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Suggestions on International Dissemination and Development of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Education
2022-03-09 10:36 Hits:161 Source:WAAMA

Gao Chang, Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Research Center

Chinese abacus has a long history and spreads widely. Abacus and mental arithmetic, which is innovatively developed on the basis of abacus arithmetic, is not only popular in Asian countries and regions, but also widely used in children’s education due to its unique function of enlightening mathematics, cultivating quality and developing intelligence.

I. Development of abacus and mental arithmetic education in the world

For a long time, there have been different opinions on the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education in the world. Some people say that only some children in a few countries and regions, such as China and Japan, are learning abacus and mental arithmetic, while other countries have long abandoned the outdated teaching tools and methods of “abacus” or “abacus arithmetic”. Some people say that many developing countries in Asia are providing abacus and mental arithmetic education at present, but school-aged children in developed countries in Europe and the United States do not learn abacus and mental arithmetic. There are also news reports that more than 100 countries around the world have introduced the programs of abacus and mental arithmetic. So, what’s the real story?

To find out the truth, accurately grasp the actual spread of abacus and mental arithmetic in foreign countries, and solve the public’s doubts about the global spread of abacus and mental arithmetic, the author carries out a special research at the beginning of this year, mainly adopting the online research method and utilizing different domestic and international channels, such as consulting the global dissemination organizations of abacus and mental arithmetic and entrusting overseas journalists and diplomats. It has been confirmed successively that 132 countries and regions around the world were providing abacus and mental arithmetic education (the data does not include very few countries and regions that have not been contacted due to various factors such as COVID-19 and language barriers). The survey results indicate that: The argument that abacus and mental arithmetic education is very popular all over the world is well founded, not groundless. The specific dissemination and distribution of abacus and mental arithmetic education in the world are as follows.

(I) Asia

Chinese abacus arithmetic originated in China and has outstanding radiating power and influence in Asia, so does the abacus and mental arithmetic. According to the survey, among the total 47 countries in Asia, 45 countries are providing abacus and mental arithmetic education (see Table 1), accounting for 93.62%. It can be said that abacus and mental arithmetic education is in full swing in Asia.


Table 1: Asian Countries with Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Education

East   Asia

China, Japan, South   Korea, North   Korea, Mongolia

Southeast   Asia

Viet   Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia,

Singapore, Indonesia

South   Asia

Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri   Lanka

Central   Asia

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,

Turkmenistan

Western   Asia

Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan,

Saudi   Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, United   Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey

(II) Europe

In Europe, which is the most developed and richest region in general, the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education can not be underestimated, with 34 countries providing abacus and mental arithmetic education (as shown in Table 2). Among them, 7 developed countries in West Europe all have large and small abacus and mental arithmetic education and training institutions, with the UK having the most. Among many of the abacus and mental arithmetic educational and training institutions in Europe, there are many blond and blue-eyed “native” children learning abacus and mental arithmetic. In addition, many Russian-speaking East Europe countries such as Russia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus are also very active in providing abacus and mental arithmetic education.

 

Table 2: European Countries with Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Education

North   Europe

Denmark,   Norway,   Sweden

West Europe

United   Kingdom, Ireland,   France,   Monaco,   Netherlands,   Belgium,   Luxembourg

Central   Europe

Germany,   Switzerland,   Poland,   Czech   Republic, Austria,   Hungary

East Europe

Belarus,   Ukraine,   Moldova,   Russia

South   Europe

Portugal,   Spain,   Italy,   Malta,   Slovenia,    Croatia,   Bosnia and   Herzegovina, Montenegro,   Serbia,   North   Macedonia, Bulgaria,   Greece,   Rumania,   Cyprus

(III) Africa

In recent years, African countries have responded positively to the “Belt and Road Initiative” proposed by China. Under the framework of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, China and Africa have accelerated all-round cooperation and synergized their development strategies. A total of 28 African countries have also synchronized their strategies with China’s in the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education for children (see Table 3 for details).

Table 3: African Countries with Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Education

North Africa

Egypt,   Libya,   Tunisia,   Algeria,   Morocco

West Africa

Niger,   Mauritania,   Nigeria,   Togo,   Ghana,   Cote   d'Ivoire, Guinea

Central Africa

Cameroon

East Africa

Eritrea,   Sudan,   Kenya,   Tanzania,   Rwanda,   Burundi

South Africa

Angola,   Zambia,   Mozambique,   Namibia,   Zimbabwe,   South   Africa, Lesotho,   Madagascar,   Mauritius

(IV) Oceania

Oceania, the smallest continent in the world, is adjacent to Asia and has 2 developed countries and 12 developing countries. As shown in Table 4, the developed countries Australia and New Zealand, and the island countries Palau and Tonga are providing abacus and mental arithmetic education with considerable scale.

