Getting kids to love Math, English

Computer-assisted learning at Number Works’n Words.

Children who hate Math or English at an early age tend to find it hard later on to navigate formal education.

NumberWorks’nWords, which uses computer games to drive home English and Math lessons, is one of the newest learning centers in the country. The center gets to complement the formal classroom studies of children.

“Even before the word gamification was coined, NumberWorks’nWords was already doing it for Math. Later, the developers added English,” says Richard Yang, master franchisee of NumberWorks’nWords for the Philippines.

Developed in New Zealand in 1984, NumberWorks’nWords uses a system that identifies a child’s Math and English comprehension levels and the areas he or she needs to improve on.

NumberWorks’nWords opened in the Philippines in 1997.

“We set goals for your child and provide regular progress reports,” one tutor said.

The center’s tutors then consider a student’s goals before choosing for the child the proper module from among the many curriculum-based programs.

The center caters to students 5 to 16 years old. Each student is individually assessed and evaluated, and given individual goals and classes, which may last an hour per session.

Children are encouraged to take about three sessions a week while parents are regularly apprised of their child’s progress. The learning centers are open Mondays through Saturdays.

Each module comprises 12 sessions of an hour each. Hourly charges for the services range from P550 to P600. The average number of students per tutor for an hour is four.

Presently, there are NumberWorks’nWords learning centers in Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio Global City and Greenhills. Another one opened in Teacher’s Village in Quezon City through subfranchisee Jo Ann Fernandez.

Yang says he wants more franchise stores to open so that more kids can benefit from the tutorial center’s unique system.

The franchise fee, including the startup kits, software and equipment, will cost about P750,000, according to Yang.

The renewable contract is valid for five years. Aside from the hardware and software, the franchisee also gets technical support and brand promotion.

Yang says there are some bright kids whose waterloo was Math.

But enrolling in NumberWorks‘nWords changed all that. In fact, they learn to appreciate Math and even find the subject a lot easier than they imagined it to be, Yang said.

Because this format does not employ the endless memorization and drills used by other enrichment centers, the results are often different, becoming fun and positive.

The success of NumberWorks’nWords stems from its rewards system, Yang said.

“We employ positive reinforcement in our schools,” Yang said. “We use rewards-based methods so that kids end up highly encouraged and confident in learning Math while having fun.”