Does Enopi/Eye Level work for my kids? Let's talk about this again.

Let's talk about Enopi, now known as Eye Level, again...

I knew I raved about its effectiveness a long while back when my boys were still young and in kindy. I'm  stillnot saying that it is not good but... yes, it has some 'Buts' now.

In my earlier post, I have quite a few comments from my readers about their opinion on Enopi and their recommendation of some other. Thanks so much :) !

Now that my boys are now older, I have to review some points here. At the start, Enopi for very young kids like 4 years and kindy has certainly helped them. My kids are still going there but Im having second thoughts for my eldest, Ryan now in Standard 3... and perhaps at later stage for Raymund who is now at Standard 1. Ryan is still practicing some additions and substractions but his school has gone much advance. The worse part is the method is not aligned to his school's. Children at this stage, if they can recognize that there are more ways to work out the Maths, it's good but I seriously think that it is expecting too much of them.

I'm planning to pull Ryan out of Enopi soon but Im leaving Rachel and Raymund there still. Enopi still gives them a good foundation. The practical skills in critical thinking and problem solving are also very useful and makes future comprehension of Maths easier. However, when the child moves to primary schools, there are obvious distinction in the teaching methods. I find my boys esp Ryan going on 2 different routes in learning Maths - in school and at Enopi. To say the least, Enopi is not helping with his everyday Maths needs for his school. And worse, I am beginning to notice that both his interest and performance in Maths is sliding. Is that what we want at this stage? Yes, if my child is super intelligent. At his point Ryan is really struggling. My experience when I was coaching his school work and Enopi is that the methods for each are trully not aligned and teachers in school are very adamant to use THEIR method. So, why stress my boy to learn 2 varying methods??

To point it out further, kids nowadays are already stress as it is with high level of difficulty in school (compared to my time really!) and time is not enough as it is. I for one have no intention of adding unnecessary stress to them.

Having said that, I am NOT degrading the importance of Enopi. Specifically for my kids, I feel that they have truly benefited at younger age and I'm still sending my youngest there to build her foundation. I still have no regrets over my decision to enroll them at Enopi at the younger age. But, I feel that I can put my older boy's time to better use and align it with his school's studies. Mathematics is a very important subject. At least, I'd want to reinforce his school studies instead of taking him to a different route. Moreover, he is still a banana going thru big challenges of a SJKC, both academically and emotionally.. sigh! That's another story.


Joanne

Math Enrichment - which one is better?

I have got questions from concerned moms about which Math enrichment is better for their kids. When I first started to ask the same question myself a few years back, the choices I had were not so broad. It was then either Kumon, Enopi or UCMAS. I gave my opinion in my earlier post. To my surprise, I got quite a high visit rate there. Then again, why should I be. All parents want the best for the kids. Especially first timers, we need to get more info before we decide. I'm no first timer now that I have 3 precious kids. And the options have widen, there are more Math enrichment out there. One of the latest hit is Math Monkey.

Math Monkey claims the mathematical techniques of Vedic Math. Another jargon? Well they call it a collective name for a set of 16 Sanskrit sutras or formulas all the way from old days in Vedic period of 1500 to 800 BC. Still jargon? It still is to me. Basically it means using logical reasoning to work out problems mentally and quickly. I got this from their website. What do they really teach? I'm actually quite interested to find out. Could be a marketing hook but no harm finding out. I meant to do so for a while but I asked myself, will I stop Enopi for my sons. They too are learning Math without counting. And Enopi also have this part they call the 'Critical Thinking Math' which teaches kids about problem solving too. I dare say that because of Enopi, Ryan is one of the best in Math in his class so far even though other subjects need improvement. In fact, his teacher was quite upset with him a while back for shouting out the answer before she could finish writing the question on the board. I really don't want to shake the firm ground he is in. So far, it has proven to work.

Actually, I hear similar successes about kids who attend Kumon. They are also fantastic in Math. Is it really then the question of which one is better? Kumon? Enopi? UCMAS? Math Monkey? What else? Here is what I think:

1. We can start choosing which concept we like best for our children when we first START.
2. Which one is better? Each sings their own successes. So it really boils down to which one you like...and which one our kids like. Different kids work with different approaches. Mine worked with Enopi. And I believe, each has its own advantages.
3. Once started and results are good, why change? It's just like we cook a big pot of delicious ABC soup but half way through, decided to go for old cucumber soup. It's really back pedaling.
4. Should we add on? Already school homework is piling. Enopi has homework too. Now again Math Monkey. Besides confusing the heck out of him, he will be a mighty stressed kid.
5. Should we change later? Depends. On the kid. If he gets bored, then it's time for fresh air.

