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A Critique on KUMON English Curriculum

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A CRITIQUE ON KUMON ENGLISH CURRICULUM

HOUR VANNAK
vannak_hour@yahoo.com
INTRODUCTION
The Kumon Method of learning was developed 50 years ago in Japan by Toru
Kumon, a high school math teacher whose son was struggling with second grade arithmetic.
As an educator, Mr. Kumon realized that a strong foundation in the basics was needed for
success in higher level math. With that in mind, Toru Kumon created a series of worksheets
for his son to do after school. Through daily practice and a commitment to mastering each
concept, his son was able to solve differential equations and integral calculus problems by the
time he was in the sixth grade (“KumonOfSanRamon,” 2011, “About Kumon,” para. 1).
Beside Mathematics programme, Kumon centre also offers English programme
which focuses on only reading comprehension. It believes that strong reading comprehension
skills are fundamental not only for the study of English but also for accessing all other
subjects in the school curriculum. Kumon English aims to improve students’ reading
comprehension skills and nurture an interest in reading, which will enable them to read
widely and with confidence. The programme begins by enriching students’ vocabulary and
teaching basic reading skills. Students learn about sentence structure, paragraph building,
summarisation and critical reading (“Kumon Asia & Oceania,” 2012, “Characteristics of the
English Programme,” para. 1).
This critique focuses on Kumon English programme only. Based on my experience
being an English teacher at Kumon Asia & Oceania for one year and a half, I agree that
Kumon English Programme (reading programme) is very effective for providing students the
reading skills accordingly to Bloom’s taxonomy – cognitive domain. Kumon English content
is divided into 26 levels – from lower to higher thinking order (7A - L). “Through repeated
practice, students develop mastery of skills before moving on to a higher level of study. Since
the goal of the Kumon Method is to make high school study easy, Kumon students are
encouraged to reach an advanced level of study” (“KumonOfSanRamon,” 2011, “About
Kumon,” para. 4). However, we should keep in mind that learning content might be very well
developed but we also have to look at the its feasibility when processed in the classroom in
real time and space. This critique focuses on the Kumon centre for which I’ve been working
for about a year and a half. I cover five areas of the curriculum: instruction and activities,
scope, sequence, assessment, and progress monitoring.

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INSTRUCTION AND ACTIVITIES
Self-learning is the only method used in Kumon centers. Self-learning is the ability to
set goals and solve unfamiliar and challenging tasks independently. With the Kumon Method,
students progress on their own without being traditionally taught. Worksheets are always
completed by students independently (“Kumon: Self-Learning,” 2012, “Developing Self-
Learning Ability,” para. 1&3).
Kumon has adopted student-centred method (self-learning) and implemented it into its
curriculum. According to Jones (2007), a student-centred approach helps students to develop
a “can-do” attitude. It is effective, motivating, and enjoyable. In a student-centred class,
students don’t depend on their teacher all the time, waiting for instructions, words of
approval, correction, advice, or praise. They don’t ignore each other, but look at each other
and communicate with each other. They value each other’s contributions. They cooperate,
learn from each other, and help each other. When in difficulty or doubt, they ask the teacher
for help or advice but only after they have tried to solve the problem among themselves (p. 1-
2).
Since I’ve been working at one of the Kumon centres for more than a year, I’ve seen
that every teacher is not required to directly teach students what and how to do. The first
thing students need to do is to do their own worksheets once they step inside the classroom.
They have to submit their worksheets along with their record books to the classroom teachers
(usually there are more than one teachers in the classroom) for correction and testing their
understanding of the content by doing word check (ask for the definition of a particular word
extracted from the content they have done), spelling and so forth. Only when they do not
understand what they are actually asked to do during class period, they may approach one of
the teachers waiting to facilitate them.
However, not all students have a clear understanding of what they are supposed to
behave in Kumon classroom. Some would just approach the teachers to ask for direct answers
to almost every exercise in their worksheets. This is not what Kumon method meant to be. To
cope with this situation, firstly teachers will verify the instruction or questions of the exercise
because I believe that only when students know what they are looking for, then they can
locate the answer. In addition, one of the teachers will explain them when they should
approach the teachers and a brief explanation of the Kumon method. But I have noticed that
those who approach the teachers for direct answers without putting their effort in the first
place are mostly the same students. It does not mean that they do not get how and what they

