HELP WITH MATHEMATICS

The main aim of education is not knowledge, but action. The maths teacher in primary school only needs to teach the child to count and persistence. The rest is up to the kid. Some kids need more time than others to master a topic. That is why Kumon works. Responsibility rests with the kid. NO teaching is allowed in Kumon and the kid is not allowed to ask for help. I am involved in private education but the good schools are not limited to private schools only. When you enroll your kid in Grade 2 to Grade 6 at a private school, you better be a hands on parent or have a tutor as the kid cannot do their homework on their own and get an A. This creates competition between the learners. My daughter is in Grade 12 and has a 78 average. She came 38 in the grade i.e. 5 x A's and you are in the C class. IMHO, teachers do not need to teach more but rather build up the kid and present opportunities to better their marks. These interventions include extra classes after school on a voluntary basis. The main failure of a teacher or parent is not getting the learner to take responsibility i.e. if you are comfortable with 60%, all well and good. You want 70%, you need to do more work etc.

I believe Master Maths and Master Science are excellent extra tuition providers. Check out their websites for more details.

Master Maths is good but is dependent on the operator. In our area over 100 kids attend (@ R 1500 a pop a month)!!!However, most of the kids are already achievers and use the time as a replacement for time they should be spending at home on their own.

In our area, there is also a minimum of 65% that you need to maintain or else there is no place for you. However, the operator is a good motivator and keeps the kids positive and focused.

I have seen many local kids go to Master Maths and improve dramatically. I know of a grade 11 learner starting out at 40% and eventually achieving 86% in her matric finals and getting into medical school with her good marks with the help of Master Maths!

True. But I am certain that there was no class at Master Maths. The learner gets an example done by the facilitator and then does a few more examples on their own. Thus ownership is transferred from the teacher to the learner. In summarizing, my personal view is that Kumon kids who complete the course (Less than 5% do!) do not go to any extra class. The majority of kids going to Master maths do serious maths courses at varsity. However, the majority of maths stars i.e. A and B average kids, do it on their own.