My teaching career in abacus and mental arithmetic began in 2000. After arriving in Australia in 2011, I started with one student and now have my own training school. I am about to open a branch school in another school. When my teacher Professor Guo Qishu was guiding me, he hoped that I could promote abacus and mental arithmetic in Australian textbooks. Today, we achieved this by creating bilingual (Chinese and English) abacus and mental arithmetic textbooks, as well as the entire English mathematics textbook system. We have completed all the mathematics for grades 1-12 until the college entrance examination. Today, I have some qualifications to express my own views.

I. Regarding the Teaching Philosophy of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic

Since I started teaching abacus, the teaching philosophy I have always adhered to is that abacus is a part of mathematics and a calculation method that is very suitable for children to learn. Therefore, it should be fully integrated into mathematics and closely combined with mathematics. Let me add one more sentence here. I heard someone say abacus and mental arithmetic, or simply use an abbreviation for abacus and mental arithmetic. This is a very important conceptual question. Please clarify the mathematical concepts first: What does mathematics include? And it research what? Only by understanding the concept can the education department avoid catching the problem. I remember a long time ago, the mathematics for first grade was about arithmetic, which was mainly about calculation and technique. At that time, first grade was mainly about numbers and calculations, but now we have added quantitative relationships, directions, time, probability, statistics, and so on. And now for the first grade we can call it math class.

Now we return to the issue of combining abacus and mental arithmetic with mathematics, some people may say, how to combine them? Vertical calculation starts from the back, while abacus calculation starts from the front. This is actually a great opportunity for our teacher to promote abacus calculation to parents. When there is no carry in elementary school mathematics, it is from front to back. When there is a carry, if the high position is calculated first, the low position will have a carry, and the high position needs to be erased, which is troublesome. Therefore, it is stipulated to start from back to front, multiplication from back to front, and division from front to back. So in elementary school mathematics, calculations can be said to be from front to back, as well as from back to front, and abacus and mental arithmetic is all from front to back. Abacus is the crystallization of the wisdom of ancient Chinese people, and abacus-based mental arithmetic is the continuation and development of this great wisdom. The calculation function of abacus-based mental arithmetic is very strong for children in the period of intuitive and visual thinking, and it is worth promoting and developing. Since it's so good, why do we hear abacus teachers say that the education department doesn't recognize it, it's difficult to promote it, and the abacus market is not easy to do? In fact, as an educator, I understand why the education department is like this, because some abacus teachers forget that they are teachers, and abacus is education and teaching. What is a teacher? What is the role of a teacher? When a teacher overdevelops a child, should they think about whether they are based on love for the child and their comprehensive development? Also, as mentioned earlier, regarding the issue of concepts, this is a more important issue that should be used as theoretical guidance, not just for passion. Speaking of which, if you do it well, I believe the education department will definitely see it. When educational concepts or theories deviate, shouting and cheering can only narrow and distance the path further away.

i. To implement the teaching philosophy, the training of abacus and mental arithmetic teachers is very important.

When I am training abacus and mental arithmetic teachers, I must spend a day of training on abacus and mental arithmetic textbooks. The purpose is to help teachers understand the textbooks, grasp the teaching philosophy of closely integrating abacus and mathematics, and carry out abacus and mental arithmetic teaching.

The key to learning mathematics is to master mathematical concepts well. Therefore, abacus and mental arithmetic teaching should be combined with mathematics from the beginning, and the mathematical concepts involved should be clarified to enable children to master them.

Here is an example of the close integration of abacus and mental arithmetic and mathematics.

Picture application question:

(2) Addition exchange: At the same time, it can also explain the relationship between addition and subtraction. Through practical operation, children can intuitively see that the position of two addends exchanged remains unchanged, as well as the relationship between addition and subtraction.

