Can abacus course eradicate developmental dyscalculia

Finger motor representation supports the autonomy in arithmetic: neuroimaging evidence from abacus training

Researches have reported the close association between fingers and arithmetic. However, it remains unclear whether and how finger training can benefit arithmetic. To address this issue, we used the abacus-based mental calculation (AMC), which combines finger training and mental arithmetic learning, to explore the neural correlates underlying finger-related arithmetic training. A total of 147 Chinese children (75 M/72 F, mean age, 6.89 ± 0.46) were recruited and randomly assigned into AMC and control groups at primary school entry. The AMC group received 5 years of AMC training, and arithmetic abilities and resting-state functional magnetic resonance images data were collected from both groups at year 1/3/5. The connectome-based predictive modeling was used to find the arithmetic-related networks of each group. Compared to controls, the AMC's positively arithmetic-related network was less located in the control module, and the inter-module connections between somatomotor-default and somatomotor-control modules shifted to somatomotor-visual and somatomotor-dorsal attention modules. Furthermore, the positive network of the AMC group exhibited a segregated connectivity pattern, with more intra-module connections than the control group. Overall, our results suggested that finger motor representation with motor module involvement facilitated arithmetic-related network segregation, reflecting increased autonomy of AMC, thus reducing the dependency of arithmetic on higher-order cognitive functions.

The neuroscience basis and educational interventions of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety: a systematic literature review

Introduction

Mathematics is a fundamental subject with significant implications in education and neuroscience. Understanding the cognitive processes underlying mathematical cognition is crucial for enhancing educational practices. However, mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety significantly hinder learning and application in this field. This systematic literature review aims to investigate the neuroscience basis and effective educational interventions for these challenges.

Methods

The review involved a comprehensive screening of 62 research articles that meet the ESSA evidence levels from multiple databases. The selection criteria focused on studies employing various methodologies, including behavioral experiments and neuroimaging techniques, to explore the neuroscience underpinnings and educational interventions related to mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety.

Results

The review identified key themes and insights into the neuroscience basis of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety. It also examined their impact on educational practices, highlighting the interplay between cognitive processes and educational outcomes. The analysis of these studies revealed significant findings on how these impairments and anxieties manifest and can be addressed in educational settings.

Discussion

The review critically analyzes the shortcomings of existing research, noting gaps and limitations in current understanding and methodologies. It emphasizes the need for more comprehensive and diverse studies to better understand these phenomena. The discussion also suggests new directions and potential improvement strategies for future research, aiming to contribute to more effective educational interventions and enhanced learning experiences in mathematics.

Conclusion

This systematic review provides valuable insights into the neuroscience basis of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety, offering a foundation for developing more effective educational strategies. It underscores the importance of continued research in this area to improve educational outcomes and support learners facing these challenges.

Iconic Mathematics: Math Designed to Suit the Mind

Mathematics is a struggle for many. To make it more accessible, behavioral and educational scientists are redesigning how it is taught. To a similar end, a few rogue mathematicians and computer scientists are doing something more radical: they are redesigning mathematics itself, improving its ergonomic features. Charles Peirce, an important contributor to ordinary symbolic logic, also introduced a rigorous but non-symbolic, graphical alternative to it that is easier to picture. In the spirit of this iconic logic, George Spencer-Brown founded iconic mathematics. Performing iconic arithmetic, algebra, and even trigonometry, resembles doing calculations on an abacus, which is still popular in education today, has aided humanity for millennia, helps even when it is merely imagined, and ameliorates severe disability in basic computation. Interestingly, whereas some intellectually disabled individuals excel in very complex numerical tasks, others of normal intelligence fail even in very simple ones. A comparison of their wider psychological profiles suggests that iconic mathematics ought to suit the very people traditional mathematics leaves behind.

Assessment and comparison of auditory and visual reaction time in abacus trained and untrained students aged 8 to 13 years in the south Indian population

Background:

Hand-eye coordination is essential for our daily activities. It involves the accuracy and concentration with which an individual performs tasks. Memory tasks like abacus involve the increased use of the superior and middle frontal gyrus, the motor region of the cerebral cortex, which improves the blood supply to this region, and nourishment to the neurons. This enhances neural plasticity in the developing age, which, in turn, improves the rapidity and precision of physical responses to various stimuli.

Objectives:

To assess and compare the reaction times of children who have undergone abacus training and those who have not undergone abacus training in the age group of 8–13 years.

Methods:

It is a cross-sectional study, selected by Indian Council of Medical Research- Short Term Studentship 2018, approved by the undergraduate research monitoring committee, and institutional ethics committee. The research study was conducted in a central school in Puducherry among age-matched and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy children aged between 8 and 13 years who were undergoing abacus training and who did not receive abacus training. Anthropometric parameters such as weight, height, and BMI were measured. Following that, the auditory (ART) and visual reaction time (VRT) of the participants were measured using a recognition reaction time apparatus.

Results:

The auditory and visual reaction time in the study group was significantly less than that of the control group (P = 0.04 for ART and P = 0.001 for VRT).

Interpretation and Conclusion:

This study concludes that students trained in memory tasks like abacus have better hand-eye coordination as recorded by their enhanced processing speed, thereby decreased response to auditory and visual stimuli when compared with untrained students.