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Background
The Japanese educational system consists of elementary school, middle school, high school and university. In some ways it is very similar to our educational system.
Some people think that the main difference is that high school is not mandatory for Japanese students, however, what many people do not realize is that high school in Japan is grades 10-12, not the traditional 9-12 seen in the United States. Japanese middle school ranges from grades 7-9. In the United States school is not required for students ages 16 and up, and this is much the same in Japan. It is just viewed differently due to the structure of the grade levels.
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Elementary students cleaning their school. |
Japanese Elementary School (grades 1-6)
Blog of My Experiences at the Elementary School
Unlike the United States, kindergarten is not part of the elementary schools. In Japan most kindergartens are private with 70-75% of Japanese students attending.
The typical Japanese elementary school consists of grades 1-6. Attendance is mandatory for all Japanese children.
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit a Japanese elementary school, Aomori City Namiuchi Elementary School, and I was delighted with what I saw there. Please visit this site to meet real Japanese Elementary students online.
Did you know all Japanese students are responsible for cleaning their school. They do not have janitors for cleaning up after students. All of the schools that I visited were very clean and I did not see any students making messes or littering. Do you think we should do something like this here?
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Middle school students serving lunch to their classmates |
Japanese Middle School (grades 7-9)
Blog of My Experiences at the Middle School
The Japanese middle school experience is similar to our own, but also quite different. As mentioned earlier high school is not mandatory for all Japanese students. In order to get in, a student must pass rigorous entrance exams and this can be very stressful to the Japanese middle school student.
I was fortunate enough to visit a Japanese middle school, ori City Furukawa Junior High, and the students I met were wonderful!
Did you know that most Japanese schools do not have cafeterias where students eat lunch? Instead students eat lunch in their homerooms with their teacher. Typically a few students are selected to go down to the lunch room and pick up the lunch and serve it to the students. I have to say that the lunch I had with these Japanese students was some of the best food I have ever had! Additionally, the students serving were in great spirits and seemed to have a terrific time doing it. After lunch was over the students cleaned up and brought everything back to the kitchen. How do you think this would work at our schools?
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High school students practicing archery in their club |
Japanese High School (grades 10-12)
Blog of My Experiences at the High School
A lot of foreigners feel that the Japanese High School experience is quite different from that in the United States because it is not required. What a lot of people in the United States do not realize is that there is a 98% attendance rate. Wow! That is higher than what we have in the United States. In 2005 9.1% of students dropped out of our high schools, leaving us with an attendance rate of only 91%. Perhaps the rigorous testing and high expectations at the lower levels helps prepare students better for what they are to face at the higher levels? It is difficult to say. Additionally, there is a zero percent illiteracy rate in Japan. That is amazing!
Did you know that schools in Japan do not have organized sports teams like we do here. All sports at Japanese schools are club sports. All Japanese schools, however, have rigorous PE programs as part of their standard curriculum.
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Education Reform In Japan
With statistics like those seen above combined with the fact that Japanese students possess high international performance when compared with individuals from other countries many might wonder why the Japanese would need an education reform, however, there is a strong movement to reform their current system. While I was in Japan I was able to attend a lecture by Dr. Tsutomu Kimura where he explained some of the problems in the Japanese education system and discussed the need for reform.
Dr.Kimura stated that the largest problem facing the Japanese education system is that the students have large amounts of knowledge but that they lack in the "ability to learn and think by themselves" and the "ability to apply this knowledge".
He feels that the largest contributors to this is the excessively competitive entrance exam process to universities, the existence of "crammies" or cram schools to help prepare students for the entrance exams and an overall deterioration of academic performance. The ability to think for themselves and apply their knowledge is not tested in entrance exams and is therefore sorely neglected. Do you think this is similar to what our students face with preparation for AIMS?
He went on to say that in general the students are taught by the textbook and handson education is not occurring a lot, particularly at the secondary level.
Additional issues are the high level of stress faced by Japanese students, which has lead to increases in bullying, health problems and even death, as suicide rates continue to climb.
The basic direction of the reform seems to be in producing more creative individuals by providing more diversity and flexibility within the education system.
It will be interesting to see what direction the Japanese will take with their educational system. It is important to note that it is not only American schools that are constantly looking for ways to improve to benefit their children. What are your thoughts on this? |
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