Bottom line, I want my kids to be good in Math. It is the fundamental requirement for a lot of topical studies later. It is so very important. I wouldn't say that I'm personally fantastic at it but I'm not weak either. When I was schooling, I was in Science stream taking up Modern Math and Add Math. In college I did a double Math Economics. And university, I crazily went for Mathematical Science in the 1st year until I find that it was more useful had I been in Engineering stream. I worked on Commerce instead. Not far off. But the concept is good. A lot of logical thinking I use came from Math fundamental. It helps. And I want it to work on my kids too.

One thing that I have learnt even up till now is that noone ... or maybe some genius... are born Math gifted. Despite my Math background, I was hopeless with numbers in my earlier employment days. Till I got involved in Analytics. It was then I realised that it is all about practice. Why am I saying this? I'm seeing the light :) haha! Math is trainable. It needs constant practice which Kumon and Enopi recognise. It keeps the mind fast and active. I noticed mine was rather stale :( haha! So what am I saying really? One big circle just to say... Math no matter the method or concept, it needs practice. No brainer, right! Sigh! Must be getting late and sleepy. And getting old... just wanna cerita my younger days :p

So getting back to topic. I will still satisfy my curiosity by finding out Math Monkey and some other hot ones in the market. And I'll share just as soon as I have more info. For my sons, they started with Enopi, they continue with Enopi... tested and proven at least with Ryan and Raymund is getting there.

Here is the qualifier.... I'm not saying one is better than the other despite the lack of info. Just which one my kids and I like at this moment.

Good night!

Raymund in Enopi Already

In fact, I feel that I started Raymund late. Ryan started Enopi when we was half way thru Year 4. I just only started Enopi for Raymund. I'm not showing favoritism. But Ryan was a slow starter. He only started speaking in Year 4 and before was all baby babbles. Long story there. As a second child, Raymund picks up from his kor kor and Rachel picks up from both. So naturally, the fastest learner is my girl. This is quite normal and I see this is another household too. Ryan was a bit more unlucky. Where other kids have caring nanny and grandparents to teach them since they were a baby, he went to thru a bad nanny who was more concerned about getting my kids to take care to earn more. I really regretted that I was so ignorant then. That's why I put more concentration on him and what he learns, my other two will pick up too. A good chain reaction.

The 1st time I sent Raymund to Enopi, he cried big time, refusing to get down from my car. Finally and very reluctantly, my maid followed him and his kor kor to Enopi. When I fetched him back, he was real happy. He had this little present from his teacher and he declared 'I like Enopi'. Must be the kids and the presents. They did assessment on him and so far, looks good.

The next lesson, he was all ready at the door waiting for me to fetch. Not bad.

I feel that Maths is very important. It is a prerequisite to a lot of studies later. Ryan though not as strong in other areas, he is top of class in Maths. It also helps to give the child confidence. One of my friends while visiting me saw how Ryan did his Enopi homework. He didn't even need to calculate. He just wrote his answers from line to line without hesitation. My friend was impressed. No doubt there is a certain amount of memory game here but Enopi does teach interesting methods to do Maths. Then, practicing over and over again to remember the answers. Nothing wrong with that. Coz like us adult, we don't even need to calculate simple maths. We just know.

I feel that Enopi is the right move for my kids. I'm not discounting the rest of Math enrichment like Kumon and Math Monkey. Just that I started them off with Enopi and I like the franchisee (owner of my sons' Enopi branch). It is important to know how good and caring the franchisee is, for obvious reasons.

My Son's Assessment in Kindy

Parents Teachers Day at my son's kindy was here and gone. Seems my son has improved quite a bit compared to his last assessment. He is not the top of his class... and I'm not pushing him to be. But I just hoping that's he's not and will never be the bottom. Not so because of anything but I don't want him to feel pressured when demoralized esp when he goes to primary. At present, a good average is good enough for me. The thing about kindy here, there is no ranking yet as to who is top or bottom or number xx in the class. So far, they don't practice this as it's still after all only a kindy. I'm ok with that. Whenever I asked his teachers whether he is at the bottom, his teachers normally misunderstood me and thought I'm asking for position in class. You see, my son Ryan used to be one of the slowest, if not the slowest, when he was in the Four Year old class. Reason was simply because he only started to speak when he started kindy at 4 years old. Sigh! Long story .. along the lines of getting the wrong child care when he was a baby/toddler. I was worried about him then. He was a slow speaker - I even wrote about it. Click here if you are interested :), and then read on about my attempts to help him. Ain't easy :)

This parents teachers meeting to talk about my son's progress is a really good thing. I remember that in my days, during the primary school time, my parents hardly went. It was also assumed a waste of time. Maybe it was true then. Anyway, since I coach my son, I always like to check with his teacher about his progress and improvement in all areas. Also to figure out where are the areas that need reinforcements. I keep a very close tab with his teachers on normal days too. This was especially true last year when he had difficulty. It was really joint efforts with his teacher then that helped Ryan improved quite a bit. For instance, the teacher would tell me specifically which problem, eg sound blending for certain letters, then I would help him at home. It was tough then but rewarding.