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are expected to behave but they get used to learning in a teacher-centred environment at their
own schools. Kumon does not make clear with students of its learning method.
Many Kumon students come from different schools – public and private schools.
Those schools have been widely using the chalk and talk method, also known as teacher-
centred approach, as a medium to transmit knowledge to these students. According to Huck
and Kuhn (1968), in the teacher-centred classroom, the teacher determines all teaching
content and children are just the receivers of knowledge (p. 687). Therefore, it is undeniable
that students who come from these schools will carry along with them the characteristics,
behaviours and habits of being passive students.
Based on my observation, even Kumon claims that it employs student-centred
approach, it actually employs only some characteristics of this method. In other words, it
does not adopt its whole picture which is very important for a student-centred approach to be
effective. According to Jones (2007), in a student-centred class, at different times, students
may be working alone, in pairs, or in groups (p. 2).
When stepping inside Kumon classrooms, students are always required to work alone.
Kumon students are supposed to focus on their worksheets all by themselves. They may
approach teachers only when they do not get what they are asked to do. In addition, Kumon
emphasises that students must do listening task as it is a way to get students to be familiar
with native English pronunciation and to improve their reading skill as they are also required
to read the stories while listening.
The listening task and other exercises require students to perform independently or
with little help from the classroom teachers on how to use the CD player and to use the
listening text books. However, unexpected problems arise when we (teachers), most of the
time, do not have enough time to monitor those who do the listening task since we have lots
of other responsibilities to care for such as facilitating other students, correcting students’
homework (the busiest task), keeping the class in order, and so forth. As a result, some
students pretend to listen while they actually do not. We know this problem but it is usually
out of control and we have to ignore it sometimes, especially when we are facilitating other
students. Anyway we will make some noise as a way to make them alert that they are
observed. Therefore, I believe that Kumon curriculum is well designed with specific purposes
but the classroom environment sometimes hinders teachers from fully implementing it.

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SCOPE: THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF KUMON ENGLISH CONTENT
Usefulness of the Content Selected
The very first problem Kumon faces is that its content is not useful to every student.
Even though Kumon subscribes to learner-centred design, its content selection has no
students’ involvement. Learner-centred design is where the content is selected and organised
with the major focus on the needs and desires of learners. Armstrong (1993) gives an
illustration that, in secondary schools, students are usually given a chance to advise some
mini-courses that they want to take. This idea is based on the assumption that students have
certain common needs that should be addressed in the curriculum (as cited in Raihani, n.d., p.
51). Instead of involving students’ interest in the selection of its content, Kumon’s process of
the content selection is centralized. In other words, it is the Kumon headquarter department
located in Australia that decides what content is to be included in the curriculum.
The Kumon English programme consists of 26 levels from Level 7A to Level L.
Every level consists of 200 worksheets, which are broken down into topics. The Kumon
English programme is grouped into “learning blocks”:

Word Building Block (7A-3A)

In this block, students learn the basic sounds of English words (phonics). By
mastering these levels, students will be able to read effectively.

Sentence Building Block (2A-CII)

The basics of grammar are covered in these levels. Students learn about tenses, active
sentence, passive sentence, complex sentence, etc. Students are also trained to read critically.
Mastering these levels is the key to begin acquiring good reading skills.

Paragraph Building Block (DI-FII)

Students learn how paragraphs are constructed – the flow of information, identifying
points, topic and main idea, etc. This is important for students to learn how to gain a deep
understanding of what they read. Mastering these levels will enable students to deconstruct
and reconstruct entire paragraphs while still retaining the relevant points. This skill is very
useful as students who have gained the skills up to this point can read a book with good
understanding.

