DECODING THE MATHEMATICS PUZZLE

After watching this video you'll understand why I decided to teach my children how to calculate using an Abacus, otherwise known as the Soroban, in Japan. You can find Soroban teachers all over the U.S. and can often find they are quite reasonable in their fees.

Math is one of the most difficult subjects, because of the way it's taught in the west. In the beginning stages math is taught using a lot of manipulatives, which I think is great. But, the manipulatives are quickly done away with before the child really has a grasp of all of the basic concepts of calculation. From then on math is taught as a totally abstract concept.

You may be thinking, "how will my child be able to take a written test if they won't let them use their Soroban during testing?" Notice how the children are tapping on the table with their fingers and no Soroban. These children are using the Abacus of the mind. Two years worth of instruction using the Soroban will have your children calculating without the Soroban. They will in fact be using the Soroban of the mind and will be able to do complex computations in their head, as fast or faster than someone with a calculator.

All this is possible through the use of one basic manipulative, the Soroban. This manipulative is used exclusively, teaching the child how to calculate without using paper and pencil until the problem is completed and the answer is written. As you can see from this video they've got the instruction down to a science and it's very effective for large groups of children, not just one or two at a time.

It is possible for our children to learn just as effectively, using the same method of Soroban instruction. We can also include our own version of the Abacus, the Awale board, as an additional manipulative. The Awale board was developed in Africa and conceptually is very similar to the Soroban, with the exception that it is used as a "game" for two people.

This game has many different versions and uses anywhere from a minimum of 12 holes divided in two groups of 6 to 150 or more holes divided in two equal groups.

The whole point here is that math does not have to be a chore for you to teach or the children to learn. In fact, you can all enjoy learning how to calculate accurately and quickly using the methods I'm outlining. Check out the links on this page, they'll take you to other websites where you'll find FREE Flash Anzan training programs available online, as well as a FREE Awale game that you can download. My children and I used the Awale game in its free form for years without ever upgrading to the paid version and it was great fun.

Making all of your subjects enjoyable is part of the key to success in education, at home or in an institution. Relying strictly on abstractions using paper and pencil is not the best way to teach, it's just very common amongst homeschoolers and public school instructors. I happen to think we can do much better using other well tested techniques. As you go through the links you'll find a number of groups in the U.S. beginning to bring these methods here with great success. Make sure to check out the Flash Anzan link, Tome Soroban and the links that allow you to download FREE worksheets.

Good Luck!

SAINT MAURICE AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLACKHEADS

Before I go any further, I'd like to express my condolences to the family of Ivan van Sertima. He was one of the people who lived Sankofa. He returned to the source, gathered up what he could and brought it back into our consciousness. Those of us who had literally lost our minds were able to recover a part of what we lost through his work and effort. Thank goodness he was not a selfish man and helped to develop another cadre of African oriented historians who could pick up where J.A. Rogers, John Henrik Clark, John Hope Franklin, John G. Jackson, Asa Hilliard, Arthur Schomburg and now Van Sertima himself left off.

Runoko inspired me to do some more work on a piece I had started on Saint Maurice. The problem is, the more I uncover, the more I discover. So far I've discovered and located close to 100 sites related to Saint Maurice, all over Europe, including many important European cities, such as Munich, Paris, Augsburg, Magdeburg, etc.

Much of my focus has been on the continued presence of Saint Maurice in these cities. There's been some discussion of the African slave trade having a negative impact on his prominence in some of the most important churches in Europe, as well as his presence on many of the flags, coats of arms of persons and places, etc. However, what I've been finding appears to be a resurgence of his presence.

For instance in the countries of Estonia and Latvia, which broke off from the Soviet Union within the last 20 years, they have restored or rebuilt 2 important structures which were named in honor of Saint Maurice and displayed him prominently on their coat of arms, etc. The largest and most striking building is The House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads in Riga, Latvia on the town square. This is a major tourist attraction for that area and St. Maurice stands proudly at the gate in full battle mode holding his standard (a white flag with a red cross in the middle).

The original building dates back to 1731, however it was destroyed by allied bombing during WWII and then completely demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The citizens of Riga decided to rebuild it on the same site in 1995 and completed it in time for the 800th anniversary of their town in 2001.