With UCMAS, a child can work out 200 sums in eight minutes
Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Students at UCMAS-Abacus Quest Point. The UCMAS method is a teaching style of improving the child's memory and speed in thinking, and is based on the abacus.
Published: 21:00 May 25, 2014 Gulf News
By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Senior Reporter
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Dubai: Every child is a genius – but finding the genius within themselves is where the true challenge lies.
With the right training, any child can work out 200 sums within eight minutes.
“The brain is like a computer that comes without a manual book, so we teach them skills on how to use both sides of the brain. Every child is a genius, but they have to know how to use the tools that God has given to them and find the genius within them,” said Soundari Raj, managing director of Universal Concept of Mental Artihmetic (UCMAS), UAE.
UCMAS is a method of improving children’s memory and speed in thinking that rests on the ancient tool, the abacus. With 30 branches across the country and an average of 250 students in each, this sort of teaching method has gained popularity among parents as it enhances their children’s development skills overall.
“Within six months, parents can notice the difference in their child. If they were introverted, they become more confident, and if they were hyper, they then have the ability to become more focused,” she said.
The UCMAS method enables children to use both sides of their brain and in turn, and involves working on all their skills – such as listening, concentration, presentation of their understanding, speed, accuracy and photographic memory.
For the first six months of the programme the child is familiarised with and made to operate the abacus. The beads on the abacus represent numbers and the central and the vertical rods provide additional value to the beads.
Rajeswari Prakash, chief moderator at the UCMAS training centre in Karama, explained that through their teaching method, students are able to see numbers as pictures – that are stored on the right side of the brain.
The left side of the brain is the logical side that deals with abilities associated with word recognition, and the abilities of reading, observing and understanding, as well as visual identification and classification. Meanwhile, the right side is the creative side and associated with interactive creativity, critical thinking, imagination, and the ability to memorise.
“The programme is designed for children from four to 12 years old, because that is when their brain development is reaching its peak. Children usually have a fear of maths but eventually we noticed that the fear of numbers goes away for all our students,” said Prakash.
Flash cards are used to enhance the visuals and help them memorise the pictures. By the end of the programme they have 450,000 images stored in their memory.
Once they perfect their ability to recall these images and convert them into numbers, they are ready to attempt sums mentally with the help of the abacus — and without it after some time.
Since the UCMAS centre launched its first branch 11 years ago, as many as 90 per cent of students are expatriates.
“I’ve been here in the UAE for 30 years as an educationalist and want to give something back to the community — for my host country. Being socially accountable is important, and I am looking into ways with encouraging Emirati students to benefit,” said Raj.
In April, UCMAS teamed up with Dubai Public Library and offered classes to Emirati students across 100 venues free of charge. Once the holidays kick in during July and August, UCMAS intends to coordinate with government authorities once again and offer summer classes to those looking for educational activities during their summer vacation.
Sepehr Moradian, a student at the centre, said that It has helped him a lot in his studies, in maths and other subjects. “My comprehension and attentiveness is better than before. I can write my notes faster and am using my imagination, my visual and my listening skills a lot more. At first I didn’t know what to do with the abacus, but now calculating is very easy for me, like in addition and subtraction,” said Moradian.
الرسائل والمقالات و الآراء المنشورة في المنتدى بأسماء أصحابها أو بأسماء مستعارة لا تمثل بالضرورة الرأي الرسمي لصاحب الموقع أو سودانيز اون لاين بل تمثل وجهة نظر كاتبها
لا يمكنك نقل أو اقتباس اى مواد أعلامية من هذا الموقع الا بعد الحصول على اذن من الادارة
عزالدين عباس الفحل
فيس بوك
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