The Japanese Curriculum

1992 – 2003

 

 


 

CULTURAL FACTORS

by

Susan Sexton

University of Georgia


 

¯  Cross Cultural Studies

o    Who, exactly, is interpreting the curriculums?

¤      internal and external viewpoints

o    Japanese education has long been viewed in either two extremities

¤      great educational achievement

¤      pressure and trauma on students

 

¯  Moral Education

o    Confucian philosophy:

¤      childrenÕs deep respect for their parents

¤      loyalty

¤      patriotism

¤      the pursuit of learning

o    perseverance

¤      Japanese vs. American students

¤      parents and teachers

¤      all students can learn mathematics

o    group cooperation

¤      mixed ability grouping

¤      uniformity of educational experience

¤      lack of classroom hierarchy

¤      the role of the individual is downplayed relative to the group

¤      addressing group as a whole

¤      less distractions by off-task students

¤      tendency to credit good acts over sanctioning bad ones

 

          

¯  Educational Pressures

o    When and why:

¤      increase as students advance to higher grade levels

¤      further advancement within the Japanese society

¤      get into the best high schools and universities to ensure future employment and social status

o    Strategy:

¤      Juku:

á   part of JapanÕs private sector

á   a means of providing some form of supplemental education for Japanese students

á   preparation of entrance exams into either the high school or the university

á   to supplement current classroom education

á   instruction in topics that are not offered by the school

á   direct consequence of parental concern as opposed to those of school officials

 

á   allows teachers to maintain the system of single-track, mixed ability teaching

 

¯  The Workplace

o    employer criticism absent in Japan of studens with basic skills

o    inherent sorting of students by the entrance examination into high school and the university

o    moral development, group cooperation, and perseverance are the qualities that employers desire

o    compulsory education ensures that each student learns a basic level of set skills

o    the basic knowledge and skills render students easily trainable in large companies

o    cycle of homogeneous society

 

 

¯  The Cultural Influence on Mathematics Teaching

o    a more complex interaction between the student and teacher actually exist

o    Japanese elementary teachers (versus American counterparts):

¤      engage students in more reflective discussion

¤      ask questions that require longer answers

¤      provide more critical feedback

o    Japanese mathematics textbooks (versus American mathematics textbooks):

¤      emphasize more cognitive modeling of problem solving processes

¤      seem to assume the learner is a cognitively active problem solver seeking to understand the process for solving

o    Japanese teacher:

¤      held in high esteem

¤      a product of the Japanese educational system

¤      spiraling effect

¤      not a shortage of mathematics teachers

¤      high school teacherÕs subject knowledge is more specialized

¤      Japanese high school teachersÕ instructional load is nearly 100% mathematics

 

 

 

References

 

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