Episode 43: What are Homeroom Teacher Skills?

The Teacher Skill Study Group, commonly known as the Kobayashi Seminar, is an online study group hosted by Akifumi Kobayashi, a classroom improvement advisor. It has now entered its seventh year.
The seminar members are mainly elementary, junior high, and high school teachers from across the country, who gather in a Zoom room about once a week to discuss various educational topics.

Starting this fiscal year, we have also begun sharing information on Instagram and stand.fm.
Here, we provide articles that are summaries of transcripts from our audio broadcasts on stand.fm.

The regular meeting of the Teacher Skill Study Group held on April 4th was the first session of the 2025 fiscal year.
Because it is this time of year, it was a Q&A session focused on the "cultivating" stage of homeroom teacher skills, which we want to learn thoroughly.

In the after-talk, we discuss what homeroom teacher skills actually are and the secrets behind the essential "A-I-S-A-T-S-U" (greeting) skills.

If you are interested, please lend us an ear...

What are "Homeroom Teacher Skills"? — Kobayashi Seminar 2025 Kickoff!

This time, as an after-talk for our first open seminar in April, we will introduce the depth of "homeroom teacher skills" that emerged from our dialogue with Mr. Kobayashi.

What kind of things are "homeroom teacher skills"?

While instructional skills are the "ability to teach subjects," homeroom teacher skills are the other wheel: the "ability to foster students' social skills and create a space where they can spend their time with peace of mind."

Instead of just teaching content, Mr. Kobayashi explained that the essence of homeroom teacher skills lies in focusing on daily processes, cultivating student relationships, and nurturing an environment where dialogue and collaboration can emerge.

The first stage of homeroom teacher skills: "Cultivating"

We covered the "cultivating" stage, which is also featured in Mr. Kobayashi's book, "Understanding Homeroom Teacher Skills Through Manga: Introduction to Homeroom Studies."
In April, the start of the new school year, when students haven't yet opened up to each other, this is about building the foundation to make the classroom a "safe and secure place."

The specific skills are these four:
1. A-I-S-A-T-S-U (Brightly, First, and add a word)
2. Conduct the class opening carefully
3. Continue daily interaction and information gathering with students
4. Actively share information with other homeroom teachers

Among these, the topic that got the most excitement this time was "Greetings"!

Adding a word is difficult... but it changes things if you keep at it

You might think "Greetings + a word" is easy, but it is actually very profound. Mr. Kobayashi said he even stumbled on the "brightly" part at first.

However, because it is a skill you can practice many times every single day, you will acquire it as you continue. He says that if you approach it with the mindset of nurturing it over six months or a year, it will definitely produce results.

Teacher techniques are actually the accumulation of such "steadfastness."

Next session preview and information

The seminar is held about three times a month. The themes are diverse, including not only homeroom teacher skills but also book clubs and active learning research.

The next session is the "Sub-Seminar Planning Meeting," starting at 6:00 AM on Saturday, April 12th.
And on Thursday, April 18th, we are planning a Q&A session regarding "Instructional Skills."

We offer a monthly membership system where you can join for free in the first month, as well as a cost-effective annual payment plan.
For more details, please check the seminar's website, Instagram, stand.fm, and YouTube.

The skill of cultivating the small society that is a classroom. It is also a "technique" for nurturing the future.
Why don't you join us and polish your homeroom teaching skills?

This seminar was live-streamed on YouTube.
You can watch the archived video here.

Articles for previous after-talks can be found here.

If you think, "Being a homeroom teacher is great! It's interesting!", please like, follow, and join our seminar!

If you would like to know more about the Teacher Skill Research Group/Kobayashi Seminar, click here↓
https://home.tsuku2.jp/f/akifumi_kobayashi/kyousi_skill

There is also an explanatory video for the Teacher Skill Research Group↓
https://youtu.be/oz2fGMwHKVE?si=RkSxlgetY-qcp956

Now posting on the Teacher Skill Research Group/Kobayashi Seminar Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/

Go ahead and sign up for the Teacher Skill Research Group/Kobayashi Seminar! Please purchase your ticket here. Annual payments are a better value during April.
https://home.tsuku2.jp/storeDetail.php?scd=0000101434