Cultivating preservice teachers' "shutaisei" has been the focus of Japanese university-based teacher education since the late 1990s. This article contains the self-study of three teacher educators at different Japanese universities. All three of us believe that helping students cultivate their "shutaisei" should be an important…

In this study, we aim to explore the conditions and constraints of implementing a lesson study-based professional development (LSPD) program for Japanese pre-service primary teachers. Based on the anthropological theory of the didactic--a well-established theoretical framework in mathematics education research--it offers three dimensions…

As research has shown, the kind and degree of environmental ethics and eco-philosophy (or the lack thereof) may determine the effectiveness of pre-service teacher training in education for sustainable development. This is especially the case where in the ethical substratum of the conservationist Aldo Leopold and his Japanese precursor, the human…

In Japan, school teachers experience mental health issues, leading to absences or leave from their duties. While extended working hours significantly contribute to this problem, diminished self-esteem has emerged as the primary causal factor. Reduced self-esteem is frequently correlated with diminished self-efficacy across multiple facets of…

A pedagogical dilemma occurs when an in-class event or external factor challenges a teacher's principles or instructional practices and compels the teacher to resolve the dilemma. This article focuses on how resolving dilemmas can enhance the conceptual understanding of both student teachers and their supervisors. The supervisory setting this…

As English has become an essential international language, some universities in countries where students learn the language mainly in the classroom have started to send teachers overseas as part of English teacher training. Study abroad (SA) is perceived as one effective way to improve teachers' intercultural communication ability in English…

The paper presents the aims and the design of the international e-learning course for teacher training "International Project" / Internet and Competence to work on the Project"/IPC/, organized with students from the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" (Bulgaria) and universities from Germany, USA, Spain, Japan, Sweden…

This paper describes a teaching project for primary school English (PSE) in a pre-service teacher education course, drawing on the peer coaching principle; it explores student-teachers' performance and understanding in PSE teaching. With an action research approach, a teacher educator (the author) observed student-teachers' performance throughout…

Japan enacted a new teacher education curriculum in 2019, following which it became possible to include school experiences and internships within one's practicum credits. However, the contents of the practicum are not systematically arranged, and discussions on student-teachers' (STs) learning and their resulting professional development achieved…

The need to support those teaching in English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms is becoming increasingly acknowledged, and faculty professional development (PD) is recognised as an important element of that support. This study, a replication and localisation of an international study by Macaro et al. (2020. "English Medium Instruction in…

This essay explores the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into pre-service teacher education amidst contemporary debates on technology in education. It highlights the cautious stance taken by educational authorities, such as the Alberta Teachers' Association, which advises against involving students directly with AI tools.…

It has become increasingly apparent that incorporating international stories into the classroom is beneficial for young students. The stories provide vicarious experiences from different countries that help nurture a more tolerant and accepting generation of students. Through reading these stories students gain empathy and understanding for other…

This study aimed to explore in-service and pre-service teachers' experiences of conducting an online international collaboration unit, called CULTURE (the Culture Unit of Learning to Understand, Respect, and Empathize) in elementary school physical education in the U.S. and Japan. The study used a narrative research design using semi-structured…

Purpose: This study introduces the idea of "Kyouzai Kenkyuu" and examines its potentiality as a conceptual tool to point to the curriculum design process with a case of social science education. By doing so, this study can contribute to expanding the target of reflection from the practices "inside" classrooms toward the…

This paper reports the results of an international comparative study conducted in Switzerland and Japan of an elementary school mathematics lesson. The principal aim of the study was to advance understanding of the cultural specificities of a mathematics lesson in its totality using concrete examples of lesson design and implementation and of how…