A Model of school system to develop the school-based curriculum

and support CPD using reflection and action research

Tadashi ASADA Waseda University

Rieko IWAHAMA Akashi Kindergarten

attached to Kobe University

ProblemSchools should have autonomy, therefore all the schools

teachers need to know how to develop new learning.

In Japan Each school had to develop new learning units by itself after Na

tional Curriculum Reform in 1999 ‘Kounai-ken’, a kind of in-service teacher training system, has f

ocused on the professional development for the individual teacher, rather than enabling curriculum development.

So, each school has to establish the supportive and the collaborative system for its curriculum development.

Details of the supportive and collaborative system since 2000

in Akashi laboratory school (kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school

attached to Kobe Univ.)

2000-1 Reflective thinking program

A university staff, who specialized in teacher education and educational technology, introduced Akashi to doing reflective thinking after lessons with making use of videos. The reflective thinking program was held in Akashi on 6 occations as part of ‘Kounai-ken’.

How to do reflective thinking after lessons with making use of videos

Practitioner

Prompter

observers

Why did you do the teaching in this

situation?’’How did you

interpret this teaching situation?

2001-2 reflection cards writing

a kind of journal keeping (writing) method

　 All of our school’s teachers wrote the reflection cards based on our own practice about we remembered after lessons every day.

What student(s) learned

Interpretation of the facts

The facts

concrete situation (child’s face, eye

murmur etc)learning activities etc

What child thinks of ?What child enjoys ?What causes child’s

learning ? etc.

Reflection Cards

Make The Table of Learning process We made the 10 tables of learning process from the age

of 3 to 15.

What student(s) learned

Interpretation of the facts

The facts

Reflection Cards we wrote

totally about 4000 in this year.

Accumulation of what the

student learned

Table of learning process

Table of learning process

We classified based on

identifying what the student learned and created 10 categories

We arranged cards according to the

student age in each category and

grasped the process of what the student’s learning from 3 to15

The Table of Learning process ex. the Table of Human Relationship Learning

Lateral line Student age

horizontal lineMore detailed categories of human

relationship Learning

PillarLearning process.

Gap shows Difference in

processAn example of what student learned

2002~2006 Revise the Table based on the student learning and develop new learning units based on the revised Table

The Table of learning process

Learning 　unit plan

Existing elementary school /kindergarten curriculum

Practice

The facts

Interpretation

Learning

Revise

Revise

Revise

Reflection

Purposes of this supportive and collaborative system

① 　 To support the teacher’s professional development, especially focusing on reflective thinking and understanding action research cycle.

② To support school-based curriculum development.

These two purposes are interdependent.

From the view point of professional development

In Japanese culture Teachers are open to the inside (uchi), but not t

o the outside (soto). They need to open their own thoughts to the o

utside in order to reflect their own practice.

This system requires the teachers to have the ability for reflection.

in Akashi laboratory schoolDouble reflection together

The quality of reflection became better. we became aware of the meaning of the facts.

Write reflection cards Classify cards

double reflection

Kindergarten Teacher

Secondary school teacher

Elementary school teacher

Elementary school teacher School headmaster

University teacher support

Kindergarten

Teacher Secondary school teacher

From the view point of school-based curriculum development

in Japan6-3-3 educational system doesn’t always match to student’s

development.

At present the government regards the National Curriculum as the national minimum achievement, so that the government has encouraged all schools to develop their own school-based curriculum.

For example the government asked the schools below☆ to undertake research and develop the curriculum from the

point of connection between kindergarten and elementary school, between elementary school and secondary school and so on.

☆ to develop the school-based curriculum with the integrated learning curriculum which had been established

in Akashi laboratory school

Table of Learnin

g process

Table of Learnin

g process

Process of making

Process of making

New Learning

unit

We share the reflective

thinking among all the teachers.

we can develop a new learning unit individually

or in a group based on this Table.

The facts

Reflection Cards

The process of developing and improving a learning unit through reflection in Kounai-ken

Learning unit plan

Existing 　primary/kindergarten curriculum

The facts

Interpretation

learning

Why?

RevisedLearning Unit plan

The Table of Learning Process

practice

Improving The Table of

Learning process

Kounai-ken

Kounai-ken

Kounai-ken

Kounai-ken

Reflection

Case study: development of a learning unit between

kindergarten and elementary schoolin Akashi laboratory school

‘Doro Dango’

Summary of the developed learning unit ‘Doro Dango: a mud dumpling’

for from the age of 5(the last grade of the kindergarten) to the age of 6(the first grade of the elementary

school)

development of age 5~6

Existing elementary school/kindergarten curriculum

May and Juneearly summer

Mud, sand, water etc.in kindergarten and elementary school

field

Season materials

The Table of Learning Process

objectives/aims

the flow of lesson 1 The introduction: Whole class learning activity

To understand the common objective to make a mud dumpling

A elementary school teacher shows a picture

book about doro dango illustrated by himself.

The age of 5 -6 children enjoy the picture book at kindergarten hall.

2 The development: Individual learning activityTo make his/her mud dumpling according to one’s image, skill,

awareness by trial and error

The aged 5 girl and the aged 6 boy are making a mud dumpling together

under the tree.

Three kindergarten children has just

started to make in the field.

Children created their original mud

dumplings, such as a red one, a black one, a shiny one and so on.

They’re scouring red powder off

bricks to make a red dumpling.

3 The conclusion: Individual learning activity To reflect his/her own activity

Sharing information

between kindergarten and elementary school The key of this project was how it facilitated

conversation among teachers.

We’re able to share a lot of information and to contact with each other

without the liaison conference.(Sometimes we talked face to face)

The use of a mailing list

Learning Unit a mud dumpling Reflection

Children do not seem to teach something one another.

objectives/aims

Why?

the fact : the age of 5 child looked hard at the age of 6 child

Awareness of

the problem

A new awareness of child’s learning

Improve a unit plan

Improvement of support

Reinterpretation

with video

The fact after improvement

Teacher’interpretation: He learned a lot from observation

Reflection Cards

What to learn as the kindergarten teacher in developing a

learning unit with elementary school teachers

The age of 5 children can do the project learning in May.

How they support children to clarify the task.

Many viewpoints of teaching materials

The age of 5 children can prepare for materials from their own needs by themselves.

What to learn as the elementary school teacher in developing a

learning unit with kindergarten teachers

How to support individually and how to establish an effective learning environment for children to learn on their own initiative.

It is important for them to understand individuals in detail and clarify the goal and the way support for each child etc.

Collaboration in ML

Teacher J

Teacher K

Teacher I

Teacher H

Teacher G

Teacher F

Teacher E

Teacher D

Teacher C

Teacher B

Teacher A

Teacher L

Univ. Staff

The order of utterance during project in ML

Conclusion

The school system required a reflective teaching system, and consequently, the mentors within the school developed the school-based curriculum and supported their own and their colleagues’ CPD.