Educating Hearts and Minds: Reflections on Japanese Preschool and Elementary Education

by Catherine C. Lewis

• ISBN13: 9780521458320
• ISBN10: 0521458323
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-01-27
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

How do children become eager, motivated learners and caring, responsible citizens? Educating Hearts and Minds, a portrait of Japanese preschool and early elementary education, offers a fresh perspective on these questions. Its thesis - which will surprise many Americans - is that Japanese schools are successful because they meet children's needs for friendship, belonging, and contribution. This book brings to life what actually happens inside Japanese classrooms. What do children learn? How do they learn? What values are emphasised, and how are they taught? In a sharp departure from most previous accounts, this book suggests that Japanese education succeeds because all children - not just the brightest or best-behaved - somehow come to feel like valued members of the school community. Ironically, Japanese teachers credit John Dewey and other progressive Western educators for many of the techniques that make Japanese schools both caring and challenging. This book brings to a wider readership the voices of Japanese classroom teachers - voices that are at once deeply consonant with Western aspirations and deeply provocative.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(7)
1 A Brief Background on Japan's Educational System	8	(10)
2 The Preschool Experience: Play, Community, Reflection	18	(18)
3 The Whole Child Goes to Elementary School	36	(38)
4 The Small Group: A Home Base for Children	74	(27)
5 The Roots of Discipline: Community and Commitment	101	(23)
6 Discipline: How Peers and Teachers Manage Misbehavior	124	(25)
7 Learning and Caring	149	(29)
8 What Is a Successful School?	178	(25)
9 Summary: Questions to Ask Ourselves	203	(12)
Appendix: Characteristics of the Preschools Studied	215	(2)
Notes	217	(11)
References	228	(13)
Index	241