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Summary Block (GI-I)
The goal of this block is to train students to analyze passages. In order to summarize
effectively, the student has to know how to analyze complex sentence and paragraph
constructions in order to understand context, draw out the relevant points, and rewrite it in a
way that is simple, precise and to the point. The challenges in this block lie in the high quality
of literature (in their original form) that students are required to read.

Critique block (J-L)

In this block, students learn how to critically analyze what they read. For example,
students will read classic works like Romeo and Juliet and they are required to analyze the
characters’ motivations. Mastery of these levels will enable students to deeply understand
what they read, form, and articulate their opinions based on correct analysis and
interpretation (“Kumon Bandar Sunway,” 2008, “Understanding Kumon English,” para. 2-7).
Based on the description of Kumon English content above, we may assume that it is
developed to instill a solid reading comprehension skill in its students. However, based on my
observation in the actual Kumon classroom and through interaction with students, the
selected content above does not work with everyone. I have a lot of students complaining and
telling me how they hate Kumon reading. As a result, they do not even half-heartedly put
their effort when doing their worksheets. They easily approach teachers for help, especially
not to ask for any explanation but direct answers to particular questions. They fail to conform
to self-learning approach which is the sole method of Kumon English programme. However,
some students have done well not because they like reading but because they receive pressure
from the classroom teachers as well as their parents. I believe that these students will do
much better than their currently well-done performance if they have enthusiasm in reading
Kumon content.

Content for Students’ Diverse Abilities

We use diagnostic test to test students’ abilities and to give them the right worksheets
accordingly to their current abilities. Kumon knowledgably has selected content that caters to
diverse student abilities. However, in terms of learner-centred approach the content should
have been selected more appropriately. According to Wang et al. (2009), appropriate teaching
content refers to the content designed according to learners’ existing level of knowledge,
favorite learning style, study habits and interest in learning (p. 417). Based on my experience
in Kumon classroom, I see that students have no choice to choose their favorite learning

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styles. Whether they like it or hate it, they must conform to Kumon’s classroom rules. I have
also observed that in the beginning, new registered students usually have been put and
provided appropriate worksheets (7A - L) according to their abilities obtained from
diagnostic test. By the end of each level, they need to take an achievement test of their
respective level, and only if they pass the test will they proceed to the next level. However, in
my opinion, there is a serious problem when it comes to taking this achievement test. When
students fail the test, they are usually required to read and try to remember the test content as
they are going to redo it in the next class. Instead of requiring students to redo the worksheets
again, Kumon allows them to remember what is in their failed test and sit for it again. Surely
they will pass the second time and surely the content keeps getting tougher and tougher to
them as they step up the next level.
It is truly a problem to me because the next level is always harder than the previous
one. In other words, these particular students – as they proceed to the next level – get weaker
and weaker. As a result, many of them have decided to drop out of Kumon when it comes to
the point that they could no longer do the worksheets as they could not understand the
passage at all.
However, this is not the only reason students have for dropping out of Kumon as well
as other institutions. According to the research, the students give various reasons for dropping
out, which include lack of connection to the school, a perception that school is boring, feeling
unmotivated, academic challenges, and personal situations. In general, feeling unmotivated or
uninspired to work hard is a significant factor in the drop outs’ discontent with school. The
young adults said school was boring; they didn’t learn anything and school was irrelevant.
Some students said they could not keep up with course work; thus it is difficult for them to
pass from one grade to the next. (“Council for Exceptional Children,” 2011, “Why Do
Students Drop Out of School,” para. 4 - 6).
Kumon students complain that the achieving test is hard. It’s hard if they have
difficulty getting through the worksheets but if they fail, they are always allowed to do it
again and more importantly they can read and review their failed test till they remember the
content. However, this is not really a problem to them since they do not need to repeat the
whole worksheets before sitting for the new test again. The most serious problem which
causes them to drop out, I have noticed so far, is the toughness of the worksheets and
problems approaching the classroom teachers. When they get to the next level without solid
knowledge of the previous one, in this case, they find it extremely hard to finish their new

