UCMAS is a unique scientifically-proven mental development program designed for children and young people to develop their talent  mental power at an age when brain development is reaching its peak ? children between the ages of 4 and 12. The program was invented to capitalize on the first 12 years of children?s lives, when 75% of brain development takes place.

Scientists have been able to understand and measure brain activity with the use of new technologies like EEG (Electroencephalography), fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

The discoveries that have resulted from recent research are leading to breakthroughs in our understanding of brain development and how to enhance it.

Our brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. In general, the left and right hemispheres of our brain process information in different ways, while we have a natural tendency towards one way of thinking, the two sides of our brain work together in our everyday lives. However, about 90% of children use primarily the left brain! The focus of the left brain is verbal, processing information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole. Naturally the left brain is responsible for dealing with present and past, logic, sequencing, computation, reasoning, linear mathematics, languages, and analytical abilities.

The right side of the brain focuses on the visual, and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the details. Naturally it deals with present and future, imagination, visualization, arts, shape, space, intuition, synthesis, integration of information and creativity.

Experiments show that most children rank highly creative (a function of the right brain) before entering school. Because our educational systems place a higher value on left brain skills such as mathematics, logic and language than it does on arts or using our imagination, only 10% of these same children will rank highly creative by age 7. By the time we are adults, high creativity remains in only 2% of the population.

There is no limit to the potentialities of the human brain. Not only does the function of the human brain need cultivating from childhood but, it also needs to be constantly challenged and used. In order to explore and develop the potentialities of the human brain fully, many physiologists and brain scientists have been studying ways to further develop the function of the right brain, the seat of intelligence, contributing in a large measure to increased learning ability, concentration, perceptual capabilities and imagination skills.

UCMAS is the result of such research; UCMAS is an internationally well-known and powerful whole brain development program created to help children develop their mental skills using mental arithmetic as a tool and an indicator for development.

Mental Arithmetic is a form of calculation that is solely done by the human mind without the use of pencil and paper, calculator or any other gadget or electronic device.

Why this Age Range?

According to scientific studies and research, the greatest growth of human brain occurs before the age of 12, with much of that development occurring in the first few years of life. Children in that age retain significant ?plasticity? (meaning adaptability) in their brain, which allows growth and interconnection of brain cells. This neuroplasticity can be shaped through visual-motor integration and auditory-motor integration.
For that reason, many experts recommend introducing children at a young age to a new language, to playing a musical instrument or to other mental development disciplines, as these activities stimulate the brain. It is also easier to acquire these skills at that tender age. As children grow older, thoughts will become more complicated and rational, and will mainly think with their left brains. Regular training of the brain using UCMAS Program will help promote brain activity in general especially in the right brain.
The degree of mental development achieved by a child during this age range has a great influence over his/ her future.

Courses Schedule

The lessons are structured term / level-wise i.e. each term consisting of a 3-month period. The child has to attend one class for duration of 2-hours once a week. At the end of each term, a test will be administered and based on its scores the child qualifies for the next term. In all, the course is spread in 10 terms covering 30 months. Annual grading examinations are conducted to assess speed and accuracy levels in children. This helps them to compete with confidence. Once a year, a National Competition is organized for all UC MAS- Qatar children and another International Competition for all UCMAS children from all over the globe, this competition brings the entire UCMAS family together.

Time and place of the course will be set flexibly according to the center in coordination with the parents.

The first part of the training is transforming kids into professional users of the abacus-image below-

The abacus is an ancient tool developed in China some 3000 years ago; it is used to teach children calculation. Both hands are used to manipulate the beads initially, ensuring stimulation of both the left and right sides of the brain. The combination of touch, movement and numerical concept is the initial focus. Learners start with tangible, concrete concepts ? such as working with beads, and then will be taught techniques to perform all four mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) in addition to square and cubic roots using the abacus in a very fast and accurate way exactly as we use modern calculators. Once mastered, they proceed to abstract conceptual learning ? such as mental arithmetic.

The second part of the training goes hand in hand with the first part where children receive a mental training to develop their imagination, visualization, memory, observation, listening and concentration skills.

Part of the training involves gradually taking the abacus away to stimulate children?s imagination, and then they will be capable of visualizing an abacus where calculations are done mentally with just the movement of the fingers on what is so called a ?virtual abacus?. Children solving problems using UCMAS mental arithmetic techniques will start dealing with numbers as images since every single number forms a different image with the abacus beads. Using the abacus images in problem solving will shift the processing of math problems from the left to the right side of the brain. UCMAS mental development program thus initiates the use of the right brain.

