This a looooong one. Basically a U.S. study of the Japanese educational system…with my simple comments inserted. There’s a lot to read…and a lot to mull over.
I came across this study in my
web hopping during a period of boredom and read it. I found many things that might be used in the U.S.,
but might encounter resistance because it tends to need more National involvement than we’re used to here. Considering how mobile our population has gotten with the ease of transport across the nation, perhaps it IS time to set national standards and requirements for our children’s education. We are no longer restricted by ability to travel easily in where we are employed or find a better area to reside. There is a good reason to provide a greater uniformity to ease a child’s movement with their family. There should be a minimal need to
acclimate to the new school. A child should be able to slide right into the learning process anywhere in the nation.
There is also the standardization of teacher requirements across the nation that would make it easier for both teachers and administrators to find each other and not wonder about what is expected and what is required…and if a teacher meets requirements…they would be tested and certified nationally. I’ll discuss within the document my thoughts and ideas about it and hope it provokes discussions around the country.
Sidelined Buddah
Japanese Educational
System U.S. Dept. of Education Study
Historical and Cultural Context
The Context
Historical Background
Premodern times
Meiji period (1868-1912) to World War II
Postwar era
Some Cultural Foundations
Importance and purposes of education
Harmonious relations and central role of the group
Hard work, diligence, and perseverance
Motivation
Legacy
Historical and Cultural Context
It is no secret anymore that Japan has achieved world status in education. Indeed, some of Japan’s contemporary accomplishments in education–as in economic development–are literally in a class by themselves.
>>( As they always seem to do, by taking the best ideas from others, passing them through their national and cultural experiences and needs, and improving them for their use. )
Japanese education provides all children with a high quality, well-balanced basic education in the 3-R’s, science, music, and art
through 9 years of compulsory schooling.
>>( Note: well-balanced…including music and art.)
The average level of student achievement is high by international standards. So is the retention rate: virtually everyone completes the 9 compulsory years and almost 90 percent of the students graduate from high school.
>>( There has got to be much to learn here. We lag behind them here greatly)
Japan has also succeeded in:
|
Motivating students to learn and teaching them effective study habits; |
|
Creating and maintaining a productive learning environment, which includes effective school discipline; |
|
Using time productively for educational purposes in and out of school; |
|
Sustaining attention to developing character and desirable attitudes and behavior (according to Japanese norms) throughout the elementary and secondary years; |
|
Developing a professional teaching force that is competent and committed, well respected and well remunerated; and |
|
Providing effective employment services for secondary school leavers and graduates. |
|
|
>>>(OK folks…these are ALL things we lack here. In my mind, our failure to achieve this type of success is due to our insistence in ‘local control’ and our belief that ‘only the neighborhood knows what our kids need to learn’. If both were true, why are our schools doing such a lousy job? It’s can’t only be the teachers. Perhaps we as a nation need to realize that there is a use for a national educational system with local inputs. )
These accomplishments result from several interwoven factors, including:
|
A preschool experience (much of it parent financed) for more than 90 percent of children; |
|
An effective public school system, particularly during the compulsory attendance period, supplemented at elementary and secondary levels by |
|
An informal, but symbiotic set of private (parent financed) education programs responsive to the needs of individual students. |
>>>(Ok, there is the public/private part of the equation. There is a place for the private sector, but as an addition to, NOT a
replacement for, public education. There would need to be a co-ordination between both to provide a system that compliments each part and not fight amongst each other’s methods. The private would be subject to what the public system is teaching and act as a re-enforcement and clarifier of thing students need help with)
All of the foregoing are undergirded by strong parental commitment to and sustained support for the education of the child during the entire time he or she is in school. Education is reinforced at every turn by the historical and cultural heritage, community consensus, government policy, and the needs and employment practices of business, industry, and government.
>>> (In other words, education is seen as important. Something highly desired. Parents and society both place high regard
for education and the educated. Something lacking in the U.S.. There needs to be a paradigm shift where our culture celebrates those that excel in intellectual abilities and rewards those as well or better than we now do those that can toss a basketball, catch a football, or hit a baseball. In our country, those that are ‘smart’ are, derided, bullied, scorned, and excluded. Things need to change…in media, in policy, in thinking.)
Japanese education has produced multiple benefits for the nation as well as for its individual students. These benefits include a
well-educated citizenry, which strengthens national democracy; an adaptable work force capable of high productivity in a competitive world economy; the opportunity for individual social and economic mobility; and an improved general quality of life.
>>> ( Just what we’re crying that we need now….)
