![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/www.kumon.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/soccer-practice-300x251.png\")
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What do soccer and the violin have to do with Kumon? Just as athletes and musicians learn skills before applying them in games or performances, students in Kumon learn math skills before applying them in real-life situations. This is a key difference between Kumon Math and the math that is taught in most school systems in North America. It\u2019s also what makes Kumon the perfect supplement to school math.<\/p>\n
Mathematics vs. the Application of Mathematics<\/h4>\n<\/div>\nWhile school curriculums can vary significantly, most school math programs teach the application <\/i><\/em>of math. That means that students learn math as it is used in the real world. For example, students might learn addition through scenarios like, \u201cEmma has one apple in her basket. She adds one more apple to the basket. Emma now has two apples.\u201d This may seem like an intuitive way to learn math\u2014after all, that\u2019s how most of us were introduced to adding. And what\u2019s the point of learning math if you can\u2019t use it in the real world?<\/p>\n<\/div>\nAs the math concepts get more difficult, the real-life application gets more complex, compounding the problem. A naturally talented soccer player may be able to excel on a recreational team without having honed her skills, but as the level of competition gets more difficult, her skill gaps will become more apparent. Similarly, a math student may be able to grasp basic concepts with little practice, but as the math gets more challenging, the gaps will begin to show.<\/p>\n
While school curriculums can vary significantly, most school math programs teach the application <\/i><\/em>of math. That means that students learn math as it is used in the real world. For example, students might learn addition through scenarios like, \u201cEmma has one apple in her basket. She adds one more apple to the basket. Emma now has two apples.\u201d This may seem like an intuitive way to learn math\u2014after all, that\u2019s how most of us were introduced to adding. And what\u2019s the point of learning math if you can\u2019t use it in the real world?<\/p>\n As the math concepts get more difficult, the real-life application gets more complex, compounding the problem. A naturally talented soccer player may be able to excel on a recreational team without having honed her skills, but as the level of competition gets more difficult, her skill gaps will become more apparent. Similarly, a math student may be able to grasp basic concepts with little practice, but as the math gets more challenging, the gaps will begin to show.<\/p>\n
![\"two](\"https:\/\/www.kumon.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/math-students-300x200.png\")
Unlike school, Kumon teaches strictly mathematics. In Kumon, it is not technically necessary to understand how to apply 1+1=2 in the real world. Students simply must learn that 1+1=2 is a true statement. Students then learn that 2+1=3, 3+1=4, and so on. Math is taught incrementally, with students progressing step-by-step from counting all the way through calculus. As students do not need to have real world experience to learn what is strictly mathematics, even elementary school students can progress to algebra and beyond. Eventually, as students\u2019 number sense and real world experience come together, they are able to apply what they\u2019ve learned in different contexts.<\/p>\n