Friday, March 13, 2009
Repeat After Me
The more time I spend in Japanese elementary schools, the less I feel I understand them.
Graduation is only a few days away, so preparations are in full effect. This morning I watched the children practice everything they needed to do for the ceremony on Wednesday. Yes, much like cleaning the floors and passing out lunch, the students play an integral role in the graduation ceremony. They are singing a number of songs, playing one with their instruments (in addition to the standard "pomp and circumstance"), and they have a long, coordinated script where they take turns shouting words of gratitude and encouragement to the departing students.
In a lot of ways I respect what these schools do for the kids. Because they have so much responsibility as compared to American elementary school students, I feel like they are getting a leg up on life by learning to work together. I'm also impressed by the fact that even the first graders seem capable of handling two or three musical instruments. I never had any music lessons in my school days aside from singing. What might have been different if I had learned the recorder, or the piano?
On the other hand, the constant drilling around here does grate on me after a while. In between practicing their lines and their music, the children also spent time standing up together, sitting down together, applauding for the graduates together, even opening the door to let the sixth graders leave the gymnasium! As I write this, second period is almost over and they are still in there, practicing something else - or possibly just the same things again. How many hours of rehearsal are necessary for this?
It's not just the one annual ceremony, either. Japanese kids are constantly practicing stuff like this all year round. There are so many events that seem to take a higher priority than education it's a wonder these children learn anything at all.
Take math, for example. I remember learning the multiplication tables as a kid. It was important for basic math and while I can't say I can recall 12 x 9 off the top of my head, for the most part the training has stuck with me. Here in Japan, the children learn their multiplication tables in speech form. They only do 1-9, but the entire list is laid out and re-written (Japanese has a complex method of reading numbers) so that each child can practice reading the entire thing. They then spend time going around the school and "perform" in front of other adults, asking them to listen and make sure they don't make any mistakes. While I have never seen it, I suspect there is some kind of in-class event where they must do the whole thing in front of their classmates.
I'm forced to ask: what's the point? Maybe all that practice aids in memorization, but why add the presentation aspect? How does that help the children retain 5 x 9? I just don't see what purpose all this walking around and chanting serves. Mnemonic devices are great learning aids, but pointless performances are not. And this is only the tip of the iceberg I'm sure. I don't spend much time observing their regular classes, but from what I've heard most subjects include some kind of "memorize this by reading it aloud over and over again" practice.
By making every subject about repetition and memorization, I believe it has a detrimental effect on the children's learning habits. When we do presentations in English class (which we do too often if you ask me), most students struggle to follow along unless they write all of their material out in phonetic Japanese (which makes everything sound off). Even for simple stuff like "My name is," an expression we use constantly in class, few can recite it without notes. It's as if they cannot perform without weeks of practice and written instructions.
Call me cynical, but if these kids spent less time preparing themselves for speeches, essay contests, and memorization drills, maybe they could spend more time learning? Maybe then fewer children would feel obligated to go to after-school cram sessions to make up for the basic education they're not getting in school? And if I may be so bold, what if one tenth of this puppetry was replaced with a valuable subject like, I don't know, ENGLISH? Some elementary schools are better than others, but few pay English any serious mind. The average student gets 10 lessons per year. Not semester - per YEAR. They spend more class hours than that jumping rope.
I can't say I remember everything I went through in elementary school, but the things I can remember are integral in who I am today. The books I read, the songs I sang, and especially the limited acting experiences I had - this is the stuff that has stuck with me over two decades and practically defines me as a person. I'm not saying Japan has it all wrong, but I worry that the balance between education and empty ceremonies is way off. Is this the right learning environment for my son?
Graduation is only a few days away, so preparations are in full effect. This morning I watched the children practice everything they needed to do for the ceremony on Wednesday. Yes, much like cleaning the floors and passing out lunch, the students play an integral role in the graduation ceremony. They are singing a number of songs, playing one with their instruments (in addition to the standard "pomp and circumstance"), and they have a long, coordinated script where they take turns shouting words of gratitude and encouragement to the departing students.
In a lot of ways I respect what these schools do for the kids. Because they have so much responsibility as compared to American elementary school students, I feel like they are getting a leg up on life by learning to work together. I'm also impressed by the fact that even the first graders seem capable of handling two or three musical instruments. I never had any music lessons in my school days aside from singing. What might have been different if I had learned the recorder, or the piano?
On the other hand, the constant drilling around here does grate on me after a while. In between practicing their lines and their music, the children also spent time standing up together, sitting down together, applauding for the graduates together, even opening the door to let the sixth graders leave the gymnasium! As I write this, second period is almost over and they are still in there, practicing something else - or possibly just the same things again. How many hours of rehearsal are necessary for this?
It's not just the one annual ceremony, either. Japanese kids are constantly practicing stuff like this all year round. There are so many events that seem to take a higher priority than education it's a wonder these children learn anything at all.
Take math, for example. I remember learning the multiplication tables as a kid. It was important for basic math and while I can't say I can recall 12 x 9 off the top of my head, for the most part the training has stuck with me. Here in Japan, the children learn their multiplication tables in speech form. They only do 1-9, but the entire list is laid out and re-written (Japanese has a complex method of reading numbers) so that each child can practice reading the entire thing. They then spend time going around the school and "perform" in front of other adults, asking them to listen and make sure they don't make any mistakes. While I have never seen it, I suspect there is some kind of in-class event where they must do the whole thing in front of their classmates.
I'm forced to ask: what's the point? Maybe all that practice aids in memorization, but why add the presentation aspect? How does that help the children retain 5 x 9? I just don't see what purpose all this walking around and chanting serves. Mnemonic devices are great learning aids, but pointless performances are not. And this is only the tip of the iceberg I'm sure. I don't spend much time observing their regular classes, but from what I've heard most subjects include some kind of "memorize this by reading it aloud over and over again" practice.
By making every subject about repetition and memorization, I believe it has a detrimental effect on the children's learning habits. When we do presentations in English class (which we do too often if you ask me), most students struggle to follow along unless they write all of their material out in phonetic Japanese (which makes everything sound off). Even for simple stuff like "My name is," an expression we use constantly in class, few can recite it without notes. It's as if they cannot perform without weeks of practice and written instructions.
Call me cynical, but if these kids spent less time preparing themselves for speeches, essay contests, and memorization drills, maybe they could spend more time learning? Maybe then fewer children would feel obligated to go to after-school cram sessions to make up for the basic education they're not getting in school? And if I may be so bold, what if one tenth of this puppetry was replaced with a valuable subject like, I don't know, ENGLISH? Some elementary schools are better than others, but few pay English any serious mind. The average student gets 10 lessons per year. Not semester - per YEAR. They spend more class hours than that jumping rope.
I can't say I remember everything I went through in elementary school, but the things I can remember are integral in who I am today. The books I read, the songs I sang, and especially the limited acting experiences I had - this is the stuff that has stuck with me over two decades and practically defines me as a person. I'm not saying Japan has it all wrong, but I worry that the balance between education and empty ceremonies is way off. Is this the right learning environment for my son?
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Labels: Japan, teaching, Write or Die
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I know what you mean dude. I have been watching my Junior High students go through the same thing. In fact, I have to sit through four hours of graduation practice today. The thing that gets me is the constant berating by the teachers for the students not being absolutely perfect in their bowing, sitting posture, standing posture, clapping, etc.
Exactly. It's not that I object to rehearsal as a concept, but placing such high importance on bullshit like standing, sitting, bowing...that's the kind of crap that turns kids crazy. So what if one kid was a half-second late during the kiritsu? Lighten up!
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