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JAN – JUN 2018
My Life, My Dream
JAYVEER PARIDHI
Kumon Feature
REPETITION – IS IT NECESSARY OR REDUNDANT?
Local News
BE AMAZED BY THE CHILDREN
Parenting Tips
A KUMON PARENT’S GUIDE TO SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD AT HOME
Editor’s Note
ON THE COVER JAN - JUN JAYVEER
Contents Dear Readers, When we were young children going to school, we might have been overwhelmed with the task of balancing our academic activities with our extracurricular activities, right? For Jayveer, managing his time with school and extra –curricular activities is not a problem. With the help of his supportive mother and Kumon Instructor, and with his will to do what he loves to do, he found joy in doing both Kumon and pursue his interest in taekwondo without much struggle. Also we bring to you the story of Paridhi, one of our few X level Completers. Let’s find out how Kumon made a difference to her learning curve and changed things for better. Both students featured may have had different reasons for enrolling in Kumon, but they led to the same result – they discovered that they can be more and have developed greater confidence in themselves. In the Local News section, we showcase some pictures of our students excelling in other fields as well. The amazing potential of these children is both surprising and astonishing. But, their potential may not have surfaced on its own, if not for the wonderful support and teamwork between their parents and Kumon.
MY LIFE, MY DREAM
03
Success is a Journey not a Destination… Jayveer Kochhar
Road to Completion and 04 The Beyond… Paridhi Tiwari
FEATURE
06 Instructor’s Quotes Article 0 8 Regional Repetition – Is it Necessary or Redundant?
REGULARS
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Local News Be Amazed by Children
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Parenting Tips A Kumon Parent’s Guide to Supporting Your Child at Home
Happy Reading and here’s wishing you a great start to 2018! Instructions Team - Kumon India & Sri Lanka
Tel: +91 11 46000787, +91 11 46000788 E-mail: info@kumon.co.in Website: in.kumonglobal.com INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NOTICE The logos, graphics, pictures, design, and layout (“Contents”) of this entire newsletter are the exclusive property of Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. The Contents contained in this newsletter shall not be reproduced or copied without the express written consent of Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. © 2018 Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
Have something to say? Feel free to send us your thoughts on the newsletter! E-mail: info@kumon.co.in
My life, my dream
Jayveer, 8
Success is a Journey not a Destination…
SUBJECTS: MATHS STARTING POINT: LEVEL 2A1 CURRENT KUMON LEVEL: LEVEL H100
“It always seems IMPOSSIBLE until it’s done.” – says our bright 8 year old Jayveer sitting next to his Rubik’s Cube collection. Besides being a gold medalist at the US Open for Taekwondo and often referred to as a “Mini Teacher”, Jayveer is an extremely smart and disciplined student who self-learns in every aspect of his life. Being fearless to face a new concept or a challenge, the discipline of everyday practice has helped Jayveer achieve excellence in many areas of his life at a very early age. His hard work and dedication has really paid off, as a result of which he has had many opportunities to travel across cities in India, Korea and the US. He is now preparing for the Taekwondo Championship in Thailand.
Jayveer believes Kumon is a true blessing for him as he is given the opportunity to study ahead of his class in Kumon. Kumon has given him a chance to pursue his interest in taekwondo, painting and many other fields. Since he is ahead of his class, there is no pressure to catch up and stay back for extra classes when he misses school for various competitions. He also thinks studying ahead of his school grade level will definitely give him an advantage over his peers in future. Jayveer added that after starting his Kumon classes, there have been good influences in his personal and student life. Not only does he feel more motivated and satisfied when he achieves his goals, he also puts his heart and mind into his work and works harder. Kumon in many ways have kept him humble because there is always a next level to achieve.
Jayveer’s mother, Kajal, shares the discipline and hard work Kumon requires of students – build a strong work ethic and a sense of responsibility. Daily practice with Kumon improves processing abilities and concentration. The positive effects, such as restored self-confidence and enhanced self-esteem, can have profound effects on a student’s career as well as personal ambitions. Timemanagement and organisational skills are extremely useful in nearly every pursuit.
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My life, my dream
Paridhi, 14 SUBJECTS: MATHS
STARTING LEVEL: 3A71 (ME) CURRENT LEVEL: COMPLETER (LEVEL O & 5 ELECTIVES)
E
veryone has a dream when they are young; to achieve their fullest potential and so did Paridhi. With a strong will to gift her father the completion of the “X levels (5 elective levels after completion)” on his birthday, Paridhi worked tirelessly to complete 5 levels in 3 months. Her Instructor shares, Paridhi is one case that reminds us of the amazing transformations Kumon can make. From shy and timid to a strong and fast learner, Paridhi has the potential to become greater.
