Teachers get a boost from the 'strugglers'
- The Future of Education -
contributed by Allan Menagh (vision communication team leader, Kumon Asia Oceania)
Watching a student go from "struggling" in class to leading the pack is the most rewarding aspect of the job for Kumon teaching veteran Elizabeth French.
Supervisor at Camden Kumon Education Centre west of Sydney, Mrs French has taught the self-motivated learning approach for 17 years.
"The most rewarding part of my work is seeing a child go from really struggling at the bottom of the class go to the top of the class. That can take place in about a year,'' she said.
"You don't see that in a normal classroom.''
Mrs French said the Kumon approach started students at a point where the work was easy, so they begin studies scoring 100 per cent. The student is then eased out of this comfort zone, where they take longer to complete tasks.
"Once their standard completion time is going over it means they no longer have mastery over that task so we get them to repeat it.''
Mrs French said repetition was one of the keys to Kumon's success, particularly with maths.
"We want them to be able to do it automatically, so they know arithmetic so well that when they get to algebra it's a reflex action almost.''
She compared the process to driving a car, where many things are done without thinking and the mind is free to perform other tasks.
"If you have to think about doing basic tasks it is very wearing. We make the basic task automatic to free their minds for higher-order things.''
Mrs French said the program effectively boosted students' brain capacity.
Another rewarding part of her career was getting involved in students' lives, their families and their "ups and downs".
As a student progresses from being a struggler to being successful, "you develop a really strong relationship with them and their families".
Mrs French said the course could turn around the life of a child who was once miserable at school.
While students master maths and English, Kumon emphasises learning how to learn. Analytic and concentration skills are honed, daily routines developed and confidence boosted.
Children attend the Kumon centre just twice a week but daily worksheets are assigned. Work that takes too long to complete or has too many errors is re-attempted until mastered.
Mrs French said this "practise until perfect'' philosophy, along with Kumon's individualised work-at-your-own-pace approach, is how students gain confidence and optimal comprehension of learning concepts.
