Australia • Brunei • Cambodia • India • Indonesia • Malaysia • Myanmar • New Zealand • Philippines • Singapore • Sri Lanka • Thailand • Vietnam
JAN – JUN 2018
My Life, My Dream EVIN WONG BERNICE CHEW
Kumon Feature
REPETITION – IS IT NECESSARY OR REDUNDANT?
Parenting Tips
4 TIPS TO CREATE A PRODUCTIVE HOMEWORK STATION FOR YOUR CHILDREN
Editor’s Note
ON THE COVER JAN - JUN EVIN WONG Dear Parents, Have you been anticipating for the New Year to continue your child’s development with the Kumon Method? We have been! As the year 2018 promises deeper conviction and dedication from all Kumon associates, we look forward to nurturing more students with sound academic ability and life skills. One of the best ways to support and encourage your children with successful learning is to provide them with a good learning space. That’s right! Through this magazine, we would like to share with you some interesting tips on how to create a productive homework station for your children. We hope that with the four key tips we’ve provided, you could better help your child to study in a positive learning environment. As for the sharing of student cases, let us look into how two of our students have benefitted from learning with the Kumon Method. The first story talks about an 11 year-old boy who experienced a major turning point in his life. With steady and incremental progress through daily worksheets, he developed successful habits that nurture self-esteem and confidence in him. Read his article and get inspired by his love for mathematics! The next story circles around the story of a girl named Bernice, who became rock-solid after dealing with hardships and failures in her learning journey with Kumon. From a typical reserved girl who is shy and quiet to a girl full of confidence in handling challenging materials, Bernice has greatly improved in her English proficiency and time management skills. Read up the article to learn on her perseverance in doing Kumon worksheets daily!
Contents MY LIFE, MY DREAM
03
The Boy Who Found His Confidence through His Love for Maths Evin Wong Kai Herr
on the Kumon Journey 04 Growing Bernice Chew En Thung
FEATURE
06 Instructor’s Quotes Article 0 8 Regional Repetition – Is it Necessary or Redundant?
REGULARS
10
Parenting Tips 4 Tips to Create a Productive Homework Station for your Children
We hope you enjoy this issue and have a blessed year ahead! Happy reading! Sincerely, The Public Relations Team Tel: 1800 88 1010 E-mail: information@kumon.com.my Website: my.kumonglobal.com INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NOTICE
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Kumon Malaysia
My life, my dream
Evin, 11
Subjects: Maths, Level J51 Starting Level: 3A71
A
t first glance, 11-year-old Evin Wong looks just like any normal student. But unlike many students of his age who are still learning 2-digit multiplication and division in school, he is already mastering Form 3 factorisation within Level I of the Kumon Maths worksheets. With two years of Kumon study under his belt, Evin has attained a remarkable achievement of studying five years ahead of his current school grade. Evin has been studying the Kumon Mathematics Programme since January 2015. At that time, he was just a reserved boy with limited patience and low self-esteem. In the course of active participation in school competitions, Evin’s brother and sister often won numerous trophies. Having two talented siblings, Evin would often compare his performance with them and wish that he possessed the same breath-taking intelligence and talent. As a result, Evin started to belittle himself and doubted whether he would do things as well as his siblings. When he encountered difficulties or failed to finish his maths homework, he felt bad, upset and frustrated. Having felt not being
Evin with his SA
SMO certificate.
