Elementary school in Japan

7:50 AM, Attendance

In Japan, children come to school in a group. Parents take turns watching over the children’s safety at intersection. At the school entrance, the principle and vice principle call out the children as they usher them in the doors. In school, where wearing shores is prohibited, the pupils change into the slippers before in entering the classroom.

8:15 AM, Morning assembly

In Japan, elementary school and lower secondary school attendance are compulsory. Children spend most of the day and much of their sensitive growth period in large group, school teach not only book learning, but moral and customs, laying the essential groundwork for life as a member of society.

Let’s take a look at school education in Japan today by following a day in the life of an elementary school.

8:30 AM, Morning reading

Recently, an increasing number of schools has instituted morning reading. Though it’s only about ten minutes, the program keeps children in touch with reading and give them a chance to settle down before the day’s lesson. After choosing books they like from the class room shelves, the pupil sits down to read.

Each class holds about 40 children with boys and girls in equal numbers. But where’s the teacher?

Teachers' morning meeting

The teachers are all gathered in the teachers’ room. As the teacher’s morning meeting the teacher quickly run through the day events and notices. Various teaching, administrative in the general duties are allocated to individual teachers to keep the school running smoothly.

8:40 AM, Morning greeting

After their enthusiastic greetings, the pupils start to chatting among themselves. 

One-minute speech

This school has introduced the one-minute speech. This activity trains children to organize and express their opinion clearly and to listen careful to what other say.

Health check

After taking attendance, the teacher performs a health check, making sure each child is healthy. The teachers record who is late, absent, sick or injured, and their habits. This practice plays a valuable role in managing health and dealing with illness for all the children in this school.

The teacher explains the day’s activities and notices the day. The children sing in loud voices, shaking off drowsiness and getting into the right mood for their lessons. The children chose the songs themselves.

8:50 AM, 1st period

The lessons proceed according to the class schedule base on courses of study prepared by the ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology. Each school organizes a five-day schedule divided into 45 minutes blocks.

Textbooks

Textbooks are used for the lessons. Each textbook contains all the content the children are expected to learn within the single volume. In compulsory education, the textbooks are supplied by the national government. The textbook is supplemented with handmade teaching materials. The teachers pour great effort into making effective teaching materials to get the pupils attention and to help them understand their lessons.

Store-bought teaching materials

Besides handmade materials, the teachers also use store-bought teaching materials to make lesson more effective. Parents are responsible for the purchase of these store-bought material.

Instead of one-way lesson with the teacher talking and students listening, the two communicate constantly, encouraging the children to think. By getting children to express themselves, teacher can access the pupil’s level of understanding and prompt them to participate fully in class.

Blackboard writing

A lot of techniques are used in the classroom, one of these are the blackboard writing. Blackboard writing is much more then scribbling on a board. It is a tool for highlight the key points of the lesson, providing text that organizes the context and help the children understand the content. It plays the role of learning notes share between teacher and pupils. It is said that the way the teacher writes and organizes the information on the blackboard tell volume about his or her strengths as a teacher.

During the lesson, the teacher walks around among the children, checking that each pupil understands what she is teaching.

9:35 AM, 2nd period

Group study / learning

In addition to whole class study with the teacher and all students, classes carry out group study in which children and divided into smaller group and work together to solve problems. The usual pattern is to proceed from whole class study to group study, then turn to whole class study to summarize.

10:20 AM to 10:40 AM, Morning recess

A 20 minutes recess between the second and third hour breaks up the morning. It’s only a short break, but it gives the pupils a chance the relax and re-energize. 

10:40 AM, 3rd period

The classrooms are divided into regular classrooms where normal classes are held and special purpose classrooms specifically made for particular studies such as music, science, drawing, and home economics. The special rooms contain the tools and environment the children need for that subject. Sometimes the whole class moves out of a classroom to a different location better suited to the material being taught.

11:25 AM, 4th period

Special education class

Remedial schooling is provided by specialist teachers to certain children in line with their degree of difficulty in learning. Depending on the subject or activity, however, these students are returned to regular classes at certain times of the day.

12:10 PM to 12:55 PM, Lunchtime

It’s lunchtime at last, and the lunch monitor start preparation based on a duty roster. Food hygiene and safety depend not on the people who make the food, but the children who handle it well so the pupils ate thoroughly drilled in food safety.

Every child is assigned a duty in the class, such as cleaning duties and day duties. Each child become aware for his or her responsibilities as a member of the group.

In addition to their duties in each class, children take part in extracurricular activities such as a broadcasting committee, library committee, and the animal rearing committee. The children decide for themselves what they can do for the school as a whole. The aim of this committee activities is to let children think for themselves what they can do for the school and cultivate their self-governing abilities.