Last week was the last PTM for the year. I learnt quite a bit about my son. Yes! There is always more to learn about our kids. The teacher told me that generally he is good overall. Just some areas that need particular attention, such as Chinese and Malay.

Malay is only introduced for the 1st time for 5 year olds in Beaconhouse. I was told that even a Malay boy in his class also has problem.

Ryan doesn't exactly like Music. Good to know as I was considering Music instrument lessons for him.. only if he likes music. It is not like the old days when kids are pressured to learn and take exam for piano. The thought then was that it was important to learn in case we need additional source of income when we grow up. Is it still the case now? No idea!

He doesn't particularly fancy gym too. Maybe he is too meaty! Haha!

But he loves the library! His teacher thought he likes to read but I pointed out to him that there is a difference between liking books and pictures and such versus reading. Afterall, he is still working hard on his phonics. Hehe! Sometimes, we have to give feedback to teachers too :) I find this is effective so that the teachers can understand our kids better when they coach them during school hours.

And, thanks to E.nopi! His teacher is very impressed with his Math!! She said that Ryan is very fast and very good with Math. It looks like he doesn't need to count to know the answer. She told me that he had to slow down Ryan so that the class can follow. I asked how so. She told me that once she has just finished writing an addition question on the board. Before she could turn and ask the class, Ryan has already shouted the answer! Happy, happy, proud, proud :) Money worth spending :) I will continue sending Ryan to E.nopi :) :) Feedback to moms out there :). Of course, I also shared with the teachers what I teach Ryan too.. like simple multiplication concepts (which is not taught yet in kindy), big number sequencing, etc) :)

Lastly, the character and behavior. Verdict: 'Cheerful and lovable boy'. Talks a lot - a vast difference from last year. It's just that he has to participate more in class (other than Math :)). It could be the language lessons. That's why I'm considering seriously for Cosmotots iqd class.

Introducing Simple Multiplication to Ryan

Guess what! I got a little ambitious and decided to introduce the concept of Multiplication to my 5 year old son, Ryan. Just to see if he could grasp it. Not initially when I tried to explain groupings but I thought of a way which is easier for him to comprehend.

With the example below, I just told him to take either one number, in this case 3, as the number of baskets/boxes. Then the remaining number is the number of balls to put in each basket/box. After that, he is to add up all the balls and that is the answer to 3 x 2. See below.

And since he can also choose 2 to be the number of boxes and 3 to be the number of balls in each box, then it will be that 3 x 2 = 2 x 3 = 6.

He got it! When I tested him another day, all he did was to draw the boxes and balls for 3 x 2. Then for the 2 x 3 in the next line, he just wrote the answer 6.

Try it out and let me know if it works for you. At this stage, the kindies children and E.nopi kids are familiar with counting balls. So, I just use back what is familiar to them and introduce the concept. I'm definitely NOT asking him to memorize timetables now ;p

Teaching Ryan Number Sequence

His E.nopi classes helped him a lot. His Maths is quite steady and fast. It really pays to spend a bit more for enrichment classes. As such, when I coach him, I went a bit more advance. I taught him number sequence up to 5 digits. Sounds big but the E.nopi training on recognizing patterns help a lot. For instance:

1100 1200 ....

All he has to do is to see which pattern is changing - ie last 2 digit constant. 1st 2 digit is increasing by 1.

100 110 120 130 ...

68 69 70 71 ...

2 4 6 .... even numbers

1 3 5 .... odd numbers

Easy for him as he recognizes it as +2. Just the sequence 1st.

Not yet the part on understanding odd and even numbers. He is after all only 5 years old :)

So on...

Here is an example of the E.nopi training on concepts for pattern recognition. I just use this concept to teach this sequencing. It just took him a few minutes to understand.

Simple Math Exercises for My 5-Year-Old

After attending Enopi for almost a year now, it seems to have a positive effect on Ryan. The Critical Thinking Part of Enopi actually trained my son in recognizing patterns. Taking advantage of this, I have actually progressed my son into looking into number sequencing. He grasped it very quickly as it is all about patterns. Then I would teach him how to read the numbers. I have in fact got him do number sequencing up to 5 digit numbers (10,000+). Cool !

What I did was write the 1st 2 to 3 number sequence and then asked him to continue with the next 5 to 6 numbers. Example:

47 48 __ __ __ __ __

121 122 __ __ __ __ __

12511 12512 __ __ __ __ __

10 20 __ __ __ __ __

2 4 6 __ __ __ __

I have also introduced simple Kindergarten Mathematics like ADDITION and SUBTRACTION to Ryan. At this point, he understands the concept but still needs to physically draw out the number of balls to do the math. Enopi is training him to do simple Math without having to do physical counting. Let's see . I would say, it is money worth spending

Should Chinese illiterate parents register their kids in Chinese schools?

