Teaching and Learning in Japan

In this important work, major scholars on Japan draw on ethnographic and experimental studies of learning throughout the lifespan to explore the Japanese style of learning. The reader will get an inside view of Japanese teaching methods, where the emphasis is on the process of learning, rather than the end product. In Japan, applications across contexts--from religion to music, to mathematics, to guidance are very differently handled than in the West. Contributors analyze various models of learning within and without the Japanese school system. The examples considered here allow the reader to understand better the rich coherence and variety of educational experiences in the broader social context. A carefully articulated introduction and conclusion by the editors provide salient comparisons of East and West and cautions that we do not simplify our model of either one. Teaching and Learning in Japan will be of interest to educators, Japan scholars, and to educational psychologists.

Major scholars on Japan explore the Japanese style of learning in this important volume, drawing upon ethnographic and experimental studies of learning throughout the life span. The reader gets an inside view of Japanese teaching methods, where the emphasis is on the process of learning rather than the end product. Applications across contexts, from religion to music to mathematics to guidance, are handled very differently than in the West. Contributors analyze various models of learning within and without the Japanese school system. Together these analyses comprise an example of a nation, a landscape of learning. The examples considered here allow us to understand better the rich coherence of systems in the broader social context. A carefully articulated Introduction and Conclusion by the editors provide salient comparisons of East and West and caution that we do not simplify our model of either one. Teaching and Learning in Japan will be of interest to educators, Japan scholars, and to educational psychologists.