Despite these achievements, the system is not perfect. The Japanese know better than most foreign observers that there are significant costs as well as benefits associated with the choices they have made and the results achieved. Some difficulties appear before the end of elementary school and are compounded in secondary education. Higher education is in many respects the weakest part of the entire system even though, paradoxically, it continues to exert a commanding influence on the elementary and secondary levels that feed it. The problems are widely acknowledged in Japan and are currently the subject
of concerned scrutiny in and out of government.
>>>( We shouldn’t have this problem here. Our higher education is still among the world’s finest. It’s getting the students up to speed to compete in the global workplace and into position to enter our higher education system that we are failing.)
In trying to understand how the Japanese accomplish what they do in education, how and why the system works, and some of its dynamics, one finds that more than the school system is involved. The home environment for the student, home-school relation, unofficial education programs outside the school (particularly the juku), the relationship between industry and education, especially at the postsecondary level–all have to be taken into account along with history and culture.
>>>( In other words, the entire nation is involved in the education system…parents, politicians, business leaders, neighbors…EVERYONE. It seems they understand that a well-educated population benefits all…not just the one being educated.)
For Westerners, Japanese education is fascinating and complex. Its achievements appear to be as much a product of the nation’s unique historical and cultural foundations and parental commitment as of pedagogical policies and practices. Indeed, several specific factors that contribute to educational achievement may not be readily exportable, so tied are they to the Japanese context.
>>>(True…but that doesn’t preclude adapting those that aren’t. )
While this report devotes some attention to problems and to the current reform movement that aims to solve them, it focuses primarily on understanding Japanese education–formal and informal–in its cultural context. The goal is to present enough information in sufficient perspective that Japanese education can speak for itself. Japanese terms are introduced where
useful, and a glossary is included.
The report also sketches–primarily in Secretary Bennett’s epilogue–some possible implications, for improving American education. These points are not prescriptive. They are intended to stimulate the reader to examine the doctrines, values, performance, and potential of American education in a light refracted through the prism of Japanese experience. In the United States, it is up to those directly responsible for education–state, local and private authorities and individual citizens–to draw their own conclusions about the relevance of Japanese experience to their own situations.
>>>( In that last statement resides the reason things will probably stay basically the same…those four entities rarely see things the same, or want the same results…or ceding their ‘power’ where needed. They all think they ‘know what is best’. For ANY real change to occur across the nation, and it DOES need to happen nationwide, it’s not just a local or state problem anymore, it needs the national government to provide standards for all schools, public and private, and nationally certifying teachers and
principals.)
The Context
In Japan, as in most countries, education is best understood in its historical and cultural context. Indeed, sometimes education cannot be meaningfully separated from its social foundations. This is particularly true for Japan, both because much of the nation’s history and culture is not widely known in the United States and Western Europe and because enduring cultural values strongly affect so much of contemporary Japanese education. While justice cannot be done to Japanese education’s rich
historical and cultural background in brief summary, some basic context is essential for understanding Japanese education today.
Historical Background
Not all of Japanese education is homegrown. Japan is unusual in its long record of interest and initiative in learning from other
countries. Most modern nations, including the United States, have been the beneficiaries of education ideas from other countries, but Japan has been more active in deliberately seeking ideas from abroad to help solve its education problems as it perceives them and less self-conscious in adapting those which seem useful.
>>> (In other words, they know they aren’t perfect and have problems and aren’t afraid to find solutions outside the nation)
While contemporary Japanese education has been widely praised, especially because of outstanding results demonstrated in
international comparative studies of school achievement in science and mathematics, it is not well known that Japan’s record of distinction in education has roots that go back over a hundred years. Indeed, in some important respects education in Japan
today is heir to a legacy of ideas whose origins long predate the century of modern Japanese history.
Premodern times
Chinese civilization was particularly influential in the formation of Japan’s culture, and Chinese philosophical and literary influences have remained strong throughout Japanese history. Along with Buddhism, which came to Japan in the sixth century A.D., came the Chinese system of writing and its literary tradition. So, too, came Confucianism, its respect for learning, the Confucian classics, and its philosophical traditions. Among other things, the Confucian heritage emphasized respectful and benevolent hierarchical relationships, harmonious social relations, and morality. Chinese ideas and systems were modified to suit Japanese circumstances and ideals, and were interwoven with Japanese philosophical and literary traditions.
