"The essence of education should be asked again" Proposal by "Reform Principal" May 14 17:05

Due to the new coronavirus, many schools have been closed for a long time. A school scene in an unprecedented situation. As the principal of a public junior high school, Mr. Yuichi Kudo, who worked on unconventional educational reforms such as abolishing "regular tests" and "homework", asked how he sees the current situation.

"With the feeling of creating a new school"

Yuichi Kudo (60). The school reforms that I conducted as the principal at Kojimachi Junior High School in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, which was my predecessor, had a great impact. I left the public school where I worked for 36 years from this spring, and became the principal of Yokohama Soei Junior and Senior High School, a private school in Kanagawa prefecture.

Mr. Kudo who responded to the interview. I thought the school would be tough as it was going to be closed, but with a lively look, he began to say, "This is the greatest opportunity for a school paradigm shift that has remained unchanged for decades."

(Mr. Kudo)
“It has been a angry month since April. Such an unprecedented situation can not be dealt with without thinking of the action of the government and the Board of Education, without thinking of the school itself. Has changed drastically over the past month, especially since we all continued to work for about 10 days from April 1st. I had to assume in advance that it would not be possible to restart, so I thoroughly discussed what kind of education I could have with the teachers and promised to stop saying "I can't." I'm working with the feeling that I will create a school and give it a try and improve it. "

To “learn not to be given” for active learning

Mr. Kudo abolished his "homework" at Kojimachi Junior High School, where he used to work, because it was a waste for students who understood it and a burden on those who did not understand it.

In addition, the fixed teacher system was abolished because it hindered the autonomy of students, and we implemented a bold educational reform that revisited what was customary for many years in public schools.

He also introduced a tablet terminal from that time, so that he could plan lessons according to his or her proficiency level.

(Mr. Kudo)
“At Kojimachi Junior High School, I initially felt that students and parents were passive. I was used to receiving services, and there was a point that the school demanded too much. At first glance, the deviation value seems to be rising, and it seems that it is raising education, but I do not think that it is. It deprives the student's autonomy and finally makes life unhappy. I don't want to have my own will, for example, I decided to stop the homeroom teacher from making a decision and let the students back-assign. Don't wait, ”I wanted to change my education to learning from oneself.”

What kind of reform are you doing now?

After discussing with the teachers at the current school, Kudo decided to switch to online classes in preparation for the prolonged holiday. From the start of the large holidays, we will make timetables as usual, and teachers will use lessons, corridors, and vacant rooms to teach.

It means that the terminal will use tablets and smartphones at home, and even households with unprepared environments can use school PCs.

Teachers and students conduct homerooms and classes daily using a system that allows interactive communication such as a web conference system and chat function. There are diverse faculty members in their 20s and 70s, but it is said that all of them carry it out.

We heard from schools across the country that they were worried about the inability to secure the number of classes per year indicated by the national curriculum guidelines due to the suspension of school.

(Mr. Kudo)
“In this situation, if we are concerned about the number of hours we can not respond very much. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has also sent a message, but it has not yet been fully transmitted to the field. Today's school field learning instruction The ICT (information and communication technology) is much older and lagging behind, and I think the country may use this as an opportunity to make a stronger message on the ground that it will definitely change. In the midst of not being able to handle the lessons, we ask students to change their mindset from "requirementism," which emphasizes attendance, to "acquisitionism," which emphasizes whether learning has reached its goals. And I clearly tell the students that I will appreciate this, and of course I will be a companion to those who are late as a runner. "

"I want to find a new form of education"

The educational world is faced with major changes, such as the debate up to the admission in September. At the end of the interview, Mr. Kudo emphasized the choice of language by saying that the essence of education is that each person should think with a sense of ownership.

(Mr. Kudo)
“I don't have enough knowledge to talk about whether or not to enroll in September, but I feel that it is good in terms of institution. However, if it is actually done, considerable institutional reform is necessary. , I think we will deviate from the essential discussions regarding the coronavirus. This situation has exposed the challenges of the educational world so far. Making a school that does not progress at all ICT. What to do while the school is closed Children who don't know what to do, who are wondering what to do and what to do right and left. The reason why the idea of ​​stopping thinking is supposed to be the essence of education, which is supposed to be the extension of independence What is the essence of education should be re-examined, whether the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), teachers, or students in the field should have a sense of ownership without blaming anyone. I have to think thoroughly about what I am doing, and I have found a new educational approach, a mechanism that makes me want to actively learn even in situations where I cannot gather at school all together, with teachers, students, and total mobilization. I think. "