Menar employs dual hand technique in manipulating abacus beads. Findings of scientific researches demonstrate that simultaneous stimulation of both left and right brain causes a balanced development in children's mental capacity and increases their intellectual power and ability to solve complicated problems and improves their imagination, attention and concentration skills. Our model is applied in modern centers equipped with products of latest global technology such as computers and audio-viusal equpment. Menar Abacus Mental Arithmetic Program motivates children with the principle "learn with fun" and presents a comprehensive mental arithmetic program with the following characteristics.
Menar presents a flexible program with meticulously designed materials based on the needs of students with an individualized approach that enables students to progress at their own pace.
Left and right brain functions in human beings
Although human brain, consisting of left and right hemispheres, is still a mystery yet to be completely solved, there is a general concensus in scientific circles that through communication, coordination and cooperation of the two hemispheres our brain controls all our thinking, decision making and behaving processes.
Within this concept, our left brain, the rational mind, is called the academic brain, whereas our right brain, the intuitive mind, is called the artistic brain. People's personalities, behaviour and attitudes, learning styles occur differently in accordance with which brain is dominant. This scientific finding is very important and the fact that students have different brain lateraliztion and different learning habbits has to be taken into consideration in design and implementation process of educational programs. Briefly. the functions of both brains can be shown as follows:
| Left Brain | Right Brain |
| Analytical | Holistic |
| Logic | Intuition |
| Language | Creativity |
| Mathematics and science | Art and music |
Brain dominance and differences among people:- Our brain resembles the kernel of a walnut with its two halves and wrinkled surface.
The terms left brain and right brain are used to refer to the specific functions of the two hemispheres. - Some people are very good at drawing pictures but find it hard to add eight and nine. Have you ever wondered why? Or why do some peple have a hard time writing a page of composition whereas they can easily solve complicated problems?
- This is related to which side of the brain is dominant. Left or right?
- Researchers describe left half as Academic Brain and the right half as Artistic Brain.
- Right brain dominant people are more imaginative and intuitive. They have a holistic view of things. They are interested in designs, shapes and dimensions.
- Right brain is associated with music, and poetry.
- Left brain is more rational and analytical. Such people are successful in mathematics.
- Right brain takes the new information as a whole. It is the left brain's job to analyze and organize this information.
- Researchers have determined that brain lateralization is not a willful choice of a person.
- Brain dominance exists at birth but becomes more apparent in later ages.
- Studies demonstrate that it is possible to infer which brain of a person is dominant by looking at his profession.
Typically, lawyers, chemists, mathematicians and accountants are left-brain-dominant because these jobs require logic, ordering and analytical skills. - Characteristically, musicians, actors, and artists are right-brain-dominant because they depend on right brain functions like body, rythm, color, dimension and image perception.
A left-brain thinker plays according to the rules and has a systematic approach. He analyzes everything and reaches a logical conclusion. For this reason, mathematics and scientific activities are suitable for him. They are more successful in question-answer type examinations.- Right-brain thinkers are creative and tend to ignore rules. They are artistic and search for ways to express themselves. They become more successful in text-based exams.
- While left brain produces verbal thoughts, right brain produces visual thoughts.
- Visual thought is very prominent in children but as they reach the fourth and the fifth grade, external and environmental forces start moving them away from dreaming and imagination. According to adults, dreaming is nothing but wasting time.
- However imagination, visual thought, is very important. Everything that has been creeated by man was first formed in a person's mind as a picture or a dream. One image is worth thousands of words. Visual thoughts leave stronger trace in the mind than verbal thoughts.
- Our society might be giving more importance to verbal thoughts, however it is evident that visual thought has more brain power
Left-brain people are; Right-brain people are;
How much of our brain are we using?
Scientists believe that human brain potentially has a much bigger capacity than is used. Especially our right brain has an exceptional visual memory and imagination power and creativity. However this potential remains uncultivated, inactive and unused in most people. For this reason, we must aim at developing our right brain and putting its immense potential into use, and thus utilize both sides of our brains in balance.
Alright, but is there a concrete method to improve the brain other than chess or solving puzzles? Yes, perhaps the most efficient means that creates miraculous results is Abacus Mental Arithmetic program.
Mental skills that Menar program will develop in children are References
Turkish (book)
Boydak, H. Alp. Beyin Yarım Kürelerinin Gizemi, Beyaz Yayınları, 2004S
English (articles)
Amaiwa,hizuko. The Ripple Effects and the Future Prospects of Abacus Learning.
2001,http://www.syuzan.net/english/brain/brain.html#hayashi
Hayashi,Toshio.What Abacus Education Ought to Be for the Development of the Right Brain. 2000 http://www.syuzan.net/english/brain/brain.html#hayashi
Kawano,Kimiko. Becoming Fond of Numbers and Math. 2000,
http://www.syuzan.net/english/brain/brain.html#hayashi