If your elementary school child’s skills remain unchanged after attending an English academy for more than a year, the current learning method, rather than the child’s motivation or ability, may often be the problem. First, check the following three things. First, does the child have enough time to speak English directly during class? Second, does the pace of the entire class align well with your child’s speed of understanding? Third, is the child learning the six major areas—reading, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and writing—in a balanced way?
If any of these areas is lacking, a practical choice is to first look for ways to supplement it rather than rushing to stop academy classes. Recently, many families have continued academy classes while also supplementing speaking and repetition practice through online learning. Cats English is an online English learning program for elementary school students that lets them learn at home as they would at an English academy. It is designed to provide not only academy-style classes (input), but also exposure, speaking, and practice training (output), making it one of the options used for this kind of supplementation or transition. In particular, it is based on the content and curriculum of Danbi Education’s Cats, adopted by 82% of academies nationwide, so it is also a learning method that has been used by many academies.
Many parents are concerned because, even though they send their children to an academy 2–3 times a week and the children complete all their homework, their levels do not rise much, and their skills often appear to have stalled below expectations when they take a standardized English test or have an opportunity to speak English. In such cases, this is not necessarily because the academy teaches poorly, but because the structure of academy learning methods has limitations in producing actual English-language output.
For example, if eight students take a 50-minute class together, simply dividing the time means that each child has at most about six minutes to speak English directly. The rest of the time can easily be spent listening to classmates’ presentations or explanations, solving questions, and waiting. Listening alone can make English feel familiar, but skills begin to build naturally only when there is enough time to actually speak and use it repeatedly.
At an academy, the entire class follows the same pace. The class often moves on to the next material regardless of whether your child has fully understood the previous unit. What the child did not understand remains unresolved, and the gaps may gradually grow over time. This can also be where situations begin in which the child’s level rises but English feels increasingly difficult.
What you therefore need to examine is whether learning is proceeding at a level suited to the child’s current ability. If a level test is used to assess the child’s ability and is followed by an individualized learning plan based on the results, it becomes much easier to study while filling in gaps. This is also why Cats English provides a personalized 1:1 learning schedule based on a level test.
Learning new material in class is input. However, English skills build gradually through the output process of directly speaking, writing, and repeatedly using learned expressions. Academy classes alone may not provide enough time for this kind of practice, but it is also not easy for parents to manage it consistently at home every day.
What matters, therefore, is whether there is an environment in which practice can continue naturally. Cats English is structured so that students can continue practicing words, sentences, speaking, and reading after class through an intensive practice app linked to the entire set of textbooks (5,807 types, 42,026 sections). Foxley, an AI English-speaking friend, also initiates conversations, creating opportunities for children to use English naturally. Based on eight levels and 20,000 dialogues, it allows conversations suited to the child’s level and helps secure time to speak English every day.
Elementary English requires the six areas of reading, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and writing to develop together. However, if classes focus on reading and grammar, speaking and writing practice may be relatively insufficient. If it is difficult to readily explain which areas your child is good at and which they find difficult, you may need to review the balance of their learning.
If two or more apply, you may need to review the balance between input and output in the child’s current learning.
| Item to Check | Class-Centered Academy | Cats English (Input-Output Structure) |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking Time | Waiting for a turn during class, or none | Daily exposure to 1:1 conversations with AI Foxley |
| Pacing Method | Common pace for the entire class | Individual schedules based on a level test |
| Practice Management | Homework at home or delegated to the family | A textbook-linked practice app assigns and records the daily learning amount |
| Area Coverage | May be unbalanced depending on the curriculum | The curriculum covers the six major areas and school exams |
| Class Format | In-person classes 2–3 times a week | Classes maintained through live classes 1–2 times a week |
If the child is keeping up well with their current academy classes and is satisfied, there is no particular need to stop. Simply adding support for insufficient speaking or repetition practice may help. Conversely, if travel time is burdensome, the child finds the classes themselves difficult, or you feel the academy classes are insufficient, reviewing other learning methods as well may be an option.
Cats English is an online English learning program for elementary school students designed to let them learn at home as they would at an English academy. Based on 2,120 professional academy textbooks, 4,783 class sessions, and 36,312 content sections, it provides a curriculum that extends from elementary-level foundations to the foundational stage of preparing for school exams and the College Scholastic Ability Test. It also helps students maintain a regular learning rhythm through live classes 1–2 times a week, so some families use it alongside an academy or as an alternative. This curriculum includes the same Danbi Education Cats content adopted by 82% of academies nationwide, so it can also be considered as an alternative to an academy.
When you actually try to change the learning method, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Three broad steps are enough.
First, assess the child’s current level. Determine what level the child is at and which of the six major areas should be supplemented first. Cats English also begins learning after assessing the child’s current level with a level test.
The next step is to establish a learning routine. Attending an academy 2–3 times a week naturally creates a study habit, but for learning at home, it is important to set aside a consistent time every day. Studying for about 30 minutes at the same time each day, together with a fixed class such as a live class 1–2 times a week, helps maintain the rhythm of the previous academy schedule.
The final step is to look at changes during the first month. See whether the child independently continues through the practice process and whether weaker areas gradually improve in the learning records. If you see these changes, they may be a sign that the current learning direction suits the child well.