Kumon maths - does anyone send their children?

*mudangel*

pacific4130 wrote: »

Perhaps it would be worth spending some time working on her study skills too. Help her to build a solid foundation which will serve her well in all subjects.

Yes, you're quite right. Alas, as far as maths is concerned, I would possibly more of a hinderance to her - the way children learn maths seems to be really quite different from the way I learned it. Hence another reason I originally arranged extra lessons. But, you're quite right, it's definitely worth spending time supporting her needs.

mrcow

*mudangel* wrote: »

She is 10 (year 5). No, she's doing fairly well in maths, but only as a result of extra tuition. I would say she is about average. Prior to tuition she fell behind as she lacks confidence in the subject and can often be shy in asking for help.

She does quite enjoy going to extra maths, so while she continues to benefit I'll keep her going along.

If she's not behind, I personally wouldn't bother with Kumon. It's expensive and isn't anything that you couldn't do yourself for much cheaper (and probably better).

Bond do a selection of papers that she can do 10 minutes per night. They are very 11+ geared, but are excellent in the way they test for a range of skills.

You can pitch it so she's working at her age range or above as she grows in confidence. They start from 7 years and go all the way up to 13. If 10 minutes is too short, they have the main papers which are geared to take about 25-30 minutes.

The advantage of this is that she can take responsibility for doing it (10 minutes per night is do-able for any child) but without the extra pressure of having to go somewhere. You will be involved in marking it so you will have a much better idea of what she needs to work on.

Google Bond 10 minute tests on Amazon. For a fiver, what have you to lose?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bond-Minute-Tests-years-Maths/dp/0748798978/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344599140&sr=8-1


Trust me.....it's all Kumon would be doing anyway. They are not trained mathematicians or teachers.

*mudangel*

anonymousie wrote: »

Hmm. Personally I'd keep her with a 1:1 tutor who can tailor the work to her needs.

She's not been with a 1:1 tutor, but working in a very small group of children. They work individually, but have tutor support and guidance around. Yeah, it still costs £92 per month! I've seriously considered a 1:1 tutor, but have had trouble finding a local one.

If Kumon doesn't work out, then I'm sure I'll be able to look a bit harder and find a 1:1 tutor. Alternatively, it might just mean a bit of driving.

Sweet_Pea_2

My DD had Kumon teaching in English and Maths. The English was great and really helped give her English skills a boost but the Maths did not work out well at all. (We didnt do the two together, she did 6 months of English then we swapped to Maths) What I found was that the stuff she was doing at kumon was really basic - (and I do mean basic, stuff like 2+1 and 5-3 etc) She was about 8 at the time and quite behind in maths but not by the amount they seemed to think. They refused to move her onto anything harder until she was getting more or less all of it right, which is fair enough, the whole idea behind kumon is not that the child "knows" it but that the child "masters" it and knows it inside out before moving on, which I think is right. Unfortunately it was an absolute nightmare getting DD to do the kumon each day because she was absolutely bored rigid by it and paying no attention and thats why she was getting it wrong. The maths she needed help with (the stuff she was doing at school) was much more challenging and by the time she caught up kumon wise it would have been too late.

Personally I think (if you can afford it) kumon is great and I wish I had started my DD's on it at a young age, we found it a bit too late to be of the correct help. The principle bhind it is very good. It takes some patience on parents behalf though because the parents have to do the marking on a daily basis.

My older DD who has taken her GCSE's this year has a couple of korean kids in her maths class who have done kumon for years and they are massively in fron tof the rest of the class, to the extent that they finished their GCSE ages ago (with A*'s) and have done half an A level already. One of them did not come to this country and spoke no English until she was 10, so that says a lot in my opinion.

tyllwyd

*mudangel* wrote: »

She's not been with a 1:1 tutor, but working in a very small group of children. They work individually, but have tutor support and guidance around. Yeah, it still costs £92 per month! I've seriously considered a 1:1 tutor, but have had trouble finding a local one.

If Kumon doesn't work out, then I'm sure I'll be able to look a bit harder and find a 1:1 tutor. Alternatively, it might just mean a bit of driving.

I recently used this website to find a music tutor, but they cover lots of other areas.
http://www.firsttutors.com/uk/
I don't think they vet the tutors at all, so it's a case of buyer beware, but it's a good starting point to see if there is anyone in your area.

lil.smartie

I think you should try & help her, it could be that she will 'get' the way you were taught but doesn't 'get' the current teaching method! I had a math teacher as a kid who I loved (GCSE & AS) but went to 6th form college & had a guy I really didn't get on with & couldn't teach me and even confused me on stuff I had already done for AS & did know!! Switched teachers and once again it all 'clicked' and made sense!

Kate

milliebear00001

I don't have experience of Kumon as a parent, but I do as a primany teacher. I would say many children really benefit from the repetitive nature of the rote learning it offers. For things like number bonds and times tables/division facts, it is an excellent system. However, its succes relies on the child wanting to take part, and doing so fairly religiously. It won't work if not. I have some children who really seem to enjoy it, but I know my own daughter (Year 4) wouldn't be persuaded to give up a regular half hour in this way!

The second issue with Kumon is that it isn't a panacea. If your child has specific issues with the maths curriculum, then these are best dealt with one to one (either by a teacher/parent or tutor). If their problem is basic 'foundation' maths skills, then the system may be of benefit. What it doesn't do (in my experience) is equip children to use and apply the skills they acquire to new situations. This is a HUGE part of the primary maths curriculum and something that Kumon doesn't seem to teach.

Noonar

My daughter did Kumon maths for six months, I personally would not recommend it. However a 1-1 tutor worked wonders.