Examining the Implementation of the “Tsuribashi Watare” Teaching Approach

Abstract

　The objective of this study is to examine how the “Tsuribashi Watare” (Crossing a Suspension Bridge) teaching approach has been implemented. This is motivated by the observation that the textbook incorporates a binary opposition of the individual versus the collective; a structure that is becoming less compatible with contemporary educational contexts.
　The research method adopted is to examine the goals of the textbook’s lessons (units) and the “Learning Guides” and to analyze the “Practice Reports”. The results indicate that prior approaches to reading the textbook have focused primarily on understanding Tocco’s emotions and transformations. However, this pedagogical focus on individualism and emotionalism runs the risk of converging on interpretations that serve solely to achieve its instructional goals. Moreover, while the method asserts the contrastive structure of the individual versus the collective, it does not necessarily foster critical reading of the textbook materials.
　From the perspective of respecting diversity in the future, we need to explore ways of reading that differ from narrow focuses on individualism and emotionalism. Future tasks include proposing alternate approaches that differ from character- and sentiment-based methods, that draw on the research findings from practical-historical studies of literature-focused educational materials, as well as conducting cross-curricular surveys of instruction methods with other teaching materials and reviewing the achievements and issues of lesson practices within Japanese language education.