Today, there are various cram schools and correspondence materials available, and some parents who want their children to study and are considering various other types of learning besides Kumon. Among them, many people may not know what characteristics Kumon has and what kind of purpose people should have in attending Kumon.
In this article, I would like to thoroughly list both the good and bad points about Kumon's features, and then explain what makes Kumon a good choice.
The Purpose of Attending Kumon
There are many factors that can be cited as the purpose of sending your child to Kumon, but here I will explain the characteristics of Kumon in three major categories.
Kumon allows students to learn at their own pace without competing with others
The first characteristic of Kumon is that both parents and children can study at their own pace without too much pressure.
The hurdle to enrolling in Kumon is low.
The hurdle to enrolling in Kumon is very low.
There are Kumon schools all over Japan, and as of 2021, there will be as many as 15,800 Kumon schools. This is almost the same number of Kumon schools as the number of FamilyMart stores. This shows how many Kumon schools there are. If there are so many Kumon schools that they can be compared to convenience stores, the probability that there is a Kumon school in an easily accessible location is quite high.
There are Kumon classes for babies as young as 0 years old called "Baby Kumon," and there are Kumon materials that can be used by middle and high school students to continue their studies.
There is no entrance test. Whether you are the best student in the class or the worst, you will start learning from a slightly easier level than you are currently capable of. Because it is not a simultaneous class, no one is blamed for progressing too fast or too slow.
Since the students are of different ages and abilities, there is no common goal for all of them. If I had to say so, I would say that the objective is to develop the abilities of each student. Even if you do not have a strong sense of purpose, you can start Kumon with the idea of sending your child to Kumon for the time being.
The fact that the hurdles to starting Kumon are low from all aspects is a major characteristic of Kumon.
You can study at your own pace until you graduate from high school.
Progress is not tied to an exam schedule. You can progress through the material at your own pace, and as your understanding deepens, you can move on to the next material. There is no deadline by which you must master the material, so you can take your time in areas you are not good at, and you can keep progressing in areas you are good at.
Kumon materials continue until you graduate from high school. If you wish, you can even advance to the level of a university liberal arts program. You can progress at your own pace from a young age, or you can build on your foundation when you are no longer able to keep up with your schoolwork.
The ability to progress at one's own level of understanding is an attractive feature for many people.
Some students enjoy progressing through the material.
Because students can progress at their own pace, their progress is proportional to their own efforts. It is a great encouragement for children to receive results for their efforts, although it depends on their personalities.
Kumon has a system in which the progress of the material is indicated by letters and numbers, so that even children can easily see how far they have progressed. As they progress, they may encounter more difficult problems, making it more like an RPG in some cases.
The freedom of self-learning and the moderate pressure of a Kumon teacher are compatible.
When deciding on a cram school or correspondence course, a major factor will be the child's motivation. No matter how proven the learning method is, if it does not match the child's personality, it is unlikely that his or her grades will improve.
A competitive child will be more suitable for a cram school, while a child who is interested in studying on his/her own will be more suited for a correspondence course. Kumon is characterized by the freedom of self-learning, but with the moderate pressure of submitting homework to the teacher.
There is pressure to submit homework to the teacher.
One of the key points in the learning style is the requirement of submitting homework assignments.
With correspondence courses, there is no pressure on the child to study if the parent does not say anything. There will be no stress, but there may not be much motivation to do homework. I have also started Shinkenzemi three times, but after about two months, I left it without doing my homework.
On the other hand, with cram schools, the pressure on children increases in proportion to their enthusiasm for the entrance exam. At a cram school for junior high school entrance examinations, the children are assigned not only to a class but also to a seat according to their ranking in the test. It would be ideal if the competitive spirit would make the child more enthusiastic about learning, but in reality, the child may become depressed, or on the other hand, the parents may become impatient because of the lack of interest in the competition.
Kumon combines the best of both worlds in terms of pressure. Since the basis of Kumon is self-study, it is difficult to create the pressure of competition. However, since homework must be submitted to the teacher, there is pressure to do the daily homework. Since only the pressure of learning itself is applied, the learning process is done with the minimum amount of stress necessary.
