STUDY GUIDE for:
Benjamin, Gail R. 1997. Japanese Lessons, A Year in a Japanese School through the Eyes of an American Anthropologist and her Children, New York: New York University Press.
Location: Urawa, old city, capital of the prefecture, and now also a bedroom community for Tokyo. Typical also in the haphazdard mixed use way of Japanese towns and cities.
School Year: April 1-March.
six weeks summer vacation
Sam in Fifth Grade, Ellen in First Grade of Okubo East Elementary School. A public school, free, run b y the city board of education in compliance with the guidelines of the national Ministry of Education.
About 1000 students who all lives within walking distance of school, therefore no need for special transportation (each child is assigned to a walking group from their neighborhood).
1. Discuss the meaning of the motto on p. 10:
Thinking Children (can make correct judgement about actions)
Bright Children (rich in cooperativeness, fresh and lively vitality)
Strong Children (healthy in mind & body and able to make judgement needed to carry out responsibilities of their own lives)
a. Action, not merely abstract academic learning, is the test of education.
b. Children are active agents in their own education--not passive consumers.
c. Education and action of embedded in a world of other people.
d. Judgement, cooperativeness, physical and moral strength are who children should learn in school. (NO mention of math, reading, and science)
2. p. 15 What does the term
Akyoiku mama@ mean? (education mom) Intensely involved in the education of her children. p. 16 Reflects the importance of education and the idea that children cannot succeed without their mothers= help. How well a child does in school is partially the responsibility of mother.3. p. 17
AJuku@ or supplementary schooling may be paid for by mother=s employment--a good excuse for a mother working.
p. 202
Ayobiko@ tutoring school to help students prepare for university entrance exams.4. Why study Japanese education system? To compare with the U.S. and figure out why the Japanese do better on standardized tests. See p. 21 for test scores in science and math for 10, 14 and 15 year olds. Even as early as the 1st grade U.S. students are all the bottom classes.
Tests scores in Japan show less variation among students of similar grade levels.
5. What is the Japanese notion of the importance of education?
a. experience is more important than innate individual differences in ability.
b. regimentation is an expression of concern for fairness and equality of opportunity.
c. individuals are not inherently very differ but their different experience lead them to become different.
d. p. 25 All children in elementary school should receive the same education.
e. p. 26 All public elementary schools receive equal funding.
f. p. 203. Education is the key to personal and family success.
6. How does Benjamin interpret the concept of the nation state and cultural homogeneity in Japan. Japan nation, like all others is a cultural creation. Efforts in the last 100 years have been to reduce diversity. But still there are differences--Korean minority, buralumin. But relative to the U.S., Japan is less diverse.
7. How much time do children spend at school and how much of the time is academics?
33 hours for 1st grade, 41 hrs. for 5th grade, inlcuding required Sat. hrs. and required club act. on W. However, much more time is not devoted to formal class instruction: e.g. individual preparation time, breaks between classes, recess, 1hr. 25 min lunch break and clean up the school time. Also class instruction for all students in art, music and physical education. 240 Day school year. U.S. 180 days.
8. How did Benjamin categorize the atmosphere in the classroom during actual instructional time? p. 39 Easy, relaxed discipline, quick pace, high degree of student participation. Students were engaged, lively and active.
9. The pedagogy?
a. no division of groups by ability
b. teachers in elementary school teach all subjects
c. students stay in the same room
d. rotating student class leaders are responsible for getting everyone on task.
e. p. 43 THE TEACHER
=S JOB IN TEACHING, NOT CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT.f. Students correct one another. Peers are the source of validation or correction.
g. Teachers refrain from giving either postive or negative feedback .
Teachers try to stay in the background when it comes to academic material. By teacher design, evaluation by one
=s fellow students is focused on more.h. Report cards are reports of competencies.
i. Grades have nothing to do with advancement in school. It is all tied to standardized tests.
j. p. 63 .Emphasis put on how many ways students can think of to solve a problem, rather than on the correct answer.
k. the Standard are challenging (perhaps too challenging?)
l. homework at night and during summer vacation
m. p. 175 learn by doing, rather than talking
n. 48 Ellen reported that her teacher had been absent all day but the students went on by following her written instructions.
o. p. 83 On the teacher
=s way of handling students who do not participate. i.e. by simply letting them get left behind, without comment. While U.S. Teachers would interrupt the class to focus on a nonparticipant.p. p. 184 Take children
=s own reading of the situation very seriously and refrain from overriding itq.p. 186, 188
AHansei@ (self-evaluation, reflection) continual public self-evaluationr. evaluation in terms of meeting goals
s. p. 226 grades are not a bargaining arena for the student-teacher relationship
10. High school is not compulsory, but 95% of children do attend. Fees are charged and examinations required for admittance. You may attend any school that admits you.