>>> (This means that Japan and China are more alike than the U.S. and Japan. But as modern Japan shows, Japanese tend to be able to take what they consider the best from things and meld them into their national culture. It also provides a deeper insight into China…historical memory tends to persist…even if those in power at times want it to vanish. There might be much to learn about China’s deeper thinking through the Japanese. )
As the European nations began to expand their empires to Asia, Japan experienced an intense period of contact with the Western world from 1540 to 1640. Japan’s traditional focus on the Asian continent was broadened to include commerce with Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and England, the great seafaring trade and colonial powers of the age. Concurrently, Japan was in the final throes of a period of civil wars, and the Japanese were quick to acquire and exploit Western weapons and other new technology for internal purposes. Jesuit missionaries, who arrived with the Portuguese traders, were active printers. [1] Besides religious materials, they also published Japanese dictionaries, grammars, and textbooks for use in church schools and helped the Japanese add European scripts to their printing capability. Some Japanese traveled to Europe in this era. There was even a noteworthy mission to the Vatican. [2]
>>> ( So, not only are they influenced by ancient China’s respect for learning, the Jesuits bring their influences as well.)
In 1603, after unifying the country, the Tokugawa family established a government headed by the shogun (military ruler). Four
decades later, to consolidate power further, the shogun banned Christianity, prohibited virtually all foreign trade and contact, and closed Japan to the outside world. The nation then entered a period of isolation and relative domestic tranquility, which was to last for 200 years.
>>> (Which probably allowed the shogun to cement the idea of a single nation and government without outsiders trying to interfere.)
Education was very important for the warrior samurai, the most powerful class in Japanese feudal society. The samurai functioned as government administrators during this period. The curriculum for the samurai was based on both military and literary studies The literature was primarily Confucian classics, large portions of which were memorized and recited. Study
of the martial arts consisted of swordsmanship and military tactics.
>>> (In other words…the people with the most education were the most powerful…and the warrior class as well. Again, note…they studied BOTH military AND literary arts…)
Commoner education was generally more practically oriented. It centered around providing basic training in reading, writing, and arithmetic, emphasizing the use of the abacus and calligraphy. Much of this education was conducted in so-called temple schools (terakoya). It is estimated that by the end of the Tokugawa period there may have been more than 14,000 such schools in Japan. [3] They were often one-room private schools, usually with one teacher and a group of students of mixed ages and abilities. Teaching techniques included reading from various textbooks, as well as memorizing and repeatedly copying Chinese characters and Japanese script.
>>>( Still, they DID provide education for the commoners…limited as it was.)
From the 1790’s on, Japan began once again to have contacts with other nations and felt renewed foreign pressures to open the
doors to the outside world. By 1853, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived requesting that Japan establish formal diplomatic and trade relations with the United States, Japan was neither ignorant of world affairs nor inexperienced in dealing with other nations.
At the start of the Tokugawa period, reading and writing were largely the province of the priesthood and the nobility. Most of the population was illiterate. By the end of the era, however, there had been such a dramatic growth in education that the level of schooling and literacy compared favorably with that of England and France. [4]According to the best estimates, by the end
of the Tokugawa period almost all of the children of the court nobility and the governing samurai had some school experience, and probably 40 to 50 percent of commoner boys and 10 to 15 percent of girls of school age received some schooling.[5] Under subsequent Meiji leadership, this foundation would facilitate Japan’s rapid transition from feudal country to modern nation within a relatively short span of time.
>>>( Hmmm…1800 Japan had the U.S.’s current education stats….interesting…sad, but interesting)
Meiji period (1868-1912) to World War II
In 1868, after a decade of bitter internal discord, the Tokugawa government was overturned by a loose alliance of internal opponents who restored political power to the Emperor. The new leadership rapidly set Japan on a modernization course. They began to study not only the nature of Western society, but Western education methods as well.
The Meiji leaders realized from the outset that education had a major role to play in nation building and modernization. The government consciously set out to create a public education system that would help Japan catch up to the West. Missions were sent abroad to study the education systems of leading Western countries. In due course, Western advisors were invited to Japan to help devise new approaches for Japanese education.
While the new system built atop the education base laid down in the Tokugawa period, it was quite different from the old. Public
schooling was systematically introduced throughout the country. It was open to girls as well as boys and to lower as well as upper classes. The new system endeavored to tap all the nation’s human resources in support of national objectives.
