In conversations about pedagogy, researchers often overlook how physical space and movement shape teacher sensemaking. This article offers a comparative case study of classroom videos using a dynamic visual method to map embodied interaction called "interaction geography." Our analysis proposes an integrative framework to study classroom…

Purpose: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been robustly endorsed through policy mechanisms, prompting numerous context-specific voluntary initiatives in Japanese schools and communities. However, this field remains in its infancy. This study aimed to investigate the literature on ESD in Japan to reveal research trends, identify…

Research indicates that mathematical understanding before formal schooling influences later attainment. This study investigated the mathematical activities of preschool-aged children in Japan, a neglected topic despite the high mathematical attainment of Japanese children. Preschool activities were investigated using surveys, observations, and…

This descriptive case study examined how teaching practices were evidenced in Grade 1 classrooms in two different cultural and educational contexts, Finland and Japan. Teachers' teaching practices were video-recorded in 53 classrooms in Finland and six classrooms in Japan and rated with the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure by trained…

Although modern education is expected to solve social problems, it has brought about new problems. While theoretical critiques of education have not always been successful, with the transition to a data-driven society, education as a historical product is actually losing its efficacy. However, this does not mean that acquisition of knowledge and…

Ethnocentric models of disability have resulted in an ontology that rarely embraces the cultural nuances and social structures of specific countries. There have been increasing calls from scholars to expand understandings of disability beyond this hegemonic focus and develop new ways to do culturally specific and respectful inclusive work.…

Education in Japan and other Asian countries advocates the traditional passive style of learning where students learn through rote memorization in a teacher-centered environment. However, this is now changing due to globalization with Japan's Ministry of Education promoting learning strategies to involve students in the learning process actively.…

This study, followed by an historical review of Shinichi Suzuki's work, investigated the contemporary and critical issues surrounding the Suzuki Method in Japan. First, the author compared textbooks and recordings of the Suzuki Violin School Volume 1, the Japanese version, published in 1970s to the present edition in Japan. In addition, the study…

The focus of the classroom karaoke study was to determine if singing could help Japanese EFL students improve their English pronunciation skills. Five students from a private English language school in Japan were the main participants. They ranged in age (from 20-50) as well as in English proficiency level (from beginning to advanced). After the…

Classroom climate in seven Confucian Asian countries/systems was examined with respect to three dimensions: teachers' affective qualities, behavioural-classroom management style and cognitive-pedagogical approaches. The results based on PISA 2012 data showed that there were substantial variations in classroom climate across the seven Confucian…

The present paper aims to explore how a certain class mode emerges in the context of collaborative learning, which affects student motivation and learning. Multiple sources of data were collected from 51 high school students in three different classes (named A, B and C) where the same teacher gave them the same lesson content throughout a full…

Internationally, schools with small numbers of children and constrained funding are not able to group the children in classes based on their age. Rather, the children are combined into larger 'mixed-age' classes. Schools and teachers manage this situation in different ways, for example by teaching the class as two or more separate age-based groups…

The purpose of this study was to identify the causes of speaking anxiety in highly anxious students, of which their teachers might not have been aware, and solutions to alleviate the problem. Sixteen students from a Japanese language-oriented university participated in an interview survey. The participants' anxiety levels were measured using a…

Sustainable use of freshwater is globally important. Yet implementation of changes in water management is poor, especially in developing countries. This is an indication that, despite our dependence on freshwater, we lack awareness of the need to protect these systems. Here we promote dragonflies as an easy-to-learn tool in environmental education…

The article discusses a sustainable educational approach for developing a moral value of peace by using a historical event, the bombing of Hiroshima. To make the case, the article uses the care theory of Nel Noddings to discuss the interpersonal aspects of peace education. The article asks how care theory handles tragedies like Hiroshima and it…