Motivation

Masanobu Endo

In order for students to progress smoothly,

it is essential that Instructors motivate them.
Students motivation is influenced by the
Instructors attitude towards them and the way
in which the Instructor communicates with
them. Instructors should always be thinking of
how to foster the motivation in their students.

tem 6 of the Instruction Principles in the IPG,

states that maintaining students motivation is
essential, as you read in the quotation above.
As an Instructor, you are fully aware of how
important it is to maintain students motivation. In
primary instruction, for example, after a student
previews the days work, you may ask him or her,
What are you going to study today? or How long
will you take to finish todays work? The student
may respond with high motivation, This learning
focus is new for me, but I will try to finish ten pages
within fifteen minutes. Also, some Instructors
have students write their goal on the first page
of the days worksheets in order to develop their
motivation to study.
In this issue of Voices, I have gathered Toru
Kumons words on motivation from the preface of
Yamabiko. Through his unique expressions, I hope
you reconfirm the importance of maintaining and
further developing students motivation.
DEVELOPING CHILDRENS MOTIVATION
AND CONCENTRATION FIRST
The most important mission of Kumon Instructors
is to know the real potential of individual children
and be able to assign worksheets that are suited
to the ability of each child; in other words, our
principal responsibility is to motivate children.

Item 3 of the Instruction Principles in the

revised IPG (Japanese-only version at this time)
states that we should focus on developing childrens
motivation and concentration first, before trying to
improve their academic abilities. In the book Kumon
Math Centers (written by Toru Kumon in 1980),
it also mentions that by motivating your students
you have achieved 90 percent of the goal; in fact, I
believe it should be over 90 percent.
Five years ago, no matter how much Instructors
tried, there were some students whose abilities
could not be easily improved without parental
support. Since then, Kumon worksheets and
instruction techniques have been repeatedly revised
by incorporating your opinions and suggestions. As
a result, we have improved our instruction skills to
such a level that we can now considerably improve
childrens abilities without depending so much on
parental assistance. In fact, today, it is no longer
unusual for Kumon students of elementary school
age to be solving equations, as long as we have
successfully motivated them.
With the Kumon Method, if we can enhance
students motivation, their academic abilities will
naturally improve. In the conventional school
setting, however, this is something that seems
difficult to achieve. It is true that there are a few
schoolteachers who are very good at motivating
students. However, with the current school
textbooks and curriculum, it is rather difficult to
channel the childrens motivation into improving
their academic abilities. Since Kumon worksheets
are ideal for improving academic abilities, students
will advance as a matter of course, as long as you
are able to motivate them first.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 63, 1980)

VOICES @ KUMON.COM

SUMMER 2013

VOICES

29

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT
MAIN CLASS MATH
RECOMMENDED READING LIST
WORKSHEET STUDY
SELF-LEARNING
INSTRUCTORS CONFERENCE

30

MOTIVATION IS A
HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT FACTOR
Excellent students do not develop just academic
ability, but also become self-motivated and are
able to develop skills quickly in whatever they do.
These children know the joy of taking the initiative
as well as knowing how to improve at something,
so that even when something is new to them, they
are willing to give it a try.
On the other hand, children of lower ability
have few experiences of achieving success on their
own and often tend to become passive quickly.
Therefore, it is difficult for them to develop new
skills when presented with something new because
they have trouble challenging themselves.
Childrens attitudes in dealing with a situation
greatly affect the development of their abilities.
Their levels of motivation and independence
should be regarded as highly significant factors in
their development. Some children grow up being
forced to learn things that they find difficult and
unmanageable and are scolded for not being able
to complete tasks successfully, while other children
grow up being praised for learning on their own
at their just-right level. The difference between
these types of children stems predominantly from
the way in which factors such as independence and
motivation are fostered. This is what determines
the difference between them in terms of academic
ability.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 86, 1984)

RISING MOTIVATION AND

DEVELOPING ABILITIES
At Kumon, even children with low academic
ability can discover things they can do if they try.
When they continue to advance, and are praised for
receiving perfect scores, their motivation to study
will rise. Once they try, they will be surprised to find
that they are able to easily solve questions they had
previously thought were difficult. They will become
more efficient and capable of concentrating on
their studies, enabling them to begin to understand
school lessons and gain more confidence.
In this manner, children who have traditionally
disliked studying at school but are now enjoying
studying at Kumon eventually learn to enjoy school
studies as well. These children become noticeably

VOICES

SUMMER 2013

happier. However, for the sake of their futures,

we must develop their abilities even more, so that
they can acquire true confidence and superior
learning habits.
The parents of a Kumon student said, Our child
still had a long way to go when he was studying one
year ahead of his school grade level. When he was
two years ahead we began to see some significant
changes, but it was only once he reached three years
ahead of his school level that we considered he was
truly exploring his potential. To enable children to
develop sufficient ability and be free from anxiety
in the future, we should let them advance as much
as possible.
As children advance two, three, or more years
ahead of their school grade level and attain a
substantial amount of academic ability, they
become more thoughtful in areas where they
previously were less attentive, and this naturally
leads them to become kinder and more considerate
to others. Every child intrinsically wants to be kind
and caring; however, children of lesser ability are
often so busy with their studies alone that it is
difficult for them to think of others.
The difference in school grades between students
who are one year beyond grade level and students
who are three years beyond may not be great, but
there is no doubt that the difference in terms of the
level of other abilities is substantial. With students
who excel, it is important to look not only at their
academic ability but also at other types of abilities.
In assessing advanced students, you should check
not only their progress in the worksheets but also
the range of other abilities in which they have
developed.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 88, 1984)

Excellent students do not

develop just academic ability,
but also become self-motivated
and are able to develop skills
quickly in whatever they do.

