Dialectic is one of the effective thinking methods to regard the world as the whole of mutual connection of the side or a domain, to predict development of the world. What exists at the center of dialectic is the inconsistency, furthermore dialectic makes the feature by inconsistency. Since it says that release of man was not realized in the socialist states, it is an error to abandon the academic examination of dialectic and inconsistency. First of all, the academic examination makes discovery and its dissolution of inconsistency a fundamental idea. However, on the other hand, inconsistency is the concept which carried out intension of the various problems. Among those, the most serious problem is that recognition of the real world is specified by grasp of inconsistency. The purpose of this paper is solving the mechanism and the origin of this problem which appears in the domain of educational research in Japan.

View full abstract

SAITOU, Kihaku (1911-1981) served as the principal of SHIMA elementary school (Gunma Prefecture) for over 11 years from 1952 (Showa27). During that time, Saito nurtured children who study of their own free will. What were the underlying factors involved which enabled these children to open their minds so freely to studying? This paper sheds light on the activities that these children were involved in within the community as one such important factor. Teachers developed an educational practice which respects the child's independence while he or she was involved in learning activities in the community, just as it did in learning situations at school. SHIMA elementary school is noted for an approach to education that releases children, teachers, and people from the surrounding community from oppressive restrictions. People came to live freely by it. Teachers eliminated all formalities and set procedures from their teaching and emphasized what was practical. Children came to discover problems for exploration in the community, just as they did at school. In order to solve these problems, they created their own groups, within which they were able to study the issues involved in a free and open manner.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to make clear the characteristic of Dewey School's curriculum development style in the earlier period (1896-98), which is divided into two periods; "half year after opening the school (Jan.-Jun. 1896)" and "since Oct. 1896." During the half year after opening the school, the principle of the school's educational method was to place "regular occupation," i.e. activities based on housing (carpentry), clothing (sewing), and food (cooking), in a core of the curriculum. This curriculum was developed in a way subject lessons would branch from each activity unit, which is composed of basic activities as main components. At this period, the school adopted an all round-teacher-system. Since October in 1896, it seemed that the idea of the school's educational method was almost unchanged. But the school's curriculum was devised so that each unit in three domains, that were "Manual training (cooking, sewing, carpentry)", "History and Literature", and "Science", would make an interactive connection with other two domains. At this period, an expert-teacher-system was adopted in the school. Therefore, in such a situation, both formal and informal communication among the school's teachers was a very important factor. In conclusion, Dewey School's curriculum at the earlier period was devised so that it enabled children to recognize the needs of subjects (domains) through accomplishing constructive activities with direct experience, and to perceive that these subjects are connected with each other.

View full abstract

In the educational practice, hegemony has been understood as the power that a teacher exercises over children on the assumption that children stand by and consent to the teacher. It has been argued in the clue of the concept of hegemony in Antonio Gramsci. This represents, however, an incomplete and one-sided understanding of hegemony. By discussing hegemony actively and affirmatively, it has been disregarded that the fact that hegemony can also be considered in terms of "domination". Gramsci grasps the problem of domination from two aspects. One is "coercion", and the other is "consent". Consent, as against coercion, is hegemony in Gramsci, and it is used in the context of domination. Hegemony means both the collective popular consent and the functions that make it. From this point of view, two hegemony theories can be discerned. One is the hegemony theory that analyzes the existent collective consent, and the other is that makes a new collective consent. According to these two hegemony theories, the concept of hegemony is grasped dynamically. This point is the core of hegemony theory. By using the hegemony theory in Gramsci, one can understand the politics that occur in the process of the formation of consent between teacher and child. And then, by taking the process of the formation of consent between teacher and child as a process of the formation of hegemony, it is possible to transform the relationship between teacher and child through the formation of consent.

View full abstract

"The Revised Taxonomy" revised the cognitive domain of the taxonomy of educational objectives developed by B. S. Bloom, i.e. Bloom's taxonomy or the original version. Bloom's taxonomy is a framework which classifies and clarifies educational objectives. The purpose of this paper is to explore the significance of "the Revised Taxonomy" in comparison with the original version. First, this paper examines some changes in the revision, especially its two-dimensional structure, which is one of its most important structural changes. "The Revised Taxonomy" describes six major cognitive process categories and four types of knowledge, which make up the two-dimensional structure. Secondly, this paper extracts from the original version the direction of instructional improvement inherent in the taxonomy structure, which is referred to herein as "the logic for structuring educational objectives". The original version seeks to broaden teachers' horizons with regard to the higher-order cognitive objectives. On the other hand, it also makes teachers focus on the attainment of the knowledge objectives, which provides the basis for these higher-order cognitive objectives. However, in its perspectives on learning, upon which the logic is grounded, the original version assumes that the development of intellectual skills can be separated from knowledge acquisition, and envisages knowledge acquisition as a process of accumulating bits of information. "The Revised Taxonomy" has the perspectives on learning different from the original version, i.e. the constructivist view of knowledge and the domain specificity, both of which are based on cognitive psychological research. These differences form the background of the two-dimensional structure. This two-dimensional structure may encourage teachers to rethink the quality of knowledge acquisition and elucidate the knowledge base, which supports the higher-order cognitive objectives. Therefore, the transition from the original version to "the Revised Taxonomy" may be described as a process of reconstructing the logic for structuring educational objectives.