 

Table 4: Australasian Countries with Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Education 


Australia,   New Zealand

Micronesia

Palau

Melanesia

N/A

Polynesia

Tonga

(V) Americas

Although American countries are relatively far away from Asian ones, with the deepening development of economic globalization, countries in the world have formed a community of shared future, and the abacus and mental arithmetic education has also developed rapidly in American countries because of its superior educational value. Currently, 16 American countries are providing abacus and mental arithmetic education (see Table 5 for details).

 

Table 5: American Countries with Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Education

North   America

Canada,   the United   States

Central   America

Mexico,   Guatemala,   Costa Rica,   Panama

Caribbean   area

Dominican   Republic, Trinidad   and Tobago

Northern South America

Columbia,   Surinam

Western South America

Ecuador,   Peru,   Bolivia

Eastern South America

Brazil

Southern South America

Chile,   Argentina

In addition to the sovereign countries mentioned above, five regions, i.e., Puerto Rico in North America, Jammu and Kashmir in Asia, and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in China, are also providing abacus and mental arithmetic education. To sum up, 127 countries and 5 regions in the world are providing abacus and mental arithmetic education. Abacus and mental arithmetic education has indeed blossomed and borne fruit all over the world.

II. Highlights of the popularization of abacus and mental arithmetic education

In recent years, abacus and mental arithmetic education has become popular all over the world, with its geographical scope increasingly expanding, during which the highlights emerge one after another.

Highlight 1: In some countries, abacus and mental arithmetic education is mainly provided by governmental departments

As we all know, Chinese abacus is not only the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, but also the cultural treasure of the world. The governmental departments of some countries have made many contributions to the inheritance of abacus culture and the dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic. The Chinese government is second to none in this aspect in that, apart from listing Chinese abacus as a “national intangible cultural heritage” for protection and inheritance, it has established non-profit organizations such as Confucius Institute or held cultural exchange activities such as “Chinese Bridge” summer camps to spread the Chinese abacus culture and the abacus and mental arithmetic education worldwide.

In addition to the Chinese government, the Japanese government has also made certain contributions to the exchange and dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic education and teaching. It often donates abacus or dispatches abacus and mental arithmetic teachers to the education departments of other countries through non-profit social organizations. In terms of abacus education and abacus and mental arithmetic education, Japan also has historical accumulation and practical accumulation second only to China. Since 1935, the teaching contents of abacus arithmetic and abacus and mental arithmetic have been listed in the arithmetic teaching materials of primary schools in Japan. According to the Guidelines for Primary School Education issued by the Ministry of Education of Japan in April 2020 [1], abacus and mental arithmetic would still be taught in the third and fourth grades of primary schools in Japan. The contents mainly include the understanding of the base system through the abacus and the understanding of the similarities and differences between abacus and mental arithmetic and written calculation, and the essence is to enable children to learn abacus to a certain degree of proficiency, and then master the basic skills of calculation through abacus and mental arithmetic.

Similarly, since July 2005, the Ministry of Education of Malaysia started to promote abacus and mental arithmetic education in primary education nationwide [2], and specified in the latest version of the first-grade math curriculum standards that first-grade students should master the addition and subtraction up to 100 using the abacus arithmetic and abacus and mental arithmetic, and master the addition and subtraction of money using the abacus.

The Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Tonga has been promoting abacus and mental arithmetic in primary schools since 1977, and now all students in the third to fifth grades are learning abacus and mental arithmetic.

In addition to these countries with government-led promotion of abacus and mental arithmetic education, most other countries and regions mainly rely on specific training schools and institutions to promote abacus and mental arithmetic education.

Highlight 2: The development trend of global abacus and mental arithmetic education is good

Due to long-term training on abacus and mental arithmetic, children in Southeast Asian countries have greatly improved their mathematical ability and comprehensive quality, which indirectly promotes the rapid development of abacus and mental arithmetic education in the world. At present, there are many large and small transnational chain education groups of abacus and mental arithmetic in the world, some of which have tended to stabilize their development. Generally, the abacus and mental arithmetic education groups and dissemination organizations headquartered in Asian countries are still the mainstream, occupying most regions of the development of the abacus and mental arithmetic education industry in the world, such as UCMAS (Malaysia), ISDF (Japan) and Shenmo Education (China). In addition, the development momentum of chain education groups of abacus and mental arithmetic such as Brainobrain, which has been based in Europe for a long time, and Aloha, which has been operating in America for a long time, should not be underestimated.

