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Family Forum / Parenting / Parenting / April 2007Extra Academic Programs (Kumon)
My son has been taking Kumon (math) for few yrs now, and doing ok at math (not exceptional) and his mother said because of Kumon. Since it is 10-15 min work per day, I don't have any problem with it, except, Kumon is all mechanical process, they just handle out new homework and has no tutor to teach the math abstract. it is all mechanics, not invention in their method in my view. Anyone has comments? It seems to me that this isn't the best method of teaching math. Simply handing out new homework assignments and not explaining/ tutoring/walking the student through the mathematic processes simply isn't effective. Math is the sort of subject that needs to be explained, and a teacher should provide examples of the type of math problems that will be encountered on homework. By taking time to explain- teach- a teacher opens up the floor for questions, comments, and troubleshooting from the student. Additionally, when a teacher takes the time to explain mathematical concepts thoroughly, he/she can explain how that particular mathmatical method is used in real life. When a teacher simply hands out new homework assignments then there is a higher chance of failure or mistakes because the student has to teach themself and sort of plow into unknown territory- which can be very difficult and frustrating. Personally, if I had a child who was facing a math class where explainations and teaching are missing I would seriously consider placing him in an after school tutoring program. Many after school programs will help to supplement for the learning that isn't taking place in the classroom by focusing on your child's individual learning needs and directly addressing any questions or problems that are not being taken care of in the classroom. One example of a program like this is the subject tutoring that Sylvan Learning Center's provide (sylvanlearning.com), but your child's school may offer an after school program of their own where time for tutoring is offered. If an after school program is not offered in your area, or is financially not an option (i've heard slyvan and programs like it are expensive), then you should talk to your child's teacher about possibly tutoring your son after school for a few minutes or during his/her planning period or study hall time. If for some reason the teacher is unwilling to do this, then perhaps a student in a higher grade level or a college aged student would be willing to personally tutor your son for an hourly price. However, ultimately if you and your son are fine with 'doing ok' then I don't see a problem with his current math situation. On Apr 23, 1:20 pm, kiser....@gmail.com wrote: > It seems to me that this isn't the best method of teaching math. > Simply handing out new homework assignments and not explaining/ [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > However, ultimately if you and your son are fine with 'doing ok' then > I don't see a problem with his current math situation. I ask for parents who use Kumon, not debating whether it is useful. In my mind, learn once and understand the abstract is more important than repetitious. 1 + 3 = ? and they do it over and over again, it is boring to death. Kumon come from Japan, if I am correct, it is standard of Asian culture, practice makes perfect, while I prefer make them understand and think, exercise the power of reasoning. Some might find it is useful, in case of him, it is questionable since he does well at math in school, more question, he can always ask me. |
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