The Boy Who Found His Confidence through His Love for Maths accepted, his sense of ‘I can handle it’ in any situation is constantly being put to the test. As he was progressing through the programme, Evin slowly developed a passion for maths in which he enjoyed solving the questions that he has never been told explicitly how to solve on his own. He has since progressed from basic addition to studying factorisation independently. Every day after school, he will arrange his time for school homework and Kumon worksheets, and execute them according to his own schedule. Doing Kumon homework truly became a part of his daily routine. However, there were times when Evin struggled real hard. Certainly, his mother was concerned. Several times, she thought her son couldn’t possibly grasp the concept and there were also times she felt maybe they should just give up. But after a few months or so, Evin’s mother saw a difference in him. With the help of Kumon, Evin was able to perform well in school. He won the Singapore and Asian School Math Olympiad (SASMO) with an impressive bronze medal. To his credit, Evin refused to quit and decided
to continue his Kumon journey as he knows the survivors are the ones that persevere through adversity. This change in behaviour sprang from the Kumon Method, where self-learning became the cornerstone Evin’s development. He lives and breathes mathematics! It became his passion, his way of life and it will always be. Evin wants to become a mathematician and someday contribute to the world of mathematics. He felt proud every time he hits a perfect score of 100 from his worksheets. Evin knows that every level he advances in the programme is the result of hard work he put in the previous levels. This is a big part of the Kumon philosophy. Tackling challenging work, struggling with it to a certain degree and then mastering it are experiences that build characters, confidence, better calculation and reading skills.
Evin’s first time attending Advanced Student Forum.
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My life, my dream
Bernice, 11 Subjects: Maths, Level H10; English, Level FII 100 Starting Level: 7A1
A
s the saying goes, ‘life is a journey of self-discovery’. Each one of us must find ourselves through individual efforts in life. This is a story about an 11-yearold girl who became rock-solid after dealing with hardships and failures in her learning journey with Kumon. Bernice enrolled in Kumon Mathematics at the age 7. Her mother hoped that she could start simple with her maths foundation and get used to the new learning environment by handling one subject at a time. Six months later, Bernice’s mother saw some results in her daughter as she noticed Bernice is able to cope with her school syllabus. Hence, Bernice was convinced to embark on a journey with – Kumon English. Just like any shy person, Bernice often attest to the fear that takes over her body whenever she was told to talk to someone she don’t know. Considering her background from a Mandarinspeaking family, Bernice experienced trouble while communicating with her friends as most of them have high English proficiency. That causes her to have low self-confidence in handling social situations. Several times, Bernice struggled with her pronunciation. Her mother was worried that she thought Bernice might have to consult a doctor. However, as Bernice listened to the CD together with the assigned
worksheet, and then replicated the sound as she looked at the words, she can now speak with proper pronunciation through frequent listening. Bernice often cried when she started Kumon 3 years ago. Every time she reached the Centre’s doorstep, she would cry and was intensely afraid to go in the Centre. One day, Bernice’s father got fed up and threw her Kumon bag beside the trash bin. The next thing she did was to quickly pick her bag up and hug it tightly in her arms. Soon after, her mother realised that Bernice was actually confused as she wants to continue Kumon but at the same time, she couldn’t fully grasp the mathematical concepts. That caused her to struggle in class and afraid to meet the Instructor. Besides, at the beginning stage, Bernice was unable to handle the amount of workload in a day. Often, she tends to put things off easily. There was once she failed to complete the Kumon homework given by her Instructor. At the end of the week, she had a distressingly bad time to finish 6 sets of accumulated work before she attended the class on the following day. By looking at all the existing barriers, Bernice’s mother has not given up. Half a year after Bernice enrolled the Kumon programme, her mother saw a glimpse of hope when these behaviours slowly change. Now, Bernice is able to
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foster a consistent studying practice by breaking up her work into manageable chunks. ‘No matter what happens, she will definitely complete all her homework every day because she knows that she has to commit one worksheet on a daily basis’, said Bernice’s mother. This self-discipline of doing the Kumon worksheets on a daily basis has helped Bernice to learn perseverance. The Kumon Method has also helped Bernice to maintain confidence in her abilities even when she faced with challenging new materials. The little girl would eagerly anticipate and thrilled every time she advanced to the next level. With a strong footing, her English proficiency has greatly improved and she is now able to communicate effectively with her schoolmates. The mother shared a valuable advice, ‘Parents need to stand from a child’s point of view and learn together with them’. Every night, Bernice’s
Bernice is
helping h
er mother
in the kitc
hen.
mother would accompany Bernice while she completes her homework. One thing was certain, she often told Bernice, “You are not the only one who is learning here, I’m learning too. We will be doing this together and remember that, you are not alone in this journey”. When Bernice’s grandfather passed away, Bernice’s mother was surprised that her daughter acted maturely and independently despite her age. Unlike other kids who played around in the funeral, she sat quietly and paid respects to her grandfather. ‘When she got back after school, the first thing she did was to check if her grandmother was okay’, said Bernice’s mother with tears rolling down her cheeks. She continued, ‘This made me realised that if we learn to think from the standpoint of a child, to a certain extent, the child will think from an adult’s standpoint too’.