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level worksheets from the start and it will get tougher and tougher as they proceed through
the succeeding worksheets, 200 worksheets for each level.
We should have remembered that Kumon implements self-learning approach or
learner-centred approach. Students usually approach the teachers for help. However, as
Kumon teachers, we have limited authority to give help. For example, we try to facilitate
students by verifying the questions to make sure they know what they are looking for and to
explain them how to get key words or locate answers in the paragraph. However, these
students are usually fed up with how the teachers help them since they do not understand the
passage and what they only need is direct answers to the particular questions. Of course the
teachers motivate them and keep them going with their worksheets. So, we give them direct
answers sometimes.

Period of Time for Covering Content

Since Kumon subscribes to self-learning environment, students are required to do the
worksheets at their own pace. As described above, there are 200 worksheets for each level
and there are 26 levels to complete Kumon English programme. Students come to Kumon
twice a week for 45 minutes each class. Some students do 2 or 5 worksheets and some others
10 worksheets or up to 20 worksheets depending on their abilities. After that, they are given
the succeeding worksheets as their homework. The amount of homework ranges from 2
worksheets to 15 worksheets a day. For example, if students come for two days, let say
Sunday and Monday and are able to do 10 worksheets a day, they will have to pack their
homework prepared for them during their absence from Tuesday to Saturday (the days they
do not come to Kumon) of 50 worksheets. Therefore, these students could cover 70
worksheets per week including10 worksheets each for Sunday and Monday. In this case,
these students will be able to complete their current levels within three week times before
they sit for the achievement test according to their levels (these students are usually more
advanced ones).
There are various students with various abilities. Most students take longer time to
complete a particular level. Some may take one month, some others a few months, and most
special kids (autistic kids for example) usually take years. However, I believe that these
students can do better with more help and interference from the teachers. The problem is that
the classroom teachers are usually passive. In other words, the teachers do not have much
time walking around the classroom to facilitate every student frequently due to their other
classroom heavy work; therefore, students need to approach the teachers for help at will. As

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Kumon teachers, we have to correct students’ packed homework and it should be done within
working hours – if we can’t finish by the end of the class, we are required to pack the
homework for correction at home and no teacher would like to do that for no extra benefit.
Let say some students do 70 worksheets of homework during their absence, some more and
some others less, and the classroom is usually crowded with students. So, there are tons of
homework to correct while students keep checking in and out of the classroom.

Cognitive Outcomes of Kumon English Selected Content

Below is a table representing cognitive domain in comparison to cognitive outcomes
achieved by Kumon students:
Level Identifying Verbs Kumon Students’ Cognitive
Characteristics Outcomes
Student recalls or Write Students are able to write,
recognizes List list, label and so forth
information, Label accordingly to their current
KNOWLEDGE ideas, and principles Name level.
in the approximate State
form in which they Define
were learned
Student translates, Explain Levels 7A to CII are
comprehends, or Summarize designed for building basic
interprets Paraphrase grammar and sentences only.
COMPREHENSION information Describe Students are unable to
based on prior Illustrate summarize or paraphrase.
learning (See Kumon English level
description on page 4)
Student selects, Use Students are able to use
transfers, and uses Compute words and construct new
data and principles to Solve sentences accordingly to their
Application complete a problem Demonstrate current levels.
or task with a mini- Apply
mum of direction Construct
Student Analyze Only students of level DI and
distinguishes, Categorize above could perform this task
classifies, and relates Compare (analyze, categorize,
the assumptions, Contrast compare, and so forth).
Analysis hypotheses, Separate
evidence, (See Kumon English level
or structure of a description on page 4)
statement or question
Student originates, Create Students are able to perform
integrates, and Design this task accordingly to their
combines ideas into a Hypothesize current level. For example,
Synthesis product, plan or Invent 7A - CII students can develop
proposal that is new Develop sentences while DI onward

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to him or her can develop paragraph.

