Posted on 04/30/2003 11:37:37 AM PDT by hsmomx3
Arizona public schoolers are taking statewide tests this week to see if their schools are meeting state academic standards. Like everything else with K-12 education, so-called education experts are bitterly divided on the value of such tests and standards.
As a parent who is not a pedagogical expert, I only know one thing for certain: that of all the courses my sixth-grade son has taken since kindergarten, there is only one in which my wife and I feel in control of his learning and know on a daily basis how he is performing. It is a course in which he is tested every day, instead of taking a statewide test at the end of the school year when it is too late to take corrective action.
In my opinion, it is no accident that he is at the 99th percentile in the subject, gets straight A's in the subject, and is a year ahead of his classmates in the subject at his parochial school, which, in turn, is a year ahead of the average school.
The course is Kumon math. Kumon math is a private Japanese program that is simple in concept and very effective, although it requires very little teacher time. There also is a Kumon reading program that is reported to have similar remarkable results.
The question is, why doesn't the education establishment embrace and adopt Kumon-style learning? And why do so many public and private school parents think so highly of Kumon that they pay the tuition of $90 per month, yet their children's schools seem oblivious to the course and its proven learning techniques?
Let me explain how Kumon works.
Kumon is a self-paced program. Students complete a daily Kumon lesson, or worksheet, which takes about 20 minutes on average to finish. Using an answer book, parents score the lessons and have their children correct any incorrect answers.
Students can complete either five lessons or seven lessons per week. For the first four years of Kumon, our son completed seven lessons per week, 52 weeks per year. We have now cut him back to five lessons per week, due to other extracurricular activities.
Once a week, the students go to Kumon class, which is not a class in the traditional sense. Students of all ages and levels simply turn in their lessons from the prior week and receive lessons for the coming week, one of which they complete in the classroom for scoring by the instructor. If the student is ready to master something new, the instructor adjusts the worksheets accordingly and quickly explains the new concept to the student. If the student has difficulty grasping the concept and completing the associated worksheets, the teacher helps the student during the "class."
Not only can parents see on a daily basis how well their children are mastering the subject matter, but they also get periodic reports on how they measure up to students worldwide. It is impossible for students to fall behind without their parents knowing it immediately.
Kumon has various levels. When students master one level, they move to the next, regardless of their age or formal grade level in school. Each Kumon level has very specific learning objectives. My son has just progressed to Level G. Here are the learning objectives for Level G:
- Solve simultaneous linear equations in two to four variables.
- Work with linear functions.
- Simplify monomials and polynomials.
In addition, Kumon spells out what is covered in the 200 worksheets for each level. For example, to quote from the Level G work book: "Worksheets 141-180 introduce students to linear functions. Here, they will study the graphic representations of mathematical concepts."
Can a drill-and-test approach like Kumon be applied to other subjects, such as science, vocabulary, foreign language and social studies? Certainly. Will public schools adopt such an approach. Certainly not.
Why not? Because education experts and teachers say that self-paced drill-and-test does not work. They say this in spite of all the evidence to the contrary and in the face of glowing endorsements of parents, who see firsthand how the method propels their kids to the head of the class.
It makes this parent think that the education establishment either does not know what it is talking about or has a hidden motive for not adopting the Kumon method. Whatever the reason, it is a shame that all children do not have the same opportunity to learn and excel as my son does.
_____________
Mr. Cantoni is an author, columnist and consultant. He can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.
DOA
Is Kumon available in Arizona??????
Thanks in advance!!!
< /sarcasm>
Back in the 70's in Iowa, my school had a set of programmed instruction reading/writing courses called SRA's. If I recall they had six levels, one for each primary grade. I did all six in about three months during third grade, and the way they built on each other I found even the level 6 material to be very easy by the time I got to it (it would probably dumbfound the average 12th grader, today).
Kumon-type instruction exposes the intellectual bankruptcy of the education establishment with breathtaking ease. So don't expect to see it in public schools any time soon.
Kumon math goes all the way up to college calculus. A child that responded to the program could easily finish 12 years of math before the 8th grade.
Their early introduction to math was achieved by mastering a fine motor skill activity called knitting. They couldn't read stories, but they could recall and retell substantial tales their teacher had told them. They sang in two languages, and mastered plays without reading a script, and got to keep their main lesson teacher for eight years. This is not learning that can be measured with a test, but it is a deeper form of learning that stays with them. My eldest is 16, and can still recite the lines of his third grade production of the Bremer Stadt Musikanten.
I realize there are many failing students and failing schools...I don't think a test will cure this. A master teacher who is willing to lead a class can work miracles if the pedagogy supports this effort.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.