I was a Kumon student. I attended Kumon from the 5th grade of elementary school to the middle of the 1st grade of junior high school, and quit Kumon in the middle of J (first year of high school) for Japanese and mathematics, and in the middle of G (first year of junior high school) for English.
While Japanese and Math became a great asset for my university entrance examinations and for the rest of my life, I had no motivation to study English and did not feel that it had any effect on my life. I also feel that if I had been able to make more progress in Japanese and mathematics, it would have had a great effect.
When we talked about having my child take Kumon as well, I wondered if there was anything I could do to make it even more effective. My child is about to turn three years old. I thought he might have different problems than I did when I started in grade 5. And in fact, there seemed to be barriers to continuing Kumon even before I started Kumon myself.
This time, based on my own experience with Kumon, I came up with a strategy to help my child continue with Kumon.
The Structure of Kumon
The main subjects that Kumon covers are Japanese, mathematics, and English. In early childhood, "Zundun", a writing exercise, is added, and there are also some classes that offer French and German.
Up to junior high school, students generally advance one grade level when they advance one letter of the alphabet. When I was a student, one of the motivating factors was that if you made it through the I material, which was equivalent to the third grade of junior high school, you were registered as a member of the "I League" by the time you reached the sixth grade. Now it seems that you can register for something called "J Friends" by getting through the J material.
Then, if you advance to the Q material in mathematics, and to the O material in English and Japanese, you will have "completed the final course material. After that, there is a university liberal arts course of study, but I think it is safe to assume that the final material is one of the guidelines.
Each alphabet contains 200 (or 400 in some cases) printouts. When the classroom teacher determines that the students have mastered the content of each printout, they can move on to the next material.
Characteristics of Kumon
There are some distinctive features of learning at Kumon, and the following four should be understood.
Kumon's teaching materials allow students to learn ahead of time by starting from "easy areas" and practicing "repetition" [math and arithmetic] Kumon does not deal with figures and sentences [Japanese and English] Kumon focuses on reading comprehension and does not focus much on kanji, English vocabulary, and English grammar
1. repetitive practice of the material, starting with the easiest parts
At Kumon, the basics are thoroughly covered. Whether it is simple addition or factoring, the same range of problems are thoroughly repeated until you can easily solve them with no mistakes. Usually, even if you make one or two mistakes or it takes a long time, you will be considered to have "solved the problem. However, since the goal is not to "manage to solve the problem" but to "solve the problem with ease," from the parent's point of view, it appears that the student is repeating easier problems than expected. 2.
(2) Able to learn ahead of time
Kumon does not look at the current grade level, but rather at how well the students are progressing. Therefore, if the child is progressing well, he or she can study material that is far ahead of the grade level. Therefore, depending on the enthusiasm of the child, he or she may be able to develop abilities beyond what is imagined, but there are also many parents who compare their children with those who can be called geniuses and feel impatience and jealousy. 3.
3.[Arithmetic/Mathematics] Kumon does not deal with figures and sentences
Kumon does not deal with figures and sentences. For this reason, some of the subjects studied in elementary and junior high school are not covered in Kumon. On the other hand, the areas studied in high school are covered.
4.[Japanese/English] Reading comprehension is the main focus, with little emphasis on Kanji, English vocabulary, and English grammar.
Kumon's English and Japanese courses focus on reading comprehension and do not put as much emphasis on Kanji, English vocabulary, and English grammar. Kumon's ultimate goal is probably to provide students with exposure to long-text reading comprehension and famous books. Therefore, it is easy to acquire the ability to read long passages at the end of the test, while it is difficult to acquire the ability to solve Kanji and grammar problems that appear at the beginning of the test.
Three timing when you are likely to quit Kumon.
In the broad sense of the word, these costs will be incurred if you let your child learn more or less. And there are few processes in which these costs are "absolutely impossible to pay," and in most cases they will be of the kind that "can be paid if you work hard.
So when you lose the reason to work hard, that will be the time to quit the lessons. And there are three times when you are likely to lose the desire to work hard at Kumon.
Early Childhood - Can't I do this much at home? Fourth grade - Kumon cannot cope with the entrance exam for junior high school.
Early Childhood - Can't I do this at home?
This is a question that comes from the characteristic of Kumon that "the Kumon textbooks are taught through repetitive practice, starting with the easiest parts.
In Kumon, learning starts from the place where you feel you can "still do it. This is because the level of "I can do it" in Kumon is much higher than the standard. So not only is the starting point easy, but even after six months or a year, the child is still endlessly doing material that, from the parent's point of view, seems easy.
In addition, it is quite a challenge to get the child to do the printouts. For young children, parents are asked to stay with them while they work on the materials, and Kumon has daily homework assignments. As you are going through the hard work, you may start to wonder if there is any point in going through all this trouble to have your child do such simple things.
For example, if it is Japanese, I read the names of animals and vehicles written on the handout together with them. For example, if it is Japanese, you can read the names of the animals and vehicles on the printouts. If the child is a toddler, there are handwriting materials available, so draw a line from the top to the bottom. Even if the child is not doing anything strange at his/her age, it is understandable that the parent may feel "why is he/she doing this" when he/she is tired.
As a result, they quit Kumon. This is a relatively common pattern. 2.
(2) Fourth grade elementary school students - Kumon cannot cope with the junior high school entrance exam
This is a problem that comes from the characteristics of Kumon, such as "Kumon does not deal with figures and sentences" and "Kumon focuses on reading comprehension and does not put much emphasis on Kanji, English vocabulary, and English grammar.
