DOING arithmetic stimulates the brain more than any other activity. Countries like Japan have long realised this and included simple calculations as part of brain therapy exercises for the aged.
Where growing children are concerned, working on mathematical problems – be they additions, subtractions, multiplications or divisions – helps to foster brain development.
While many children today are exposed to mental arithmetic from primary school itself, the use of calculators is common in secondary schools.
In fact, many students are so dependent on calculators to solve mathematical problems that they feel “lost” without them.
I find it painful to see how widespread the use of calculators in secondary school has become. Students sitting for Mathematics (Paper One) in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah exam use calculators.
My fear is, will this discourage our students from using their brains in the future?
This was certainly not the scenario during my secondary school days. I solved lots of maths problems using my brain, and this helped it to develop.
I also learnt to persevere at working on problems without opting for the easy way out.
My concern is, with such a high dependence on calculators, will our high achievers in public examinations still have good mental skills?
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