Kumon’s Method of parenting education

 

Toru Kumon: A Math Teacher Who Founded a Global Business While Teaching His Son

Toru Kumon, a high school math teacher, started teaching his own son when he struggled with math. In doing so, he developed an educational program that would eventually become world-renowned as the Kumon Method. Drawing on his experience of teaching his son, Kumon founded a company that grew into the global education business known as Kumon. Let’s take a closer look at how Kumon, a graduate of the Mathematics Department at Osaka University, applied his teaching techniques to his son’s education.

Toru Kumon, the Founder of Kumon Education

Kumon Created Daily Math Problems for His Son

Kumon’s son, Takeshi, performed poorly in math when he was in the second grade. After seeing his low scores, Kumon’s wife urged him, as a high school math teacher, to teach their son. Kumon decided to take his role as an educator seriously and carefully evaluated his son’s math skills. He realized that Takeshi lacked a solid foundation in basic concepts and needed more practice to fully understand and master them. Kumon began creating daily math problems for his son, focusing not just on problem-solving but ensuring that Takeshi grasped the underlying concepts and could apply them effectively. Kumon was diligent in teaching his son for four years, and by the time Takeshi was in sixth grade, he had advanced enough to solve high school-level calculus problems.

 

Kumon Encouraged Independent Thinking in His Son’s Studies

While Kumon monitored his son's problem-solving process, he carefully selected problems that would challenge and support his son’s learning. Though there were plenty of math resources available, what was lacking was guidance on which specific topics and problems to focus on. Kumon filled this role, acting as his son’s mentor. Takeshi’s improvement in math was a direct result of the daily problem sets his father created for him. As a math teacher, Kumon made learning more enjoyable and engaging, fostering his son’s interest in the subject. Kumon would ask his son questions to help him approach problems from different angles, encouraging him to solve even a single problem from multiple perspectives. His teaching method balanced mastering fundamental concepts with applying them to real problems, a dual approach that ensured a deep understanding of math.

 

Despite being a math teacher, Kumon never scolded his son for struggling with the subject. Instead, he created problems for his son to solve daily, and through this effort, Takeshi achieved significant progress. As his son’s math skills dramatically improved, Kumon realized the potential for a new educational business model.

 

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