Kumon (1 Viewer)

[lazzz]

Kumon is um.. meant to build up your BASIC skills... and um.. make you get really used to the work(thus the many reputition).. so you go fast when you actually do the test....

Anyone thinking of getting kumon as a tutor.... your wasting your time!!
and i dnt think they cover all the topics (for math).. and im pretty sure there english stuff is only based on improving your writing skills...

I wouldnt even consider it if your looking for a tutor... (they go pretty slow as well, you prob finish HSC before you finish there course)..

 

[AppleXY]

Anyone thinking of getting kumon as a tutor.... your wasting your time!!

I had kumon "tutoring" for 2 yrs, 6 years ago. All they do is brush up ur basic (well mainly arithmetic) skills. Kumon is not really a tutor for the exams.

 

[coblin]

I did Kumon for a month and a half when I was in year 3. I was already quite good at maths, but mum sent me cos another friend was going or something and the Kumon lady told mum I should go because I could do extension stuff and learn more maths than we learnt at school. I HATED it. I was the biggest crock of shit. I could already divide/multiply etc, yet they made me do work sheets that were 1+3=.... like it was shit. And we had to time doing them, and I used to do them really fast and get them all right. I would tell the stupid woman that I wanted harder work but she ignored me. And then when my mum made me do Kumon work at home I would get angry because it was shit and it was easier than the homework I was getting sent home from school. Even at that age I knew tutoring was supposed to extend you and teach you more. The teachers there paid no attention to you, you just did your worksheets and took them to the markers. I refused to go back, my mum was a bit peeved because she had paid for a term, but later on she also admitted that she thought it was shit and a total waste of money.

It could have just been the centre I went to, but if that is the system at all places then in my opinion you are far better off with a private tutor... I learnt nothing from it.

I feel the same way. Almost exactly the same situation, except I was less angry back at that age.. lol

Kumon is just worksheets, menial tedious tasks which are easy.

 

[baby-doll]

I believe Kumon is only effective for primary school students in the longterm.
i was hopeless at maths in primary and my parents enrolled me and it was probably the best thing they did it to me, in terms of education.

 

[Slidey]

I started Kumon at the end of year 9 and went from failing maths to being a year ahead in most things as well as topping my 4u maths class.

It's not just for primary schoolers, but if you are in year 11 you can probably forget about it. However if you started before year 11, keep going - it goes past HSC through to 1st year uni stuff and is a sound basis for 4u HSC.

I'm a tutor at Kumon now, actually.

The problem a lot of students have with Kumon is that they are expected to have some kind of motivation themselves. Now obviously this is taught to students in the first few months, but if they can't pick it up after that it's really their own fault (unless they have an incompetent supervisor, which is rare but does exist). Obviously if the student is having difficulties, they are provided with more help, but the students who just don't want to do it or be there are a lost cause. Further, it's much harder to teach intrinsic motivation to older, high school students if they don't already have it.

Basically, Kumon is great for covering large gaps in the basics very quickly and thoroughly. And to be honest, most people find things like algebra hard BECAUSE of gaps in things like basic arithmetic. And likewise Kumon covers algebra very thoroughly so that things like calculus and statistics become easier... although statistics takes a long time to get to.

 

[aodmjgnwpekignw]

Hey,

I'm also a Kumon tutor like Slidey. I did it up to about grade 9 and did up to around book K. The thing is with Kumon, is that you become very strong on the mechanical side of maths, but when it comes to problem solving and analysis, it can really leave you high and dry. IMO around the grades 8+ it would be more beneficial to do more analysis type questions than the ones Kumon offers.

 

[InterNut]

Waste of time and money. They don't actually teach you, they drain all the motivation and energy you possess with their masses of printed worksheets.

 

[EricaD]

I think that the main problem with all you "kumon haters" is that you didn't stick with the program for as long as is needed. I did kumon from age 2 until year 7 and it was a brilliant basis for my year 11 and 12 Maths, and also Physics. My brother also started Kumon Maths before he started school and now is studying level o, which is some of the things that i covered in year 12 last year (and hes only 11). If you stick to things and are self motivated then you can achieve amazing things with Kumon.

If you're considering doing it then you need to be dedicated and motivated, however i agree with all the people saying that it helps much more if you start in primary school. With senior level maths it is a better idea to get a tutor to help you with the things you have specific problems with.

