Mathematics can be quite a challenge for many students. That is why it is important that the first approach to these be practical and even fun. And there is a methodology that achieves this and changes the way in which children and adults deal with these calculations: the ABN method.
With a visual and manipulative approach, the ABN method has been shown to be effective in improving comprehension and performance in mathematics. Do you want to discover how this method works and how it can help you develop your numerical skills or those of your children? We tell you all its secrets.
What is the ABN method?
It arose as an initiative of the Spanish teacher Jaime Martínez Montero. He was looking for a way to overcome the traditional obstacles in learning mathematical operations for his students. And he found it, using manipulatives to make the calculations tangible and easily understandable.
Unlike the traditional method, in which numbers are regrouped when adding or subtracting, in the ABN method each number is broken down into units, tens, hundreds, etc., to facilitate comprehension and mental calculation. And it is also used manipulative material such as sticks or counters, to represent numbers and perform calculations visually.
How is it used to make calculations?
The ABN method is open-ended, which means that there is no single way to obtain a result, but rather that it can be reached in different ways. To carry out this type of calculation with children, however, this scheme is usually followed.
- The table is drawn. A table with several rows and three columns is drawn on a piece of paper.
- Children are provided with manipulative material at their disposal. The material is chosen that will help the children to visualize what they are doing. Chopsticks in bundles of 10 to represent the tens and loose sticks for the ones work very well. However, they will need to understand this concept before starting with addition. You have videos on YouTube that can give you the keys for children to learn!
- The sum is written and the problem is posed: Write the sum that you want to do on the table on paper, first placing the largest number that we intend to add on the second column, followed by the plus sign and the smallest number on the third column. The ideal is to accompany this gesture with the proposal of a problem: «You have 46 coins and your friend has 25. How many coins do you have between the two of you?
- Quantities are represented with chopsticks. We let the children represent the quantities that they wish to add through the manipulative material, in two different piles: on the left the one corresponding to the greater number and on the right the one corresponding to the smaller number, respecting the position they have on the paper.
- Amounts begin to pass from one side to the other: They begin to go from the smallest number to the largest amounts. While they are small, the ideal is for children to take one or more toothpicks from the right pile and pass it to the left. The amount that is passed is noted in the first column. This amount is then added to the number in the second column noting the result and subtracted from the number in the third column noting the result.
- It continues until one whole pile has been passed to the other. Successive amounts continue to be passed from one pile to another until it has finished and the sum is done.
There's nothing like see a practical example to understand things, don't you agree? And The Grid Gang explains it very well in the following video, also having a child as the protagonist, which makes it more interesting:
Thus, using the ABN method, the calculations are carried out in visual and broken down form, which facilitates comprehension and mental calculation, helping students to develop mathematical skills in a more practical and efficient way.