Nutritional guidance

Children are growing, so it’s important that they get the proper nutrients and the right amount of calories. Nutritionists plan the menu and visit each class, making sure children are eating properly. Part of the job is to guide children so they try foods they’re not used to.

Tooth-brushing time

After lunch, the children brush their teeth to prevent cavities. 

12:55 PM to 1:25 PM, Noon recess

Noon breaks last 30 minutes. This is children’s free time when they can play with their friends or just read a favorite book. 

1:25 PM, Cleanup

When break time is over, it’s time to clean up. The children become aware that they have to clean up the area. They use teaching them a sense of responsibility. 

Short time drill

To give children a thorough grounding in basic skills a few minutes are set aside for math problems and reading and writing of KANJI characters.

1:45 PM, 5th period

The afternoon lessons begin. In addition to conventional subjects, children are taught morals and take part in class meetings. Through these lessons and activities, children learn to distinguish right from wrong and study how to relate to other people the rules of society and values.

Here, the children are wrapping up their experiences from the field trip.

In the summer, the 6th graders visited KUROBE DAM in TOYAMA prefecture and climbed TAEYAMA, a 3000 meters peak. The children enjoyed outdoor cooking activities and even encountered PTARMIGANS. Designated a living natural monument in Japan. These are experiences pupils can never enjoy in a classroom.

Integrated study

Teachers use PCs to organize the lesson. They are trained in the use of PCs and learn how to use them to express themselves effectively. We call this kind of education integrated study. The aim of these hand on, experience-based lessons is to let children study on their own issues of their interests or cross subject issues such as environment, human rights, or whatever.

KAMITOBA speeches

The teacher’s face is unusually strained. He is making notes for tomorrow’s KAMITOBA speeches. This is an extension of integrated study to teach awareness of human rights. The wall between classes is taken down, and the classes participate in cross subject activities.

The pupils are speaking too softly and they’re poorly prepared. The teachers are worried about tomorrow’s presentation.

2:30 PM, 6th period

Lesson study

The teachers assemble. Today is also the day for the first graders lesson study. Two or three times a year, the teachers invite other teachers to observe their lesson and assess them.

Reflection meeting

The lesson study is always immediately followed by group discussion. The city supervisor is also in the discussion and actively exchanges views with the teachers. The teachers in charge learn a lot from these exchanges and use what they’ve learned in future lessons.

The lesson study required a lesson plan. The lesson plan offers a signpost explaining clearly the purpose and contents of the lesson. It can take as long as a month to prepare a lesson plan for one lesson study.

3:30 PM, Closing assembly

When all the classes are over, the class holds closing assemblies. The teacher outlines to the class what they’ll be doing tomorrow, what they should bring, and some notices for their guardians. Children who are assigned duties offer brief reports, and everyone referred reflects on the events of the day. There are many other events at the school.

3:50 PM, After dismissal

After dismissal, children in the upper grades take part in their committee activities. The elementary school also has a wide range of clubs. Children are free to participate in whatever clubs interest them. Club activities give children an opportunity to make friends in other grades and to learn consideration and respect for others.

It is time to go home, and the children start to leave. With the children gone, the school is shrouded in silence. The classrooms are festooned with the children’s drawings, writings, and crafts. The walls are also covered with class targets and duty rosters, illustration to aid study, and list of rules.

6:30 PM, PTA meeting

Japan’s elementary school are inseparably connected with the local communities they serve. The mainstay of this connection is the PTA, the local parent teacher association. The PTA conducts a wide range of activities in partnership with schools to promote the sound and healthy development of children.

The teachers gather in the teachers room to make handmade teaching materials, getting ready for the next day’s lessons, carefully poring over each child’s answers, minutely preparing teaching material and lesson plans. It is no exaggeration to say that this dedication of the teachers supports the high standards of the education system in Japan.

We’ve now seen a day in the life of one Japanese school compressed into about half an hour.

No focused based on the lessons, the school also holds a number of special events on a year-round basis.

Will the children’s hours of practice show result in spirit of nervous anticipation, the KAMITOBA speeches begin. Yesterday’s trepidation was nowhere to be seen. The children spoke in strong, clear voices without hesitation, playing their roles and singing their songs with obvious enjoyment. It was an incredible breakthrough.

Enrollment rate is high in Japan. In fact, the educational level in consistently among the highest in the world. Behind this accomplishment in the unwavering support of the national government, informing the courses of study, and the talent and dedication of the teachers in guiding teaching, encouraging, and occasionally scolding their young charges. As the children grow up, the teachers apply a wide range of teaching techniques, imparting not only knowledge, but a spirit of teamwork and an understanding of the rules of the society. Of course, the teachers also draw on support from guardians and the community who play an active role in school of affairs. Education is the basis of national development and the key to a bright and prosperous future.

Resource: JACA Training Video, School Education in Japan, Elementary Schools.