School education to get involved and change society
Urgent requests for school closures have changed the way of learning. Online learning in combination with good-quality contents and video chat deepened the direct dialogues between teachers and students. As a result, teachers can have time to talk to each student face-to-face. At the same time, the question arose about the way of the traditional one-size-fits-all education in which teachers teach students unidirectionally. A learning method that is possible only by face-to-face is explored, and the momentum to try to create learning places for students to learn while developing individual interests has increased.
The scene of desks lined up in the classroom is a thing of the past, and the way of compulsory education also changes. In basic learning, students can choose a real place (school) or online learning and consult with a teacher about how to choose contents and difficult-to-understand points while considering their own level and environment. At the same time, the relationship between the teachers and the students changes from a vertical relationship of “teaching/being taught” to a flat relationship of “thinking together”, and the role of teachers is released from the old frameworks.
A learning method that uses portfolio management (analysis/ consideration) of learning contents to develop the students’ specialties becomes widespread. Elementary, junior high and high school students can take their classes using online study abroad while staying in Japan, and the style of studying intensively in their specific fields is generalized. Children come to acknowledge each other’s specialties and naturally accept individual differences. On the other hand, free content has reduced the gap in learning opportunities due to differences in household income and other factors, but widened the gap in academic ability. Since each student learns at a different pace, it is harder for schools and families to work together to create and carry out lesson plans. However, the fundamental issue is a widening gap in students’ desire to learn.
A class of “thinking about the relationship between you and the public” becomes a compulsory subject in all grades. At universities, the main style of learning and research is that each student makes efforts to solve regional issues by using their expertise. The citizens from various backgrounds, which are not limited to the teachers and the students, gradually gather at universities. In a learning place that is becoming an agora (a place where citizens spend time discussing politics, philosophy, etc.), students learn, through interaction with local residents, about the social issues happening around them, and begin to realize what it means for each person to speak out against society in a real-world situation. The idea that “society can be changed by our actions” is gradually established in their mind.
“Starting a business in the region” is programmed as a compulsory subject in compulsory education. Through the program, students earn money and acquire the practical knowledge needed to make a difference in society, including an understanding of the service level required to earn money and the impact that starting a business has on a region. As they continue their activities, they develop non-cognitive abilities, such as the ability to understand and cooperate with others, and the ability to see things through to the end. At the same time, they realize that it is important to find a way for themselves and the people around them to be able to continue to effortlessly participate in this program. Furthermore, they aim to establish an ecosystem that leads to the creation of a great value by combining multiple participations as far as they can.
