A New Approach
toEducation in Japan
KYOTO UNIVERSITY of ADVANCED SCIENCE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

W202105-1

Pros & Cons of Japanese Education〈Good points〉
Student Support
・Supplementary lessons
・Students can rely on teacher
support〈Bad points〉
Cramming education
・Lots of class hours
37 hours per week in KUAS
・A lot of homework

・Good quality of teaching
Limited student independence

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Condition of KUAS
Research: What kind of work do you have?
Target: Teachers in KUAS
(n=38)
Homeroom teacher duties

Paperwork

OtherJuniorhighschool

HR, Lunch supervision,
Cleaning instructions,
Attendance andSubmission management

Proposal document,
Creating orientation
papers and classnewsletters, Collecting test
fees (Eiken, Suken, etc.)

Dealing with parents,
After school lessons,Creating tests, Club activity
Parents orientation meeting,Material Development,High
schoolHR, Lunch supervision,
Attendance andSubmission management,
Meetings, Career
guidance, Contacting
parents

Educational materials
management, Classnewsletters, Document
preparation,
Conference arrangements

Dealing with parents,
After school lessons,Creating tests, Club activity,
Material Development,
Creating tests, Open campus

Problem & Main cause

Teachers’ multitasking workTypes: paperwork, homeroom duties, club advising,class teaching or instructing courses

Cause: To provide ample support

Teachers must work long hours

03

Teachers on leave due to mental problems

5,478

5,000

04

5,180

4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

MEXT (2021)

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Solution

Separating teacher's work
One teacher focuses ona few things

Reduce amount ofclasses
・Reduce demands on teachers
・Provide students with time to dowhat they are really interested in

Increase in education quality
More supervision andsupport for students

・develop independence

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CanadaIn Nova Scotia
・4 classes a day (60-min.)・9:00~15:00
・Do not have supplementary courses
・Separation of duties
Club activities taught by coaches
Students supported by specialized counsellors

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Result of PISA
ReadingMathScience1

EstoniaJapan

Estonia2

Canada

Korea

Japan

3

Finland

Estonia

Finland4

IrelandNetherlands

Korea

5

Korea

PolandCanada6

PolandSwitzerland

Poland7

New Zealand

CanadaNew Zealand8

SwedenDenmark

Slovenia

9

United States

Slovenia

United Kingdom

10

Japan

Belgium

Australia

OECD(2018)PISA

Changing to a new approach08

The traditional “homeroom” system
The homeroom teacher has to help students withproper advice for every problem a student has

The new approach
Students ask a teacher who has been trained in that particular ﬁeld
They will get more satisfaction from the teacher’s advice

Conclusion

Key points of our proposal
・Changing the mind of teachers, students and parents
・One person does not do everything

Increase the quality of education in Japan09

References
MEXT(2021)“Survey of the Personnel Administration Status of Public School Teachers and Staff”
https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20211220-mxt_syoto01-000019568_000.pdf

OECD (2018) “PISA, Reading performance”
https://data.oecd.org/pisa/reading-performance-pisa.htm#indicator-chart

OECD (2018) “PISA, Mathematics performance”
https://data.oecd.org/pisa/mathematics-performance-pisa.htm#indicator-chart

OECD (2018) “PISA, Science performance”
https://data.oecd.org/pisa/science-performance-pisa.htm#indicator-chart

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
KYOTO UNIVERSITY of ADVANCED SCIENCE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL