Children's education is conducted by schools and teachers
Many people may think this way, but education is deeply involved with the community, and schools and teachers seek the cooperation of the community.
However, when community residents view "education," there may be many who want to get involved but do not know what to do.
Kurashiki Mirai K Juku holds various seminars on themes such as education, work styles, and community development, as a place for everyone, not just teachers, to think about the future of the town, in support of a "socially open curriculum."
To fulfill the role of a junction between schools and the community, we spoke with Yamashita Yoko about her thoughts on realizing a "socially open curriculum."
Here, we introduce the background that led Yamashita to hold Kurashiki Mirai K Juku and her thoughts on education.
What is Kurashiki Mirai K Juku?
Overview of Kurashiki Mirai K Juku
Kurashiki Mirai K Juku is a seminar aimed at connecting schools and the community in support of a "socially open curriculum."
It started in December 2018 as Kurashiki Mirai Teacher Juku and was renamed Kurashiki Mirai K Juku in December 2019.
By April 2022, 29 seminars have been held, featuring business leaders, university faculty, and government officials active mainly in Kurashiki and Okayama.
It is not a seminar open only to education professionals; it is also aimed at the general public, which is a characteristic of Kurashiki Mirai K Juku that plays a role in connecting school education and the local community.
Background of Yamashita Yoko, Organizer of Kurashiki Mirai K Juku
The organizer of Kurashiki Mirai K Juku is Ohara House Katalyzer director Yamashita Yoko.
She has been a representative practitioner of school education in Okayama Prefecture, serving as a teacher at a public high school in Okayama Prefecture for 38 years since 1979.
In 2011, she experienced the consolidation of high schools in Maniwa City and served as the principal of Okayama Prefectural Maniwa High School and Ochiai and Kuse High Schools.
From 2012 to 2017, she worked as the principal of Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Minami High School, engaging in a practical education program called the Kurashiki Machishu Project that connects schools and the community.
In collaboration with the Kurashiki Chamber of Commerce and Ohara Museum of Art, she implemented a new education program focused on discovering and solving local issues, receiving the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award.
Currently, as the director of Ohara House Katalyzer, she has established Kurashiki Mirai K Juku and is working towards realizing a "socially open curriculum."
We spoke with Yamashita, who has been practicing educational reform in Okayama Prefecture, about her reasons for starting Kurashiki Mirai K Juku and her feelings throughout the process.
Interview with Yamashita Yoko
The Beginning of Kurashiki Mirai K Juku
What was the reason for starting Kurashiki Mirai K Juku?
Yamashita (no honorifics)
The trigger was realizing that the network power and verbalization ability of teachers are necessary to implement a "socially open curriculum."
At Kurashiki Minami High School, as part of career education, we accepted children at community development organizations and businesses in Kurashiki, and launched the "Kurashiki Machishu Project" (hereafter, Machipro) to practice experiential learning.
Through Machipro, children bring back many chaotic thoughts and emotions from their experiences at the host sites, but they cannot articulate them well.
When asked how it was, they would say, "It was fun."
However, behind "it was fun" are diverse thoughts and feelings. If left as is, they will dissipate by the time dinner is over.
"What was fun? What does that mean?"
By organizing the feelings that remained in the children's hearts and making them aware of their own interests, the next steps become clear. It can also be linked to growth through learning.
For that, verbalization by teachers was essential.
Furthermore, to support verbalization, it is also important for teachers to deepen their understanding of the community.
To make children's fieldwork meaningful, I believed that building networks with the community and verbalization ability of teachers are essential, and thus started "Kurashiki Mirai Teacher Juku" as a place to support that.
What challenges did you face at the beginning?
Yamashita
When I actually started, many creative teachers with high verbalization abilities and diverse connections to the community came.
However, the teachers I really wanted to participate, who needed skill improvement, did not come.
I felt troubled that the initial purpose had faded, but I began to think that there was also a role in connecting teachers who are trying to promote reform.
Schools are an extremely homogeneous society in the sense that both new hires and veterans are doing the same work, and there are conservative aspects as well.
In such an environment, reform-minded teachers tend to become isolated.
To support such teachers, I thought it was also important to expand networks with the community and create a place for teachers to exchange information.
Moreover, local businesses and community development organizations participating in the project began to feel, through their interactions with teachers, "There are such amazing teachers."
I believe it became a place where teachers could realize that they are recognized by the community.
Where does the name Kurashiki Mirai K Juku come from?
Yamashita
Even though it was planned as a teacher juku, the teachers I really wanted to participate did not come, and while I was happy that creative teachers gathered, the participants were fixed.
When I consulted with a business leader who regularly attended the seminars about my concerns regarding continuity, they suggested, "Why not ask the participants whether it is necessary and think about it together?"
As a result of our discussions, we confirmed the significance of continuing as a place for all residents of Kurashiki to think about the future of the town, not just teachers, and renamed it "Kurashiki Mirai K Juku."
The "K" stands for "teacher," "business," "Katalyzer," and of course "Kurashiki."
I thought it was interesting to use the letter "K," which encompasses various meanings and leaves room for imagination.
