This book is an action plan for improving education in the U.S, focusing on the key role of teachers in this improvement. It offers a detailed comparison of the educational methods of Germany, Japan, and the United States. The analysis begins with an international study of mathematics teaching in the three countries that was conducted as part of…

Five teachers of English at the secondary level in Japan agreed to participate in this qualitative study that set about uncovering their beliefs about teaching and their current curricular activities. Findings indicate that despite their vastly different workplaces, teacher-participants continue to work in the shadow of an educational system…

This paper describes the experiences of an English teacher from Washington State University who taught English in Japan for a year. The teacher concluded after her year in Japan that the country is and has been involved in a less-than-conscious national effort to "stonewall" the effective teaching of English as a second language in all…

This paper addresses the problems encountered in implementing methodology that face vocational English as a Foreign Language/English as a Second Language (EFL/ESL), native language teachers in Japan. Teachers in "senmon gakko," two or three year vocational schools for high schools or high school graduates, are unable to take advantage of…

A survey of 113 college and university second language teachers in Japan, Nigeria, and other African countries gathered information on attitudes toward and concerns about teaching large classes. Responses to one question, "Large classes make it difficult to do what I would like to because...," were categorized into three groups:…

A survey of 55 officers (39 male and 16 female) of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) investigated their perceptions of the current trends in second language teaching. A list of 15 trends in both classroom approach and discipline development was identified from the language teaching literature, and respondents were asked to what…

Describes a typical day in a Japanese third-grade classroom, focusing on the need to address social and academic growth. Shows how although students work in groups of 6 or 7 and take on responsibilities as a group, students' individualism is not suppressed. Describes the teacher's goals of developing students' thinking skills, ability to express…

Compares educational practices in Japan that involve educating the "whole child" by teaching values and behaviors through small group activities, to U.S. practices that focus mainly on academics. Japanese practices involve extensive and clear roles and procedures, routinization of activities, and peer pressure, all aimed at developing…

Reports survey findings from over 1,200 Japanese secondary teachers on job satisfaction and other work attitudes and their relationships to working conditions, teacher roles and responsibilities, and specific classroom practices. Discusses the influences of teacher skills and training and Japanese social attitudes, sex roles, and style of…

Highlights descriptions of actual school and classroom settings in Japan for comparison with U.S. schools as well as exploring teachers' work situation and their roles and responsibilities. Summarizes classroom life from the students' perspectives to provide a backdrop for understanding the teaching context in Japan. (GLR)

A discussion is presented on the education of Japanese teachers, their roles in the schools, and proposed reforms in their education. In describing the pre-World War II background of teacher education in Japan, three ideological forces are discussed: Western thought that impacted upon early Meiji reforms, Confucianism, and nationalism. Western…

Japanese methods of teaching subtraction to first graders, which emphasize the involvement of the children in developing and solving problems, are discussed. The conventional vertical format for solving problems was not introduced immediately. Some results encountered by American teachers using these methods are also discussed. (IS)

Describes two studies that examined the nature of Japanese elementary and junior high school students' perceptions of different media, the effect of teachers on these perceptions, and the relationship between perceptions and student learning. The studies of fifth graders and eighth graders also addressed gender and class differences. (Contains…

Explores how historical empathy can give students a richer understanding of the past, focusing on the development of the students' historical understanding through an analysis of 18 documents on President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. (CMK)

This workshop text encourages the use of literature in a student-centered curriculum of English as a second language (ESL). The first section discusses the role of the teacher in the student-centered approach and outlines the reasons for using English-language literature in the Japanese university ESL course. The second section emphasizes the…