Advancing

Beyond School
Grade Level
Masanobu Endo

The Kumon Method is created with the aim of

producing the greatest learning effect in the
shortest possible amount of time. The greatest
learning effect in the shortest possible amount of
time means, at Kumon, to advance beyond school
grade level. Students should advance not only
one or two years ahead of their school grade level,
but four or five years.
(Toru Kumons 77th birthday lecture, May 1991)

oru Kumon used every opportunity to

mention just-right level of study, pursuit of
potential, self-learning and advancing beyond
school grade level as the strengths of the Kumon
Method. Also, he mentioned that advancing
beyond school grade level was the most important
strength of them all.
In this issue of Voices, I would like to convey the
value of advancing beyond school grade level,
including Toru Kumons words on this topic.

TORU KUMONS EXPERIENCES OF

ADVANCING BEYOND SCHOOL GRADE LEVEL
When Toru Kumon was a junior high school
student, junior high schools in Japan offered a
five-year curriculum. Students who wanted to
enter a senior high school had to take an entrance
examination for senior high school after the fiveyear junior high curriculum. However, excellent
students were able to take the entrance examination
at the completion of their fourth year. Tosa Junior
High School, where Toru Kumon attended, was a
celebrated private school, so many of the Tosa
students took the entrance examination after their
fourth year. This was easy because it was possible to
go beyond school grade level in the classes offered
at Tosa Junior High School. Toru Kumon completed

the fifth-grade math textbook by his third year.After

his fourth year, he took the entrance examination
for a senior high school and was accepted by
distinguished Kochi High School. It was likely at
this time that Toru Kumon realized the importance
of advancing beyond school grade level.
While there are many points we want to
emphasize as Kumons strengths, such as the justright level of study and the pursuit of potential,
the thing which is most important to pay attention
to is advancing beyond school grade level. It is our
hope that by advancing beyond school grade level,
children will not have any trouble with entrance
examinations, and they will lead better lives if they
develop their academic abilities to a higher level.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 131, 1991)

NURTURING STUDENTS WHO UNDERSTAND

WITHOUT HAVING TO BE TAUGHT
Toru Kumon often said that the Kumon Method
aimed to nurture students who understood the
content of lessons even without having to be taught.
Schoolteachers often say that there are two types
of students at school: those who can understand
a class by being taught, and those who cannot
understand even after being taught. Toru Kumon
wanted to nurture a third type: students who can
understand a class without having to be taught,
through advancing beyond school grade level with
the Kumon Method.
As you know, the learning content of school
classes is usually targeted at the level of students
ranked around the middle. This is unavoidable due
to the limitations of the conventional class format.
However, Toru Kumon thought that students should
not be satisfied with classes at such levels and
should attain solid capabilities to the extent that
they see classes just as review sessions.
( CO NTI N U ED)
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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT
EARLY LEARNING
RECOMMENDED READING LIST
WORKSHEET STUDY
SELF-LEARNING

The value of the Kumon Method lies in advancing

students beyond school grade level through selflearning. We should help students advance to high
school level worksheets as quickly as possible while
they are in elementary or junior high school. We
hope they develop academic ability that is solid
enough to enable them to understand new content
without having to be taught. Children who have
developed the habit of self-learning will surely
grow to become people who can continue solving
problems in life on their own. They will be able to
do this by continuing to read and learn through
books, even after university and as they venture
out into the world. This is why I want as many
children as possible to learn with Kumon.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 99, 1986)

STUDY AT HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND

IS IMPORTANT
Toru Kumon thought that it was a pity that
junior and senior high school students spent a lot
of time studying only for an entrance exam under
Japanese examination systems. He wanted students
to become people who could think carefully and
decide their futures in their senior high school days,
whether they went to colleges or became working
members of society.
If students study beyond their school grade
level at Kumon, they are able to gain a deep
understanding of their classes in junior and senior
high school through just listening to their teachers.
More specifically, it does not matter how poorly
teachers may teach because the students already
understand the content of the class before their
teachers introduce it. The Kumon Method has
aimed to help children spend their very important
high school days learning comfortably without
having to study frantically. Through learning with
the Kumon Method, they will have enough time to
read books, enjoy playing sports, or discuss various
topics with their friends.
THE IMPORTANT THING IS WHAT NOT TO DO,
RATHER THAN WHAT TO DO
Toru Kumon thought that learning beyond school
grade level, which led to successful learning in high
school and beyond, was the most important goal
for Kumon. He also thought the just-right level,