Apart from these international education chains of abacus and mental arithmetic, many countries have their own abacus and mental arithmetic education and training brands, and their development momentum is no less impressive. In the United Arab Emirates, for example, Qodrat, a homegrown training institution for abacus and mental arithmetic education, has alone trained more than 90,000 students in abacus and mental arithmetic in five years.

Affected by the COVID-19, the abacus and mental arithmetic education industry has also opened up a new way of online education. Students can learn abacus and mental arithmetic online without leaving home. This has promoted the improvement of the comprehensive quality of more children around the world, and further enhanced the influence of abacus and mental arithmetic education.

Highlight 3: The research and education of abacus and mental arithmetic develop hand in hand

The popularization trend of abacus and mental arithmetic education has stimulated many foreign professional research institutions to explore the mystery of abacus and mental arithmetic, and many achievements in abacus and mental arithmetic research have further promoted the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education. In recent years, in addition to Chinese scientists, researchers from Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, University of Pennsylvania, University of Manchester, University College London, University of Tokyo and other world-renowned universities have published academic works dedicated to the study on abacus and mental arithmetic. The results of these foreign researchers’ academic papers are highly consistent with the research results of Professor Chen Feiyan’s team from China’s Zhejiang University and Professor Zhou Xinlin’ team from Beijing Normal University. In terms of pedagogy and psychology, abacus and mental arithmetic calculation can not only solve difficult mathematical problems, but also significantly improve children’s attention, memory, mathematical ability and spatial imagination. In brain science, scientists all believe that abacus and mental arithmetic training can affect the plasticity of brain, promote the rapid interaction of information among brain regions, improve and optimize the characteristics of brain networks, and improve the efficiency of information processing in brain. The consistency of the research results of the scientists around the world in the fields of education, psychology and brain science makes the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education continue to improve.

III. Suggestions on International Dissemination and Development of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Education

The general trend of broader and deeper development of global abacus and mental arithmetic education has been formed, and is overwhelming and unstoppable. However, there are also new situations, new problems and disharmonious factors in this process. For example, due to the diversity of spreaders, other spreaders outside China do not recognize the objective fact that China is the original inventor of abacus, so that the educators and researchers of abacus and mental arithmetic in many countries mistakenly call Chinese abacus “Soroban abacus”. In addition, the international education and research of abacus and mental arithmetic are basically independent and fragmented, without forming an overall synergy. Therefore, the author puts forward the following ideas and suggestions on the international dissemination and development of abacus and mental arithmetic.

(I) Build consensus and join efforts to develop abacus and mental arithmetic

To build a global family of abacus and mental arithmetic education and deepen its development, relevant institutions of abacus and mental arithmetic education should take the road of unity, cooperation and open integration, and focus on establishing cooperation with the organizations, educational institutions and research institutions of abacus and mental arithmetic in other countries.

First, stick to the guidance of openness and cooperation and deepen the connection of development strategies of abacus and mental arithmetic education in various countries. The abacus and mental arithmetic education institutions in various countries should seek complementary advantages, integration of interests and common development. It is required to stick to practical cooperation, further strengthen the cooperation in abacus and mental arithmetic research and other fields, and improve the educational level of abacus and mental arithmetic through research on the skills, the connection with brain science and the education of abacus and mental arithmetic, so as to ensure its sustainable development.

Second, increase the positioning and leverage the trends. The abacus and mental arithmetic associations and educational institutions in various countries should firmly support the lofty position of abacus and mental arithmetic education in addressing the massive development of the intellectual potential of children around the world, vigorously propagandize the importance and function of abacus and mental arithmetic education, and enhance the public understanding, recognition and support of abacus and mental arithmetic around the world, so as to enable the concept that abacus and mental arithmetic has extremely high education value to become the world consensus, and create a good environment for the global dissemination and development of abacus and mental arithmetic education.

Third, explore the development potential of abacus and mental arithmetic education around the world. Regional governments, abacus and mental arithmetic associations, international organizations, chain institutions and multilateral mechanisms should be leveraged to develop and implement the development strategies and plans for the countries and regions that have not provided abacus and mental arithmetic education, remove the technical barriers that hinder the global dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic education, exchange experience in recommending and introducing abacus and mental arithmetic education projects, and create inclusive and beneficial prospects for the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education.

