Impressively, all 18 Tajik students came
close to finishing all 130 problems. Four of
the 18 competitors received medals. And
as if solving more than 100 problems in
your head wasn’t difficult enough, some
students elected to join the talent portion of
the event. This required that they perform a
talent—such as reciting a poem, jumping
rope, bouncing on one foot, or playing an
instrument—while solving math problems
in their heads. Even though none of the
Tajik students took home prizes in this
category, they all had a lot of fun trying.
In addition to having a great time at the
competition, the students gained confi-
dence, curiosity, and a healthy competitive
spirit, things they’ll take back with them to
their remote, mountain town.
Elnazarova, who took first place in her
age group, told Central Asia Institute that
she can’t wait to participate in more com-
petitions, especially if they involve travel.
Another competitor, Mamadrizokhonov,
said she loved traveling so much that now
she wants to be a flight attendant—a job she
didn’t know anything about until taking her
first plane ride to the event.
With one math competition under their
belts, the students are already thinking
ahead to the next event. They will get their
chance this fall in the country of Georgia.
Until then, they’ll be sharpening their skills,
working on their talents, and getting excited
for their next opportunity to shine. l
ABACUS: OLD
TOOL, NEW WAY
OF TEACHING
MATH
The abacus can be used to perform
addition, subtraction, division,
and multiplication. The beads in a
Chinese suanpan (pictured above),
traditionally arranged in 13 rows
with five below a wooden bar and
two above, are manipulated to
perform calculations.
The soroban (pictured below),
a Japanese adaptation of the
Chinese suanpan, typically has four
beads below the bar and one above.
This is the type of abacus used by
students studying Mental Math,
the practice of solving complex
arithmetic problems by visualizing
an abacus and performing the
calculations in your head.
PICTURE ON LEFT
Left to right: Ganjina
Khairmamadova, Shalieva Zuhro,
Imomberdieva Anisa, Elnazarova
Zuhro, Mamadrizokhonov
Shogayosi, Alifbekova Zuhro,
Mavluda Zulfova
FALL 2019
JOURNEY OF HOPE | 27