Small but Significant Paridhi’s father who is a robotics teacher in one of the prestigious global school cannot thank the Kumon Method enough for the positive transformation in his daughter. He is now a firm believer and understands that daily study requires discipline, not only from the child, but also the parents. Not only did Paridhi gain confidence along the Kumon journey, her parents too gained confidence in her ability to do various tasks without any support. These may be small but significant changes that have helped Paridhi meet her goals of winning various trophies. Like many students, Paridhi’s journey has not been smooth sailing but looking back, she can be proud of her journey. Paridhi’s achievement has not happened overnight but through constant effort & hard work. Through parental support and regular communication, every
child can shine just like Paridhi. Communicating frequently and keeping an open dialogue with the Instructor is essential in Kumon to bring out the best potential in children. Ready & excited to receive the Topper’s Trophy on the Annual School Day, let’s hear from Paridhi about her remarkable journey.
Congratulations on being Kumon Mathematics and X level completer. How do you feel about your achievement? Thank you very much. I feel very happy and confident knowing I am one of the few X level completers in the country. When I started I was really slow at work, Kumon transformed me and I was able to complete 22 levels that had 200 worksheets each in a span of 3 years. My motto was “just keep on doing it”.
When did you start thinking that you wanted to complete the programme? It was during the first time I attended the Advanced Student Honour Roll ceremony. When I saw one of the completers from our Centre on stage, I thought to myself, “I want to have a plaque that has my name on it”.
What changes have you noticed in yourself over the years in Kumon? Throughout the years, those that changed me drastically include my mindset and attitude towards
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o i t e l p Com D AN
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learning. My Instructor helped me realise everyone should learn at their own pace and not according to what is expected of them. This gave me the motivation and comfort to continue to work hard without any barriers. Also, Kumon helped me develop a very positive attitude towards learning and understand its importance. It was because of Kumon and support from my parents and Instructor; I was able to realise my full potential, leading to my success.
You mentioned Kumon has helped you not only achieve good results in mathematics but other subjects as well. Would you like to share how? I remember asking my Instructor how is it that I am only doing mathematics with Kumon but I can see the change in other subjects too. She gave me the example of a pencil
and a sharpener. Our brain is the pencil and Kumon is the sharpener, every time you sharpen the pencil, it is very pointed. Now you cannot ask the pencil to write well only in mathematics, it will write every subject well. Thus I realised Kumon sharpens our brain and the changes can be seen in all that we do.
Any message for aspiring completers? Changes do not occur overnight but with the effort and commitment by all involved, it is possible. Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success. I may not be totally independent or in complete command of learning, but the little changes I saw in myself during the Kumon journey is an exciting indication of the wonderful improvements.
Feature
Instructors’ Quote
Repetition is given so that learning sometimes difficult content eventually becomes easy for children. We all have to practice drill and repetition in order to master something. Repetition also helps children connect the dots in their learning, showing them how one topic is related to another. Furthermore, their brains’ neural pathways become stronger. If done well, and with the right support from the Instructor, repetition can put smiles on children’s faces as they realise they’ve gained mastery by effortlessly completing their worksheets.
Instructor Yasmin Kamal Kumon Australia
As a Kumon Instructor, I have seen many kids transformed from being scared of mathematics and English to enjoying the Kumon worksheets and doing well in school. I have realised the importance of ‘just-right’ level and what a big difference it can make in children’s confidence levels. Being a part of such journey where children progress from shy and scared to a confident and independent individual and knowing that I played a part in their journey is the most rewarding aspect of my job.
Instructor Navatha Meka Kumon India
Personally, I hate the word ‘repetition’ - it contributes to the public’s misunderstanding of the Kumon Method. Far too often, I have heard school teachers warn parents against Kumon as they think we promote rote learning and turn children off maths. The beauty of the Kumon Method is our ability to tailor the programme for each child. We seek to understand the child’s educational background, the intention of the parents and work together to achieve the goals that we have set. Where a child is confident, we are ready to challenge him or her further. Where a child is unsure, we are also able to slow down the programme and ensure the child gains confidence through more practice and the right encouragement before progressing to the next new topic. When parents complain about repetition, we may not have understood their intention for their child or explained our plans in a way that makes sense to them. I always say, why would I want to bore a child to death doing the same thing over and over? Children benefit most when parents and Instructors work together to agree goals, and that is why tripartite communication (child-parent-Instructor) is the key to smooth Kumon progress.