View full abstract

This Paper aims to clarify a method of constructing critical literacy in the classroom, focusing on C. Lankshear's theories which are positioned in the genealogy of literacy studies in Critical Pedagogy. The characteristic of his literacy studies is that he clarified a method of constructing critical literacy in the classroom, focusing on the literacy studies of J. P. Gee, who approaches to languages and literacies in terms of his Discourse theory in the domain of sociolinguistics. Lankshear sees Discourses as forms of life constructed through language practices. Hence, the aim of literacy education is to read words and the Discourses, and to be engaged in pursuit of alternative Discourses. To clarify a method of constructing critical literacy, it is significant to clarify two aspects in Discourse mastery process, 'acquisition' and `learning'. To construct critical literacy, especially, students need to find the relationship between one's own Discourses and the other by gaining 'meta-level knowledge' which generates in the process of 'learning'. Finally, this paper analyzes the process of critical learning concerning 'famine', which is designed by Lankshear. The practice is designed across some subjects, and then students can read some texts from various points of view. The literacy education aims to articulate various Discourses between one's own and the others.

View full abstract

The aim of this study is to clarify the actual conditions of elementary school's "Japanese" in the beginning of the 1900s when it was established. The author focused on the practice of the elementary school attached the teacher school in Osaka Prefecture. In this school they had high consciousness of the education of language itself when "Japanese" as a subject was still unstable for. The author considered the teaching process, the actual conditions and the view of "Japanese" which was behind them. In this study the clue to search for the original significance that inheres in "Japanese" could be shown from the historical viewpoint. In the preceding studies, it was thought that in "Japanese" when it was established teachers tended to teach the contents of the textbook. However, in this study, focused on the existence of the practice to have made much of teaching language itself against such a tendency, the author considered about the actual state and the background of it. Based on the materials that have been hardly used until now, the existence of the teachers and the practice that were very conscious of the original significance of "Japanese" in the beginning of the 1900s could be historically proved. What principle each subjects are constructed is an important problem of the study of educational methods. That is more and more important because we should reconsider the frame of subjects at present. The author would like to contribute that important problem from the historical viewpoint.

View full abstract

This paper discusses the contribution of Kazutoshi Ueda's theory of composition education in elementary schooling in Meiji period by examining his idea of the connection of language and education in "Sakubun Kyoju-Ho" (the method of teaching composition). Ueda presented the idea of composition education in connection with the relationship between the concepts of "general education" and "Japanese language." In his idea of "general education," there were two sides: "people's education" in the society and "national education" in the nation state. Japanese language had also two interrelated aspects. First, it functioned as a "tool" that transforms itself as the society changes; and second, it functioned as an established "tool" that should be inculcated upon "the nations." Ueda claimed that aspects of "general education" and "Japanese language" were mutually related. Ueda contributed three innovative standpoints on composition education in elementary schools. First, rather than the mere knowledge of classics, he put an emphasis on the process of conversion from thought to language, and then to the text. Second, he acknowledged the diversity of language and the style of writing, and recognized the existence of others by listening to their words and reading their text. Third, in connection with these two points, Ueda argued that language should have the fixed standard, and considered the development of children as a process through which they mastered the standard in schooling. Ueda's idea of shared language in his theory of composition education thus contributed to the standardization of Japanese language.