Overall, Kumon seems to be designed with university entrance examinations or post-university study in mind. In math and arithmetic, some of the elementary and junior high school ranges are skipped, but the entire high school range is covered, and the final requirement in Japanese and English is the ability to read papers. So while it may give you the basic skills required at university, it will not be something you can handle for the junior high school entrance exam.
Therefore, in order to take the junior high school entrance exam, you will need to attend a cram school for junior high school entrance exams in addition to Kumon. However, the amount of self-study and the progress of Kumon are directly related, and the amount of homework at the cram school for junior high school entrance examinations does not seem to be enough to allow even one hand to do it. As a result, they quit Kumon and concentrate on the junior high school entrance examination. I think this is one pattern.
In addition, families who understand this trend from the beginning tend to finish "F materials (equivalent to grade 6) by grade 3," and then switch to junior high school entrance examination cram schools from grade 4. The fact that Kumon's students have a high level of basic calculation and reading comprehension skills at the time they enter the cram school for junior high school entrance examinations may be an advantage. I think this is a smart way of thinking.
3. after entering junior high school - there is no time to do Kumon
Then comes after entering junior high school. I am too busy with junior high school activities and cannot afford to do Kumon. This is also the reason why I quit Kumon.
In junior high school, club activities are in full swing. Tests are also named "regular tests" and "final tests," and many students prepare for them more thoroughly than they did in elementary school. Relationships become more complicated, and one can imagine that it is difficult to say that junior high school would have been easier if they had not taken the junior high school entrance exam.
They are not old enough to listen to their parents, and they become more emotionally unstable. In this case, the student must be highly motivated in order to continue with Kumon.
However, the volume zone of Kumon students is elementary school students. Although it may depend on the classroom, there are few opportunities to see students in junior high school and above. Add to that the sense of shame, and it becomes even more difficult to stay motivated.
The first two quitting times are based on the parents' decision, but this is more likely to be based on the student's own decision.
What are the conditions that make it easier to continue Kumon?
Based on these "when to quit Kumon," what stance should a parent take?
First of all, you should understand the characteristics of Kumon. Especially in early childhood. By familiarizing yourself with the Kumon concept of thoroughly understanding the basics, you can lessen the sense of discomfort you may feel in the early stages of your child's education. I have the impression that children who started Kumon in early childhood and continued until elementary school progress quickly. Whether or not you think it is worth the effort is the difference between success and failure.
On top of that, the stance toward the junior high school entrance examination is an important issue. It is not common to hear of students who have completed the final Kumon course materials in the third or fourth grade. It would also be difficult for students to stop Kumon while they are preparing for the junior high school entrance examination and resume Kumon in junior high school for the reasons mentioned above. The role that Kumon can play changes greatly depending on whether or not students take the junior high school entrance exam. It is important to share this understanding with your partner and children.
Continuation of Kumon in junior high school will be more difficult. Even if Kumon can be continued in the first year of junior high school, the students will have to prepare for high school entrance examinations as they move up through the grades, and they will also be the main members of club activities. If they are to be able to continue, they will need to have strong motivation to continue Kumon.
And what will motivate the child is to see results. To put it another way, if the child has only one more alphabet to complete at the time of enrollment, he or she will probably be motivated to do his or her best to finish the course. What is necessary for them to think so is that they are making progress in Kumon. I think the key to continuity here is that you are working hard on Kumon.
What kind of strategy should I use?
In my family, we plan to avoid taking the junior high school entrance examination. Therefore, we can see Kumon as a main line of learning, not as a supplement.
And the middle school I will likely attend is likely to put a lot of effort into my studies. If there is a lot of homework at school, it will gradually become more and more difficult to continue Kumon, even if the club activities are not serious.
This is why progress is so important. Just as sports and games are more interesting when you win, Kumon will become more interesting if you can make a lot of progress.
The goal should be "completion of the final material in elementary school. This is one goal.
This is an effort goal. In reality, you do not have to progress to the final material, but ideally, you should progress to the point where you can see the final material at that point. Even if the end is not in sight, if the child feels that Kumon is making a positive difference, he or she is more likely to want to move on after entering junior high school.
And in order to move ahead with Kumon, it is advantageous to start learning early and to have Kumon in their lives at an early age. If you understand this, it will be easier for you to find meaning in your Kumon studies at an early age.
Why do you want me to continue Kumon to such an extent?
This is because of the benefits I have received from Kumon.
I learned Japanese and mathematics from grade 5 and English from grade 1. I think this is a late age to start Kumon, and it is not a long period of time.
However, the assets I acquired during this period were immeasurable. I used to be a type of person who was "rather fast in calculation but made many careless mistakes," but with Kumon I was able to become "fairly fast and made almost no mistakes. As for Japanese, I used to like novels, but I got hooked on critical writing when I read "The Structure of Amae" in Kumon's textbooks, and I was able to expand my reading world. Above all, I believe that the habit of self-learning and the realization of the assets gained by training the basics had a great effect on me in my later life.
These abilities are difficult to develop intentionally, but they can be acquired through Kumon. I am trying to devise ways to continue Kumon so that my children can also have this great asset in their own lives.
Conclusion
In this article, I have written about our stance on Kumon at home. After having a good overview of Kumon and its features, I listed the costs of Kumon and the reasons why people end up quitting, and then the goal that I considered in order to continue Kumon was "to complete the final course material at elementary school. This is a goal to strive for rather than a goal to achieve, and it is only a road map to move toward that goal, but I think it is not wrong as a direction to aim for.
I hope that they will enjoy Kumon as we work together from now on.