Student appraises, Judge Only level GI and above

assesses, or critiques Recommend could perform this task.
Evaluation on a basis of specific Critique (See Kumon English level
standards and criteria Justify description on page 4)

A sample of Cognitive Domain (“Multiple Methods of Assessment,” n.d., “Bloom’s

Taxonomy,” para. 28)

Affective Outcomes of Kumon English Selected Content

Krathwohl et al. (1964) posits that the affective domain describes learning objectives
that emphasize a feeling tone, an emotion, or a degree of acceptance or rejection. Affective
objectives vary from simple attention to selected phenomena to complex but internally
consistent qualities of character and conscience. We found a large number of such objectives
in the literature expressed as interests, attitudes, appreciations, values, and emotional sets or
biases (as cited in Kirk, 2012, para. 4).

Below is a table representing affective domain in comparison to affective outcomes achieved

by Kumon students:
Category
Receiving Phenomena:
Awareness, willingness to hear,
selected attention.
Responding to Phenomena:
Active participation on the part of
the learners. Attends and reacts to
a particular phenomenon.
Valuing: The worth or value a
person attaches to a particular
object, phenomenon, or
behaviour. This ranges from
simple acceptance to the more
complex state of
commitment. Valuing is based on
the internalization of a set of
specified values, while clues to
these values are expressed in the
learner's overt behaviour and are
often identifiable.
Organization: Organizes values
into priorities by contrasting
Verbs
asks, chooses, describes,
follows, gives, holds,
identifies
answers, assists, aids,
complies, conforms,
discusses, greets, helps,
labels, performs, practices,
presents, reads, recites,
reports, selects, tells, writes
completes, demonstrates,
differentiates, explains,
follows, forms, initiates,
invites, joins, justifies,
proposes, reads, reports
adheres, alters, arranges,
combines, compares,
Kumon Students’ Affective
Outcomes
Students of all levels are able to
perform this task.
No group discussion, presentation
and so forth. Students do their own
worksheets and talk to the teachers
only. Most of them are not motivated
since interacting with other
classmates is not encouraged.
Most students do not find Kumon
English interesting; thus they do not
fully value it. They come here
because of the pressure from their
parents. Yet some are good but less
motivated due to the lack of peer
interaction. However, most of them
can do the work.
Based the performance on students’
worksheet, they are able to perform

9
different values, resolving
conflicts between them, and
creating a unique value system.
The emphasis is on comparing,
relating, and synthesizing values.
Internalizing values
(characterization): Has a value
system that controls their
behaviour. The behaviour is
pervasive, consistent, predictable,
and most importantly,
characteristic of the
learner. Instructional objectives
are concerned with the student's
general patterns of adjustment
(personal, social, emotional).
completes, defends, explains,
formulates, generalizes,
identifies, integrates,
modifies
acts, discriminates, displays,
influences, listens, modifies,
performs, practices,
proposes, qualifies,
questions, revises, serves,
solves, verifies
this task. However, we lack of data
collecting methods to conclude this.
Adult students especially those of
high levels have achieved this level to
some degree. However, I’ve never
seen any student being fluent in their
current levels.

A Sample of Affective Domain (“Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domain,” 2010,

“Affective Domain,” para. 8)

Psychomotor Outcomes of Kumon English Selected Content

The psychomotor domain includes physical movement, coordination, and the use of
the motor-skill areas. Development of these skills requires practice and is measured in terms
of speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques in execution (Simpson, 1972, p. 25).
The seven major categories are listed from the simplest behaviour to the most complex in
comparison to psychomotor outcomes achieved by Kumon students:

