5) Made-in-Japan Teaching Method Why Worldwide Acceptance?
2010 Jul/Aug
COVER STORY: White Paper on International Economy & Trade 2010
By Akio TSUNODA (President, Kumon Institute of Education Co.)
Kumon is an educational services provider based in Japan operating a global franchise chain of educational establishments, called Kumon Centers, providing instruction in mathematics, English and native languages with the Kumon Method, featuring a unique learning method and worksheets. As of March 2010, children in 46 countries and regions, including Japan, are learning at Kumon Centers. The following is a brief summary of how the Japan-originated Kumon Method has been accepted throughout the world, as well as of recent activities. Father's Love for Son Starts Kumon The Kumon Method was built on a prototype learning method which high school teacher Toru Kumon conceived in 1954 for his elementary school son. Mr. Kumon had always believed that "an educators' duty is to help children develop their abilities on their own as much as they can." Having watched students at his high school struggle with mathematics, Mr. Kumon realized that what his son truly needed was not so much to be directly taught by others, but individualized learning that allowed him to solve problems on his own by using examples and hints. Mr. Kumon began to make hand-written worksheets by himself based on his idea. As a result, Mr. Kumon's son, who studied with his father's worksheets, was able to do differential and integral calculus by himself when he was a sixth grader. His son's example taught Mr. Kumon that there were some critical factors to be considered when it comes to establishing a learning method to help children develop their abilities: (1) providing individualized instruction instead of the conventional school class format; (2) providing worksheets designed with goals that are reached in small steps so students can learn by themselves; (3) children should be encouraged to learn subjects normally taught in high school at an early age, and not be restricted to their current school grade level. Mr. Kumon founded a company - now known as Kumon Institute of Education Co. - in 1958 with the goal of opening many Kumon Method Centers and applying his learning method to help as many children as possible unleash their potential. Overseas Development a Challenge The first overseas Kumon Center was opened in 1974. The mother of a child, who accompanied her husband assigned to a post in New York, wanted her child to continue studying with the Kumon Method. That led to the opening of a Kumon Center in New York. In the beginning, Kumon had no strategic... <<BACK

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