This is the most obvious difference between paper calculation and manipulation of beads.  For kinaesthetic learners this is an idea tool as it gives them what they need most ie. something to do with their bodies.  By manipulating beads the pupils is working his his/her preferred style.  In essence the soroban is a SPACIAL calculating instrument.

The other benefit to all pupils is that it is 'concrete', and takes away the abstract uncertainty which is associated with symbols.  In other words you 'see the number as a real quantity and quality', and not just a series of marks on paper, which is what is produced when a number is written town in digits.

This is the most obvious difference between paper calculation and the soroban.  For the visual learner this is also an idea tool as it gives them what they need: something to see as a quantity and quality.  Again the pupils is working his his/her preferred style.  Instead of a series of symbols, the learner sees a pattern of beads.

The visual learner accounts for a large percentage of the school population but is often also neglected when lessons are prepared.  A visual representation of a quantity is far more relevant than abstract symbols.

Besides seeing numbers written in symbols everyday of our lives, we also hear them being spoken.  Because a lot of time is devoted to speaking the numbers in the Soroban training, it means that the auditory learning style is also catered for.  In auditory exercises numbers are spoken, and this is interpreted by the learner into a 3D representation of that number in both a physical, and visual manner.  As the learner gets used to these large numbers the memory for large numbers is also enhanced and expanded.

The auditory learner accounts for a large percentage of the school population, and this is generally the learning style traditionally used in didactic teaching.

MATHEMATICS IN THE UK

Cambridge College dean, Mahesh Sharma, asserts that maths outcomes are terrible for a number of reasons.

OUR MATHEMATICS CURRICULA ARE NOT REFLECTING WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HOW CHILDREN LEARN MATHEMATICS.

Typical math curricula are guided by chronological age .

Maths is presented in a 'pile up fashion' . Each year, more maths concepts are added to the pile of previously presented concepts. This is a tragic approach. (Sharma 1989) In the end, teachers teach as they were taught and so the mess continues.

Their teaching style reflects their own learning style.

CONSEQUENCES FOR TEACHING

Teachers need to realize that if individuals are experiencing difficulty, they should make sure that the following is catered for in their lessons:

Ensure all the pupils' learning styles are catered for.

Are the methods and materials I am using appropriate for and compatible with the student's cognitive level and learning style?

Has the student mastered requisite skills and concepts? (Sharma 1989) Or, is like a wall with bricks tumbling, missing and broken.

I'm an

auditory learner

I'm a kinaesthetic learner

I'm a visual learner

A wall of confusion which has no solid foundation. The green represent understood topics; the orange only partly understood; and the red not understood, because the lower topics have not been understood as a foundation and there are missing blocks of knowledge, making the whole structure very shaky.

A wall of understanding with a solid foundation. The green represent understood topics.  As all the lower topics are understood the wall is a solid structure of understanding.