Category Behaviour Descriptions Kumon Students’ Psychomotor

copy action of another;
Imitation observe and replicate
reproduce activity from
instruction or memory
Manipulation
execute skill reliably,
Precision independent of help
adapt and integrate expertise
Articulation to satisfy a non-standard
objective
Outcomes
Teachers’ job is to correct homework
and facilitate students when they
approach. Therefore, there’s physical
action for students to repeat or copy.
Through verbal explanation, students
are able to recreate or build up the
task, but not very efficiently since
students need more than verbal
explanation.
So far, there’s no student who can
perform in high quality of work
without teachers’ assistance or
instructions.
No data collecting instrument to
assess this level. Yet we have
achievement test but it not efficient
since the content is extracted from the

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worksheets. So students may
remember it.
Naturalization automated, unconscious We can’t fully assess this since we
mastery of activity and only look at their performance on
related skills at strategic level worksheets and achievement tests.

A Sample of Affective Domain (Chapman, 2009, para. 46)

SEQUENCE
According to Rita et al. (2011), sequence is the order in which the content is
presented. The sequencing of content is based on numerous factors, including the increasing
complexity of the learning tasks, the inherent order of a series of steps, or the recommended
order of learning activities (p. 174). Ediger (1996) states that educators need to pay careful
attention to sequence in curriculum development. Learners need to experience quality,
sequential objectives, learning opportunities, and evaluation procedures. Sequence pertains to
when students should experience specific activities in ongoing lessons and units of study (p.
58). I believe that Kumon English programme has successfully sequenced its content
accordingly. Below are some characteristics of the sequence of its content:

Simple to complex: In a simple-to-complex curriculum, learners establish a foundation of

generally held concepts and principles (e.g. vocabulary, basic grammar, simple sentence, and
so forth), then master the core skills and the procedures of using this basic knowledge into
writing paragraphs (“From Learning Activities to the Meaning of Life,” 2009, “Fostering
Professionalism in Canadian Paramedic Education,” para. 7). Kumon English gets tougher
and tougher as students proceed to the next level. Therefore, students need to build strong
foundation by seriously getting through their current levels regardless their interests.

Spiral: The spiral curriculum is a curriculum in which the content is developed to revisit the
basic ideas which students have obtained from the previous course or semester, repeatedly
and building upon them until they have grasped the full formal apparatus that goes with them
(“The Process of Education,” 1960 as cited in Smith, 2002, para. 16). From 7A - 3A levels,
students learn the basic sounds of English words (phonics). By mastering these levels,
students will be able to read effectively (See page 4 for more detail).

Prerequisites: A prerequisite is a course that is required before you are allowed to take
another course (“Lakehead University,” 2007, “What does prerequisite mean,” para. 1). In

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other words students are required to take the first important subject as a knowledge
foundation before they are allowed to take another one which usually involves higher
thinking order. I think Kumon English programme is professionally designed in terms of
prerequisites. There are 26 levels, 7A to L. The levels are built on top of one another, and
higher levels usually involve higher order thinking than the lower one (See page 4 for more
detail of each level).

Whole to part: The constructivist argues that we learn by actively constructing meaning from
our experiences and with a curriculum. They see knowledge as dynamic and connected. In
other words, students cannot construct knowledge of something without also making links to
other things – such as the relationship between whole and parts – of antecedents and
consequences, causes and effects, patterns and relationships and applications (“Integrated
Curriculum: Performance Assessment, and Authentic Learning,” 2004, “Contructivism,”
para. 1). Since Kumon is a self-learning centre in which teachers do not need to stand in front
of a whiteboard (there’s no any white/blackboard so far) and explain to students the whole
picture or benefits of doing their current levels (Instruction on doing the worksheet and
objectives are not mentioned to students before they do their worksheets). In many cases,
students ask me why they need to do this or that task; it is boring. It is true that they seem to
be a little motivated after I told them of the usefulness of a particular task. However, many of
them do not ask this question; they just do what they think they ought to do to pass to another
level with less interaction with teachers.