Ronald Anderson briefly summarizes the resulting evolution to World War II:
The Meiji leaders…borrowed selectively from the West, leaning primarily on the United States as a model for the initial modern school system. After almost a decade of American influence, however, Confucian sources were once again consulted for educational guidance and Germany was found to be a model more congenial to their own traditions and goals. They codified a nationalist educational philosophy in 1890 in the famed Imperial Rescript on Education, which was the basis for Japan’s ideology until 1945. The Imperial Rescript stressed Confucian precepts, particularly those concerning the hierarchical nature of human relations, service to the state, and the pursuit of learning and morality.
>>>( There lies the difference…the ability to take from other systems and mold them into their own. Not to mention the teaching of those precepts noted in that last sentence…” particularly those concerning the hierarchical nature of human relations, service to the state, and the pursuit of learning and morality.”)
Besides the exposure to an egalitarian American influence in the first decade of the Meiji period, Japan experienced a second transmission of democratic American educational influence in the so-called “liberal 1920’s” when the philosophy of John Dewey
and the progressive education movements became popular. Though widely accepted at normal schools and the elementary level, this approach was suppressed by the militarists when they rose to power in the late 1930’s. During World War II, education was characterized by authoritarianism, indoctrination, and thought control. [6]
By the end of the war Japanese education was devastated. Students were not attending school with any regularity, if at all, and many school buildings had been destroyed. With defeat came the bankruptcy of much of prewar thought. A new wave of foreign ideas was introduced during the postwar military occupation period.
>>>( Nothing like starting from scratch…)
Postwar era
Occupation policymakers were determined to democratize Japan. The United States Education Mission, which arrived in 1946, believed that a complete reform of Japanese education was necessary to help achieve this objective. The Mission made a number of recommendations for major changes in the Japanese education system along American lines. Some of the resulting changes included the institution of the 6-3-3 grade structure; the revision of curriculum and textbooks, including the abolition of moral education courses (which had become highly nationalistic in the decade leading to the war); reforms in the writing
system; the establishment of coeducation; the introduction of university-based teacher education; and support for equal access to higher education. There was also an attempt to transform the centralized prewar system into a decentralized system based on the American model with elected local school boards.
>>>(As we tried to mold them into our image…it did provide a nice base to start on tho.)
After the restoration of full national sovereignty in 1952, Japan immediately began to modify some of the education changes introduced during the Occupation period. These modifications more clearly reflected Japanese ideas about education and educational structure. The Ministry of Education regained a great deal of power. School boards reverted to being appointed, rather than elected. A moral education course was reinstituted in modified form, despite substantial initial concern that it would lead to a reintroduction of prewar nationalism into the schools.
>>>(Like I said..a starting point. There is a purpose for a centralized system, especially when dealing with something that needs to be as standardized as possible across a nation. Appointed school boards are preferred in my opinion. Elections are more of a popularity contest here and policy tends to get buried. An appointed school board tends to discuss policy more than being popular as they are the buffer between the citizens and the appointer. And moral education…what a concept…we need that here…but a SECULAR morality…not religious. It IS a PUBLIC school system, and religion is best left to home and church.)
By the 1960’s, postwar recovery and accelerating economic growth brought increased demands on the education system. In addition, there were strong disagreements between the government and the teachers’ union. This was also a period of great turbulence in higher education. All this fueled confrontation and debate about education reform. Some aspects of Japan’s
current reform movement can be traced back to the late 1960’s.
( Ah yes…some things remain constant across borders )
The Japanese education system has grown rapidly since 1960. According to Morikazu Ushiogi, from 1960 to 1982 the proportion of the high school age group enrolled in high schools increased from about 58 percent to 94 percent, while the proportion of those of college age enrolled in higher education institutions increased from about 10 percent to 36 percent. [7]
>>> (Don’t we WISH we had these stats…*sigh)
Today’s system still reflects the long-standing cultural and philosophical ideas that learning and education are esteemed and are to be pursued seriously, and that moral and character development remain intimately related to education. A meritocratic legacy stemming from the Meiji period endures, as does a centralized education infrastructure and an orientation toward viewing education in the service of national development as well as of personal benefit. The interest remains in investigating alternative education models abroad, as does a continuing capability to adapt foreign ideas and methods to Japanese traditions.
>>> (Interesting…a respect for learning and the desire for it is respected as well, morality and character are also included in
partnership with parents and society, and the nation as a whole and in policy sees education as a national developmental benefit….man, do WE need to change our thinking here )
Some Cultural Foundations
Japanese education is a powerful instrument of cultural continuity and national policy. The explicit and implicit content of the school curriculum and the manner in which teaching and learning are accomplished impart the attitudes, knowledge, sensitivities, and skills expected of emerging citizens of Japanese society. These lessons are further reinforced in the context of family and society.