Ms Caley Lim Kumon Brunei
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Kumon is a mastery, skill building programme. Applying skills repeatedly or repetition helps students to build strong brain power. Throughout my Kumon journey I had learnt that every child has a different level of ability and work habits. As such, repetition should be assigned at the ‘just-right’ amount and pace for each student to move forward with comfort and confidence. Observation and being open to each student’s potential are essential to gauge whether he/she needs repetition.
Repetition helps students master the contents sufficiently, develops work skills and comprehension, and enhances the effectiveness of study. In addition, it builds up students’ motivation and confidence to be able to complete the worksheets by themselves. In consideration of providing “just-right” Repetition to the students’ current ability without affecting their motivation, Instructors consider students’ enthusiasm through using Standard Completion Time, observing students doing worksheets, and communicating with students consistently.
Instructor Haslinda Che Ismail
Ms Patramon Srisurapol
Kumon Malaysia
Kumon Thailand
Repetition is one of the many features of Kumon Method that I like the most. Because each individual child is unique, the learning program needs to be tailored to the ability of individual child. Repetition is good, because the learning materials are also related to each other. It is necessary to consider the learning programme very carefully so that the smoothness and independence of their learning process is maintained. Repetition is important to consider the students’ observations in the classroom as well as the character of both students and the parents. When conducting Parents Meeting (PM), I collect a lot of information about the character and relationship between parents and children. Also when giving feedback and during PM, it is necessary to educate parents about the repetition. And when in the classroom, both Instructor and assistants should give a positive impression to the children about repetition.
Ibu Dina Kumon Indonesia
‘Huh? This one again?’ that’s the common reaction from students when I repeated the worksheets they had done previously. Many of them, as well as some parents, do not understand the reason. Study is just like sports and music. Repetition is fundamental in mastering the basics. Sportsmen go through the routine everyday over and over again until it goes into the subconscious. It becomes ‘part of you’. It is the same with worksheet practice. When that happens, the students will know the answer with speed and accuracy. That gives them confidence to learn abstract concepts and ability to solve complex problems as well as a solid foundation to think ‘out of the box’.
Mr Yang Waye Kumon Singapore
Repetition is an essential element of the Kumon Method. Though sometimes misconstrued, repetition is necessary for a student to achieve mastery of a learning focus. Not everyone is skilled or lucky enough to get 100% mark and meet the target completion time on his or her first try especially of advanced materials. Repetition gives a student the chance to try again and again and again until he or she acquires the vital skills to accomplish the worksheets accurately and quickly and to eventually say, ‘Yes, I did it!’ It also provides an Instructor the opportunity to nurture a student one skill at a time.
Teacher Ria Munar Kumon Philippines
Kumon aims at helping students go beyond “knowing” and “understanding” how to solve a problem to reach the level of “mastery”. Hence, if they don’t achieve 2 criteria of “speed’ and “accuracy” while doing worksheets, we will consider to assign appropriate repetition to them. Learning the same contents many times enables students to perceive clearly their progress as they shorten the time spent and get more correct answers as well. Their reflexive competence is certainly increased, enabling them to advance to further contents smoothly. Moreover, with repetitions, students can finish all the worksheets without instructions which results in developing independence and perseverance
Ms Phan Thi Ni Na Kumon Vietnam
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Regional Article
N O I T I REPETecessary ? – Is it Nor Redundant
Why do some students progress, while other students are given the same worksheets to complete again? We explore the case for repetition and what criteria an Instructor uses in order to determine whether a student is able to progress.
THE CRITERIA TO ADVANCE In general, an Instructor will have a student repeat a worksheet because they feel the student has not consolidated their learning sufficiently in order to move on. This is often because they have not met Kumon’s criteria to advance. The criteria for a student to progress are achieving a score of 100 percent, and completing the sheet within the prescribed Standard Completion Time (SCT). In some circumstances, a student can advance to the next worksheet without meeting both criteria, based on the Instructor’s evaluation. This approach ensures that students are proficient and confident in each concept before they move on. For example, when building a house, the foundation is important to ensure the stability of the building. Similarly, Kumon seeks to build a strong foundation in students before moving them on to more complicated topics.
