A Quick Story & the Importance of Place Value

A quick story:

The little child sits puzzling over the problem on the page and here’s the problem she needs to solve:

500 – 78

The little girl remembers that she needs to cross out the five and make it a four. She also knows that one of the zeros becomes a nine and the other one becomes a ten, but she just can’t remember which is which, and it’s so frustrating!

Finally, she has an idea. She tries different values and adds 78 to each of them until she comes up with:

422 + 78 = 500

She writes 422 as the answer and receives that coveted gold star on her paper.

No one knows that she doesn’t understand how to complete this type of subtraction with regrouping (or “borrowing,” as it was called in her day).

Students are often intimidated by the task of understanding place value. Students as early as kindergarten come to school knowing about two digit numbers and can verbally count from 10 to 100 and count objects up to 20. They usually count one thing at a time and don’t understand the connection between a number and groups of tens and ones. When students first learn about the idea of place value, they make sense of regrouping. This understanding is vital as they move towards number operations and beyond.

Because of the mathematical significance of this concept, place value is a critical area especially in first and second grades. One of the fundamental ideas associated with place value is that the position of a digit in a number affects its value. For example, in the number 126, the 6 is worth six ones, whereas in the number 164, the 6 is worth six tens. Understanding that a group of numbers can represent a single entity is a huge shift for learners! 

The end goal of teaching place value is to help students understand the real value of a number and to be able to compare and order that number with others. 

The abacus is a time-tested tool to develop number sense. Abacus instruction works because it is a unique combination of classic and contemporary methods, tools, and research. The goal is to teach students how to mentally calculate while simultaneously enhancing and improving the brain. It can help them visualize the meaning of the places and internalize the grouping strategy behind it. The abacus also helps the brain see calculations rather than just words. This provides a core for future learning through visualization. 

Eventually, students learn that counting in groups is faster and easier. The most effective way to help students understand this concept is by making learning hands-on and visual. It’s very important to use the correct mathematical tools or materials to enhance tactile learning.

With an Abacus, your child is sure to learn place value quickly and confidently.