Erica

 

[mnguy3]

Here's my story:
I did it for 8 years straight (preschool-grade 7) and after a week I abosolutely LOATHED it. I asked my mum about 30 times to let me quit and she obviously said no.
So, I decided I had no other option but to but up with it.
But after two years I snapped and got so tired about the repetition of it all that I started to have anger problems which led to anger management counciling, which led to my counciller telling my mother that I had to quit NOW. But oh no, she decided to keep me in.
I then got to the point where I chucked all the Kumon books into the bin and skipped classes. I just sat outside all the time and waited for my sister to finish. My mother found out and this time made sure I did my Kumon but then I finally snapped and I didn't have to go anymore after I was so angry that I wrote swear words all over the desks and ripped my books into parts and nearly punched the Kumon bitch in the face.

The point is, Kumon can really kill your mental health.

 

[oasfree]

Thoughts, comments?

I last did kumon in year 7. I found it to be rather ineffective as they never actually tell you how to do anything. They just shove questions in front of you and expect you to be able to do them

So many people have negative about Kumon. It's perhaps because they have teachers that don't know how to teach. From what you mention here, it looks like they have a philosophy in teaching (unlike many other places).

I am not a tutor but I tutor my own kid. I throw a lot of questions to my kid too and try to get my kid to think. Well, her teacher called her "a true mathematician" and a "thinker" in everyting else. She is at top 1% in UNSW math competitions. She got in OC class with very high score (above other tutored kids). What I am saying is that throwing questions at the kids is an ancient method that was extremely effective. The ancient Greeks 2500 years ago were doing this and they created the Western civilisation as we see now. Socrates's student called Plato created the first ever University on Earth called the Academy.

I regularly bring questions that University students deal with to the attention of my own kid who is only 10 years old. It's because the kid can handle them and that makes the kid one of the biggest fish in every school she moves to. She even challenges her teachers several times since grade 3.

I think it's just the bad teachers, it's not the Kumon philosophy that is at fault.

 

[xerox288]

I started kumon when I was in year 8 because I wasn't very good at maths. I found that it's best for people that are behind at school. I'm still doing Kumon and am on M level. One problem is that the order is totally different to the curriculum. For example, you learn calculus before trig.

 

[Brizzo]

I started kumon when I was in year 8 because I wasn't very good at maths. I found that it's best for people that are behind at school. I'm still doing Kumon and am on M level. One problem is that the order is totally different to the curriculum. For example, you learn calculus before trig.

Yea i agree, i finished the English program in yr 10 and i just dropped maths like half a year ago as it doesn't cover some aspects in the Yr 12 3/4U syllabus and order of teaching is different. It is good if you start at an early age like i did in yr 3? It gave me a heaps good foundation for algreba and mental calculations. I was lucky as I had some really good markers there that would sit there and help me all day( one of which scored 100 UAI). However, from yr 10 onwards i kinda lacked motivation because it didn't go in order of the HSC syllabus. Also, although u start really easy... but trust me when u get to higher levels like even for simple algebra? they go past yr 12 level. So they basically take any topic and they start with really simple calculations and then to the extreme(even past hsc level at times). So yea its great if you start early so you get really fast and efficient for the harder calculations needed in senior high school life.

 

[d3vilz]

i went to Kumon in year 2-5. it taught me to do quick calculations with precision. it helped me improve my marks in maths.

when i was there i won heaps of awards & certificates. i have a trophy or two in my cupboard

 

[ayu]

lol kumon taught me fractions, so i was able to do the more complex fraction problems.
Nowadays, so many kids freak out at seeing fractions in a non calculator exam.

 

[canleyvale]

Tbh, i think kumon increases my speed in maths, although they just shove papers infront of you, its pretty good for speed

 

[harrisony]

ohh mah, I did kumon when I was little, ahh the memories

 

[oasfree]

Here's my story:
...

I then got to the point where I chucked all the Kumon books into the bin and skipped classes. I just sat outside all the time and waited for my sister to finish. My mother found out and this time made sure I did my Kumon but then I finally snapped and I didn't have to go anymore after I was so angry that I wrote swear words all over the desks and ripped my books into parts and nearly punched the Kumon bitch in the face.

The point is, Kumon can really kill your mental health.

Kumon is Japanese. If you don't have some Japanese old values (or similar traits) you would have problem. In modern Japan you can still see these old traits where young people are submissive to older people. High ranking people are bossy to the lower ranked people. Many people drink same stuff that their boss drink. Many visitors to Australia buy mangos for about $25 each only to go home and give them to their higher ranked work colleagues as gifts.

The idea is to shut up and listen and do what they tell. Wait until one day when you are better than them then you can revolt. What you did was too early