Kumon

Kumon is basically a drill and kill program. Some people love it and some hate it. There is really no “instruction”. Personally I think it is only good for a limited purpose and is not worth the money.

First the kids take a test and they are started at a level that is “comfortable”, in other words they can already do it.

The program simply introduces math facts in a very orderly and limited fashion. Kids do timed worksheets each day which the parents score. The kids then have to correct their errors. When the kids are able to pass (which means getting almost all problems right within a tight time frame) then they move on to the next level where a few more math facts are added. If the kid doesn’t pass the test he/she repeats past levels or parts of levels. There is no way to circumvent the time criteria because the tests to move on to the next level must be given under supervision at the center, not at home like the daily work. Kids usually go to the center once or twice a week and do the daily work at home.

If you want to know anything more specific, just ask. Both my kids did the program for one summer.

I’d agree with tekkma — if a kid benefits from lots and lots of practice, one step at a time and they can figure the math part out, nifty keen-o. I think the idea is that the student figures out the change as a little bit of a new idea is introduced. So it might make a big difference if the student knew to approach it like that — to try to figure out the why & wherefore behind what’s different about this set of problems.
But if a kiddo really needed guidance and structure and instruction to make the stuff make sense, he’d probably spend a lot of time guessing and even if he guessed right wouldn’t necessarily be learning a whole lot.

it sounds a lot like CalcuLadders, which is a timed math drill worksheet program widely used by homeschoolers. CalcuLadders is available from many sources, including http://www.rainbowresource.com — for about $15 per grade level, I think.

A software program which does much the same thing with less boredom is Quarter Mile Math (http://www.thequartermile.com). You can call or email the company for a demo disk.

I think CalcuLadders actually gets more into working problems, whereas QMM focuses exclusively on developing speed and automaticity with different math facts. Neither program does any actual teaching of math. For that, we have found Singapore Math (http://www.singaporemath.com) to be one of the better approaches to use at home.

Mary

I have a friend whose son was drowning with the speed wihich the class went through things. He needed a lot of repetition and Kumon has worked out well. I think there are cheaper ways to do the same thing at home but for some people itis better to pay someone.

My son has done Kumon on and off for 2 years. Kumon only helped my son practice things he already knew, and get a little bit faster and more automatic with them. It is designed to be just about 10-15 minutes a day of practice. But, it always took my son much longer. It is designed in a very easy to understand and stair step manner. But all in all, Kumon was a frustratiing experience for us.

I LOVE “Math the Fun Way” found at www.citycreek.com I learned about it from MaryMN on this board. My son learned his math facts faster and with less frustration with that program.