BrainSMART in Japan

by Guest Blogger Donna Wilson

Future Education Tokyo features several of our ideas and strategies as a part of a comprehensive and systematic plan to assist Japan as they seek to provide their young with a foundation for learning and skills so they can create their future. An article on the Tokyo website contextualizes the use of our BrainSMART strategies to help guide students to become metacognitive as a key aspect of active learning.

Active learning and metacognition are featured in Japan’s new course of study to be implemented from 2020 forward. The writer indicates that people may have heard about metacognition in business seminars and employee training. However, connecting to insights from our articles, “The Boss of My Brain” and “Building A Metacognitive Classroom,” it becomes clear that educators and parents can assist students to learn how to use metacognition too. On a personal note, having recently returned from a trip to Japan where Marcus Conyers and I had opportunity to engage with many lovely and forward-thinking Japanese people, we are greatly pleased for our strategies to be seen as an aspect of the Japanese vision for education.

We find it interesting that with regard to the new course of study, the Japanese Benesse Education Research Institute states that “We have decided to focus our research on ‘how the environments should be, where each child can develop and experience growth in independent learning.’ We are committed to closely observing and interacting with children from the viewpoint of parents, guardians and teachers, incorporating the perspectives of researchers in Japan and abroad, and examining the processes of ‘learning and growth.’”

In Japan, the education policy will shift to an emphasis on building skills that enable dealing with complicated issues through the application of psychological and social resources; 2020 has been set as the target year for implementation. How can we foster in children a foundation for learning and the skills to create a future on their own? This is the globally relevant question for education today.

For this reason, we have decided to focus our research on  “how the environments should be, where each child can develop and experience growth in independent learning.” We are committed to closely observing and interacting with children from the viewpoint of parents, guardians, and teachers, incorporating the perspectives of researchers in Japan and abroad, and examining the processes of  “learning and growth.

To read more from the Future of Education Tokyo site, see this article [Japanese language]: http://www.futureedu.tokyo/education-news-blog/2018/3/20brain-based-learnig 

To read more about the Benesse Education Research Institute, visit https://berd.benesse.jp/english/aboutus