How do you face the Paralympic Games? Thinking with children August 23, 16:53

1.3 million Olympics, 110,000 Paralympics.
The number of visits to the Tokyo Paralympic ticket official website on the first day was less than one-tenth that of the Tokyo Olympics.
Even now, when it's almost a year before the opening, interest in the Paralympic Games will not increase.
"I'm not interested"
"I don't think it's close to me"
I still hear such a voice.
Under such circumstances, I was tackling the problem from the front at an elementary school education site. The teacher and children chased the Paralympics faced with trouble.
(Sports News Department reporter Junpei Shimizu)

“I do n’t feel close”

“Do you know what the Paralympic Games are?”

Ryo Sumie, a sixth grader in Chiba Prefecture, couldn't answer my questions.

In mid-August, I wanted to know how much children are interested in the Paralympic Games and interviewed a family.

Ryo belongs to the basketball club and loves sports.
I'm looking forward to the Olympic next year.

However, the Paralympics have never been much of an interest.
The reason was "I don't feel close to you."

I felt it might be the situation for many people, not just children.

Concern for Para

On August 22, the Tokyo Paralympic ticket application started.

However, the number of accesses to the official sales site until the evening of the first day was 110,000.
Compared to the 1.3 million Olympics, less than one-tenth of the interest was highlighted.

In the latest survey of NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, 61% of respondents answered that they are interested in the Tokyo Paralympics, which is about 20 points lower than the Olympics for the past three years.

Expectations for education that changes society

Ms. Mikison, a gold medalist at the Nagano Paralympic Games and a member of the board of the International Paralympic Committee, says “Education has the power to change society”.

If children are interested in the Paralympic Games, they may have a family to come and see the competition.

Then, with the Paralympic Games, many people deepen their understanding of people with disabilities. That is the big aim of Paralympic education.

What to tell

However, when we interviewed the educational site, we can see the current situation where teachers on the instruction side are at a loss.

Motoharu Kanno, a teacher at Kisarazu City Kiyomidai Elementary School, which Chiba Prefecture has designated as an “Olympic and Paralympic Education Promotion School,” has been working on Paralympic education for the past year.

Mr. Kanno is the homeroom teacher of Ryo Sumie who said that he was not interested in the Paralympic Games.

In fact, Mr. Kanno himself said, “The Paralympic Games were definitely less impressive than the Olympics,” and he said he did not know what to tell the children.

Although I studied and conducted my own lessons, I was limited to teaching superficial knowledge such as the outline of the Paralympic Games and the content of the competition.

“Speaking of the Paralympic and symbiotic societies, how far children can understand. It wasn't clear how to convey it.” (Mr. Kanno)

“Knowledge”, not “Knowledge”

The turning point for Mr. Kanno was the teacher training session held in Chiba Prefecture on August 5.

It is an effort held nationwide by Ms. Mikison to tell you how to advance Paralympic education.

Mr. Kanno, who participated in trying to get some hints, will be surprised by the words of Mr. Matheson heard at the workshop.

“I don't want you to learn to teach the answers. I want you to cherish the process of finding ideas together. It's not that you can't teach because you don't know the Paralympic Games.” )

The important thing is not to teach knowledge.
I realized that “thinking” is the essence of Paralympic education.

“I thought that the Paralympic Games were not an education of“ knowledge ”, but an education that changed“ consciousness. ”I felt that what I was obsessed with became clear. (Mr. Kanno)

It seemed that I had found a way to the challenge of what to learn from the Paralympic Games.

"Make me think"

August 20, approximately two weeks after the workshop.
Mr. Kanno invited students during the summer vacation and participated in a sports event for disabled people in Chiba Prefecture.

Among them was Ryo-san.

Ryo from the mini basketball club is the first to challenge wheelchair basketball.
However, I cannot manipulate the wheelchair as I expected.
From the wheelchair, the goal I always watched looked at a different height and was confused.

And when the players showed dribbling and shooting, Ryo-san was applauding with a surprise.

“I thought it was easy but I found it difficult. I wanted to go to the Paralympic Games and watch wheelchair basketball.”

You can experience the greatness of the athletes and the fun of the competition only through your own experience.
The children's “awareness” has certainly changed.

The children experienced a “goal ball” where they played with an eye mask.

Mr. Kanno immediately asked questions to the children after the experience meeting.

“You can't finish it with fun. For example, what do you do if you are told to live a day with the blindfold of the goalball?”

In response to Mr. Kanno's questions, the children gave their opinions.

"I bump into people"
"I'm troubled when I pick things up"
“Anxiety if there are steps”

After experiencing disability sports, children began to become aware of “thinking” from the standpoint of disabilities.

“I knew the importance of limbs and eyes, which are commonplace, but I knew that everyone could do anything if they helped each other, so I would like to cooperate and talk to people with disabilities.” )

Give opportunities and think

Kanno who felt "change" of children.
It seemed that he got a clue about the future Paralympic education.

“It ’s not so important how you should teach. Anyway, I thought it was important to give this opportunity and what the children feel and think about. I think it will lead to thinking in various ways. ”(Mr. Kanno)

The power to change us

The children experienced in this interview were only a part of the sports for the disabled.

Even so, it was a strong impression that the children who were “not interested” felt something and changed.

"See, experience and feel the attraction of the competition"
It's simple, but first of all, that is the first step in understanding the Paralympic Games.

On top of that, as Mr. Kanno said, staying close to people with disabilities and continuing to “think” is one way to approach the Paralympic philosophy of “a better society for people with disabilities”. It was.

The Tokyo Paralympics that are approaching a year later are a great opportunity for that.
The figure of athletes who have continued their disability sports and strived to reach the pinnacle must have the power to change our “consciousness”.

I like to start with a touch of one of the attractions of disabled sports, like children. It made me think like that.

Sports News Department reporter Shinpei Shimizu