The initial goal of the

Kumon Method is to help
children acquire the ability to
quickly and accurately solve a
large number of problems that
appear simple and easy.

JUST-RIGHT LEVEL FOSTERS

STUDENTS MOTIVATION
Our job is to conduct research to see how
children develop when they are provided with what
is just right in accordance with their motivation
and ability level. Being such an important issue
in education, I feel that other organizations such
as the Ministry of Education should, in fact, be
conducting this type of research as well.
In a Center, the Instructor is not afraid to assign
Level A worksheets, or even lower, to a junior
high school student if she believes it is the justright level for that student. Then, as such a student
becomes more motivated, they improve their work
skills, and therefore advance further and further
through the worksheets. Consequently, while the
student used to score 60 on math tests, he or she is
then able to achieve 90 within one or two months.
In addition, although the student is still learning
at around Level D, they also become capable of
solving geometry at a junior high school level.
This happens because by studying justright worksheets, children not only develop
their academic abilities, they also increase their
motivation to learn, which leads to improved
efficiency. Moreover, they come to understand how
to learn, which in turn boosts enthusiasm. In this
way they rapidly develop various other abilities.
Meanwhile, by concentrating on working on their
own, children become able to comprehend things
by themselves. They somehow gradually begin to
understand things they did not grasp before, or after
trying something new, they discover things they

had not expected to find out. Through repeating

these experiences, children become willing to
advance because they look forward to learning
new and interesting things. Once they acquire such
willingness, children develop the ability to advance
in their studies naturally at an accelerated rate,
without having to be taught.
Rather than forcing children to advance based
on your own ideas, you should determine the justright level for each child and provide appropriate
worksheets accordingly. Then, children will develop
their abilities on their own and naturally want to
advance in their studies. Through this process, the
just-right level of each child will continue to rise,
and the child will keep advancing to higher and
higher levels. This is the type of instruction the
Kumon Method aims to offer.
It is truly a dreadful thing to determine the level
of childrens potential through the preconceptions
we adults have. Deciding the just-right level for
each child is the most important task of a Kumon
Instructor, but at the same time it is the most
difficult.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 84, 1984)

RAISING WORK SKILLS

The initial goal of the Kumon Method is to
help children acquire the ability to quickly and
accurately solve a large number of problems that
appear simple and easy. When such training is
thoroughly carried out, children gain the ability to
easily understand what they used to find difficult,
and they become motivated to learn more.
With regard to study at the elementary school
level, children can develop their academic abilities
in no time, as long as they are motivated. Therefore,
in order to have every child learn to enjoy math
and become capable of doing math, simply begin
by assigning a sufficient number of worksheets that
are not difficult for them.
On the other hand, people in general seem
to hold the view that children should be given
materials that correspond to a childs school grade.
They think, for example, that if fifth graders do not
study the fifth-grade curriculum, they will not be
able to improve in ability. Such views can prevent
people from seeing just how much children come to
like studying using basic materials that are below
their current school grade level.

VOICES @ KUMON.COM

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VOICES

31

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT
MAIN CLASS MATH

(Yamabiko, Vol. 68, 1981)

STUDYING WORKSHEETS
Among Instructors, there are some who do not
continue to complete worksheets themselves after

INSTRUCTORS CONFERENCE

SELF-LEARNING

WORKSHEET STUDY

RECOMMENDED READING LIST

As a motivated child progresses through the

Kumon worksheets, it is not long before they
are able to solve problems that they have not
yet learned at school with only small hints being
provided. In the case of a fifth grader, even if they
start from Level A, in due time they will be able
to catch up to their grade level and eventually
advance beyond it.
Nonetheless, it is quite natural and understandable that the general public still finds this
hard to believe. However, even the best education
method will not be able to produce its best results
if the people surrounding the children have some
misgivings about it. Therefore, it is crucial that you
always explain the individual study projection to
both students and their parents without fail.

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SUMMER 2013

their New Instructor Training. The worksheets are

revised year after year, and you must complete these
revised worksheets yourself. Strong-performing
Centers have sample worksheets solved by the
Instructors on display, which is an effective way
to stimulate students motivation. There are many
things you will learn only after solving certain
worksheets on your own. I ask that you set aside
more time to study the worksheets, as this will help
you utilize them more effectively and become more
capable of giving appropriate hints when students
ask questions.
Kumon Instructors must always continue to
complete the worksheets to ensure that they know
them thoroughly because we can only expect
students to be enthusiastic and motivated about
their learning when Instructors assign what they
have earnestly studied themselves.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 98, 1986)