How visual math learning is changing elementary education—and why traditional methods are falling short.

The way we’ve been teaching arithmetic for decades has a fundamental flaw: it asks children to work with abstract symbols before they understand what those symbols mean. Here’s what’s changing: Traditional: “7 + 8 = 15. Memorize it.” Visual Math: “Watch the beads. See how 7 and 8 become 15.” The difference? → Understanding vs.