The Kumon Method: Its Importance in the Improvement on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics from the First Levels of Early Childhood and Primary Education

Abstract

The present work gathers an educational experience based on the application of the personalized Kumon Mathematics Method, carried out in the school year 2015–2016, in which 30,849 students and 230 teachers from several educational centers throughout Spain have participated. We start with a theoretical foundation of the Kumon Method and continue with a description of the research methodology used. The empirical analysis carried out has been both in descriptive and correlational terms, using Spearman’s Rho statistic, between the levels at which the students of the sample have started and the Kumon level reached. The results show that the sooner students begin to learn Mathematics with the Kumon Method, the greater the chance of reaching a level of knowledge above their school level, which helps us to demonstrate the potential of this method in the teaching and learning process of Mathematics in the educational levels of Early Childhood and Primary Education.

A 4th-Order Optimal Extension of Ostrowski’s Method for Multiple Zeros of Univariate Nonlinear Functions

“…∆(x) r m m ∆ 1 (x) = (sin 2 x − x 2 + 1) 2 1.404491648215341 2 ∆ 2 (x) = (x − 5) 3 5 3 ∆ 3 (x) = (e x 2 +7x−30 − 1) 4 3 4 ∆ 4 (x) = ((x − 1) 3 − 1) 6 2 6 ∆ 5 (x) = (e x + x − 20) 2 2.842438953784447 2 ∆ 6 (x) = (cosx − x) 4 0.739085133215161 4 ∆ 7 (x) = (x 2 − e x − 3x + 2) 3 0.257530285439860 3 ∆ 8 (x) = (x 2 − 16) 3 4 3 ∆ 9 (x) = (x 3 − 12x 2 + 44x − 48) 3 2 3 ∆ 10 (x) = x 3 sin4x 0 4…”

“…In this paper, we present a study on iterative methods that can be used in postgraduate studies in order to teach them. Many problems of numerous disciplines such as applied sciences, scientific computing, and engineering [3][4][5][6][7] can be converted to mathematical expressions. Some of them can be transformed to an equation of the following form:…”

“…(3, 9) (3,9) "CUR" and "D" means that the methods converged to an undesired solution and diverged to the corresponding text functions, respectively. Our Methods (23)- (25) were superior to the techniques (4) and (5).…”

Systematic Approach to Malware Analysis (SAMA)

“…Today there are many specimens of malware, as mentioned above, that use multiple attack techniques and vectors and are conducted stealthily to avoid detection, in order to retain unnoticed control over targeted systems for long periods of time [2]. On the other hand, in recent decades with the new educational technologies and the growth of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) [3][4][5][6][7][8] there are new opportunities for this kind of malware to 'catch' new objectives and personal data which can be really important.…”

The Enhancement of Academic Performance in Online Environments

“…Mathematical subjects have been difficult to learn because of their inherent features, such as abstraction, prerequisites and technicalities, amongst others, which often leads to a lack of motivation. As cited in [5], this stimulus can be improved by increasing the efficiency of the mathematical learning in the first levels of early childhood. Self-efficacy, defined as learners' judgments about their ability to successfully attain educational goals [6], has been analyzed in relation to its importance in university populations [7,8].…”