>>>( Not only are they taught book learning, but what it means to be Japanese, and what is expected of them in society…and that gets reinforced by parents and neighbors. Can you really say you know what it means to be an American? Can you see it in your parents and neighbors? Do you think you’d want to know what is expected from you early in life?)
Linguistically, racially, and ethnically, Japan is a comparatively homogeneous nation with a strong sense of cultural identity and national unity. But Japanese society is not monolithic, and there is considerable individuality. There are also finely calibrated distinctions in status based on age, gender, employment, and social and educational background.
( Major differences here, especially racially and ethnically, but they don’t preclude developing a strong sense of cultural
identity (being an American) and national unity)
Despite these differences, however, the Japanese prefer to define themselves in a manner which emphasizes their core of commonly held beliefs and values. While popular culture and lifestyles have undergone some dramatic changes since World War II, there remains a high degree of public consensus regarding societal values, appropriate standards of behavior, and the
importance and goals of education.
>>>( Something we might learn from…emphasize what we hold in common and define ourselves that way.)
Importance and purposes of education
The origins of the Japanese commitment to education lie in the Confucian and Buddhist heritage in which great respect is accorded learning and educational endeavor as means to personal and societal improvement. Today, there is a clear consensus that education is essential for both individual and national development and that it requires active, sustained commitment of
energy and resources at all levels of society.
>>>( Note that last statement…we can’t just do something once and think it will solve things, it’s a constant commitment that
is needed…from everyone. In other words..no quick fix and you just can’t ‘set it and forget it’.)
Parents and children take education seriously because success in school is a crucial determinant of economic and social status in
adult life. Government policymakers and business leaders view the content and quality of public education as central to national cohesion, economic development, and international relations.
>>>( If only WE saw education the same way. Letting our future get dumber and ignorant just erodes the nation’s standing.
We’ll be a Third World country before we know it.)
To the Japanese, education has always had important goals in addition to acquisition of academic knowledge, intellectual growth, or vocational skills. Moral education and character development are also among the central concerns. There is a strong consensus that schools have the obligation and authority to impart fundamental Japanese values as the foundation of proper
moral attitudes and personal habits.
>>>( And yes, there are fundamental American values as well. See the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, for examples)
Respect for society and the established order, prizing group goals above individual interests, diligence, self-criticism, and
well-organized and disciplined study and work habits are all traits, which are believed to be amenable to instruction.
>>>( This line of thought might be difficult for the believers of the ‘rugged individualists’, but what major, lasting things
have been accomplished by ONLY a single person? Lindberg? Nope, he had a support team, an aircraft maker, financial backers, etc.. Take just about ANY ‘solo’ accomplishment and dig beneath the hype and just about EVERY time you’ll encounter a group of people that made the ‘solo’ accomplishment possible. In fact, if you study the lives of many successful people, you’ll find most of the traits stated in that statement in their way of doing things.)
The child’s learning experiences at each level from preschool through 12th grade reinforce their acquisition. Japanese teachers
believe that the proper development of these values, attitudes, and habits is fundamental to success in the classroom as well as in adult life.
>>>(Ya gotta learn the rules before you can break them. You can’t excel in sports if you don’t know how to play.)
Harmonious relations and central role of the group
Japanese society places a high value on harmony in interpersonal relations and the ability to cooperate with others. The Japanese believe that being a member of a well-organized and tightly knit group that works hard toward common goals is a natural and pleasurable human experience. Schools reflect this cultural priority. Classroom activities are structured to encourage or require participation in group activities, to emphasize the responsibility of individual students to the class as a group and the school as a whole, and to develop group loyalty.
>>>(Or what businesses and sport teams depend on….)
Particularly in elementary school, classes are organized into small groups, which are the basic units of instruction, discipline, and other activities. Teachers attempt to foster group cohesion and a strong group spirit by avoiding overt recognition of differences in individual ability and minimizing one-against-one competition.
>>>(Individual achievements are fine, but it’s more fun to be able to share a success as a group than alone.)
Daily life in a Japanese classroom requires considerable mutual assistance and adaptation of individual views and interests to group goals and standards of behavior. The heavy emphasis on group activities and social consensus results in considerable conformity in behavior. There is a strong tradition of viewing conformity and group orientation as demonstrations of moral character.
>>>(Can be good, can be bad…note Japan’s crime rate…I lean towards good here)
To most Westerners, a high degree of behavioral conformity is typically associated with top-down control. However, Japanese teachers are not typically authoritarian nor is harshness a characteristic of classroom life in Japan. Instead, the cultural emphasis on harmony and hard work requires that each individual within the system be a willing contributor to the group effort.