You can learn to study on your own.
Surprisingly, students do not have the opportunity to realize the importance of continuing to do homework every day during their school life. There may be opportunities to think that homework is hard, but few people have felt that homework piles up.
In Kumon, homework comes in the form of a number of pieces each day. As you can tell from doing Kumon, the weight of the printouts after skipping a day is quite heavy. This is simply because you have to do two days' worth of printouts. You can directly feel the payback for skipping class.
Especially at an age when students do not have an entrance exam in mind, it is difficult for them to keep studying steadily with an eye on the future. When you don't have a purpose for studying, no one can really feel what is wrong with skipping a day of study. However, Kumon still has no clear goal, and if you skip your homework today, you will have a hard time tomorrow. Kumon is also unique in that it allows students to realize the importance of self-study every day and to develop the habit of self-study in a more concrete way.
Thorough development of basic skills
So far, we have explained the characteristics of Kumon in terms of motivation. The fact that children do not feel the pressure of competition greatly reduces the impatience of the parents as well as the children themselves. At the same time, the teacher is there for the students to submit their homework, which makes them feel that they have to do their homework.
The next aspect I will touch on is the actual skills that are acquired.
Both accuracy and speed can be acquired.
Kumon is characterized by its thoroughness in the fundamentals.
Printouts are in five-sheet booklets with two sides. If you can answer almost all of the questions correctly within the time limit, you will be able to move on to the next question. There is no stopwatch beside you to measure your time, and parents are not informed of the approximate time, but you do not move on until you can solve the problems quickly and accurately.
The students do not stop at the point where they understand the formulas and can solve the problems, but repeat the practice until they can solve the problems quickly and accurately. The greatest feature of Kumon is that you can learn the basics thoroughly.
Become able to calculate and read quickly and accurately
The fundamentals that Kumon thoroughly covers are reading and calculation.
Reading and calculation alone may not be enough to get a score on an exam. This is because there are many things that must be memorized in an exam.
However, the higher you aim in the exam, the more reading and calculation become bottlenecks. Reading and calculation are the basis of all subjects, but they are not easy to master at a high level. It is not possible for anyone to read ancient texts or critique texts easily or to solve calculus easily without training. Even in science and social studies, it takes a great deal of reading comprehension skills to read and understand the questions at the junior high school entrance examination stage.
It is not easy to master the basics at a high level, and it takes a long time. It is not something that can be acquired quickly by working hard right before an entrance examination, and few people can recognize that the problem lies in the fundamentals when their performance is sluggish.
Since reading comprehension and calculation skills are often treated as a groundwork, being able to develop these skills will be of great significance later on.
Able to learn ahead of time
Progress in Kumon is determined not by the current grade level, but by the level of understanding. Therefore, if you can solve problems quickly and accurately, you will be able to advance far beyond what you learn in the current grade.
If you continue with Kumon for a long time, you will be able to learn content that is about two grades ahead of the current grade. If you are motivated, the ability to move on to the third or fourth grade will be a big attraction. In my family, too, we have set a goal of completing the final material in elementary school.
Kumon aims for the final material. A former Kumon student explains why she wants her children to "complete the final material in elementary school". It is true that there is a notion that it is no use learning factoring in elementary school. This is because there are no problems involving factoring in elementary school.
On the other hand, learning ahead of time is effective in the long run. One of the reasons for this is that students do not have to devote energy to the high school entrance examination, and can finish the high school study process at an early stage. While students in other junior high schools are preparing for the entrance examinations, students in integrated junior and senior high schools are able to continue their high school studies, so that by the time they are sophomores in high school, they have completed the entire study process and can focus on preparing for the university entrance examinations during the last year of high school.
The same is true for Kumon's preconstruction. By studying ahead of time, Kumon students are able to devote more resources to other subjects when studying for entrance exams.
Patterns in which Kumon does not work well
Although we have listed the strengths of Kumon, the good and the bad are two sides of the same coin. What are the negative effects of Kumon's characteristics?
