Japanese Schools To Toughen Up

[Mulboyne]

[floatl][/floatl]Yomiuri: 'Cram-free' policy to be dropped
The revised national school curriculum guidelines scheduled to be drawn up before the end of the current fiscal year will drop the relaxed, or cram-free, policy and focus on "sure and steady academic improvement," according to education panel sources. The policy change is apparently in response to the results of international research on academic levels, which found language skills among Japanese students have declined...The school curriculum guidelines are the national standard on contents and class hours for primary, middle and high schools and get revised about once every 10 years. The current guidelines--introduced in the 2002 academic year for primary and middle schools and the 2003 academic year for high schools--have a cram-free policy, featuring the implementation of the five-day school week and a drastic reduction in content. However, as academic levels have declined, the new curriculum guidelines make it clear that it will depart from this relaxed policy. Under the new guidelines, language ability will be regarded as "an essential means for academic improvement," the sources said, and students will be urged to work on improving language skills from their early years in primary school...more...

[james]

as both a parent and an educator (of sorts) it never ceases to amaze me how, year after year after year they can never get to the crux of the problem of why students are going downhill in curricular studies. this is a very personal opinion but i think it's quite basic really - way too much focus on extra-curriculars. this is just my observation based on my students. my eldest will be starting grade 1 in the spring.

too many pointless time-wasting kais, shikis, ensais, too much katsudou, inconsistent schedules and too much assigned busy-work homework or study-hall during so-called "vacations". back off already. it's no wonder the kids can't concentrate in class, they're burnt-out. also, half the time they're boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter. you'd think we were in russia.

keep the school week to 5 days a week for all levels, give them a proper vacation without stupid shit to do, tone down the extra-curriculars and focus on basics and i think we'd see performance improve and happier kids. rather than throwing more time at the problem, the allocated time needs to be used more effectively.

i'm sure there are benefits to some of the extra-curriculars but it seems to be rather overboard and nothing more than institutional baby-sitting while otousan is out at some nomi-kai.

also they need to drop this b.s. of "every kid has a right to learn" being interpreted as "disruptive kids should be allowed to stay in the class to continue disrupting". as though that somehow supercedes the "right to learn" of the other 30 kids.

while we're at it, i think the cellphones shouldn't be allowed in school anywhere at anytime. maybe keep the girls focused on the front of the room instead of texting their friends or seeking "employment".

my two yen.

[Big Booger]

as both a parent and an educator (of sorts) it never ceases to amaze me how, year after year after year they can never get to the crux of the problem of why students are going downhill in curricular studies. this is a very personal opinion but i think it's quite basic really - way too much focus on extra-curriculars. this is just my observation based on my students. my eldest will be starting grade 1 in the spring.

too many pointless time-wasting kais, shikis, ensais, too much katsudou, inconsistent schedules and too much assigned busy-work homework or study-hall during so-called "vacations". back off already. it's no wonder the kids can't concentrate in class, they're burnt-out. also, half the time they're boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter. you'd think we were in russia.

keep the school week to 5 days a week for all levels, give them a proper vacation without stupid shit to do, tone down the extra-curriculars and focus on basics and i think we'd see performance improve and happier kids. rather than throwing more time at the problem, the allocated time needs to be used more effectively.

i'm sure there are benefits to some of the extra-curriculars but it seems to be rather overboard and nothing more than institutional baby-sitting while otousan is out at some nomi-kai.

also they need to drop this b.s. of "every kid has a right to learn" being interpreted as "disruptive kids should be allowed to stay in the class to continue disrupting". as though that somehow supercedes the "right to learn" of the other 30 kids.

while we're at it, i think the cellphones shouldn't be allowed in school anywhere at anytime. maybe keep the girls focused on the front of the room instead of texting their friends or seeking "employment".

my two yen.

Fantastic. I couldn't have said it any better. If only the morons in the ministry of witchcraft and wizardry would pick up on your advice.

[canman]

I too am an educator, (or pretend to be), and also a parent. I see the amount of time wasted practicing for all the different events, sports day, graduation, music festivals, and wonder what the hell is going on at these schools. My son in his last year of high school and my daughter in her second year of high school have received what I believe to be a second rate education. They are doing the best that they can, but when the club activity is more important than the children's time to rest and recover, I would say they were cheated. I just came back from two weeks in Canada, and spent a lot of time with my nieces and nephews who are the same age as my children. They have the entire summer off, are able to get jobs, and generally enjoy themselves. They always ask how my kids are doing, and my answer is always the same, they are studying or doing their club activity.
I too agree that a six day school week is not the answer, just a more focused curriculum, and less time spent on crap. But will that come to be no way. A few years ago a new elementary school opened and the parents at first said they didn't want any clubs to allow the kids more time to play and relax. Well I can tell you it only took a year before there was such an uproar and the clubs were introduced.