CONCENTRATION AND STRONG WORK SKILLS ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF LEARNING Strong work skills, and the ability to concentrate, go hand-in-hand. If a student possesses both, they possess a lot of power on which they can rely to reach their potential. Toru Kumon, founder of the Kumon Method, described concentration skill as ‘the skill to be able to concentrate for a set period of time in order to finish one specific piece of study (be it worksheets or supplementary learning materials)’. This suggests that students will do well if we increase their workload and develop their ability to complete things. When asked by Instructors, back in the 1980s, if repetition was necessary, Mr. Kumon said that concentration and work skills lead to the desired outcome of better comprehension and the ability to think. While not the main objective of the Kumon Method, repetition will inadvertently improve the memory as a by-product of repetition, as illustrated by the diagram on the right. 8
THE ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE AND STRONG WORK SKILLS ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF LEARNING
4 3
ABILITY TO THINK
COMPREHENSION
REPETITION BEGETS MASTERY Sportsmen, dancers, musicians and many other professionals require practice and repetition to perfect their craft. Mastery does not happen by chance. Through daily practice and repetition, our students are able to internalise concepts and apply them when they move on to more advanced concepts. The repetition of worksheets enables students to practise solving questions with the guidance of the Instructor, providing building blocks for future learning. As basketball legend Michael Jordan said, ‘You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.’ Someone who has benefited from a lot of repetition and practise, and of correct techniques, is Portuguese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is widely regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation. But how did the four-time Ballon d’Or winner become one
MEMORY
CONCENTRATION AND WORK SKILLS
1
2
of the deadliest free-kick specialists in the world? The answer is practice. Ronaldo puts in extra time and effort after training each day, practising one freekick after another.
CONFIDENCE BUILDING: HOW PARENTS AND INSTRUCTORS CAN HELP As students become more proficient in foundation concepts, they become more confident when facing concepts and solving problems they have not previously encountered. But foundation proficiency can only come through repetition. Parents can help by encouraging their children, monitoring their motivation levels. They can also support their children to be aware of their goals and help them work to achieve them, rather than doing the worksheets aimlessly. Instructors also monitor student motivation levels, support students to set goals and reach them, encouraging them along the way.
FINDING THE ‘JUST-RIGHT’ LEVEL OF STUDY As with other aspects of the Kumon Method, repetition helps in our continuous pursuit of finding the ‘just-right’ level of study for each student. As an organisation that continues to learn from our students, Kumon consistently improves our worksheets too, so that our students can learn and advance without unnecessary repetition. Advancing the students is one of our goals, as Kumon intends for students to reach high school level materials as soon as possible. As described in Kumon’s longstanding publication, Yamabiko, ‘Even once students have been listed on the ASHR, we need to remain determined to advance them even further by giving less repetitions than we would previously have given, and then see how they progress. If they have difficulties, it is only a matter of taking them back to a much lower point in the worksheets and doing repetition. Especially for high-ability students, when in doubt, we should let them advance and see how they fare. In this way, we will be helping them reach high school level materials as soon as possible’ (Yamabiko 74, 1982). Speaking to Instructors, ‘When in doubt, let the students advance,’ was Toru Kumon’s advice. With the right amount of practice and repetition, we can all achieve our goals. As Mr. Kumon said, ‘There is never good enough, there must always be something better’.
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Local News
Be Amazed by Children
These are some of our star kids who have the confidence to make real contributions to society because Kumon taught them what is possible if they just try!!
The True Value of Kumon Method What we aim for is not just to improve students’ school grades by simply developing their abilities in maths, English, or Japanese (even though we have achieved unprecedented results in this regard, which is very significant in itself), but for students to attain the mindset required for self-learning, and to acquire enough selflearning experience so that it becomes a habit. This is the true value of Kumon Method. We must allow children to experience the joy of self-learning by themselves even after going out into the real world, and grow up into people who are proactive in everything they do. (Yamabiko 121, 1990)
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Parenting Tips
A Kumon Parent’s Guide to Supporting Your Child at Home
Designate a time and place, ideally free of distraction, for your children to complete their Kumon homework. Getting into a routine helps them to learn discipline and prevents them from developing the habit of procrastination.
Remind your children on the importance of completing their Kumon homework daily. The old “practice makes perfect” adage applies here. Moreover, as time passes, they will develop the habit of bringing out their Kumon homework to do at the designated time on their own.
Let your children correct their own mistakes. Reflect on their own work and mistakes will reinforce the concepts in the worksheets.
If your children are not motivated to do their homework, share your concerns with the Instructors as soon as possible to make any necessary adjustments to their individualised study plans.
Celebrate big and small achievements at Kumon, which may include completing a set of worksheets on their own without being told or advancing to the next level of the subject. You may praise them when they have done well, or consider rewards such as a nice dinner or extra time for their favourite activities.
Attend regular meetings with your children’s Instructors to understand their progress and study goals.
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MATHEMATICS ENGLISH
EUROPE
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, U.K.
MIDDLE EAST
ASIA
Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Taiwan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
NORTH AMERICA
Canada, Mexico, U.S.A.
Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E.
AFRICA Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa
OCEANIA
VI04.IN.02.1217
Australia, New Zealand
SOUTH AMERICA Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia