The Slavonic Abacus is a brilliant teaching aid for pupils who are struggling
to master basic mathematical skills. What makes it so special is the unusual
colouring of the beads which allow the visualisation of numbers as patterns.
This makes the abacus ideal for those pupils (such as dyslexics) who may
have strong spatial skills. The abacus will be of interest to teachers who
are following the Wave 3 maths intervention programme.
Below, you will find links to an introduction to the Slavonic Abacus, teaching
notes, suggestions and lesson ideas. These may be downloaded and printed
for future reference.
You will also find a link to a 'Virtual Abacus'. Clicking on this will
download an interactive computer program which will run in your web browser
- try it on an interactive whiteboard!
We are also offering a real Slavonic Abacus which is supplied with a CDROM
holding the program and teaching notes described above.
The following teaching notes and suggestions were prepared by Tandi Clausen-May,
author of 'Teaching Maths to Pupils with Different Learning Styles' (London,
Paul Chapman Publishing)
A Virtual Abacus
Using the Slavonic Abacus
in the Classroom or download the file as a Word
document
A lesson using the
Slavonic Abacus or download the file as a Word
document
Work sheets to use alongside the Slavonic
Abacus
VIDEO
- here is a short video demonstrating the use of the abacus for subitizing
(judging number by appearance, rather than counting).
Xavier
Educational Software