11. What is the significance of
Ahan@ groups in elementary school?Han groups are 5-8 children, each class should have 6-8 han groups. Both Social and Academic activities are in these groups. Teachers assign students to han groups at the beginning of each school term. They are deliberately heterogeneous in terms of personality, abilities, previous friendship pattersn, and previous han groups.
Since life after school will be in heterogeneous groups, so should they be in school.
Han group membership is stable over the term and used for all group work.
Han groups are structured to have self interest overlap with group interest.
Slower students could learn from quicker students. What do quicker students learn?
Why don
=t students= freeload? Because it was fun to join in and self-defeating to get out of the activities. Teachers encourage cooperation by teaching children social skills, not by reprimanding or punishing.12. What is the philosophy behind han groups? Japanese tend to see people as inherently isolated individuals who through great effort are able to become members of groups and thus live a fully human life. What is the U.S. version? Infants are dependent and must be taught to be independent in order to live a fully human life.
13. p. 71 Groups in adult life in Japan may be often hierarchical with traditional patterns of deference and authority, including in language and speech. These groups may be modeled after the family form
Aiemoto@These are hierarchical and based on seniority.
p. 79
AAmae@ or the feeling of being lovingly dependent on someone else@ is one understanding of the values of such hierarchical groupings.Other types of groups are amorphous and leaderless. Benjamin sees han groups at school as more like this than the
Aiemoto@What costs come from both types of groups?
A
The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.@A
ijime@ (bullying by the group)conformity
14. p. 154 on the Japanese philosophy of education that anyone can do anything--academics, sports, music, art. How do they put this idea into practice? a. by cooperative joint efforts, b. by emphasizing persistence as a value c.
15. What do you think of the significance of music and art education for all students?
16. Why have education in morals? Why not teach morals at home? Amae gets in the way of teaching morals p. 172.
17. What are some of the assumptions behind the pedagogy?
****a. every child is a good child p. 228 Benjamin does not think American will adopt this idea
b. every child can learn every thing.
c. doing is more effective than talking
d. persistence is more important than innate ability
e. goal should be continual self improvement measured against one
=s past performance and against national standards.****f. p. 226 Children should not be rewarded for good behavior
g. p. 228 learning should not be prompted by extrinsic rewards.
h. p. 230 What motivates children is acceptance and esteem from other children.
I. p. 231 Learning is easier and more fun in social groups.
j. Academic tracking for young children does not provide the best learning environment.
18. p. 199 What is a healthy parent-child relationship, and how does that relationship promote learning? Especially for mother, a lack of differentiation between the identity and interests of the mother and child. Mother will be hurt by poor performance.
19. p. 214 on stressing cultural uniformity and its impact on Korean and burakumin
20. What are some of the internal criticisms?
a. the curriculum is too difficult p. 216
b. diploma disease--too much reliance on good diplomas and not enough on other possible talents
c. creativity. the author sees Japanese schools as very creative
d. conformity
e. bullying
f. futokoji or school refusers
21. What structures in Japanese society support the school forms and culture?
a. Neighborhoods are less segregated by socioeconomic class. p. 39
b. p. 224 low level of unemployment (around 2%)
c. income distribution that ensures that even those at the bottom have access to means for decent housing, food, medical care
d. few have experienced generations of grinding poverty
e. Teachers have a high social status and good pay
22. What does Benjamin think the U.S. should borrow from the Japanese?
a. classes should be larger but constant
b. no special groups for different subjects
c. no traveling to different classrooms
d. no tracking within classes
e. less emphasis on the student-teacher dyad
f. more fun
g. more noncompetitive academic learning activities
h. more time spent at school
I. but not in academics per se
j. teachers should receive greater support in status and pay
k. more rituals
l. less emphasis on newness
m. a unifying curriculum