The quality of Japanese education is internationally recognized and makes the country appear in the first positions in the main world rankings of education. This is nothing new, but do you know what are the details that take Japan's education system to such high levels?
Brazilians residing in the country and education professionals reveal the particularities that build the solid Japanese educational methodology. In a country where the new coexists with the old, respect for public affairs, incentives to work in team, the appreciation of the teacher and the participation of the parents are key elements for such results. favorable.
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Arriving at school, attending scheduled classes, doing homework, interacting with classmates... do you think that the routine of students in Japanese schools comes down to this? More than the school curriculum, the institution preaches the importance of teamwork, respect for what belongs to everyone and extracurricular activities.
Differences begin to be felt in the acquisition of school supplies. The list requested by the schools includes items that may be unfamiliar to us, such as a surgical mask, a cover to prevent accidents (bosai zukin), a dust cloth (zokin) and a shoe, the uwabaki, which must be used whenever the child enters the school.
The constitution of the school list says a lot about the role of the student at school. The first of these refers to helping to clean the environment, from the classroom to transporting colleagues' lunches (there, the need for a mask). Tasks are performed in rotation and include washing the milk cartons used in the snack.
The philosophy of respect for elders is also worked on at school, as a preparation for the job market. In companies, the employee must understand the relationship between veterans and newcomers, the sempai-kohai, something that started in the sports activities carried out at school.
Even if not mandatory, such activities end up being completed by students who fear being excluded from the group. The functions performed in each team vary according to the student's degree of experience. This means that a beginner will never enter the court in sports competitions, despite training every day.
The first tasks performed by them constitute support for older colleagues, such as catching the ball thrown out of bounds, support, replenishing water and carrying their teammates' sports equipment. Entry into competitions is gradual, as students gain more experience.
One of the main aspects of Japanese education is the appreciation of the teaching profession. The tasks performed by a teacher go far beyond teaching classes and include their participation in administrative services, visits to students' homes and counseling. This indicates effective teacher participation in the pedagogical process.
A report recently released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicates that Japanese professors are the ones who work the hardest, compared to professionals who live in similar countries. developed. They work 1,883 hours a year, when the world average is 1,640.
On the other hand, the time actually spent teaching is less than in other countries. In the first six years of elementary school, they spend 610 hours teaching, against 701 shown worldwide. Over the next three years, they reach 511 teaching hours, compared to the OECD average of 655.
Another point that Japanese teaching professionals point out when they visit Brazil is the male presence in the classroom. In Japan, men represent 37.7% of the teaching staff in the first years and 57.7% of the final years of Elementary School. In Brazil, the statistics drops to 11.1% of teachers in the first cycle and 31.1% in the second.
Parent and community participation in the development of education is of paramount importance, and in Japan, the issue is taken seriously! Homes and commercial establishments affix the “Kodomo 110ban” seal to their doors, identifying themselves as shelters for children who feel threatened.
As for the parents, their involvement does not stop with receiving the teachers in their homes. It is common to see many of them cycling through the streets and, with them, carrying a sign that says “on patrol”. The proximity of schools and the community are indications of major changes in the Japanese educational system.
If before the emphasis was placed on the reproduction of content, group discipline and obedience aiming at the formation of a world power, today schools seek to form creative and participatory people. Faced with the need to insert globalized professionals in the market, there were also changes in the forms of entry and school curriculum.
As of 2020, the English language will be mandatory in public schools and the content taught in all disciplines will value active learning, encouraging the student to seek the answers. The entrance exam for universities should also change and the candidate with greater ease in analyzing data and information can take advantage.
World education rankings always show Japan occupying the top positions in areas such as science and mathematics. The International Student Assessment Program (PISA), the OECD's triennial test for 15-year-old students, shows the country in the top five positions in these contents.
However, the results are different in the reading comprehension tests, leading the country to fall from the 4th position in 2012 to the 8th in Pisa 2015. According to the Ministry of Education, the drop in performance can be attributed to the decline in vocabulary, with more young people using smartphones and reading less.
The results in Pisa are the igniting engine for changes to be made in the Japanese education system. But what do Brazilians residing in Japan say when enrolling their children in public schools in the country? Many still prefer to enroll their children in schools run by fellow countrymen.
Among the various reasons given is the thought of returning to Brazil and the lack of understanding of the system itself. To minimize the impacts of the cultural shock, cartoonist Maurício de Sousa, creator of Turma da Mônica, created the booklet “Turma da Mônica and the School in Japan”.
The publication is distributed in Japanese schools with Brazilian students and among people preparing to live in the archipelago. The aim is to show what children and their parents will find so that adaptation is facilitated.
Source: BBC
