Fulbright Japan Trip 2006

Yesterday and today we visited two schools in Eniwa, Japan; Megumino Junior High School and Eniwa City Shimamatsu Elementary School.  Both school visits were different and intertesting.  The Junior High School follows the more traditional approach for instruction where the teacher lectures and students listen and take notes.  Since the final exams in all subjects are most important students in the 9th grade feel great pressure to do well in their studies.

Shimamatsu Elementary School is a brand new building, opening last December and the facility itself is a showplace.  The design includes the use of natural materials, lots of wood and natural light throughout the structure.  Instruction takes place in self contained areas for each grade level but the students are more interactive with both their teacher and other students.  Additionally all students are responsible for taking care and cleaning the inside of the school building everyday.  In fact time is spent after lunch everyday for students to clean the classrooms, bathrooms and they even wash the hardwood floors on their hands and knees!  Classical music is played over the school intercom while cleaning occurs and there is no whining!  Truly a collaborative atmosphere of cooperation and community exists in this elementary school. 

Overall the Japanese schools we have visited are very different from American schools.  Classrooms are all self contained and teachers travel to various classrooms for each subject.  Instruction is directed to the middle of the group and technology is not used for instruction nor is it connected to the school libraries.  When we asked the junior high administration why computers are not used by students regularly in his school he said they were too expensive.  Clearly technology i.e. computers are not mainstream in Japanese public schools.

I did show several students and teachers my PC laptop and they were amazed.  When I explained some of our students only carry their laptop instead of text books they seemed bewildered.  The Japanese school children loved taking turns and writing their names on the laptop.  Many times I felt like Marco Polo demonstrating all of the features on the PC laptop we are using at Saint Ursula Academy.