[james]

A few years ago a new elementary school opened and the parents at first said they didn't want any clubs to allow the kids more time to play and relax. Well I can tell you it only took a year before there was such an uproar and the clubs were introduced.

sad. absolutely pathetic really. i can't imagine the motivation behind wanting the clubs but i can pretty much imagine how it came to be: one busybody housewife ringleader, i'm sure everyone knows the type, with little else to do but jabber her day away with other busybody housewives decided it would be a good idea if the clubs were re-instated. dissenters or would-be dissenters were quickly brought in line and they probably had a bitch fest at the next pta meeting. bingo, we have clubs again.

just out of curiosity, how are your kids at english? my eldest is doing pretty good and i do reading with him, but the younger one is going to need a lot of work. he understands well enough but generally won't speak.

does anyone here have their kid(s) enrolled at an international school? how do they compare for this? i think i'd need to double my income before i can even consider that option and i can only turn so many tricks a day..

[Mike Oxlong]

The education system here is like the welfare systems in other countries. People (parents) are addicted to the free time it affords them to work, drink, fuck around on each other, shop, go for coffee, drive around, and avoid any of the hard work of parenting. The state-sponsored babysitting service is the crack cocaine of parenting.

[blackcat]

good posts everyone, good advice, rational, practical advice.....hmm wonder why Japaense "educators" wouldn't listen to that!

[canman]

Mike, your point about the schools being used as a daycare/babysitting service is dead on. I remember talking to my student about how her parents were so busy running their business that staying at school and joining the brass band club was a way to stay with her friends and not be alone.
But the problem is that not all families are like that, but since in Japan, everyone must do the same, the kids, or parents for that matter, who want to join a club force everybody to do so.
The other point in the article talking about Japanese language ability, for god's sake get rid of the frikkin' cell phones.(sorry gomigirl) I've only been back in Japan for three days now, and its amazing how zombified the people and young people especially are. Nobody talks, the are all marching around staring at their phones punching out stupid little messages that have no use or importance at all. No perhaps kids in North America are blabbing away on their cell phones since its cheaper and they have much better contracts, but at least people are talking. Nobody talks in this damn country. I went out to dinner last night, and a family came in and sat beside us. Parents and two boys, the kids emailed or checked the internet the whole time, and the father read manga, or something and the mother sat there passively, doing nothing. The food came, and few words were spoken to pass this or that, and that was the extent of the conversation. While at home I was overwhelmed with the amount of back and forth between not only adults but also teenagers etc.

[james]

so people, myself included have mentioned babysitting, cellphones and the overfocus on extra-curriculars. since the japanese idiot beaurocrats will likely not be reading this, it may seem pointless, but what about solutions?

it would be nice if there was a solution, like club-free, curricular-studies oriented alternative schools with no homework during vacations. those who are more family oriented or for whatever reason could send their kids there. those who would raise a stink about no clubs could send their kids to a regular school.

dreaming perhaps..

[Mike Oxlong]

so people, myself included have mentioned babysitting, cellphones and the overfocus on extra-curriculars. since the japanese idiot beaurocrats will likely not be reading this, it may seem pointless, but what about solutions?

it would be nice if there was a solution, like club-free, curricular-studies oriented alternative schools with no homework during vacations. those who are more family oriented or for whatever reason could send their kids there. those who would raise a stink about no clubs could send their kids to a regular school.

dreaming perhaps..

There are schools like that on okinawa, but mostly sky-pilot places or on-base schools. And all centred around or on the bases. Base schools are expensive for civilians (if space is even available), and the other one's spend as much time on j.c. as on the 3 r's. Still, they are outside the system and available to few. And, kids who graduate often have little to no ability in Japanese, screwing them if they plan any sort of long-term life here.

[Hawaiibadboy]

My school is a good example of an anti-establishment type school.
And it is definitely something that is needed since I have a waiting list right now.
This country gets a little better everytime an old-school ojisan dies along with his dated worthless old-school thinking.

[GomiGirl]

I only make mobile sites that have a "use" - language learning tools etc. The kids are just sending messages to each other and I can't be responsible for that!!