Very Young Children

1. Very Young Children • Some basic information: • Couples traditionally do not have children within the first year of marriage • When a baby is born, the mother spends the first post-birth month or two with her mother, away from her own home • Two key differences in infant careIntegration vs. individuation • “soothing” vs “stimulation” • Families sleep together, children in parents’ bed, as late as age 10

2. Japanese Preschools • Children go to preschool (hoikuen 保育園) at a rate comparable to that of US children • However, the reasons are culturally specific • Note that the Health and Welfare Ministry (Kōseishō 厚生省) is in charge of preschool administration • Government provision is made for preschool

3. Questions for discussion • What are the salient differences between Japanese and US preschools, and what do they indicate? • How do child-child and child-teacher interaction differ? • How does Benedict’s concept of the “arc of dependency” fit with preschool education in Japan an the US?

4. Education: Overview • A 6-3-3-4 system • School year begins in early April, ends in mid-March • Summer vacation, mid-June—late August • New Year’s: late Dec.— ca. Jan. 7 • How many school days in a year? • Usually said to be 220 Japan vs 180 US • BUT contests and festivals consume days

5. Education: Overview II • Compulsory education to age 16 • 95%+ complete high school, compared with ~60-70% in the US • English language classes begin in 7th grade and continue through high school • Typically, no functional competence achieved • Paternalism: who is responsible for students?

6. Elementary school (Kristof) • Learning is active • Learning by doing • Students work in groups and teach each other • Middle school: the difficult years • Academic pressure increases • The difficulties of adolescence

7. High school: the vise closes • College entrance exam looms • Much more rote learning • Little emphasis on analytical thinking • Some schools track students by ability, some don’t • Outlets: clubs, school festival • Academically, Japanese students are ahead of their US counterparts at graduation

8. University • Difficult to get in, easy to get out • Failing a course is nearly impossible, especially in the first two years • Academic standards are low • Universities work to match students and employers • The school’s reputation is critical

9. Getting into university • Two routes:examination and recommendation • “examination hell” • The recommendation system (suisen):an alternate route • The “inverted funnel” system of education

10. School after school: juku • Extra review in preparation for exams • Can start in elementary school, but usually starts in middle school • Do students resent it? • Surprisingly, no. • Another chance to see friends • Better teaching • Young, interesting teachers

11. Teaching K-12 • High prestige • Stable, especially in public schools • Fairly competitive job market • Low to middling salaries; public schools pay better than private • 30-40% of urban high schools are private

12. Education issues • Ijime (bullying) • The “education mama” • Classroom chaos (Takahashi) • The examination system • Suicide • Analytical thinking, English education

13. Summary • 6-3-3-4 system, year starts in April • The pressure of the examination system • The “inverted funnel” system • Being a university student in Japan • School and work • Being a teacher in Japan • Education issues