Hosting a casual discussion on education! A night of dialogue starting with 'Is homework really necessary?'
A weekday night.
Education professionals in Fukui gathered in a place that was neither a classroom nor a staff room.
There was only one reason they gathered.
“Why don't we talk a little about education?”
There were no stiff agendas or timetables.
We brought what we wanted to talk about and discussed it.
It is precisely because of that relaxed atmosphere that certain 'questions' are born.
Strangers entering the school?
The first topic brought up was a unique PTA initiative being carried out at an elementary school in Saitama Prefecture. (*Sasakko Supporters)
Here, not only parents but various adults from the community are involved with the school as 'known strangers'.
“Aren't you worried about strangers coming into the school?”
The answer that came back to that question was unexpected.
“Actually, it's safer because many people come and there are eyes on the community members.
Local people naturally start watching over the children.”
Not protecting safety by closing off, but protecting by opening up.
A quiet shock ran through us, making us rethink the way schools should be.
“Do I have to do my homework?”
This question was the trigger for this dialogue.
“Is homework really necessary?”
Because it's a path everyone has walked, it's something we want to talk about.
One participant shared a memory from their childhood where 'homework was fun'.
“I didn't do the workbooks at all. But I really enjoyed doing the independent study notebooks.”
Independent study notebooks are notebooks where children freely write about what they learned or were interested in that day.
The finished notebooks would pile up in a corner of the classroom—
the whole class enjoyed seeing 'how high they could stack them' they said.
There was no 'feeling of being forced' there.
Instead, there was an atmosphere that made you want to do it yourself.
What was even more surprising was the story of a child who made a notebook collecting only difficult math problems and taught them to everyone.
When 'I'm having fun' and 'I want to tell someone' overlap, learning expands all at once.
Me, who was bad at English, and ramen and the ALT
“Honestly, I didn't like English.”
But one day, when I recommended a ramen shop outside the prefecture to the ALT (Assistant Language Teacher)—
the ALT actually went to that ramen shop during summer vacation.
“I was so happy. Because of that, I thought 'I want to talk more!'.”
I wasn't good at reading and writing, but from there, I started to like speaking and became able to do English.
It was truly a moment where language felt 'alive'.
I prepared for the lesson because I was told I 'could do it'.
The conversation also touched upon an English teacher named 'Kamety-sensei'.
Even for students who struggled with their studies, that teacher would say this every single class.
'[Name], you're doing great again today.'
The student was a regular at getting grades of 1 or 2. They couldn't get points on tests.
However, that child felt 'recognized' for the first time, and started preparing for lessons and speaking up in class.
Although they still couldn't get points on tests, their motivation for learning was evaluated, and they received a '4' on their report card.
It was a change that occurred in a child who was rarely recognized.
'Fun' is the driving force of learning
What all the episodes shared that night was that
at the starting point of learning, there is always the emotion of 'fun'.
It's fun to read friends' pages in self-study notebooks
It's happy to have my recommendations listened to
Being told 'that's good' is encouraging
Study methods vary from person to person.
Some people learn through text, some through interaction with others, and some get switched on through communication.
That is why it is important to find a 'way of learning that suits yourself'.
And perhaps it is the role of adults to help find that.
Starting a Teacher Bar.
It was in such a positive atmosphere that the
'Teacher Bar' concept was born.
At a Starbucks, a cafe, or outside of school.
A place where teachers can step away from their duties and talk casually about education as 'just people'.
'Education can be more playful.'
Valuing that feeling, we are taking the first step to gather people involved in education, starting from Fukui.
The next event is on 'Cute Day'
The next casual education talk session is scheduled for **September 10th (Cute Day)**.
The theme is 'Casual ways for teachers and the community to connect'.
If you are interested, please join us.
Finally, a question for you.
Have you been able to find a way of learning that works for you?