Chronology: Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in

time, such as the use of timeline or sequence of events (“Wikipedia,” 2012, “Chronology,”
para. 1). In other words, chronology in curriculum is the art of arranging learning contents in
order of events, time and thinking. Similarly to Simple to complete, Spiral, Prerequisites,
Kumon English programme has a good arrangement of learning content which is divided into
26 levels ranging from the most basic (learning from alphabets) to the most complex level - L
level (See page 4 for more detail).

Vertical organization: Vertical organization of curriculum is more sequential and tends to

deal with subjects in isolation. Through this organization, different topics within a subject are
designated for each grade level (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2009 as cited in T.C. Excell, 2010, p.
5). When we look into Kumon content organization, students learn to construct short

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paragraphs when they reach level DI. They will have to learn writing paragraphs as they
proceed through the next levels till FII. However, there is a higher requirement for building
paragraphs as they pass higher levels (See page 4 for more detail of levels description).

Horizontal organization: Horizontal organization of curriculum allows for greater integration

across subject areas and the topics within each subject. Using the social studies example,
community, state, United States, and world history can be integrated and taught in context
with one another, either sequentially or thematically (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2009 as cited in
T.C. Excell, 2010, p. 6). I have noticed that the content in Kumon English worksheets usually
comprises of short stories (mostly for low levels from AI - BII), science and bibliography
(mostly for average levels from CI - FII), and world history (higher levels, mostly from GI -
L). Within the range of these level groups, students learn to construct sentences, to imply
grammar rules, to write paragraphs, to criticise and so forth. They are related. For example,
students use their abilities in writing paragraph to write a critique. How effective they are
depends on their personal interests in Kumon Program, prior knowledge, motivation,
curiosity and so forth.

ASSESSMENT
The term ‘assessment’ refers to all those activities undertaken by teachers and by
their students in assessing themselves in order to provide information to be used as feedback
to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged (“Assessment for
Learning,” 2012, “Definitions,” para. 3). However, we have done little assessment in Kumon
classroom due the conformation to its self-learning environment. Below are two types of
assessments – formative and summative assessments– which are used in comparison to that
of the Kumon curriculum.

Formative Assessment
Formative assessments are on-going assessments, reviews, and observations in a
classroom. Teachers use formative assessment to improve instructional methods and student
feedback throughout the teaching and learning process. For example, if a teacher observes
that some students do not grasp a concept, she or he may design a review activity or use a
different instructional strategy. The results of formative assessments are used to modify and
validate instruction (“Classroom Assessment,” n.d., “Formative vs. Summative
Assessments,” para. 2). In Kumon classroom, when we notice that students do not fully

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understand a particular concept on their worksheet, we usually explain them one on one and
assign them to do a short-hand-written exercise on a piece of paper focusing on that specific
area. For example, if students are weak at constructing sentences, we write about 10 words on
a piece of paper for them to try using each word to form correct sentences. This is not enough
for them. We should have provided them more challenging, printed exercises but we do not
have this learning material besides Kumon worksheets. Especially, when it comes to
grammar problems, many students have no idea why something has to be written this or that
way. We should remember that Kumon worksheets do not consist of grammar lessons but
they can be implied by reading and doing exercises on some worksheets. However, it takes an
interested and a careful student to learn how to imply by himself or herself.
Kumon curriculum is designed to equip students with the ability to construct
sentences, write paragraphs, criticise, summarise, and so forth. Unfortunately it focuses on
only how students express their ideas rather than how effective their writing is. Lots of
grammar mistakes happen comprising past tense, present tense, and writing formats. In my
opinion, Kumon should provide other learning materials to cover these weaknesses. In
addition, we cannot divide students into groups as it violates Kumon’s learning approach
(self-learning). Anyway, student worksheets are not suitable for group work and we do not
have enough space for that too.