>>>( In other words…as a group we can accomplish bigger and better things, but the group needs every individual’s contribution to succeed)
Group leadership, Japanese style, orchestrates the members’ motivations and expectations so that order and discipline, both in the classroom and the larger society, are natural outgrowths of achieving a high degree of individual identification with group goals.
>>>( More can be done if things are done in a disciplined, orderly fashion, than if the group’s efforts are scattered and
going in different directions)
Hard work, diligence, and perseverance
The Japanese believe that hard work, diligence, and perseverance yield success in education as well as in other aspects of life. A
certain amount of difficulty and hardship is believed to strengthen students’ character and their resolve to do their best in learning and other important endeavors.
>>>( Nothing ever comes easy all the time. Being able to overcome problems and setbacks increases a student’s confidence in
their own abilities and the abilities of a group to help.)
The amount of time and effort spent in study are believed to be more important than intelligence in determining educational outcomes. Most Japanese parents and educators are unshakably optimistic that virtually all children have the potential to master the challenging academic curriculum, provided they work hard and long enough.
>>>( As opposed to many in the U. S.that think that some students will NEVER be able to succeed.)
Some teachers and students are less sanguine. The educational results achieved by most Japanese students in international comparisons provide considerable support for the beliefs and expectations of the majority, particularly in light of the fact
that there is no credible evidence that Japanese children have a higher level of native intelligence than, for example, American children.
>>>( Expectations often make the results that are expected. Expect failure, you get failure…expect success…you’ll get success, if not, something better than if you set your sights low.)
A recent comparative study by Robert Hess and others provides interesting confirmation of the Japanese belief in the efficacy of
effort:
In Japan, poor performance in mathematics was attributed to lack of effort; in the United States, explanations were more evenly divided among ability, effort, and training at school. Japanese mothers were less likely to blame training at school as a
cause of low achievement in mathematics…Their children generally shared this view of things. [8]
Parents and teachers encourage regular study habits from the 1st grade on. A careful, reflective approach which achieves accuracy and precision rather than speed or intuitive insight is emphasized, particularly during the early years.
>>>( It may take you a minute, it may take you an hour…what is important is that you get the correct answer, not how fast you get it.)
Repetition and memorization continue to be important in the learning process, particularly in preparation for the arduous and important high school and college entrance examinations.
>>>(Well, considering that most of the basics are needed to be memorized in order to do higher studies…and repetition is one way to learn a needed basic…not surprising)
Motivation
The cultural emphasis on student effort and diligence is balanced by a recognition of the important responsibility borne by teachers, parents, and schools to “awaken the desire to try.”
>>>( Not only do you need to show up, you actually need to try…and it’s not only the school’s job to motivate students….)
Japanese teachers do not believe that motivation is primarily a matter of luck, family background, or personality traits. They believe that the desire to learn–like character itself–is something which can be shaped by teachers and influenced through the school environment. Students are unceasingly taught and urged to “do their best,” in groups and as individuals.
>>>(In other words…you can learn to want to learn…and it’s the school’s job to bring that out in students.)
A major method of motivating students is the encouragement of group activities, which are believed to be more enjoyable for students than solitary endeavor.
>>>( What is more fun…sitting alone, working on a project, or working on a project with a group? Especially for those without a
background in ‘learning’)
Motivation through group activity is accomplished by promoting a strong sense of shared identity and by allowing individuals
opportunity to influence group goals and activities. Wearing school uniforms, rotating student monitors, and planning and staging class and school activities all contribute to the process.
>>> (Why do people like joining a gang, or a team, or a team rooting section, or company? A sense of ‘belonging’.)
Particularly at the secondary level, entrance examinations provide special motivation for study. Students know that their scores on high school and university entrance examinations will strongly influence their future life path. Parents reinforce this concern by urging their children to study hard, by providing a home environment conducive to study, and by financing extra lessons and tutorial assistance.
>>>(Again, parental support is basic)
Legacy
Japanese history and cultural values permeate Japanese education. The heritage is reflected in the national consensus on the
importance of education, its role in character development, and the willingness of both parents and children to sustain effort and sacrifice year after year to achieve success in school. It helps form the invisible foundation of the contemporary education system.
>>>(It’s not me, me, me, what’s in it for me, it’s doing the best for my kid so they can do the best for society)
to be continued…
Sidelined Buddah
Sidelined Buddah 