Should we register our son in a Chinese primary school? My husband and I are chinese illiterate and at home, we communicate in English. Like many parents, we wanted to register our son in a Chinese school for various reasons:
1. Chinese is an important language - even non Chinese parents are sending their kids to Chinese schools
2. Chinese schools are strong in Math and Science
3. Generally, Chinese schools are better in managing discipline.

However, we are really worried. Can our son cope? He is still slow in catching up with his studies and activities even though he has made some improvements since last year (see my earlier posting about 'My son is slow in speech development'). But can he really cope? He does not speak the language and learning the Chinese strokes seems like a difficult task. Discipline may be better in Chinese schools, but being protective parents, we worry that it gets too strict especially if he has difficulty following!

I have friends who prefer the Kebangsaan schools. To them, Chinese is just another language that can be picked up. And English, no matter what, is and will still be the key 'business' language. They are of opinion that building IQ and EQ are more important and that the non-Chinese schools can deliver better. Most of all, they do not believe that children should be pressured into doing mountains of homework!!

Finally, we decided to register my son in a Chinese school. Why? A kindergarten principal advised us .. it is harder to be accepted in a Chinese school and we still have time to coach my son. Worse case, it is easier to pull him out of a Chinese school for a Kebangsaan school later.

Next ... I am looking out for Chinese enrichment classes (even home tuition) to help my son...

E.nopi Math vs Kumon Math vs UCMAS Mental Arithmetic

E.nopi Math or Kumon Math or UCMAS Mental Arithmetic?.... During last year’s year end school holidays, I had a little time during my confinement to hunt for some enrichment classes for my son. Ya, ya, I know I was not supposed to run about during confinement. But I’m just about one of those people who finds it difficult to follow rules :). My eldest boy just only started to speak properly at the beginning of last year. As such, he was very much behind in many areas – numbers being one of them. I was frantically looking for some classes to help him boost his skills and confidence. I just knew that once I resume work, I would not have the time to do more for him. Sigh!

I have checked out E.nopi, Kumon Math and UCMAS Mental Arithmetic. This is what I’d like to share with you. Please note that this is just my opinion. I would love to hear yours too.

• E.nopi and Kumon are direct competitors. Kumon is more established. In both cases, they offer Math and English, and the availability is dependent on the respective centre. Each centre has its own operating days and timing for classes – you just have to see which one fits you. Your kid would need to attend twice weekly. The key syllabus is on basic math skills (E.nopi calls it Basic Thinking Math). Young children can start from basic numbers 1,2,3,... and slowly evolving into the principles and foundation of math. The correct writing strokes will also be part of the lesson. In both cases, the level of Math in which a child participates is dependent on current competency level. Students will move from level to level and at the higher levels, they will go into algebra, probability, etc etc. The later part and the more advance levels – this is where I'm not sure how the syllabus differ between Kumon and E.nopi. After all, I was only assessing for my 4+ year old son.

• The franchisees in both E.nopi and Kumon respectively explained that it’s all about practice makes perfect. The child will go to the class to do the worksheets (with some assessment) and they will go back with homework which they have to complete before the next class. They are taught NOT to use fingers to count. Besides obtaining the skill set, the programs would cultivate discipline, self learning and independence in children.

• E.nopi has an additional area which is called Critical Thinking Math which concentrates on problem solving, pattern/relationship recognition, geometry, reasoning, etc -- another area leading to math. This is where Kumon does not have. But since Kumon is concentrating on basic math, a child under Kumon will progress 'faster' in basic math than a child under E.nopi. At the end of the day, it really depends on what you want for your child.

• For my son, I have chosen E.nopi because:
  a) The worksheets are more colourful and interesting - for kids - which I think is good because it is not chicken feet to engage the attention of a young active child. Fun and colourful worksheets help.
  b) Critical Thinking Math – I thought my son was not able to do, but surprising ok – and in fact, he loves it
  c) Use of apparatus to teach concepts – visual aid
  
  


• The fees are more expensive for E.nopi RM160 whereas Kumon is RM120-130. No regrets! My son was initially very weak in numbers - last Dec he couldn't count 1-10. Now he is able to count, and just by looking, able to know how many the qty is and progressing into math - different combination making up to 10. As for UCMAS, I didn't do much check simply because the teacher told me that the child, at the very minimum, must be familiar with 1-100. My son then was still struggling with 1-10. What I do told is that UCMAS Mental Arithmetic uses abacus and the one quality that they are building in a child is photographic memory – I don’t know how so but I have heard amazing things about what a child can do.
  


• A final note. Go and see for yourself. Go through free trial sessions. See which one your child finds it more interesting. Figure out what you want for your child. Assess your confidence in the owner/franchisee. And good luck to you!