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suited to the ability of each individual child, was

able to realize the goal, and merely following the
school curriculum was not necessarily the best way
to achieve it.
Producing the greatest results in the shortest
possible amount of time is a fundamental idea
of the Kumon Method. The worksheets of the
Kumon Method do not follow school textbooks.
To make the study of high school levels easier, the
worksheets are created to pursue high efficiency of
study. In other words, the important thing is what
not to do, rather than what to do. When students
continue to learn beyond their school grade level
through self-learning, they will become excellent
students at their high school.

If we want to nurture fine

character development in
children, we must ensure
they advance beyond their
school grade level through
the Kumon Method.

Toru Kumon

GAIN CONFIDENCE AND SELF-COMPOSURE

THROUGH ADVANCING BEYOND SCHOOL
GRADE LEVEL
The Kumon Method helps students advance
beyond school grade level through the just-right
level of study, and ensures that each individual
acquires high academic abilities. In addition to this,
by studying two or three years ahead, many students
develop in character, such as being kind to other
people. This is proven by many Kumon students.
In early days, Toru Kumon was not able to say
confidently that children developed in character as
their academic abilities were enhanced through the
Kumon Method. He began to watch more carefully
how students characters began to develop as their
academic abilities improved. He did so because
it would not be acceptable to develop academic
ability at the detriment of students character
development.

However, in light of Toru Kumons own experience

instructing many students, he could say that
students developed in character as their academic
abilities were enhanced. On the contrary, in Japan,
there are many cases where students behavior may
become a problem, or they may refuse to go to
school because their education has not successfully
allowed them to attain the necessary academic
abilities.
Toru Kumon
following.

encouragingly

remarked

the

There is no doubt that children can develop in

character by improving their academic abilities.
However, this may apply only to Kumon children
who continue to learn beyond their school grade
level through self-learning. As they gain the
experience of advancing independently two or
three years ahead of their school grade level, they
will gain confidence and self-composure. Children
without these qualities may not have the capacity
to be kind and caring toward other people, or to
think deeply about their own lives.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 142, 1993)

IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE LANGUAGE

EDUCATION
Toru Kumon thought that the Kumon Method was
able to nurture children who have fine character
through advancing beyond their school grade level.
In order to realize this, he thought that native
language education was important, and the most
important quality in native language ability must
be reading ability.

THE KUMON METHOD AS LEARNING FOR THE

LONG RUN
As stated above with Toru Kumons beliefs
represented by the words children will lead
better lives if they develop their academic abilities
to a higher level. What Toru Kumon wanted for
children with all his heart was that they have a full
life in their high school days and become capable
people, through advancing beyond school grade
level with self-learning; whether they go on to
college or become working members of society.
Toru Kumon wanted exactly to foster sound,
capable people and thus contribute to the global
community of the Kumon Mission. He was
convinced that the Kumon Method was able to
realize this. We understand from his lifelong desire
that the true value of the Kumon Method is not
learning for the short run,like getting good
grades in schoolbut learning for the long run
to foster sound, capable people.
As the first step to realizing this, we need to
nurture students who can acquire the basic skills
of the Kumon Method, and the self-learning ability
from an early stage of enrollment. Therefore, we are
implementing the Center Transformation Initiative
and especially emphasizing primary instruction.
Toru Kumon, of course, did not use the term CTI,
but through CTI, we are able to return to the basic
philosophy of the Kumon Method, and will be able
to realize Toru Kumons lofty ideal.

If we want to nurture fine character development

in children, we must ensure they advance beyond
their school grade level through the Kumon
Method. In addition, we should help them gain
knowledge so they can decide how they will live
their lives. In order to do this, I believe that native
language education should play an even more
important role than math education. By reading
various types of books, children learn about
different people and the lives they have lived.
The Kumon Method attaches great importance to
native language education because of our desire to
help children develop fine character traits.
(Yamabiko, Vol. 137, 1992)

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