Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
We fi rst present an overview of the current situation of geography education in
Japanese schools and consider future teaching options available, with a focus on
curricula and in-service teacher training.
Since the beginning of modern education in Japan, in the late nineteenth century,
the school system has been strictly administrated by the Ministry of Education
(MEXT).
1
The government established a uniform national education system by
means of the Educational Ordinance in 1872 and Education Order in 1879, which
included the National Curriculum Standards. This marked the fi rst educational
reform in Japan. In this curriculum system, Geography was an independent and
compulsory subject, in addition to History (Japanese history) and Morals (
Shyuushin
)
in elementary schools.
In 1947, just after World War II and under the Allied occupation, there was a
second educational reform that used the U.S. educational system as its reference.
The school system adopted a 6-3-3 structure (6 years of elementary school, and 3
years each of junior high and senior high school). The length of compulsory educa-
tion was increased from 6 to 9 years, extending the school age of students from 6 to
15 years old. This system has continued to the present day; elementary and junior
high schools remain compulsory.
2
Under this education system, MEXT enacts and revises the National Curriculum
Standards at approximately 10-year intervals. The fi rst National Curriculum
Standards reform in 1947 introduced the new subject area of Social Studies bor-
rowed from the U.S. curriculum. As a result, geography and history were integrated
into Social Studies which emphasized problem-solving skills. However, a system-
atic method of learning was adopted for Social Studies after 1955. This measure
was taken for various reasons, including the fact that the ability to solve problems
only provided fragments of knowledge.
Learning centered on problem-solving was criticized, and a systematic method
of learning was feared that this instructional method stressed cramming of informa-
tion or overly emphasized rote learning. This led to careful selection of learning
content and experiences for the 1989 National Curriculum Standards. In elementary
schools, Social Studies and Science were abolished in the fi rst and second grades
and replaced by Life Environmental Studies, which emphasized experience. This
change marked the beginning of the third educational reform, which is used in the
present education system. In the 1989 revision, high school level Social Studies was
separated into two new subjects: Geography and history, and Civics.
In recent years, new criticism arose faulting the current school curriculum for
failing to teach basic knowledge. In response, the revised 2008/2009 National
Curriculum Standards once again emphazed the acquisition of basic knowledge in
all subjects. The new curriculum also focuses on social participation, or means of
personal contribution to society. Table
1.1
outlines the current Japanese school system
and geography-related subjects.
1
The current offi ce is the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
2
All senior high schools have an entrance examination. However, the percentage of students who
attend high school is currently around 98 %.
