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I was fortunate to watch - and
be humbled by - young Japanese children in action in a Soroban juku class
in Osaka Japan . According to The
League of Japan Abacus Associations, these are the benefits of
teaching the Soroban:-
Fosters
a greater sense of numbers.
Uses a left to
right calculation method, which makes quick estimation and
rounding off possible.
Helps develop an intuitive understanding of numbers through their
concrete representation on the soroban (similar to Roman
numerals).
Develops mental
calculation, which is the ultimate resource.
Develops the right brain tremendously.
Fosters one's
trust in the process of calculation by enabling one to observe it
in action.
Leads to greater mental capacity.
Expresses large numbers simply and easily.
Provides a
sense of achievement as one's proficiency improves
Manifests the concept of decimal places and the progression of
units by tens physically
Instantly
accomplishes addition and subtraction when numbers are placed on
the abacus.
Improves understanding of compounded numbers (through the use of
supplementary numbers for 5 and 10).
Helps in
developing the beneficial qualities of concentration, patience,
and endurance.
Fosters one's confidence in calculation.
Works on the
decimal rather than fractional system, an easy progression to
digital systems.
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Like to download a working abacus clock screen saver
where the beads are the numbers? Great fun! 
This 'Soroban' time is almost
a quarter to two.
Another interesting site -
especially if you are thinking
of buying a Soroban.
This American site promotes the use of the Soroban
in schools.
Abacus
v Calculator
SCORE 4 - 1
Calculations such as
adding 50 numbers each containing 3 to 6 digits
and problems each containing 5 to 12 digits in the divisor and
dividend were used in the competition to see which was the fastest
- the abacus won!
 The Soroban
Education Centre - a good site if you want convincing
about the benefits of learning how to use the abacus -plenty of
newspapers cuttings to read!
This
virtual classroom - an online
lesson which teach you some basic technique of mental arithmetic
using fingers and the abacus as the calculation tools. There are three
lessons on fingering technique and three lessons on soroban
calculation technique. Different from what we are use to but very
interesting.
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If
you haven't got a Soroban then use this site to make a Lego
one! |
 Lesson
plans (PDF file download) on from PBS Mathline. Objectives are
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Students will be introduced to the Chinese and Japanese abacus.
Students will learn to use the abacus to display numbers and
calculate sums of whole numbers.
Students will compare the abacus, the calculator and mental
computation to determine the tool that produces the fastest
correct answer.
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