Wide variation in quality from classroom to classroom
As I mentioned earlier, there are so many Kumon schools that they can be compared to convenience stores. Furthermore, you do not need teaching experience or a teaching license to become a Kumon teacher. It is not unusual to find only one teacher in one Kumon classroom, and it is easy for differences to emerge between classrooms.
The content of the materials and the way of teaching is fixed, and since the students study by themselves, there is not much difference in this respect. However, differences in classroom atmosphere can be surprising.
Sometimes there are too many students for each teacher.
In Kumon, there may be only one teacher per classroom. The teacher's main task is to grade and hand in homework assignments while the classroom is not occupied. They simply wait while students solve problems, but unlike a teacher who teaches a class, the more students there are, the busier the classroom becomes.
Also, the time of day when students come to the classroom is fixed to some extent. Many students come to Kumon classes directly after elementary school. Then, if there are many elementary school students in a classroom and there is only one teacher, the classroom may be completely over capacity at a certain time.
No matter how much self-study you do, there are times when you want to ask questions when you have just started a new unit of study. If the teacher is too occupied with grading, there is no chance to ask questions, and you will have to keep thinking on your own. This is a frustrating situation for parents, no matter how excellent the materials are.
In some areas and classrooms, it is like school children.
The hurdles to joining Kumon are low. There is no entrance test, and membership fees are not outstandingly high. When this has a positive effect, it is a plus for continued learning, but when it has a negative effect, the classroom becomes like a place where children are kept.
Kumon not only has a low bar for enrollment, but also makes it easy for children to attend classes on their own. Because of the number of classes, there are often classes within walking distance of the child, and there are no restrictions on hours, so there is no need to pick up the child from school.
From a different perspective, this means that parents who are not so much interested in having their children study but would rather have them stay with their children while they are working can also leave their children with Kumon.
Some may say that Kumon is a self-learning program, and that is fine. However, if parents do not expect their children to study at Kumon, this attitude will naturally be conveyed to the children. If there are some children who do not take their studies seriously and make a lot of noise with their friends, the motivation of the children who attend Kumon classes will be greatly reduced.
These days, more and more parents want their children to attend private schools from elementary and junior high school. This is because there is a selection process based on entrance examinations, which greatly reduces the probability of problem children or monster parents being in the same class. However, because the hurdles to enrollment are low at Kumon, there is still a possibility that problematic people are enrolling.
Countermeasure: Trial classes should be utilized.
To avoid these problems, it is better to make good use of the trial class, which is a trial class.
When attending a trial class, try to visit the classroom at the same time as after the actual enrollment as much as possible. Also, keep in mind that during long vacations, the time of day that people come to class may change.
If possible, ask the teacher what time of day would be less crowded. The teacher will not dare to ask you to come at a time when the teaching will be less busy. In addition, whether the classroom is run by a single person or whether they hire part-time teachers is also helpful in choosing a classroom.
If you know a child who attends the school you want to send to, it is also important to hear from that person. It may be difficult to tell from a trial class if there are noisy children or if the atmosphere is bad.
The fact that there are differences from classroom to classroom is no different in any cram school, but the differences definitely tend to be greater in Kumon. You can reduce the risk of getting the wrong one by getting information about the school from various angles.
Teaching materials are orthodox
Kumon's teaching materials repeat basic training. Rather than trying to make the material enjoyable to learn, Kumon's teaching materials are designed for students to find enjoyment in progressing through the material through repetitive practice.
While orthodox materials can help you acquire general-purpose skills, they also have some disadvantages.
There are many similar materials available.
The orthodox nature of the materials means that they are easily substitutable.
It does not mean that the Kumon system itself can be substituted. It is Kumon's originality to emphasize the basics and to thoroughly repeat the basics according to the current level of understanding. However, it is also true that there are many similar Kumon materials available if we isolate a certain part of the material.
For example, when it comes to addition and subtraction materials, there are plenty of materials that are not different from cram schools and correspondence materials, as well as commercial reference books. Since the teacher does not give lessons, there are many aspects of teaching that parents can do themselves, at least as long as the units are within the range of what parents can do.
