2007-01-14 18:06:15 · 4 answers · asked by Enchanted Butterfly 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Preschool
I've to prepare my girl for primary 1 next yr. And everytime I teach her myself at home, she seems to be taking me as a joke. She doesn't pay attention and didn't even bother to learn her spelling. If she can't spell simple 4 letter words, how is she going to primary 1 nxt yr? And if she won't concentrate when I teach her? Who will then?
2007-01-14 18:21:46 · update #1
Lots of people start things and never finish or worst yet give opinions, about Kumon, with no knowledge other than what they "think" it is. It was started by a Japanese father who was a H.S. teacher and felt that his son wasn't learning "mental" math. He broke down math skills into small increments and insisted on 100% accuracy for full mastery. It is NOT meant as the only teaching method but as an after school program for reinforcement. Later on reading was added.Same thing, small increments so you don't skip anything. One think that I like is that they teach to "mastery" 100%. This is the difference between "sliding by" and really learning and not forgetting.Kumon centers are franchises which follow a philosophy USA does not endorse: drill, rote learning, memorization, single minded pursuit of high skills and test scores-Where do you find that in public school?! American math methods lack the necessary repetition for students to achieve rapid calculation. We are concerned with the child's "understanding" Kumon says; perform the skill and the child will understand.
If you look at your state's requirements you will see soooo many skills the teacher has to teach in one year- that's why they fly through it and never have the time to really get all the kids on board!
I think you can have a good balance with BOTH what they learn in school and with the Kumon after school program.
I was trained as a Kumon corrector and saw several hundred children come through our center. Those who bought into the program and stuck with it far exceeded those who were sporadic in their, twice weekly attendance. My older daughter started at 12 and I felt it was too late- too many bad habits to break, however she did become more accurate and to this day goes back and checks her work. My younger two started at 2 1/2 and 4 years. We stayed with it 3 1/2 years and both, were two years ahead of their same aged peers by the time they started school. Now in Jr and H.S. they are more than 3 yrs ahead- excellent test takers.
We did not do the reading program as I couldn't afford it at the time and I am a reading teacher so figured I could handle that, but I really wanted my kids to do well in math- My son is ADD and although I did not see the improvement in his behavior in other areas,(one of Kumon's claims) I DO think that math is the only place he can fully focus and he has always loved math- so what more could I want!?
It was very hard when the kids were little, to do the homework.(Kumon expects you to do a packet everyday) and they were so tired by the time I got off work that it was hard to go to the Kumon center, usually in a spare room in a church, and sit there at 4 or 5 pm, just when they are hungry and tired. But I am really glad I did!! We had many "meltdowns" but persisted
As a special ed teacher for the last 27 years, I have seen about all the math strategies there are and I have used the same technique, not the exact Kumon materials, with severely delayed kids with great success.
I commend you for looking into it! Best of luck and be strong and give your child the discipline they will need for this competitive world!!
2007-01-14 19:48:48 · answer #1 · answered by atheleticman_fan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the person said above, kumon is like a drill, its repetitive and boring for the kids, and its extra work. Obviously kids don't like it, and I've seen many kids cry. For math, they don't want the kids to count their fingers, and try to make them memorize their additions and subtractions so they could mentally calculate. Every week they give out bunch of worksheets for kids to work on at home, and they bring it back to kumon for it to be graded. But kumon is good if you want your kid to have good study habits.
2007-01-15 02:32:29 · answer #2 · answered by ♥♫i♥bloo♫ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What is the reason for sending your kid to KUMON? Is he not doing well in school? Do you want him to do extra work? Are you not satisfied with his school?
As far as I'm concerned, KUMON is drill-and-kill, an expensive way for your child to memorize math facts.
2007-01-15 02:16:34 · answer #3 · answered by elljay 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should sign her up 4 Sylvan Learning Center.
2007-01-15 07:36:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