Kumon method
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| Private | |
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Founder | Toru Kumon |
| Products | Kumon Math and Kumon Native Language (varies by country) |
| Website | http://www.kumon.org/ |
Kumon Educational Japan Co., Ltd., created by Toru Kumon, is a private tutoring organization. The Kumon Method is the mathematics and reading educational method which is practiced in franchised Kumon centers.
In 1954 in Japan, a grade 2 student by the name of Takeshi scored poorly in a math test. His mother, Teiko, asked her husband, Toru Kumon, to take a closer look at their son's school textbooks. Being a high school math teacher, Toru Kumon thought Takeshi's textbooks did not give children enough practice to be confident in a topic. Mr. Kumon decided to help his son by handwriting worksheets for him to practice. This was the start of the Kumon Method.
By the time Takeshi was in grade 6, he had studied his father's daily hand-written worksheets for four years and could solve differential and integral calculus problems. Friends and neighbors noticed Takeshi's achievements and asked Mr. Kumon to help their own children learn with this method. It was through this local word of mouth that the Kumon Method began to spread. In 1958 the Kumon Institute of Education was established in Osaka, Japan. In its first year of operation, Kumon attracted 300 students through recommendations by parents whose children had studied the Kumon Method.
The first Kumon franchise in Tokyo opened in 1962. Kumon franchises were soon opened in the United States of America, Brazil, Germany, Philippines, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India and elsewhere. Today there are more than 4 million children of all ages and abilities studying with Kumon in 49 countries.
Kumon has two core programs, the Kumon Math and Kumon Native Language Program (language varies by country). There are also Kumon Japanese and Kumon Kokugo courses for Japanese language speakers and a Pencil Skills Program for younger students.
How Kumon works is that each student is given an initial assessment of his or her abilities. Based on the results and the student's study skills, a Kumon Instructor will create an individualized-study plan. Students commonly begin Kumon at an 'easy starting point' to build study habits, concentration and a strong understanding of the fundamental topics.
As students progress, Kumon Instructors plan for students to study material at what Toru Kumon described as 'the just right level'. This is a level of difficulty that aims to challenge students so they remain motivated and can learn independently but not so difficult as to discourage them.
The study plan is regularly updated by the Kumon Instructor to match the ability of each student. Students are tested at the end of each topic but they do not pass or fail; rather, they are given the chance to practice until they have demonstrated a sound understanding of the material. Once this is achieved, students can progress to more-advanced topics.
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