Summative Assessment
Summative assessments are typically used to evaluate the effectiveness of
instructional programs and services at the end of an academic year or at a pre-determined
time. The goal of summative assessments is to make a judgment of student competency after
an instructional phase is complete. (“Classroom Assessment,” n.d., “Formative vs.
Summative Assessments,” para. 3). By the end of each level, students are required to take an
achievement test and only if they pass it will they be allowed to proceed to the next level. As
described above, there is a problem when it comes to judge students’ competency of their
current level. Some of them poorly perform on their worksheets yet are allowed to proceed to
the next level regardless how poor their test performance is. What they have to do is to fail it
one time, and study the failed test content till they could remember it; then they take the test
again the next time they come to Kumon. That’s it. No whole worksheet repetition is
required.

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PROGRESS MONITORING
Record book
Kumon has a record sheet for each student. It is designed for Kumon students and
their parents to record their progress. It will help all of us (teachers, parents and students) see
the big picture each months and it will also tell how many hours students have spent at
Kumon for a particular month (“Kumon Record Sheet for All Students,” 2012, “Description,”
para. 1). Besides, in this book, students have all their test scores recorded, and progress is
monitored closely. The students’ daily performance, including accuracy and time, are
recorded. After a careful review of the record book and the students’ progress, the teacher
decides future homework assignment (“KumonOfSanRamon,” 2011, “The Kumon Method,”
para. 5). I agree that the record book is very important and is the most useful tool to keep up
with students’ progress.

Achievement test
Besides using pre - test (diagnostic test) to determine the appropriate level of students,
Kumon post test (achievement test) assesses progress of students made during the length of
the study. Scores are based on the amount of time a student takes to complete and the
accuracy of the answers (McKenna, Hollingsworth & Barnes, 2005, p. 3). Passing an
achievement test at the end of each level is the highest achievement a Kumon student can
attain. However, not all students who pass the achievement test master the concept of their
level. Some students may remember the content of the test which can be obtained from
friends or from the failed one.

Within-class observation
Classroom observation is a quantitative method of measuring classroom behaviours
from direct observations that specify both the events and behaviours that are to be observed
and how they are to be recorded. Generally, the data that are collected from this procedure
focuses on the frequency with which specific behaviours or types of behaviour occur in the
classroom and measure their duration (“Classroom Observation,” 2012, “Gale Encyclopedia
of Education,” para. 1).
Within-class observation is the most frequently practiced way I and other colleagues
of mine use to monitor students’ progress to observe the class in actual time and space.
Through within-class observation, we may determine on what skills a student is weak. For
example, some students are weak at spelling, tenses (past and present tense), vocabulary,

15


making sentences and so forth. Upon identifying their particular weaknesses, we may write a
short comment on their record books of the skills the students should focus on. However, we
do not have extra learning materials relating to their weak points. All we have is Kumon
worksheets.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Kumon is a place where self-learning environment is catered with a
well developed content. However, its content does not have a full feasibility when processed
in the classroom in real time and space. In Kumon classroom (at least where I’ve been
working), we use Kumon English worksheets designed orderly and based on Bloom’s
taxonomy – cognitive domains. Students are put appropriately into the levels (based on
diagnostic test) and take an achievement test by the time they reach the last worksheet of their
current level. However, their competency heavily relies on their determination and prior
knowledge. Kumon does not provide other necessary facilities such as English grammar
lessons, writing methods, critique methods, and so forth. It is very common that when writing
an essay, many high level students approach me and say, “I don’t know how and what to start
with.” I am not surprised since Kumon has neither writing lessons nor writing technique in
their worksheets to be implied. Another problem is that not every teacher has enough
expertise to cover up all levels. A teacher with most related knowledge is assigned to
facilitate all high level students while those with less related knowledge are assigned to take
care of low ones. There are 150 students in English programme and there are only two
teachers in one classroom. We have only one small classroom for all levels to sit together.
There are roughly 10 to 20 students at one setting (one checks out, another one checks in). we
do not have enough space and we have a lot of difficulty to cope with students of different
behaviours. In this case, this Kumon should have hired more teachers and provided other
necessary learning materials to ease the tension of both current students and teachers.

16


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