The Abacus is the tool we use to teach children to understand:

• The base-ten number system
• Number concepts and numeric relationships
• Place values
• Carrying and borrowing
• Combinations and complements of numbers

Combining mental and motor movements

When children use both hands to manipulate the beads, there is quick communication between the hands and the brain that stimulates both the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

The Abacus/Mental Arithmetic reckoning process combines integrated thinking and motoring functions from both sides of the brain, so the left hemisphere (logical side) stirs the virtual abacus (image) on the right hemisphere (abstract side).

Many people often assume that learning mental arithmetic is merely a method to improve the speed and accuracy of calculations, for example, adding 10-digit numbers within a few seconds is, by itself, an amazing accomplishment for most young children. However, there is much more to this because when the children are learning UCMAS Mental Arithmetic, they are actually also undergoing the process of developing other aspects of the mind. When the children have acquired an astonishing calculation speed, it is actually only the end result of having developed some of their mental abilities such as: concentration, observation, visualization, imagination, listening and memory.

Recent studies have shown that the abacus method of mental calculation is extremely effective in the development of the right brain. At first, this idea was only a hypothesis, but the recent development of high-tech machinery has helped provide tangible research data. According to the research, the learning and thinking process is enhanced when both sides of the brain participate in a balanced manner.

UCMAS aims to develop human intellect- through improved mind concentration and imagination- and to revolutionize the field of child education.

UCMAS main benefits:

1. Improves Concentration: Kids are trained to be involved in different processes happening at the same time. They gradually learn how to be focused on the task in hand and ignore different kinds of distraction.
2. Improves Observation & Listening: Through the training on the Flash Cards (one of the mental training tools) and during solving mental math problems, kids take only a glance at the card or problem to start the numbers? processing. With time, this significantly enhances their observation abilities.
   The same goes for listening since kids are trained to hear numbers only once during problem solving because numbers are not repeated. With the continuous use of active listening, kids will develop significantly-improved listening skills.
3. Improves Imagination & Visualization: Kids are challenged to start forming a virtual abacus early in the training and soon will start using this imaginary or virtual abacus in solving problems. This continuous use of imagination and visualization techniques significantly improves the kid?s skill in these two mental parameters.
4. Strengthens Memory: Kids memorize different images during their numbers training and during solving problems; they tend to memorize momentarily each image constructed on the virtual abacus after doing any arithmetic and before giving the final answer. This continuous use and training of memory significantly improve this ability especially what is known as the photographic memory.
5. Enhances Accuracy & Speed: In UCMAS one of the real challenges is time. Kids are gradually trained to give extremely accurate results in shorter and shorter times. This continuous challenge will teach kids how to optimize the use of time while staying accurate.
6. Promotes Creativity: Having developed imagination and visualization as well as memory, concentration and the other mental parameters and through the whole process of the right brain training and activation, kids will find it easier to be creative and inspired.
7. Boosts Self-Confidence: As a result of the continuous positive feedback received from parents, teachers, peers and the community as well as the exposure during the program to different audiences in demonstrations, national and international competitions, along with the improved mental abilities- kids will be given an extremely powerful boost to their self-Image and confidence that will further help them in their future challenges.
8. Lays down a Strong Foundation for Academic Achievement: Having developed all the above-mentioned parameters, it is normal for kids at UCMAS to have a very strong foundation for academic achievement and excellence.
9. Develops Astonishing Mental Arithmetic Abilities: This is a very natural end result for UCMAS, since kids will deal with numbers in a smooth and entertaining way. Usually kids will be able to solve arithmetic problems mentally faster than a calculator! It is worth mentioning here that UCMAS is not a mathematics drilling program. Children are not drilled with repetitive ongoing exercises. UCMAS is designed to teach young learners a skill ? one that will stay with them forever.

We offer two sets of programs:

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Primary Program

1. Basic
2. Elementary A
3. Elementary B
4. Intermediate A
5. Intermediate B
6. Higher A
7. Higher B
8. Advance
9. Grand A
10. Grand B

KG Program

1. KG 1
2. KG 2
3. KG 3
4. KG 4
5. Elementary B
6. Intermediate A
7. Intermediate B
8. Higher A
9. Higher B
10. Advance
11. Grand A
12. Grand B