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Kumon Institute Education Co. Ltd. is an educational network based in Japan, created by
Toru Kumon was a Japanese mathematics educator, born in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the College of Science at Osaka University with a degree in mathematics and taught high school mathematics in his home town of Osaka. In 1954, his son, Ta ...
which uses his Kumon Method to teach
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and
reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
primarily for young students.


History

Kumon was founded by
Toru Kumon was a Japanese mathematics educator, born in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the College of Science at Osaka University with a degree in mathematics and taught high school mathematics in his home town of Osaka. In 1954, his son, Ta ...
, a Japanese educator, in July 1958, opening the first Kumon Maths Centre in
Moriguchi is a Cities of Japan, city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 142,655 in 73353 households and a population density of 11,000 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Moriguchi border ...
,
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
. Prior to creating Kumon franchises, Kumon had a job teaching at Kochi Municipal High School and Tosa Junior/Senior High School. Inspired by teaching his own son, Takeshi, Kumon developed a curriculum focused on
rote memorization Rote learning is a memorization technique based on repetition. The method rests on the premise that the recall of repeated material becomes faster the more one repeats it. Some of the alternatives to rote learning include meaningful learning, as ...
. Kumon initially grew slowly, only gaining 63,000 students over its first 16 years. However, in 1974, Kumon published a book titled ''The Secret of Kumon Math'', leading to a doubling of its size in the next two years. Kumon opened their first United States locations in 1983, and by 1985, Kumon reached 1.4 million students. Kumon soon added more educational subjects, leading them to change their name from Kumon Institute of Mathematics to Kumon Institute of Education. At this point, the first Kumon Logo was created. In 1985, Kumon's success lead to an increase in enrollments. Kumon attracted national attention in the United States after implementation at Sumiton Elementary School, in
Sumiton Sumiton is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson and Walker County, Alabama, Walker counties in the U.S. state, State of Alabama. It incorporated in 1952. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the population was 2,520, down from ...
,
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. It became the first American school to integrate the Kumon Math Method into the regular K–4 mathematics curriculum. Sumiton has continued to use the Kumon program through 2001 and has influenced other schools to also adopt the Kumon method in their curriculum. As of 2008, Kumon had over 26,000 centres around the globe with over 4 million registered students. As of 2018, there were 410,000 students enrolled in 2,200 centers across the United States. Kumon produced Baby Kumon in Japan in 2012, a tutoring program targeted for children between 1–2 years old. Baby Kumon hasn't been utilized in most Kumon Centres in other countries outside Japan. In North America, Kumon began a "Junior Kumon" program in 2001, targeted at children aged 2–5 years old.


Kumon method of teaching

Kumon is an enrichment or remedial program, where instructors and assistants tailor instruction for individual students. Each student is given an initial assessment of their abilities, called the Kumon Diagnostic Test. Each test has 20–60 questions. Based on the results and the student's
study skills Study skills or study strategies are approaches applied to learning. Study skills are an array of skills which tackle the process of organizing and taking in new information, retaining information, or dealing with assessments. They are discrete ...
, a Kumon Instructor creates 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 raise the difficulty level to challenge the students so they remain motivated, but not so high as to discourage them. The study plan is regularly updated by the Kumon instructor to match the ability of each student. Students advance to the next level after they complete a mastery test of speed and accuracy. Students do not pass or fail the mastery test, but are given chances to practice and retake the exam until they have demonstrated a sound understanding of the material. Kumon has two core programs, the Kumon Math and Kumon Native Language Programs. There are also Kumon Japanese and Kumon Kokugo courses for Japanese language speakers, and a Pencil Skills Program for younger students. All Kumon programs are pencil-and-worksheet-based. The worksheets increase in difficulty in small increments. It is recommended that students study on their own for 15–30 minutes for five days of the week, and visit their local Kumon Center the other two days.


Programs


Mathematics program

As a high school mathematics teacher, Mr. Kumon understood that an understanding of calculus was essential for Japanese university entrance exams so in writing worksheets for his son, Mr. Kumon focused on all the topics needed for a strong understanding of calculus starting from the basics of counting. Kumon students do not use calculators and solve all problems using mental calculation. Kumon tutoring is in a group of 6 students to one tutor. A student is known as a Kumon Completer once they reach the final level of the Kumon Math or Kumon Native Language program.


Reading program

The Kumon Native Language Programs are designed to expose students to a broad range of texts and develop the skill of
reading comprehension Reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows. Fundamental skills required in efficient reading comprehension are knowing meaning of words, ability to understand ...
. A number of Kumon Centres also use audio CDs to help students with pronunciation. (Note: Levels vary slightly by country) Kumon is also beginning to develop non-Native language programs more extensively. For example, in Spain, Mexico, and the South American countries that have Kumon Math programs, they will be adding English as a second language over the coming year.


Criticism

Psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek claims that using such techniques, when used in 2, 3, and 4-year-olds, "does not give your child a leg up on anything", however studies have shown a high percentage of efficacy.


See also

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Storefront school A storefront school is a school that uses rented space, typically originally intended for retail, instead of a dedicated, purpose-built school building. They are often used for continuing education and upgrading by mature students or other stud ...


References


External links

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Kumon Group official websiteKumon Japan website (in Japanese)
{{Authority control Education companies of Japan Pedagogy Education companies established in 1958 1958 establishments in Japan