Introduction of “Education Through Empathic Understanding” towards KYOSEI

Abstract

SEISA Group’s educational philosophy is founded on “education through empathic understanding,” and our final goal is to create a KYOSEI society, a society in which all people can live together in harmony. “Empathic Understanding” is one of the most significant elements in communicating with each other, which is an important factor that affects our lives, yet the terminology is still not widely recognized. SEISA’s “education through empathic understanding,” originates from the experience I had with some eccentric children 40 years ago. “Education through emphatic understanding,” which is one of SEISA Group’s core philosophy, can also be described as the “mind and heart required by the students and the teachers to understand each other with empathy and to learn through interactions.” With the aim of further developing SEISA’s education, I examined our “education through empathic education” that we’ve been practicing for over 40 years, and found out the importance of providing emotional and environmental supports that work together in an effective way. These supports are completely different from the social support provided by the government, and their objectives are to revitalize the school environment and to get the students involved with their school life. In order to train teachers who could provide such desirable environment, I found out it is essential that the teachers always keep Seisa’s philosophy in their mind, cooperate with each other to resolve issues, and that they keep getting various types of appropriate training. “Education through empathic understanding,” which embodies SEISA’s philosophy, is the key for the materialization of a KYOSEI society.