By using group activities for learning, cooperative student effort for school events, and peer pressure for classroom discipline, Japanese teachers involve and empower their students. While American students feel that classrooms are teachers' sacred ground, Japanese students appropriate them as their rightful community. Instead of stressing…

Japanese and American reading programs in kindergarten and the primary grades differ extensively. This is partly because the Japanese written language makes initial learning easier and later learning more difficult. In addition, bolstered by a long history of literacy, Japanese parents provide more uniform support for their children's academic…

Discusses methods for promoting cooperative learning among preschoolers and the history of these methods. Describes class projects and activities at Dai-ichi Preschool in Japan, which uses group and individual activities to build a classroom group that fosters children's growth and creativity and supports children's efforts. (BB)