The Journey to Kurashiki Mirai K Juku
What was the reason for starting the Kurashiki Machishu Project?
Yamashita
The initial reason for starting the Machipro at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Minami High School was to help students experience the chaos of reality and the difficulty of problem-solving through practical learning that involves the community, and to foster respect for the adults who support society and the importance of learning to participate in society.
I wanted to summarize what I felt into a motivation statement and connect it to the increasing number of recommendation AO entrance exams at universities.
In the Center Test, students who can solve problems efficiently score high, but those who are not good at it, for example, may not be able to answer all questions if the problem statement is long because they read too deeply.
However, even such children can sometimes provide perfect answers if they have enough time.
Children who think deeply about things, especially, have grown through the process of moving back and forth between the community and businesses through experiential learning.
The abilities that can be measured by paper tests are limited. The desire to nurture such diverse abilities and connect them to guaranteed advancement was the impetus for starting Machipro.
What changes have occurred in students through Machipro?
Yamashita
In their interactions with businesses, children may be scolded, but when they begin to understand why they are doing it, changes occur.
Children who had approached classes merely as exam preparation began to see "gaining academic ability as a tool that is useful in society," and they became more engaged in their studies.
In fact, surveys related to learning have shown an increase in motivation to learn, and the number of children with significant academic growth has increased.
As a result, the first cohort of Machipro students became the year with the most significant increase in advancement results over the past five years.
Have there been changes in teachers as well?
Yamashita
Since Kurashiki Minami High School has a mission as a preparatory school, conscientious teachers had some skepticism towards Machipro.
The year I was assigned to Kurashiki Minami High School, prestigious universities such as the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University began to introduce recommendation entrance exams one after another.
I felt that university entrance exams were significantly changing to experience-based tests and saw it as an opportunity to utilize learning in the community for entrance exams.
Initially skeptical teachers gradually began to actively engage in Machipro as they realized that students' academic motivation was increasing.
Moreover, teachers who began to engage with the community through the experiences that children brought back started to study more about the community.
Not only for children but also for teachers, it became an opportunity to cultivate networking and verbalization abilities as a "comprehensive learning time."
The Machipro, which promoted the growth of children and broadened teachers' perspectives, ultimately received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award.
Why is it important to value connections with the community?
Yamashita
Before being assigned to Kurashiki Minami High School, I had experience planning classes where local business people gave lectures in a comprehensive learning time called "Master of Work Course."
This created a network between teachers and local businesses, broadening the scope of career guidance, and became a meaningful opportunity for teachers.
Additionally, my experience working at an agricultural high school greatly influenced me.
Agricultural high schools have many practical training sessions.
Experiences related to "life," such as witnessing the birth of calves or dealing with unexpected injuries that lead to the culling of calves, are part of the curriculum.
Even if they grow up safely, they are sold to fattening farms after about 200 days.
This is a cycle of society that cannot be understood just by looking at the meat displayed in supermarkets. Such experiences help children grow mentally.
I thought that even students in general courses could benefit from knowing the reality beyond the surface and that experiences could serve as motivation for learning.
The importance of engaging with the community became clear to me through the diverse career education experiences I had before being assigned to Kurashiki Minami High School.
The Future of Kurashiki Mirai K Juku
What kind of place do you want it to become in the future?
Yamashita
I take pride in functioning as a junction between schools and the community.
However, until now, I have been holding seminars with the instructors and themes that I felt were important, but I have a strong desire to broaden the scope of planning.
I think it would be good to entrust seminar planning to younger people and have a structure that connects them.
Of course, I believe that a place where teachers and the community connect is a valuable existence, so I want to continue to cherish the role of a catalyzer.
Thoughts Behind Kurashiki Mirai K Juku
In my case, the knowledge I studied in school became useful only after I graduated from high school and some time had passed.
The ability to understand context cultivated in Japanese language class is used to organize information presented in materials and people's stories, and the logical thinking skills honed in mathematics are very helpful even now when I am writing this text.
I realized that both the individual knowledge taught in school education and the systematic way of thinking are important, which was triggered by my research and work at university.
As the author has faced challenges, mobilizing knowledge and supplementing it when lacking, I understand well the feelings of the children who have developed a desire to learn through the Kurashiki Townspeople Project.
It is only by applying what we learn in practice that we can understand the meaning of learning.
To provide children with experiences in society, it is difficult with just the power of teachers; cooperation from the local community is necessary.
I felt that Kurashiki Mirai K-juku, which serves as a junction between schools and the local community, has the potential to turn the entire town into a learning space for children.
I was pleased to see that education is being realized in Kurashiki, where all the adults involved in the community come together to nurture the children.
I hope that Kurashiki Mirai K-juku will become a place that enriches society while fulfilling its role as a junction between schools and the local community.
Article about Ohara House Katalyzer
Data on Kurashiki Mirai K-juku
| Name | Kurashiki Mirai K-juku |
|---|---|
| Date of Event | Held once a month. Approximately 2 hours. |
| Location | 1-2-1 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation Fee (Tax Included) | Whether there is a participation fee varies by seminar. |
| Homepage | Ohara House Katalyzer |
