In the 1970s, Georges and Frédérique Papy developed a visual teaching tool known as Papy's Minicomputer. It consisted of cardboard or wooden cards divided into four colored sectors, representing binary values of 1, 2, 4, and 8. The system allowed children to perform arithmetic operations by manipulating physical objects like buttons or tokens according to specific rules for carrying and doubling.
The methodology was introduced in the Soviet Union in 1974 through the book Children and Graphs, supported by academician A. N. Kolmogorov. Simultaneously, the United States implemented the Comprehensive School Mathematics Program (CSMP) in the 1970s and 1980s, which utilized Papy's Minicomputer as a core instrument. Frédérique Papy led the research wing of the American project.
The CSMP program in the U.S. was eventually discontinued due to resistance from primary school teachers who found the methodology difficult to adopt. In the Soviet Union, the approach faded following the collapse of the country. Today, these techniques are being revived through the international CS Unplugged initiative, which focuses on teaching computer science concepts without electronic devices.
Irina Derevyanko, a candidate of pedagogical sciences and a member of the CS Unplugged project, is currently translating Georges Papy's original works into Russian. The project aims to restore the educational methodology by adapting terminology for modern readers while maintaining mathematical accuracy.
