![]() ![]() “The soroban helped me learn the math without a calculator,” said Jack Symes, a third-grader who participated in the contest. As the numbers flashed by, students calculated their answers using their memory or the soroban. A projector screen displayed a numerical sequence in rapid succession. In addition to the oral and written examinations, the students participated in a “flash” round. “They learn that the mental calculation component of it is something different from what is typically used in American schools, which gives American students a chance to get exposure to a very different academic approach to math.” Schoebinger, the educational technologist for the DODEA Okinawa District. “The American students get an idea of how the Japanese learn to calculate, which is very different from how Western children learn,” said Michael R. Five students in the third grade and below category earned a perfect score, while 17 students earned a perfect score in the fourth grade and above category. Students who completed all of the equations correctly were awarded a certificate. The second portion centered on the students’ cognitive abilities, in which they had five minutes to solve 30 written mathematical equations. The first category was an oral segment, where an instructor read a sequence of numbers to the students who then added or subtracted the instructor’s oratory using their sorobans. Most students in Japan use the soroban from first grade through high school, and the majority of Japanese students become proficient with it before progressing to higher mathematical concepts, according to Masashiro.ĭuring the event, the students tested their mathematical prowess in both oral and written mathematical problems. “For American kids who never used something like this, it helps them learn Japanese culture and math skills in the process.” “It’s kind of like an analog calculator that helps students calculate numbers at a mentally fast pace,” said Hiro Masashiro, the intercultural coordinator for the DODEA Okinawa district superintendent’s office at Kadena Air Base. Children use the beads to complete mathematical equations. ![]() More than 150 Department of Defense Education Activity elementary school students from Okinawa competed against each other April 29 during the 14th annual soroban contest at the Surfside Club on Camp Kinser.Ī soroban is composed of an odd number of rods, each with beads on them. CAMP KINSER, Okinawa, Japan - The clatter of sliding beads, and the whisper of pencils scribbling filled the room as the calculating look on the faces of the young competitors set the stage for an intense and mentally challenging contest. ![]()
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