View full abstract

The purpose of the present study was to search the precondition to make the learning of history more interesting from the viewpoint of metacognition. The subjects participated in two investigations were undergraduate students. In the first investigation, the relation between the likes and dislikes of the learning of history and the self-regulated learning strategies on the basis of metacognition was examined by questionnaire. As a result, it was found out that the subjects who liked the learning of history adopted effective self-regulated learning strategies to promote memory and comprehension. But the subjects who disliked the learning of history adopted rote learning strategy. This result suggests that the adoption of rote learning strategy make lose learners' interest in the learning of history. In the second investigation, the hypothesis that organizing fragmentary knowledge of history promote meaningful learning and arouse learners' interest in the learning of history was set up. To verify this hypothesis, the relation between the ability to generate questions about the insufficient informations of a text, which was thought to be a premise of organizing fragmentary knowledge, and metacognitive self-regulated learning strategies was researched. The result showed the metacognitive learning strategies related to the ability of generating questions. Also in the second investigation, the relation between the ability to generate questions and amount of knowledge about history were examined. But the correlation coefficient between these two factors was not significant.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the significances and fundamental principles of teaching materials based on thematic approach in history education. Through analyzing Project Social Studies "United States History: From Community to Society (1968)", I identified the significances of thematic approach in history education. Thematic approach makes it possible for pupils to understand the bases of present society and obtain the liberal and critical perspectives on the present society. And I extracted following essential elements: 1) The first aim of thematic approach in history education is to teach the origins of present society related to themes, and second, to teach knowledges of social sciences related to themes. 2) To achieve the first aim, it is necessary for pupils to learn the origins and roots of present society when they study social changes related to themes. Materials need to be constructed for the sake of understanding the relationship of the past and the present at all times. 3) To achieve the second aim, it is necessary for pupils to learn various factors and influences of social changes scientifically when they study social changes related to themes. Further, it is necessary for pupils to extract and examine many generalizations of social phenomena through analyzing the background of social changes. Materials need to be constructed for the sake of understanding social scientific generalizations at all times.

View full abstract

The aim of this article is to find out the features of the methods of instruction that teachers cultivate children's "questions" in science learning at elementary schools. The problem how teachers develop the science lessons on the basis of children's "questions" arouse in the encounter with the mysteries of the natural world, has been disputed as the important theme during the 80 years from Taisho-Era. Isaburo Kanbe put science lessons into practice, relating the process how children inquiry the natural world to the process of science lessons, with the trust that children's "sprout of science-inquiring spirits" had the possibilities of original growth. His original researches from the viewpoint of "child study" were very interesting. He was surprised to hear his daughter's questions and his view of children's outlook on the natural world underwent a complete change. This was the great turning point for him. Through this examination, I found out the features from his practices and his view of "instruction". There are the following: (1) It is important for teachers to organize the environment where children could enjoy the science world and to esteem the viewpoints unique to children as the authentic. (2) By waiting thoroughly for children to think their questions over and inspirations about anticipation of the results, teachers create the time for children to arise their motivation of learning with the objectives-consciousness, so that the contents of "questions" become clear and plentiful. (3) To train each child's independent learning and have children do consciously self-evaluation, it is indispensable to organize the place of reciprocal learning where children's "sprouts of science-inquiring spirits" cultivate. In con the meanings that teachers developed the science lessons on the basis of children's "questions" and changed the view of "instruction" through accepting the viewpoint unique to children and cultivating their "questions".

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify how their musical experience and therefore their internals developed through the analysis of the pictures "Music for Children". These pictures are very valuable in the sense that they show his philosophy of education directly. For this research I put the songs and speeches, movements and dancing into scores, at the same time recorded their activity and expression, and analyzed it from these stand points of view. 1. How did the pupils have the musical experience? 2. How did their internals develop? As the result these were clarified. 1. Development of children's musical experience ・In "Music for Children", speeches, movements and sounds were unified at every stage of their activity. (1) It begins with a nursery rhyme→ (2) being through an ensemble centered on the percussion instruments→ and developed into the activity unifying music and dancing. ・Their experience on musical elements developed from a small unit into a big one, and a simple unit into a complicated one. 2. Development of children's internals ・It may be guessed that children cultivated their emotion to grasp an atmosphere and emotional contents through the activity.

View full abstract

In this paper I not only demonstrate the possibilities of intercultural learning through e-mail exchanges in English but also state the tasks toward expanding its possibilities. This intercultural learning was implemented by students in Hirano Junior High School attached to Osaka Kyoiku University and students in Brockhaus-Schule/Gymnasium in Germany in March 1999 and is still continuing. These e-mail exchanges are called "the Japan and Germany E-mail Project," which is in the contact point of the pedagogical concepts of intercultural learning, media learning and cooperative learning. Therefore, the objectives are (1) to know cultural differences as well as to form abilities and set to cooperate beyond their differences, through information and opinion exchanges about global tasks and each others' culture, (2) to form skills and ethics for providing and receiving information in English using computers. I analyzed the materials accompanied with students' e-mails and activities that were exchanged about "environmental issues" as a global theme and "teenagers' lives in Japan and Germany" as a cultural theme. This analysis shows that intercultural learning through e-mail exchanges is more than sufficient and possible and the possibilities will expand and deepen if knowledge is expanded about the contents of e-mail exchanges and opinion exchanges are organized.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how self-determination of educational practices for children with intellectual disabilities should be carried out. Firstly the reports of educational practices advocated self-determination have been examined. The results were those they had issue tend to seek for self-determination stripped of its contents or routine self-determination. In this report, two major points were examined about what self-determination of the educational practices with intellectual disabilities should be. The one is a subject how to support the self-determination of children individually. Processes of self-determination were shown in the first place. And then presented processes of self-determination should be located in the program of practices in the practices, and teachers should present two ways of supports of different quality at the support to practice the process of self-determination. In the second place, the subject was how to foster the ability of self-determination in the school education that was based on the collaboration. To get suggestions for what a joint decision should be as fostering self-determination, the subject was studied by adopting educational practices of Ekio Kondo as example cases. As a result, the following suggestions were obtained: (1) it is important for teachers to secure clear image about educational effects of collaborative decision and (2) It is aloso important to have a view point to support healthy growth of each student through collaborative decision.

