Show 137: Learning Foundational Math with the Abacus

Ken EhrmannpowerED Up Podcast

Sensei Miwako was an incredible guest to join our podcast.  Since moving to the United States, she has spent her time teaching students math through abacus. This conversation was a great learning experience for Matt and Ken. Miwako provided great insight into how this tool can help build foundational mathematical skills for students.
  • Self-paced classes on her website to learn these systems and ideas to build math foundations.
  • Help students understand the foundation of math through numbers. When students understand how math is built off of patterns, it creates further opportunities for growth.
  • Learning the foundations through an abacus gives students a stronger understanding of higher-level math due to the strong foundation in the number sense.
  • Building confidence in math profoundly affects students tackling new mathematical challenges.
  • Take the time to teach your students why patterns exist; then, you can show the shortcuts.
  • Watch the video on Spotify or YouTube to see Matt and Ken do an abacus on their hands.

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