It is conceivable that it is difficult to see a reason to stick with Kumon when there are many similar teaching materials available.
Homework can be a burden
Kumon assigns homework on the premise that students must do a certain number of printouts every day. Even if there is no pressure in terms of competition with others, there is definitely pressure to do the homework.
Students will learn the habit of self-study through the pain of accumulating homework or skipping it. Naturally, however, there will be times when homework becomes a major stressor in the process.
Because there is no competition, it is up to you to do your homework and skip it. There is no ingenious way to overcome the hassle of studying. There are many materials that make studying fun through competition and gamification, and in comparison, the tedium of studying tends to be felt directly.
There is a tendency toward simple tasks.
Kumon emphasizes the basics and thorough repetition. Rather than using originality and ingenuity to solve problems, it tends to be more like simple work.
The lack of interest in basic practice is common not only in study but in all fields. No one would deny the importance of basic practice, but no one would join a baseball or soccer team for muscle training or running.
Studying can be interesting if it satisfies our curiosity. However, Kumon's problems are not designed to be intellectually interesting. Some children, especially those with intellectual curiosity, may find Kumon to be a tedious, simple task.
Countermeasure: Recognize that Kumon is not about "special things," but rather "thorough things that are natural.
When you look at the Kumon materials and your child, you will rarely think that this can only be done with Kumon. The less advanced the Kumon materials are and the longer you have not been doing Kumon, the stronger this feeling will become. This is because what Kumon does is to continue basic learning in an orthodox way. Even parents can do the same thing if it is just their own children, without any special teaching experience.
But it would be very difficult to thoroughly repeat this up to the high school graduation level, while adapting it to your own child's level of understanding. When a child is able to add, if they can solve problems slowly with 90% of the problems, they would normally be inclined to at least let them subtract. If there is a busy day, it is easy to think about taking a break from learning for a day. Such a little slack is not something that should be allowed in order to solidify the foundation. If you make a mistake in adding 10 percent of the sums, you are bound to make a mistake somewhere in the factorization problem.
The same is true in terms of fun. There are many educational materials and apps that make kanji and math fun. However, materials designed to make learning fun become less and less common as the school year progresses. Many of the famous reference books for university entrance examinations end up being all words and phrases. Children must learn how to keep their spirits up to study despite the difficulty of studying, rather than having adults cheat them out of the difficulty. Kumon's self-learning and daily homework assignments give the child that opportunity.
Kumon materials are not specialized for any kind of test.
Kumon materials are designed to develop basic skills, but they are not designed for any specific examinations. You simply develop the basics at your own pace. While focusing on mastering the basics can be very effective, there are also situations in which Kumon is not suited.
If you have a clear objective, a specialized cram school is good for you.
If you have a clear goal to achieve, there are better options than Kumon.
A typical example would be the junior high school entrance examination. In order to pass the junior high school entrance examination, you need to acquire not only the basics but also comprehensive academic skills, including application, in order to get a good score. What you learn in Kumon is the foundation of the basics. If you study ahead of time, you may end up ahead of the scope of the junior high school entrance examination. If you decide to take the junior high school entrance examination, Kumon cannot handle it.
There are some exams like TOEIC and Eiken that are compatible with Kumon. However, it would still be more efficient to buy a dedicated textbook.
Too much advance learning makes school lessons boring.
Kumon's progression is not related to school lessons, but progresses according to the level of understanding. This is a great advantage in deepening understanding, but it is true that there will be a difference between what you are doing in school classes and what you learn in Kumon.
This is not such a problem when the progress of the school class is fast and Kumon is used to catch up. However, if Kumon is far ahead of the school classes, the school classes may seem boring.
A similar problem occurs in junior high school entrance exam cram schools. Since the questions for the junior high school entrance exam are far more difficult than those on the elementary school test, school lessons are perceived as too easy. It may be the case that everything learned in school classes has already been learned in cram school.
However, in school classes, it is not necessarily important to understand the content of the lessons. It is the attitude of studying itself that is important. Even if you are able to study ahead of your classmates in cram school now, it will become more difficult as you advance to high school and college. When students reach a level where they are unable to study ahead of their classmates, they may find that they lack the ability to understand what they hear for the first time in class.
