We have considered teaching materials substantially. However, this idea makes classification of teaching materials and teaching aids difficult. Whether the textbook is the teaching materials or is it teaching aids? Then, I propose functional concept of teaching materials. That is, teaching materials are work in case a certain cultural contents are changed into a student's recognition. This idea solves the conceptual confusion about teaching materials. Not only it but this idea clarifies the actual condition of our practice.

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In performing kanji tests, asking students to attach furigana to the kanji presented,in order to measure reading ability, and changing the syllabary shown to a proper kanji, in order to measure writing ability,are widely used test methods. However, the form and the content of the questions should be carefully considered when making such tests, because a valid test should properly and sufficiently measure the student’s ability, and also stimulate his/her learning motivation. In this research, it is shown that question form influences student’s tendency to give a particular answer, and also influences student’s learning methods, even in the use of the same kanji in context. The conclusion gives some suggestions, based on this study, about how to form questions when making tests.

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To clarify issues encountered while creating teaching materials that will support children’s use of visual and video images, the definition of image and how the Education Ministry’s curriculum guidelines use the term were examined and preceding studies reviewed. Three issues can be indicated for creating teaching materials:how to use visual images to highly motivate study and voluntary expression; how to effectively consider our existence responding to virtual reality; and considering study environment flexibility.

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The aim of this paper is to make teaching materials for the education of foreign children using the Korean performing art Pungmul. In Japan around 30 percent of foreign residents are Koreans. Also, there are many Koreans who immigrated to Japan after 1910. Therefore, public schools include many Korean and Zainichi Korean students. Although Koreans are close to Japanese,bias against Koreans has existed. In order to reduce bias against Koreans, teachers should consider making lesson plans to help bridge the cultural difference. The theory of Multicultural Education is a useful concept for making good human relationships.In order to make teaching materials based on the Korean performing art Pungmul, I discuss the following three points; (1) surveying previous research focusing on how children were learning Pungmul in school, (2) examining the meaning of Pungmul as teaching materials for multicultural education, (3) making teaching materials and lesson plans based on Pungmul.

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Materials are supposed to be preferable to be provided in accordance with “personality” of each learner. To ensure materials in accordance with “personality”, it is necessary to turn our viewpoint from propositions in coping with mere differences among each individual as before to those in recognizing the roles of each individual in a study group. Materials in this case can be understood as actions for recognizing the roles that each individual take on toward the objectives of the study group. That is, getting learners to proactively recognize their roles in accordance with their characteristics and ensuring their involvement in the objectives of the whole study group are essential to materials which take advantage of “personality.”

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