Jay Jay & CMA

Date:  Mar 9, 2013

4 weeks ago, while Jay Jay was doing his math home work, I noticed he has slow in solving simple mathematics.  Simple questions such as 6+7=? will takes him quite a while to give an answer.  Also, he has to use his fingers as tool to compute the sum.

So, I sent him to CMA.  I saw the youtube clip for 早安您好 Interview with Tay Shy Ching.  After seeing what those kids can amazingly do, I called up the Centre and sign him up.  This week is his 4th weeks.

What is CMA?  It is an enrichment class that teaches abacus and mental arithmetic. I think it is important for a kid be able to calculate math fast.  Not because the father is from engineering stream or so.  :)

Jay Jay is in the Primary Program.  And I think I will sign Kay Kay in when he is 5 years old.

The program actually will train your brain to be fast.  And thus, hopefully, it will guide the kid to be more focus not only in solving mathematics.  In other area as well.

So, today, I casually ask Jay a few mathematics questions.  

3+6=?

6+9=?

11+7=?

13+15=?

12+21=?

And guess what…. Within few seconds, he gave me the answers.  And he no longer uses his fingers too.  And you can tell that he is very confidentially answering all these questions.

Here is my further observations:

1.  Jay Jay is more confident in handling math.  Now going into 2-digits adding.  Next week he will learn 3 digits.

2.  Discipline enforcement.  I like the way how teacher Tan wanted to see me and talk to me.  Why?

In last week, Lesson #2:  Teacher said, Jay Jay do the abacus half way, and then, straight away uses mental to calculate the sums.  Teachers obviously don't like that, because Jay Jay was skipping the steps.

In Lesson #3:  Teacher today said, again, Jay Jay suppose to use abacus again to calculate the sums.  Thumb to add numbers and index finger to subtract numbers.  Again, Jay Jay thought it is "faster" to use the brain to calculate instead of using abacus.

The teacher sometimes even correct the way he hold the pen.

I think what the teachers have observed and done, is very good, and she actually caught Jay Jay doing that in class.  And immediately, she erases all the answers and wants him to re-do.  This is discipline and I think students should be taught exactly this way.  Cannot learn by short cuts.  Even though it is easy, but still need to practice.  And I really love how she guide the students.

This give me a chance to use this to talk to my son so that my son understand what is going on...

3.  I like the home work portion and the exam portion.  It gives the kid early preview of test, exam and competitions.  :)  So doing the home work is like a work out...

I think I don't have to worry about his math until it comes the the model drawings.  As I will be prepare to teach him that..

I am glad that Jay Jay is slowly grow the confidents in doing math.  Thanks to CMA.