(II) Deepen relevant mechanisms and create good environment for the dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic

The core of the dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic skills lies in people, so does the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education. To strengthen the development and dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic education, there must be innovation and breakthroughs in some relevant mechanisms.

First, countries should actively establish dissemination mechanisms for abacus and mental arithmetic education. It is required to actively explore the dissemination and exchange paths of abacus culture and abacus and mental arithmetic education, establish promotion and dissemination mechanisms, and accelerate the dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic education. For the promotion and dissemination activities of abacus and mental arithmetic education led by governmental departments, effective technical support can be provided; For the countries with or without abacus and mental arithmetic education programs, certain faculty and training aids can be provided to guide the establishment of dissemination mechanisms for abacus and mental arithmetic education, which is mainly invested by the government and supplemented by the market operation by chain institutions of abacus and mental arithmetic education.

Second, joint efforts to establish training mechanisms for abacus and mental arithmetic teachers. Training mechanisms for abacus and mental arithmetic teachers, focusing on international students, overseas Chinese and Asians, should be established to support the training of abacus and mental arithmetic teachers organized by abacus and mental arithmetic associations, relevant universities, educational institutions of abacus and mental arithmetic, and employment guidance centers for overseas students in various countries. The countries that advocate the abacus and mental arithmetic education and achieve good results should actively lead the training of global abacus and mental arithmetic teachers, cultivate the teachers who meet the needs of the development of abacus and mental arithmetic education and have the ability to independently carry out abacus and mental arithmetic education, and provide relevant support for abacus and mental arithmetic teachers based on the basic principle of public welfare.

Third, strengthen the dissemination and development mechanisms for online abacus and mental arithmetic education. Affected by COVID-19, abacus and mental arithmetic education is no longer limited to face-to-face class; online abacus and mental arithmetic education is also developing gradually. Global chain institutions of abacus and mental arithmetic can, based on the global market demands, increase the investment in online education research and development, boldly promoting the development of online abacus and mental arithmetic education, and accelerating the dissemination of mental abacus education.

(III) Advocate the supply of all-round services and improve the quality of abacus and mental arithmetic

To further improve the quality of abacus and mental arithmetic education around the world, it is suggested that governments, relevant non-governmental organizations, research institutions and educational institutions should make joint efforts to provide all-round services for abacus and mental arithmetic educators and promote the high-quality dissemination and development of abacus and mental arithmetic education.

First, give full play to the role of research institutions on the research results on abacus and mental arithmetic, strengthen the discipline construction of abacus and mental arithmetic, enhance the integration of research results with abacus and mental arithmetic education and teaching, improve the teaching methods of abacus and mental arithmetic, and consummate the educational system of abacus and mental arithmetic. Gradually promote the standardization and regulation of abacus and mental arithmetic skills through the professional research results of research institutions, so as to provide strong support for the sustainable development of abacus and mental arithmetic education.

Second, strengthen exchanges and sharing on abacus and mental arithmetic skills and education to improve the quality of abacus and mental arithmetic education. The industry of abacus and mental arithmetic education should focus on improving the quality of education, actively carry out the exchange on abacus and mental arithmetic skills, and the abacus and mental arithmetic teaching and research activities, further optimize the practical technology and teaching and research level of abacus and mental arithmetic, and improve the teaching proficiency of abacus and mental arithmetic teachers.

Third, provide all-round services for abacus and mental arithmetic education practitioners, with global professional organizations and institutions of abacus and mental arithmetic taking the lead. Based on the needs of abacus and mental arithmetic education practitioners, relevant professional non-governmental organizations and training institutions should provide a full range of services. It is required to promote free online learning of abacus and mental arithmetic skills and teaching skills; provide assessment, competition, exchange platform and other services; meet the needs of practitioners and learners; optimize service delivery process, particularly focus on increasing investment in the application of new media technologies; and achieve a leapfrog improvement in providing all-round services through the application of advanced technologies. Practitioners of abacus and mental arithmetic education study abacus and mental arithmetic skills and teaching skills through such services, and then successfully provide abacus and mental arithmetic education and achieve the purpose of the dissemination and development of abacus and mental arithmetic education.

 

References:

[1] Sun Xuelian. Japan: Incorporating Abacus and Mental Arithmetic into Primary School Classrooms Has Other Important Implications [J]. People's Education Press, 2021, (07):24.

[2] Abacus Yields Brilliant Results in Malaysia [J]. Abacus and Abacus and Mental Arithmetic, 2005(5): I0003.