The Japanese Journal of the historical studies of early childhood education and care
Online ISSN : 2432-1877
Print ISSN : 1881-5049
Volume 8
Displaying 1-19 of 19 articles from this issue
  • Megumi KONDO
    Article type: Article
    2013 Volume 8 Pages 1-16
    Published: November 20, 2013
    Released on J-STAGE: March 27, 2018
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This paper examines Minor Wada's views on curriculum, paying special attention to practice in the Mejiro Kindergarten. In the history of early childhood education and care, Souzou Kurahashi is known for advocating "Yudo-Hoiku." Several of his contemporaries were also important figures in education. This paper focuses on one of these contemporaries, Minoru Wada. Wada was a temporary employee at the Tokyo Women's Normal School in 1905. In this capacity, he lectured on Training Courses for Kindergarten Teachers and participated in early childhood education and care, together with Nakamura Goroku. After retiring from the Normal School, Wada founded the Mejiro Kindergarten, the Second Mejiro Kindergarten, and the Mejiro Kindergarten teacher/nursery establishment. He devoted his entire life to early childhood education and care. This paper examines two aspects of Wada's views on curriculum. First, it addresses how Wada understood the concept of curriculum during his time, when many people considered it synonymous with a "course of study" (e.g., government course guidelines for elementary schools). Hence, this paper focuses on Wada's translation thesis regarding curriculum. Second, the paper investigates Wada's understanding of Hoikukomoku and the childcare plan in the curriculum. The process of how he developed his childcare plan has not been discussed in previous literature. Therefore, this paper investigates the childcare plan at the Mejiro Kindergarten. In comprehensive history, the Yudo-Hoiku plan that Kurahashi advocated is considered as being rooted in Wada's theory of childcare. Its meaning, however, has yet to be investigated sufficiently. Thus, the literature contains much less analysis of Wada's views than it does of Kurahashi's work. Therefore, this paper attempts to re-evaluate Wada's contributions in the history of early childhood education and care through consideration of his thinking about curriculum.
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