Toru Kumon
Tōru Kumon (公文 公)(くもん とおる) (March 26, 1914 – July 25, 1995) was born in Osaka in the province of Kōchi, Japan. He graduated from Osaka University where he obtained a degree in Mathematics. He was a mathematics teacher at a high school in Osaka. In 1954, Kumon began teaching his own son who was failing mathematics in elementary school, and with this experience he developed the method that bears his name.
The Kumon method seeks to encourage people's autonomy when studying, seeking to strengthen the learning potential of each individual. Through a planned and individualized learning process, the student of the Kumon method feels confident and capable of facing the challenge of acquiring knowledge on his or her own. The Kumon method is based on self-learning. It is important to note that the Kumon method is not intended to be a complete educational model, but only a support for the student, and is not designed for all subjects.
Kumon's great innovation lies in the fact that it does not teach the student how to solve the proposed material. It is structured in such a way that the student can solve the exercises themselves. Regardless of the age or grade level of the students of this method, they will begin their studies with simple topics so that, little by little, they advance and have contact with more complex topics, always appropriate to their ability. In this way, he will always be in a position to reach grade 100 (maximum grade). The objective is to develop self-confidence in the student, the interest in studying and learning for himself until he manages to reach his maximum performance. Thus, in each study carried out he will be able to feel satisfaction and say to himself “I did it” experiencing the joy of learning and expanding, more and more, his own capacity.
As a result of the method, Toru Kumon's eldest son was able to do calculus in the sixth grade and his youngest son in the fourth grade. Because of this other parents became interested in Toru Kumon's ideas, and in 1956, he opened the first Kumon center in Osaka, Japan. In 1958, Toru Kumon founded the Kumon Institute for Education, which set the standards for other Kumon centers that began to open in the rest of the world. In South America it began in 1977 in Brazil, place of the Headquarters for South America, and later in the rest of the Latin American countries. He arrived in Europe to Spain where he started in 1991. He arrived in Colombia in 1992 thanks to Mr. Rafael Cuéllar who was the first manager of Kumon Colombia and later and is currently his son, Felipe Cuéllar.
The institute currently continues its focus on individual study to help the student develop their full potential. Toru Kumon believed that a child was capable of learning anything if given the right material and support. Since 1956 more than 19 million students have benefited from the Kumon Method.
Toru Kumon died in Osaka in 1995 at the age of 81. His eldest son died 2 years later from cardiorespiratory arrest.