A Japanese programme that offers to help make numbers a student’s friend regardless of age

When Kumon started in Abu Dhabi in 1998 there was a lot of anxiety; nobody knew what this Japanese method of learning was and why it was being incorporated into the school curriculum.

It was the Japan Oil Development Company (JODCO) that planned and launched a pilot scheme to introduce Kumon in Al Ghazali Model School in Abu Dhabi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its operations there.

In 2002, a technical study ended the argument that raged for five years between the parents of students in Abu Dhabi, the school management and the government about the Kumon method.

The study proved the success of the method and called for support for it.

It is a technique that is useful to all students regardless of their ages, be it 18 or eight.

Notes offers an explanation of the system and a few sample worksheets to help all those higher education students who do not find numbers to be their best friends but need to use them as part of their programmes.

What is Kumon?

The method is named after its creator, Toru Kumon, a high school maths teacher.

In 1954 he created a series of worksheets for his son, Takeshi, who was struggling with second grade arithmetic.

Toru Kumon drew up a collection of questions that his son could continue working with on his own.

He believed that repetition and gradual advancement would create the ability to perform calculations, which in turn would develop the child’s ability to apply them.

Through daily practice and commitment, his son learned to solve integral calculus by the time he reached sixth grade.

Toru Kumon believed that what was possible for one child was possible for others, and thus began teaching this method to as many children as possible.

Today there are more than 3.7 million students of Kumon worldwide.

The Kumon method uses a self-learning approach in which the students set the pace according to his or her ability.

This approach is more conducive to learning and builds the student’s confidence through repeated success.

Characteristics of the method

Individualised instruction:
Kumon accommodates each individual’s unique ability and needs. Developing the scholastic ability of students is achieved by helping them enjoy their studies.

The speed of skill development differs from one student to another.

One must go back to the stage where the students can easily obtain 100 per cent through their own ability.

Then if you continue to let the students study at their own pace, eventually they will be able to catch up with their grade level. Then the ability to go beyond will be developed.

Self-learning
Kumon promotes analytical and application skills. It defines self-learning as the ability to set goals and solve unfamiliar and challenging tasks independently.

The Kumon instructor encourages this ability in students by setting a goal to complete the worksheets that have been carefully made to allow the learners to move along, solving the materials on their own.

With the idea of self-learning, what is the role of instructors in the classroom?

The answer is to ensure that the students can experience repeatedly the sense of accomplishment and feel confident of success after solving problems on their own.

The instructor will monitor the study behaviour of each student and get a clear picture of how the student is doing.

The instructor, worksheets and the learning method combine to enhance a student’s ability to learn independently.

Small steps
Anyone who bites off more than he can chew is bound to choke. Students will have trouble learning and advancing on their own if they jump from one level to another quickly.

So the materials/worksheets of Kumon had been designed so that they evolve in small steps in order for the students to advance smoothly from one level to another.

There are sample problems that include many examples when introducing a new lesson.

Consequently students can learn and start a new lesson without being taught each minute detail.
Mathematics for example, consists of 4,540 worksheets with 23 levels from 7A through Q.

The worksheets aim to develop strong calculation skills and help the students advance as directly as possible to high school mathematics on their own by sidestepping irrelevant concepts.

Four pillars of Kumon philosophy

  • Children start Kumon at well below their skill level so that they can experience immediate success and build self-confidence.
  • Children must practice 20 minutes of maths exercises every day.
  • Each exercise is timed. Children must correct their mistakes until they get a perfect answer.
  • Children are taught to focus hard on the exercises and avoid distractions.

While they enjoy doing worksheets, children can not only improve their maths skills but also develop higher levels of concentration and self-study habits.

As they reach higher levels, they develop a fondness for maths based on their self-confidence. This will help children to work their own way in the future when they are confronted with new technologies.

Kumon programmes
Kumon reflects the importance of a firm foundation in the two most fundamental areas of education: maths and reading.

The Kumon maths programme has 23 levels, with 20 units for each level. It starts with basic counting and reading numbers.

It proceeds to the four fundamental operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), and then progresses to algebra and trigonometry.

It graduates to higher mathematics, such as calculus, statistics and probabilities.

The worksheets are geared towards mastering high school mathematics easily, by self-learning, even before reaching high school.

Kumon maths focus on improving computational skills. Kumon believes that the ability to calculate develops the ability to think creatively.

The Kumon reading programme is designed to improve the student’s reading skills in English.

It is divided into five learning blocks: word building, sentence building, paragraph development, summary and the critical reading block.

Each block has a learning goal and lays down the foundation for the next learning block.

While the main focus of the programme is to develop reading comprehension skills, some grammar lessons were also integrated.

To improve reading skills, the curriculum focuses on the development of summarisation skills.

When students can quickly, easily and accurately summarise a passage, they evidently demonstrate reading comprehension.

Kumon in Dubai
Yozo Ogawa, who is in charge of the global communications division in the Kumon head office in Japan, says, “There are plans to introduce Kumon in Dubai.”

He was in Dubai last week to consult with some people regarding establishing a Kumon centre.

He says that he has been receiving a lot of queries from the UAE regarding the system.

He was also originally in charge of JODCO’s project to introduce Kumon to the schools in Abu Dhabi.

Today