The benefits of Kumon-style tutoring

For 60 years, the Kumon Method has had a unique approach to tutoring. The founder of Kumon, Toru Kumon, believed that developing a child's character was as important as developing a child's academic abilities. To this end, he placed great emphasis on creating a method that would help children become self-reliant, confident and persistent learners characteristics that are critical for success in upper high school and beyond.

These key character traits are developed by having students learn through Kumon's specially designed worksheets. The worksheets progress in small steps, have clear instructions and examples, and regularly consolidate a student's learning all of which promote independence. With encouragement and consistent study, students can experience the joy of overcoming challenges by themselves rather than becoming accustomed to one-on-one teaching. This gradually builds confidence and self-belief with the benefit being children will often go on to seek out knowledge for themselves and pursue their own interests.

The Kumon Instructor plays an important role in each student's progress. By paying careful attention to each child's academic ability and progress, the Instructor is able to set work at a level that will allow each child to excel. Their aim is to support each student in developing skills to the point where they can experience the joy of learning by themselves.

Toru Kumon believed that a child's ability rather than their age should determine their level of study. He thought that if children could solve fractions while in Year 1, we should be encouraging them to do so and by the same token, if a child in Year 7 is yet to grasp multiplication, then time must be given to review and revise.

Today, Kumon Australia and New Zealand has more than 48,000 enrolments (as at September 2015), with students ranging in age from pre-school to high school. These students are challenging themselves each day, with many able to independently learn advanced topics with confidence. Around the world, Kumon is available in 49 countries and is supporting over 4.2 million students to succeed in the classroom and in everyday life.