Technology+Advances+in+Japan-+Education

Education in Japan- Kindergarten through High School  The basic school system in Japan is composed of elementary school (lasting six years), middle school (three years), high school (three years), and university (four years). Education is compulsory only for the nine years of elementary and middle school, but 97% of students go on to high school. Students usually have to take exams in order to enter high schools and universities. Recently some middle and high schools have joined together to form single, six-year schools

A school year has three terms: summer, winter and spring, which are each followed by a vacation period. The school year begins in April and ends in March of the following year.

Curriculum: The elementary school curriculum covers Japanese, social studies, mathematics, science, music, arts and handicrafts, homemaking and physical education. At this stage, much time and emphasis is given to music, fine arts and physical education. See sample curriculum [|here])  The middle curriculum includes Japanese, mathematics, social studies, science, English, music, art, physical education, field trips, clubs and homeroom time. Students now receive instruction from specialist subject teachers. The pace is quick and instruction is text-book bound because teachers have to cover a lot of ground in preparation for high-school entrance examinations.

High schools adopt highly divergent high school curricula, the content may contain general or highly specialized subjects depending on the different types of high schools.

Nursery-Kindergarten

For most kids, school begins at home, and at a very young age. Parents begin by teaching their kids the basics so that when they actually enter school, they will have a good start.

Elementary- Japanese elementary is  very similar to what we have here in the west, except for the curriculum. Classes usually have 20-30 kids and everyday, students walk to school. Now, this doesn’t seem odd, as we have kids who do the same, but in Japan, it’s the entire class! They get up in the morning, get ready, etc., and meet up with fellow classmates and walk to their classroom. From here on out, students are required to wear uniforms. As they enter the school, students take off their shoes and put on their school slippers. The students all eat each lunch together in their classroom, and get their food from the caferteria. Students wear masks to prevent the spread of germs when they serve the food. Their lunch period is usually an hour long. (How long do we have?! At least 20-30 minutes!) Then, every day, students clean the classroom after lunch. And I mean //seriously// clean. They scrub the floors, the sink, they mop up, wash the windows, and stuff like that. I barely do that much at home in a day!

[|For more on elementary...]

[|A Day with Kentarou- A Third Graders Day]

Junior High (Middle School)- Lower-secondary school covers grades seven, eight, and nine—children between the ages of roughly twelve and fifteen—with increased focus on academic studies. The daily life is essentially the same as in elemenatry. Also, another difference there for people in Japan than here is //Juku,// or cram school. J uku are attended by students after school to go over subjects that were difficult to understand and to apply what one has just learned to solve more advanced problems. Many students attend juku not only to keep up with their schoolwork but to prepare for entrance exams to middle school and high school.Many schoolchildren attend juku two to three times a week, spending an hour and half to three hours each time. Besides working on math drills and other exercises, juku students are taught how to solve problems and take practice exams when admission tests approach. Some schoolchildren attend intensive courses offered at juku during their summer, spring, and winter vacations. Probably, a lot of our classmates would think. //"More studying? Are you kidding me? We do enough that at already at school! "// Actually, //Juku// also play a social role, and children in Japan say they like going to juku because they are able to make new friends; many children ask to be sent because their friends attend. Some children seem to like juku because of the closer personal contact they have with their teachers.

Almost all middle school students take part in an extracurricular club activity of their choice, such as a sports team, a musical or arts group, or a science club. Baseball clubs are very popular with boys. Soccer (football) clubs are also gaining popularity. Judo clubs, where kids train in this traditional martial art, attract boys and girls.

Timings: Japanese elementary and middle schools begin around eight thirty. On Monday, at the beginning of each week, a morning assembly is held before classes begin. Everyone attends the fifteen-minute assembly, and the principal addresses the student body. On other days of the week this time is spent in making announcements and taking attendance in each classroom. After this, classes begin. Each class lasts between 40 and 45 minutes in elementary school and 50 minutes in middle school. Students are given a 5- to 10-minute break between consecutive classes. During the morning hours there are four classes, and many elementary schools also include a 20-minute recess.

Lunch time starts at twelve thirty and lasts for about 60 minutes. At public schools, where school meals are provided, the students are responsible for carrying the meals to their classroom - where they eat - and serving portions, and for cleaning up afterwards. After lunch it's time for recess, which is about 20 minutes long. Some schools use this time for cleaning the classrooms: The students move the desks and chairs to one side of the room, then broom and wipe the floor, clean the blackboard, and throw away the trash. Afternoon classes begin after the cleaning. In lower elementary school classes are only in the mornings, and the children go home after lunch. But in upper elementary school and higher there are five classes each day; middle school students even attend six classes on some days of the week. Elementary school students can choose from a wide variety of after-school clubs, which usually meet once a week. Through club activities the students have the opportunity to receive training in sports, or to deepen their understanding of subjects that interest them. Elementary school students in Japan usually leave school at around three o'clock. Once the students enter middle school, though, extracurricular activities take on a bigger role: Some clubs meet several times a week, or even everyday, and on some days the students won't leave school until around five o'clock.

__ Beyond Academics -- School Culture __

Children learn early on (beginning in preschool) to maintain cooperative relationships with their peers; to follow the set school routines; and to value punctuality (from their first year in elementary school). Classroom management emphasizes student responsibility and stewardship through emphasis on daily chores such as cleaning of desks and scrubbing of classroom floors. Students are encouraged to develop strong loyalties to their social groups, e.g. to their class, their sports-day teams, their after-school circles, e.g. baseball and soccer teams. Leadership as well as subordinate roles, as well as group organization skills are learnt through assigned roles for lunchtime (//kyushoku touban//), class monitor or class chairperson and other such duties.

Despite the assigned leadership-subordinate roles, group activities are often conducted in a surprisingly democratic manner. Teachers usually delegate authority and responsibility to students. Small-group (//han//) activities often foster caring and nurturing relationships among students.

The teaching culture in Japan differs greatly from that of schools in the west. Teachers are particularly concerned about developing the holistic child and regard it as their task to focus on matters such as personal hygiene, nutrition, sleep that are not ordinarily thought of as part of the teacher's duties in the west. Students are also taught proper manners, how to speak politely and how to address adults as well as how to relate to their peers in the appropriate manner. They also learn public speaking skills through the routine class meetings as well as many school events during the school year.

Noisy and lively classrooms, the absence of teacher supervision along with the effective use of peer supervision are most often noted of elementary school classrooms. Homework workload is not overly heavy at this stage, daily portions typically comprise //kanji// (Chinese characters) or //kokugo// (Japanese language) worksheets and one or two pages of arithmetic worksheets. Various after-school //hamako// or club activities or remedial classes may be held by individual home-room teachers (or schools) as they see fit.

Middle-school (i.e. junior school) instruction of academic subjects shifts gear into intense, structured, fact-filled learning and routine-based school life. Small-group han are dispensed with during academic classes. Hierarchical teacher-peer and senior-to-junior relationships as well as highly organized, disciplined and hierarchical work environments such as various established student committees, are observed at middle schools.

High School- Unlike our periods and hours here, the teachers in middle and high school are the ones that go classroom to classroom, while the student stay in one place. Here, highschoolers are studying for entrance exams and other tests that come. Not much really changes, but the curriculum and set up. Also, the system is much stricter and rigorous, which has also made the attendence for juku increase dramtically. [|For parents insight about children attending schools...]

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