Thursday, August 6, 2009
Imagine...
We hear a lot of rhetoric about Japanese education and how advanced it is compared to Georgia and the rest of the U.S. This video shows us that there is a very intangible component in Japanese schools that effects outcome -- love. Watch this video and you will feel the love, care and devotion this teacher has for his class and the empathy he fosters in his students for each other. This classroom looks a whole lot different from any classroom I've seen in the U.S. - it functions much more like a family - even though the actual class size is quite large.
Check it out. Check out the other four parts in this five part series as well. I found it enlightening.
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9 comments:
Very moving and very hard to imagine in our schools. I watched all 5 episodes. Extraordinary teacher and children ... teaching children to be human(e)? That is definitely too controversial for our system.
I found it fascinating, as I've always had this image in my mind of Japanese schools as being very structured and almost rigid. (Don't know why I thought that -- I just assumed that you had to be that way to get high test scores??!) I was very uplifted to find the deeply human connection between teacher and students in this story.
I guess I was surprised at how lively the children were. The building was fairly noisy with the sound of children - and they were all so happy. It looked like a really safe, fun place to be with lots of chatter and activity. Not the "sit in your chair and listen" model we see so often. Pretty cool...
What I noticed first had nothing to do with the teacher or students. I saw a classroom with windows everywhere. Windows to let in natural light, but also windows into the hallway. A teacher in that classroom can't sit at his desk or read a newspaper. Anyone who walks by can tell whether that class is focused and on task. Talk about being accountable.
I noticed that there wasn't a computer or a smart board visible - just an old fashioned chalk board. These kids who trump American kids in math and science are doing it with chalk boards - could it be that all the technology in the world can't make up for a weak curriculum and inadequate teacher training?
I also noticed an enormous number of books in the classroom. Far more than I've seen in any 4th grade classroom here.
I also noticed a male elementary school teacher who wasn't afraid to hug or touch his students. How many male elementary school teachers do you know? How many teachers do you know who are afraid to make any physical contact with a student, even when it is the appropriate, humane thing to do?
Good points, Molly. Sadly, teachers are not allowed to touch students. They are told exactly how to touch students - and it's barely allowable to touch them on the shoulder. They could be charged with child molestation or something. Teachers nowadays have an unbelievable amount of restriction.
Great. Very touching. Many times teachers do have to deal with many issues like this. I have always felt that counselors and social workers are needed at every school. In Dekalb we definitely do not have the social workers we need to serve our population of students. We have one social worker for North Springs and she stays very busy. I think Dekalb County Schools needs more social workers. Just My Opinion.
I wanted to post this quote here, as I think it's relevant,
The idea that kids don’t like school is a myth. Kids love school when it’s fun and interesting. They don’t like school when it’s boring. But you let them do things that are relevant, like play in a rock band, as we do in my classes, and capture their imagination. I think that’s what people see in my classroom─there’s a great energy level, an atmosphere of warmth and humor and hard work all mixed together.
-Rafe Esquith
Author, "Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire"
There's a great interview with Rafe here. Download a print version to your computer, since it won't be available for public viewing forever.
We've discussed the University of Michigan professor, Dr. Yong Zhao (ASCD), a native of China here before.
It is well worth your time to watch this video where he advocates for cutting back on testing and returning to our creative teaching roots called, A 21st Century Education
The description reads, In this film, Zhao, a university professor, argues for giving kids room to innovate by following their passions, not subscribing to a set of rules and interests dictated to them from the outside.
He is very much against NCLB and the testing frenzy - he think it is only moving America away from its history as a creative culture and turning everyone into lower level "workers".
Check out this article and introduction of his new book on the subject, called, Catching Up or Leading the Way
I sincerely hope that Dr. Lewis - in his spirit of getting back to teaching basics and adding creativity back into schools will add this book to his book club reading list!
My favorite line in the video is near the end where he says, "Americans should try to be more 'American', not Chinese or Indian or Japanese."
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