Even without talking that far ahead, disturbing the harmony of the group because of one's ability to study is frowned upon. There is a risk that a child may inadvertently antagonize those around him or her.
As the grade level increases, the number of things that cannot continue to attend increases.
Kumon trains students in the fundamentals. The basics are important, but they are not urgent and must be mastered before tomorrow's quiz.
And because it is less urgent, Kumon can easily be put on the back burner as life gets busier.
As children move up through the grades, they become busier and busier. They study harder, make more friends, have more activities to do, and start club activities and new lessons. Time and energy are finite, so there will be a limit at some point.
There will be periodic tests, and club activities will not be easy to quit. The level of difficulty in relationships will continue to increase. In this situation, it will become increasingly difficult to choose to continue Kumon. Even if you can make your child work hard to attend a cram school that is aiming for an entrance examination, Kumon is an easy candidate to quit if it seems too difficult for your child.
The entrance examination for junior high school is another reason to quit Kumon. It is difficult to prepare for the junior high school entrance examination with Kumon alone, and it is necessary to switch to an entrance examination cram school in the upper grades. It is difficult to combine Kumon with cram school for entrance examinations, so if you want to take the junior high school entrance examination, you will have to quit Kumon.
It is a common occurrence in Kumon that the higher the grade, the more you have to quit Kumon.
Countermeasure: Ensure a longer period of time when you can "afford to continue with Kumon.
Kumon does not have time-limited goals. There is no difference in the importance of the basics, but it is also true that urgent = time-limited events tend to be prioritized.
However, which should we focus on, the urgent things or the important things?
What parents can do is to start Kumon in the early grades with relatively little urgency and not put too much pressure on their children. The time spent on the fundamentals will surely pay off in a big way later on.
If you continue with Kumon over a long period of time, you will often find that you are more or less ahead of the curve. What we must not forget at this time is that Kumon is only the foundation. The foundation is important, but it is not enough. By sharing with your child the correct understanding that basics alone are not enough, you may be able to prevent a situation in which he or she disregards school lessons and antagonizes others.
What is the position of Kumon?
Kumon allows students to learn at their own pace due to the low barrier to entry, the lack of competition, and the fact that learning itself is enjoyable. Although Kumon is based on self-learning, there is a good amount of pressure to submit homework assignments to the teacher, which helps students develop the habit of self-learning. In addition, students learn the basics of all calculations (reading and arithmetic) at a high level of both speed and accuracy, allowing them to advance beyond the current grade level.
However, the large number of classrooms, many of which are privately operated, means that quality can vary. Since the materials are designed for self-learning, there is little direct impact on learning, but the atmosphere in the classrooms can be poor. This problem can be avoided to some extent by taking advantage of the trial class and discussing it with the teacher in advance.
There is also the point that the teaching materials are orthodox. Since the course is thoroughly based on the basics, it tends to be simple work, and there is not as much ingenuity in terms of making the material fun. However, learning by cheating with fun is only temporary. Eventually, children need to establish their own stance on understanding and learning itself, and Kumon gives them the opportunity to do so.
Also, Kumon is not a specialized exam course, and it is a course of study that can easily be put on a lower priority list. If there is an exam, it is naturally important to focus on the exam. On the other hand, if you can continue Kumon for a long time, you can expect great effects in the long run. It can be said that parents can do what they can to prepare their children for as much time as possible to afford to do Kumon while considering the long-term policy of their children's education.
Overall, Kumon is a learning system in which parental attitudes are very important. While there is no doubt that it will help the child, the results of Kumon must be seen over a long period of time. Parents also need to have patience and a strategy to provide their children with enough time to continue with Kumon for a long period of time.
However, it is not difficult to enroll a child in Kumon, and there are also measures in place to ensure that the child does not suddenly stumble.
Start with a casual approach, continue for a long time, and you will get a big return in the end. If you start Kumon with such a mindset, the Kumon Method will surely meet your expectations.