The Japanese Educational Model of Holistic Education
Educating the multiple aspects of the child is a goal for many countries in our globalizing and complex world. Succeeding in life is not merely about intellect, it is also about emotional stability, values, attitudes, and social skills. As we face an uncertain and complex world, abilities such as communicating and cooperating with others, values and attitudes which enable us to operate in a multicultural world, higher-order thinking skills, as well as basic and advanced knowledge in various fields, are everyone’s concern. Many educators, even in countries where schooling has mainly focused on developing the intellectual aspects of the child, are now turning to schools to take on a wider role in developing the whole child.
Japanese education has long emphasized the development of the whole child. It has periods of whole child education which are part of the official curriculum. One of the central components of Japanese style whole child education is the period of special activities, tokubetsu katsudo, tokkatsu for short. Tokkatsu, though practiced universally within Japan, has rarely been introduced abroad.
This homepage provides information on Japanese style whole child education, especially tokkatsu, to the international audience to facilitate the cross-national exchange of information. We hope that this will add to the discussion on the educational structures, ideological foundations, and practices that educate the total child in different cultural contexts.
The Curriculum
There has been a long history of educating
the whole child in the postwar Japanese school curriculum.
The newest version of the Course of Study calls for a balanced development of the total child.
In order to thrive in the fast-changing society of the future, it is important to assure a balanced development of intellect-virtue-body, in other words, to assure a solid basis for academic competence (tashikana gakuryoku), rich emotions (yutakana kokoro), and healthy physical development (sukoyakana karada).
The new Course of Study started from 2020 for elementary school and 2021 for junior high school.
Hours of the Curriculum
Elementary School
Noted: Taken and translated from the Ministry of Education homepage. https://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/micro_detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/09/05/1384661_4_3_2.pdf
Junior High School
Noted: Taken and translated from the Ministry of Education homepage. https://www.mext.go.jp/content/1413522_002.pdf
Further Information on the Curriculum
Course of Study (elementary school)
https://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/micro_detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/09/05/1384661_4_3_2.pdf (as of 2021, May.)
MEXT, Guide for foreign students to start school
https://www.mext.go.jp/en/policy/education/elsec/title02/detail02/1373857.htm （as of 2021）
The Tokkatsu Curriculum
One of the central areas of whole child education within the Japanese national curriculum standards today is the period of special activities, tokubetsu katsudo, for short, which brings together various non-subject activities such as lunch, club activities, and student councils. Tokkatsu is a regular component of the official curriculum.
|
1947 |
“Independent Research” (jiyu kenkyu) was established as a subject. |
|
1951 |
Extra-curricula activities for elementary school and special educational activities (tokubetsu kyoiku katsudo) was established for secondary school and “independent research” was abolished. |
|
1958 |
Non-subject areas were divided into “morals,” “special education activities,” and “school events etc.” |
|
1968 |
“Special educational activities” was combined with “school events etc.” and renamed “special activities” (tokubetsu katsudo) for elementary and lower secondary school. The counterpart at high school was “educational activities other than the subjects” (kaku kyoka igai no kyoiku katsudo). |
|
1977 |
Tokubetsu katsudo used throughout elementary to secondary. |
|
1989 |
No change for Tokkatsu. |
|
1998 |
The Period for Integrated Studies was erected |
|
2008 |
No change for tokkatsu. |
(Reference) M.Yamaguchi and I. Yasui eds. Tokubetsu katsudo to ningenkeisei. Tokyo: Gakubunsha. 2001 revised version, originally 1990, ch.2.
Video messages and classroom practices related to the Japanese educational model of holistic education and Tokkatsu.
Research related to the Japanese educational model of holistic education and Tokkatsu.
Useful resources for teachers such as guidelines and lesson plans.
The Instruction Guidebook on Special Activities (Tokkatsu) is now available from the National Institute for Educational Policy Research (Japan) in three languages.
English Version
https://www.nier.go.jp/kaihatsu/pdf/tokkatsu_r020814-01_eng.pdf
Chinese Version
https://www.nier.go.jp/kaihatsu/pdf/tokkatsu_r020814-01_cn.pdf
Arabic Version
https://www.nier.go.jp/kaihatsu/pdf/tokkatsu_r020814-01_arabia.pdf
https://tokkatsuglobaledu.jimdofree.com/
https://globaledumulti.jimdofree.com/
http://www.mext.go.jp/english/
http://www.tim.hi-ho.ne.jp/zentokkatu/
http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/tokkatsu/
http://www.geocities.jp/dokkatsu_katarukai/index.html
http://www.lessonresearch.net/
(Note) English translation for organizations are tentative, and were translated by the writers of this homepage (as of June 2012), with the exception of those written as the (official name).
一般社団法人 グローバル多文化社会研究所
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E-mail: office[at]gmsresearh.org Tel: 03-5684-4529 (直）
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English:
Global and Multiculural Society Research Institute
Bunkyo Gakuin University, Room C-83, c/o R. Tsuneyoshi
1-19-1 Mukogaoka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8668, Japan
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