exercises on the soroban will start to refine motor skills, this moves learning from the abstract to the concrete and helps pupils to understanding the notions of adding and subtracting, after which they will be able to step-up the numbers with which they are dealing,” said Mouton.
“Your child will definitely benefit from this,”she said. “Their IQ will increase by up to 25 points, it will boost their self-confidence, a powerful brain and skills development, greater mental and memory capacity, improved concentration and listening skills, creates a love for maths, enhances problem solving capability, greatly enhances creativity, gross and fine motor development, time sense, handwriting and speed writing, improve photographic memory and promotes intuitive thinking.”
Soroban is a Japanese counting frame and is composed of an odd number of columns or rods, each having beads: one bead having a value of five.