(3) One diagram and four formulas:

When it comes to multiplication and division, it is important to first understand the meaning of multiplication and division, and then memorize the multiplication mnemonic on the basis of understanding the meaning of it. Even if you use the mnemonic of “Yi Kou Qing”, it is still important to help children understand the meaning of multiplication and division.

ii. The penetration of abacus and mental arithmetic in foreign mathematics textbooks.

Our mathematics textbooks are compiled based on the teaching syllabi of Western and Asian mathematics. The textbooks have an Australian publication number, and we will launch mathematics with abacus culture throughout Australia. The editor in chief of this textbook is Jiaxin Chen, who graduated from the University of Melbourne. When he graduated, the University invited him to join them and teach fluid mathematics, but he was unable to do so due to work reasons. Under his leadership, our teaching team consists entirely of undergraduate and graduate students majoring in education from the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with the majority of teachers being full-time in our schools. The purpose of saying these is that our textbooks have a certain depth and breadth, and our students can master them thanks to the penetration of abacus in mathematics textbooks, such as unit conversion, introduction of abacus, and teaching using abacu. In Australia, schools are also places for various competitions, and most teachers teach ordinary mathematics. If you encounter an Indian teacher, they may teach you Indian methods. And this situation gives us a good platform to teach children abacus and mental arithmetic and infuse abacus culture into mathematics. Children who learn abacus and mental arithmetic will also perform for their teachers and classmates in school. These children not only export abacus culture, but also cultivate their confidence in abacus culture.

II. The Development Direction of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Teaching

The development of abacus and mental arithmetic teaching mainly consists of two directions: popularization and player training.

i. Popularize

I have always adhered to the path of popularizing the combination of abacus and mental arithmetic and mathematics, which has been unanimously agreed upon by parents and teachers. Some parents have given feedback that their children have undergone significant changes in mathematics and self-confidence. The child is now in fourth grade, while the school teacher is giving her a separate seven-year course. The teacher said that there is a big difference between the children in the class who have learned abacus and mental arithmetic and those who have not. The children who have learned abacus and mental arithmetic have fast and high calculation speed and accuracy, as well as confidence and the courage to challenge themselves when faced with difficulties. The learning in Australian schools is that if you have completed the courses in your grade, the school will assign you a teacher to continue with the higher grade courses.

Of course, some teachers may say that it is the education environment in Australia that allows you to walk the path of popularization. In fact, the path is your own, and there is nothing impossible. As long as your philosophy is correct, and you stand on the basis of being responsible and loving your child, there will be no mistakes. Put yourself in parents’ shoes, and if the teacher can view this matter as the child's parents, they will naturally understand.

ii. Player Training

Through my previous introduction, you can see that my main focus is on the close integration of abacus and mental arithmetic and mathematics, and I am pursuing a path of popularization. So, shouldn't I skip the path of player training? The answer is no. This is like participating in an Olympiad math competition. If you haven't learned math well, then you would not get into the Olympiad math competition. For students who are good at learning, if they want to continue to excel, we have intensive training classes where children can continuously climb upwards, provided that they are willing. Of course, our players cannot compare with Chinese children. It is necessary for the abacus and mental arithmetic players of the Chinese national team to always exist. I hope that the Chinese team will always be at the forefront and invincible. They are the pride of our Chinese civilization, the pride of our Chinese nation, and the pride of our overseas Chinese.

Our abacus and mental arithmetic teaching is not only about imparting knowledge, but more importantly, it cultivates students' abilities and confidence. At the same time, we also see that abacus and mental arithmetic is not only a skill training, but also a cultural inheritance and embodiment of wisdom. Our emphasis on the close integration with mathematics and our efforts to promote abacus in Australia demonstrate the value and prospects of abacus in modern education.

We believed that our experience and some achievements have provided a reference for abacus and mental arithmetic educators, and painted a promising path for the development of abacus and mental arithmetic.

(This is speech by Ms. Jin Zhongying at the Academic Exchange Meeting for Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Teachers of WAAMA on July 16th, 2024 in Changchun, Jilin, China.)