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UCMAS is an after school mental arithmetic program for children between 4 and 12 years.
It is designed to boost brain power and stimulate young minds using abacus and mental arithmetic in a way that children find engaging and fun.
Understanding the working of a Human Brain:
Human brain is made up of two halves. These halves are commonly called the right brain and left brain, but should more correctly be termed 'hemispheres'. For some reason,
our right and left hemispheres control the 'opposite' side of our bodies, so the right hemisphere controls our left side and processes what we see in our left eye while the
left hemisphere controls the right side and processes what our right eye sees. The concept of right brain and left brain thinking developed from the research in the late 1960s
of an American psycho biologist Roger W Sperry. He discovered that the human brain has two very different ways of thinking. One (right brain) is visual and processes information
in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the details. The other (left brain) is verbal and processes information in an analytical and sequential
way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole. Sperry was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1981.
The left and right hemispheres of human brain are similar in shape but differences have been found in their functions. The left brain is also referred to as digital brain: It
controls reading, writing, calculation, and logical thinking. The right brain is referred to as analog brain: It controls three-dimensional sense, creativity, and artistic senses.
Both work together to allow us to function as human.
UCMAS reinforces confidence by concentration, observation, visualization and imagination.
UCMAS is much more than mental arithmetic. Improving speed and accuracy of complex calculations, like adding several 10-digit numbers within few seconds, is an
amazing feat for anyone, let alone children. When children are learning mental arithmetic the UCMAS way, they are also developing other aspects of their
mind. When they have acquired an astonishing calculation speed with accuracy, it is an end result of having developed concentration, observation, vlsualization,
imagination and memory.
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Concentration:
Ability to direct attention towards a particular matter with clear reflection that creates a deep image and mental impression. An enhanced concentration leads to
better absorption power. Study time then becomes a joyfuI experience for these children. At UCMAS, mental arithmetic education is given using Abacus. Children are
tralned to concentrate while listening to teachers' questions that range from easy to difficult, and then focus on calculating the answers as accurately as possible.
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Observation:
Ability to compare, analyse and differentiate objects, motives and steps. It is also a state of alertness and swiftness of mind and senses. This comes from
the need to understand theoretical requirements of each calculation and at the same time being aware of time, and prompts from teachers.
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Visualization and Imagination:
By using imagination of the right braln to visualize the abacus in mind, inevitably the powers of visualization would become sharp and clear. Albert Einstein believes
that the imagination is important than knowledge, because imagination is the main source of yet-to-be-discovered knowledge.
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Memory:
Memory is the ability to store and retrieve information and experiences. It has been found that memory in the left brain would not stay long, but an image that is
recorded in the right brain would stay on in the mind forever. By stimulating the right brain with mental arithmetic, and in combination with the alertness of the
eyes, ears and hands, the ability to store and recall is developed together.
Ability to solve 10-digits arithmetic problems in only a few seconds is only a small success in comparison to actual mental training that has
been done in order to achieve the skill to perform rapid calculations.
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