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.
Ms 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.
Ms 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.
Ms 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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Productive Homework Station to Create a
for
your Children
We have all came across situations where we find ourselves struggling to focus at work. It could be the noises from outside construction sites, text messages alerts or food temptations that distract us from our work. This applies the same in our children where they could have difficulty in paying attention and get distracted easily. One of the best ways to support and encourage your children with successful learning is to provide them with a good learning space. Guess what, we’ve rounded up four key tips in helping your children to study in a positive learning environment! MINIMISE THE DISTRACTION It can’t be denied that we are entering a new era where technology is the major drivers of today’s world. Kids nowadays are very much attached to smart phones, iPods and the popularity of social media among children has increased drastically. The reality is that children developed the habit of checking these platforms several times hourly with a constant reminder – “It’s time
10
to check your phone”. Not only does this slow down students to get the work done, it also affects the quality of their homework. To ensure your children learn in an effective study environment, you could create a distraction free zone. Leave the technology devices elsewhere in the house and keep them out of arm’s reach. Besides, you could also ban social media usage during their study time. Fun tips: For families with limited space to offer in the house, you could consider a family room or shared study space. While children are completing their Kumon worksheets, in the same time, you could also have enough worktop space to catch up on some paperwork or have a
good read. As the saying goes, ‘the family that games and works together is a family who stays together’.
PROVIDE A HOMEWORK SUPPLY KIT Create the convenience where children do not need to search each day for their pencils and erasers. You could provide them with a complete set of stationery and school supplies such as books, dictionaries, pencil, ruler, eraser etc. You could also place a clock or timer on the desk so that your children can pace themselves while doing Kumon worksheets. For Kumon English students who are mastering lower levels from Level 7A to FII, having a CD listener would be helpful for them to practice reading while
Parenting Tips
listening to the CD. If children are working in a shared space, you could also provide them with headsets so that it will not distract other children. Fun tips: Not to forget, one of the essential building blocks of Kumon is to instill independent learning in every child. Hence, it is important to encourage your children to keep their working desk set up the same way each day. Make it a habit to clean their own desk after completing the worksheets and take the ownership to inform their parents when they are going to run out of stationery.
GOOD LIGHTING It is almost not possible for children to pay attention on studies while straining their eyes to read in a dim light or squinting under harsh artificial lights. Hence, you may need to pay special attention to lighting when your children are studying. Make sure there is adequate and appropriate lighting source where light coverage of their study materials are even and consistent with no shadows or glare.
EFFECTIVE SPOT FOR STUDYING Kumon daily study programme places important emphasis on good study skills such as pace, prolonged concentration and working with good posture. A dedicated study area at home is one of the critical tools to get your children in the homework frame of mind. After all, if children can’t concentrate, we certainly can’t expect them to learn very well. It does not necessarily need to be a room solely for your child to study as long as the area is free from noise and outside distraction, and is conducive to effective studying. You could also add a nice and comfortable desk chair to the designated homework station. It is advisable to provide appropriate furniture that will support your children’s back effectively, comfortably and that fit their sizes.
Fun tips: You could opt for a height adjustable table over a normal table as kids tend to grow faster in relation to their age at the beginning stage. The adjustable table would give them the flexibility to adjust the height that suits different child. Starting from today create a positive study environment that is conducive to maximise your children’s learning efficiency. Allow them to practice the essential study habits that will help them to develop good work habits in whatever the era or type of society they may be living in the future.
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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