Kevel Education Uses Different Approach to Math Tutoring

Tutor, Lydia Zu, teaches her young student sixth grade math. – Courtesy photo

By May S. Ruiz

For students of all ages, one of the most challenging subjects to learn is math. And with most schools’ increased focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), it’s crucial to provide these kids with the tools to help them understand and learn math.

In the San Gabriel Valley, there are several companies offering STEM tutoring. A recent addition is Kevel Education which was founded by Gao Jun, Kevin Yu, and Lydia Zu quite by happenstance. Says Yu, “It all started with California Table Tennis Club, which Gao and I established four years ago offering weekend and after-school sports program for young kids in the area. Students would bring their homework to the club, and from time to time we saw them struggling. So we began helping them.”

“Then Gao and I met Lydia two years ago and we found out she graduated from UC Berkeley with a math degree,” Yu continues. “Seven months ago, the three of us thought that since we were already teaching table tennis and we had this base of students taking it who also want to excel in academics, we might as well extend our offering to include math instruction . These kids can learn both table tennis and math in one place, making it convenient for parents. So four months ago, we launched Kevel Education.”

The three founders’ own experience with math involved memorization of formulas, which isn’t exactly fun so they took a different tutoring method. Yu explains, “Most Asians learn by rote; it’s fast but there’s no long-term retention. When forced to memorize so many formulas, kids, even adults, will hate math. But we believe learning math can be fun. Instead of just teaching children the formula to solve problems we show them the reasoning behind the principle. I noticed that this is how Lydia tutors my daughter, Kinslee, who’s in sixth grade.”

“Kinslee knows the formula and she can memorize it; but 10 or 15 years from now she wouldn’t remember it,” Zu elucidates. “I use logical reasoning to explain the formula and show her why some math problems are solved in a certain fashion. That way, she makes sense of the problem first then can figure out how to go about deciphering it.”

“We offer much-needed support to what their teachers provide in a 45-minute class,” Zu expounds. “Learning math is a step-by-step process. When students are weak in certain steps they will fall behind. Our tutoring service has developed an assessment test for students so we can see their weakness and work on it. Our tutoring format inspires interest, develops problem solving abilities, and uses creative ways to approach a challenge – life skills that will help them succeed later.”

Zu adds, “I used to teach elementary-school kids while I was still at Berkeley and I found that there’s a gender stereotype in early childhood – people generally think girls aren’t very good in math. Yet my professor in upper division math told us that every student can succeed in it. Now I know how you teach it makes all the difference in the world.”

Kevel Education has three credentialed teachers – one Caltech graduate, another who holds a Master’s degree from the University of Arizona, and Zu. They concentrate on helping students in sixth through twelfth grade because they’ve observed it’s when kids get into more advanced math, like geometry, that they struggle. A fledgling company, they currently use their office at the Rosemead location of the California Table Tennis Club to tutor students. They also offer on–demand, private tutoring in coffee shops, libraries or public parks in Pasadena, Arcadia, and nearby cities.

Yu says, “Kevel Education is still a start-up so we’re taking it slow. We’re not trying to get more students than we can realistically help at the moment. We’re building a strong reputation and getting more exposure through social media. We also have an ongoing partnership with a local karate club owner who distributes our flyers, and we have an email campaign with local schools in the San Gabriel Valley.”

However, they have plans to open a second location and hire more tutors sometime this year in the Diamond Bar/Walnut area to service the eastern San Gabriel Valley. In that new place, they will have a few table tennis tables and a much larger space for tutoring.

According to research there will be more than one million unfilled STEM jobs in 2020. Now, more than ever, teachers have to find ways to make these courses stimulating and exciting to successfully graduate students to fill those vacancies.

So confident are these three entrepreneurs their method will attract more students that future plans include opening five more tutoring locations in five years. To them, it simply adds up.

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