Regionality of In-school Teacher Training Systematization

The Case of Okinawa from 1958 to the Early 1960s

Abstract

　　 The purpose of this paper is to clarify the systematization of the teacher training system led by the Okinawa Teachers Association from 1958 to the early 1960s. Accordingly, government documents and reports from the Conference on Educational Research in Okinawa (1950s- 1960s) were analyzed. 　　 The findings of this study follow. First, the Courses of Study and Teacher Consultant Program for the Ryukyus affected teacher training in each school. During the period studied, the Okinawa Teachers’ Association and the government of the Ryukyu Islands established a collaborative relationship. Jointly, they discussed and implemented policies for in-school teacher training. 　　 Second, in Okinawa, the systematization of in-school teacher training was designed to work with the Conference on Educational Research. Thus, the conference’s policy directly affected in-school teacher training. At the 6th Conference, the Okinawa Teachers Association attempted to systematize in-school teacher training by founding clubs. By the 7th Conference, founding clubs had spread to most districts. At the 8th Conference, the Okinawa Teachers Association adopted systematization methods that linked school curriculums with conference content and established common themes for the conference. These processes reinforced the policy of systematizing in-school teacher training.