Kumon method offers more than just knowledge

As the academic year begins for most Chilean students, there is a Japanese alternative to traditional teaching. Kumon is a Japanese methodology that arrived to Chile in 1996. Since then, the number of students has significantly increased, due to Kumon’s unique teaching style designed for mathematics and language learners. In Kumon training, students of all ages visit centers twice a week to be tutored and have their daily homework checked.

There are nearly 70 Kumon centers scattered throughout Chile. They are managed by counselors, who, though not necessarily teachers by profession, must meet all the stringent requirements of the firm.

In 2008, the company celebrates its 50^th anniversary of its introduction in Japan. To learn more about this methodology, which has benefited more than four million students worldwide, the Chile Asia-Pacific Portal spoke to Kumon’s Academic Coordinator for Chile, Jose Luis Sanguineti.

How would you define the KUMON method?

KUMON is an individualized study methodology that teaches fundamental student skills. This occurs both on a personal and educational level. The end result is increased academic performance. The aim of this Japanese teaching style is to discover the potential of each person and develop said abilities to the fullest. Kumon seeks to develop good mental health and a sense of responsibility in students so that they can then contribute to the betterment of society.

How does this methodology differ from traditional Chilean education?

At present, our schools mainly deliver knowledge; however they are operating against time, because they are subject to constraints of curriculum. Kumon, on the other hand, asserts that curriculum teaching is not enough because a person’s potential can develop in two main areas: the aforementioned knowledge of curriculum and skills. We obtain the latter by making students work against the clock and always working towards goals. For example, a student at our school always begins to study lower level subjects and works with established goals. These consist of completing exercises within a set limit of mistakes and time. If the person is successful, they advance to the next level. Otherwise, they repeat until they meet the goal. This does not happen in a normal classroom full of students and where education is non-individualized for all intents and purposes.

How does a KUMON student’s week progress?

In order to give you a better idea, I should mention that the math program (the most popular Kumon program in Chile) is divided into 21 levels. Each level is made up of twenty, 20-page booklets. Each level (200 exercise sheets) represents approximately an equivalent grade level at a traditional school. These booklets are the curriculum in Kumon.

Thus, the Kumon student must do booklet exercises every day of the year and complete them in a set period of time. This is usually 10 or 15 minutes, although the time limit is relative. I should also emphasize that the student must take responsibility for their work, whereas it is they who must complete the exercises in the allotted time. Finally, the student’s completed exercises are reviewed by their tutors at their respective centers, which they must attend twice a week.

What has been the most difficult part of implementing this Japanese methodology in Chile?

The most complicated issue in the area of learning has been fighting against our own culture’s being oriented to the short-term. We (Chileans) want immediate solutions to everything. Thus, when students realize that Kumon has procedures and that its methodology involves a process over time… The truth is that they don’t like it much.

We have had cases of seventh- or eighth-grade students arriving at our centers with a history of six or seven years of academic problems, and who believe everything will solved in just a few months. In Eastern culture, where our methodology was developed, this does not happen because they know that something solid is built with perseverance and from the bottom up. For example, we feel it is quite an achievement to have 2500 summer students at Kumon centers. Summer school, in general, is not part of Chilean culture.

In practical terms, what advantages do Kumon first-graders have that other children do not?

The Chilean curriculum lists numerical sequence and addition as its outcomes. Hence, it is likely that the child finishes the year being able to add. The question is, how does the child complete said operation, and with what method? At year's end, the students are take a Addition exam of no more than 14 questions, with a time limit of 45 minutes. Each student uses their own methods to answer and, certainly, they will only just meet, or even fail, the time limit.

To be sure, if these children receive KUMON training for 3 years, for example, they would have a huge advantage as compared with their peers upon entering their first year of studies. The Kumon student is learning to master these first year outcomes, at an earlier time during the year than their classmates.   Thus, these outcomes will not be as difficult for them. Not to mention, they will most likely be be reviewing second year of the National curriculum before their first year of Kumon training is over. To give you a clearer example, our students would be able to perform between 350 and 400 addition problems in less than 10 minutes and with no errors, or using their fingers. They learn using mental calculation, and this is the minimum amount they could do. (They may do more.) Comparing this with students who can barely complete 14 problems in 45 minutes, as per the national curriculum outcomes, the advantages are clear.

On the other hand, they can leap ahead like this when they are six years old. Imagine what they can accomplish after 5 or 6 years of training with us.

Have you been surprised the academic progress of a particular KUMON student?

In Ñuñoa there is a fifth-grade student, who is ten years old. He is studying the seventh and eight-grade curriculum. I.e., factoring and functions; this, while when his classmates are just learning operators such as fractions.

We have also had cases where KUMON students who have taken the PSU (Chilean national college entry exam). Whereas they have already seen the material in the test, they feel reassured because they realize that it involves no great complexity. Indeed, the difficulty of the PSU lies in the 30 seconds allotted for answering each problem, and not the material in and of itself. Thus, as our Kumon students have always worked against the clock, this time factor is not a problem for them. As a result, they finish the PSU with enough time to correct their answers. Thus, we have even had top national scores. But we are not a test prep school. We are an alternative methodology.