View full abstract

Recently, university reform and faculty development have been discussed actively in Japan. However, the concept of "university" is vague nowadays in Japan. The concept of "university" is constructed socially. At the beginning of this study, the reason why the concept of "university" was vague nowadays in Japan was discussed. The purpose of this study was 1) to investigate university freshmen's astonishment about academic issues in their university, and 2) to introduce and discuss the class that the author conducted as a trial to prompt university students to think over "university" radically. In the class, the author and students compared "university" with primary education and secondary education. The results were followings: 1) many students were surprising at university class management system, university teachers' behavior, teaching style, freedom, and other students' behavior when they entered the university 2) through our class, students thought over liberal arts, freedom, schooling in university. The author discussed the necessity to place each university teaching practice in the whole university teaching practice and to create university-pedagogy.

View full abstract

There is fairly general agreement that integrate pre-servise and in-servise teacher education. However, there are not always integrating in Japan. In this background, there are two kinds of obstacles: First, the teacher-employment examination overlap with curriculum for pre-teacher education. Secondly, increase of part time teacher which don't experience in-servise teacher education. I think teacher education has been integrating pre-servise and in-servise teacher education, and we must draw attention to solve the problems of cross point on two teacher education. But, only few attempts have so far been made at this kind of research. Thus, this paper is intended as an investigation of consciousness of students and teachers about "Teaching training just before adoption". From this investigation, there are two findings. 1) Both students and teachers wish to discuss with school teacher, to visit schools, and to learn about skills and techniques, classroom management in the "Teacher training just before Adoption". 2) They wish to put into practice continuously their activities from the teacher-employment examination to get adopt.

View full abstract

This paper examines the diffusion of key concepts and practices for media literacy in Ontario in terms of teacher training that the author observed in 2001 and 2002. In Ontario, media literacy programs were introduced into the English curriculum from grade 7 to grade 12 as compulsory content in 1987. As a new practice these programs have required in-service training and there are, for instance, additional qualification courses for the training of media specialists, and workshops, which are delivered by the school board and non-profit organizations. Instructors are experienced media teachers from the Association for Media Literacy (AML), which is a teachers' group that leads media literacy practice not only in Ontario but also in other provinces and the world. Additional qualification courses allow participants to learn media studies, critical pedagogy, and media production. They are eventually expected to become consultants of media literacy in schools and school boards. In comparison, instructors at workshops provide the opportunity to understand key concepts, update current popular culture, and discuss classroom activities. However, the attempt to promote media literacy through dissemination of key concepts is facing difficulties. A fundamental problem is the fact that media literacy is marginalized in the English curriculum. Media studies have been regarded as a non-academic course among students and English teachers since they have fewer reading and writing assignments than other courses such as literature. Such circumstances cause pre-service training for teachers of English in Teachers' Colleges to have very little time allocated for media studies. It is possible to presume that there is discrimination between so-called high and low culture still existing in contemporary school curriculum. Integration of media literacy into related subjects such as geography, history, and the arts is discussed among advocates as a solution for its further diffusion. The heavy curriculum burden might, nevertheless, limit the implementation of this idea.

View full abstract

This study explores some factors that has influenced the trend of media literacy research in Japan now and indicates some problems. At first we try to draw the trend map around media literacy research. Then we point out some problems around the media literacy research in Japan now, and insist that one of the causes be short of research in a pedagogical genealogy of media literacy. To overcome the problems, we attempt to look for "Trajectory of Pedagogical Logic" and "Curriculum Framework" of media literacy from some papers of media education in UK and especially from Len Masterman's "Teaching the Media". The reason is that media literacy research started from inheritances of media education study. Finally we make clear practical perspectives of the media literacy research in Japan by digging into a pedagogical genealogy of media literacy.

View full abstract