Elementary schools in Japan offer a unique perspective on primary school education. A range of methods see the children involved in more than just their studies: there is a buddy system for incoming first graders, students serve their classmates lunch in the homerooms, and there are no custodians as the students do the cleaning. Schools also offer services such as after-school and weekend care, swimming lessons, and club activities. Furthermore, every school employs a certified nutritionist to make sure that school lunches follow national guidelines on calorie counts and proper nutrition. These are just a few examples which illustrate innovative educational strategies in Japanese primary schools. This presentation covers the aforementioned points in addition to general aspects concerning daily school routines and subjects studied. Implications of this presentation and relevant research include the dissemination of new and different strategies in primary school education for practicing and future educators, as well as for governing bodies at the local and national levels.
Shannon Saruwatashi is a Senior Lecturer at Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University. Her research focuses on telecollaboration for language learning and curriculum design. She is currently working on a project to address the English language needs of preschool teachers in Japan.