A Model of school system
to develop the school-based curriculum
and support CPD
using reflection and action research
Tadashi ASADA
Waseda University
Rieko IWAHAMA
Akashi Kindergarten
attached to Kobe University
Problem
Schools should have autonomy, therefore all the schools
teachers need to know how to develop new learning.
In Japan



Each school had to develop new learning units by itself after
National Curriculum Reform in 1999
‘Kounai-ken’, a kind of in-service teacher training system, has
focused on the professional development for the individual
teacher, rather than enabling curriculum development.
So, each school has to establish the supportive and the
collaborative system for its curriculum development.
Details of the supportive and
collaborative system since 2000
in Akashi laboratory school
(kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school
attached to Kobe Univ.)
2000-1 Reflective thinking program
A university staff, who specialized in teacher education and
educational technology, introduced Akashi to doing
reflective thinking after lessons with making use of videos.
The reflective thinking program was held in Akashi on 6
occations as part of ‘Kounai-ken’.
How to do reflective thinking
after lessons with making use of videos
Practitioner
Prompter
Why did you do the
teaching in this
situation?’
’How did you
interpret this teaching
situation?
observers
2001-2 reflection cards writing
a kind of journal keeping (writing) method
All of our school’s teachers wrote the reflection cards based
on our own practice about we remembered after lessons every
day.
What student(s)
learned
Interpretation
of the facts
The facts
Reflection Cards
What child thinks of ?
What child enjoys ?
What causes child’s
learning ? etc.
concrete situation
(child’s face, eye
murmur etc)
learning activities etc
Make The Table of Learning process
We made the 10 tables of learning process from the age
of 3 to 15.
What student(s)
learned
Interpretation of the
facts
The facts
Reflection Cards
we wrote
totally about 4000
in this year.
Accumulation
of what the
student
learned
We classified
based on
identifying what
the student
learned and
created 10
Table of
learning
process
We arranged cards
according to the
student age in each
category and grasped
the process of what
the student’s
learning from 3 to15
The Table of Learning process
ex. the Table of Human Relationship Learning
horizontal line
More detailed categories of human
relationship Learning
Lateral line
Student age
An example of what
student learned
Pillar
Learning
process.
Gap shows
Difference in
process
2002~2006 Revise the Table based on the
student learning and develop new
learning units based on the revised Table
Reflection
Learning
Interpretation
Revise
The facts
Existing elementary
school /kindergarten
curriculum
Revise
Practice
Learning
unit plan
The Table of learning process
Revise
Purposes of this supportive and
collaborative system
① To support the teacher’s professional
development, especially focusing on reflective
thinking and understanding action research
cycle.
② To support school-based curriculum
development.
These two purposes are interdependent.
From the view point of professional
development
In Japanese culture
 Teachers are open to the inside (uchi), but not
to the outside (soto).
 They need to open their own thoughts to the
outside in order to reflect their own practice.
This system requires the teachers to have the
ability for reflection.
in Akashi laboratory school
Double reflection together
Kindergarten
Teacher
Secondary
school
teacher
Elementary school
teacher
Write reflection cards
Secondary school
teacher
Classify cards
Kindergarten
Teacher
double reflection
Elementary school
teacher
School headmaster
University teacher
support
The quality of reflection became better.
we became aware of the meaning of the facts.
From the view point of school-based
curriculum development
in Japan
6-3-3 educational system doesn’t always match to student’s
development.
At present the government regards the National Curriculum as the
national minimum achievement, so that the government has
encouraged all schools to develop their own school-based
curriculum.
For example the government asked the schools below
☆ to undertake research and develop the curriculum from the
point of connection between kindergarten and elementary
school, between elementary school and secondary school and
so on.
☆ to develop the school-based curriculum with the integrated
learning curriculum which had been established
in Akashi laboratory school
The Process
facts of making
Table of
Learnin
g
process
Process
of making
New
Learning
unit
Reflection
Cards
We share the
reflective
thinking among
all the teachers.
we can develop a new
learning unit individually
or in a group based on this
Table.
The process of developing and improving a learning unit
through reflection in Kounai-ken
Reflection
Kounai-ken
learning
Interpretation
Why?
The facts
practice
Existing
primary/kindergarten
curriculum
Learning unit plan
Kounaiken
Revised
Learning
Unit plan
Kounai-ken
The Table of
Learning Process
Improving
The Table of
Learning process
Kounai
-ken
Case study:
development of a learning unit between
kindergarten and elementary school
in Akashi laboratory school
‘Doro Dango’
Summary of the developed learning unit
‘Doro Dango: a mud dumpling’
for from the age of 5(the last grade of the kindergarten)
to the age of 6(the first grade of the elementary school)
The Table of
Learning Process
development of age 5~6
Existing elementary
school/kindergarten
curriculum
objectives/aims
materials
Mud, sand, water etc.
in kindergarten and elementary school
field
Season
May and June
early summer
the flow of lesson
1 The introduction: Whole class learning activity
To understand the common objective to make a mud dumpling
A elementary school
teacher shows a picture
book about doro dango
illustrated by himself.
The age of 5 -6 children enjoy the
picture book at kindergarten hall.
2 The development: Individual learning activity
To make his/her mud dumpling according to one’s image, skill,
awareness by trial and error
Three kindergarten
children has just
started to make in
the field.
The aged 5 girl and the
aged 6 boy are making a
mud dumpling together
under the tree.
They’re
scouring red
powder off
bricks to
make a red
dumpling.
Children created their
original mud dumplings,
such as a red one, a
black one, a shiny one
and so on.
3 The conclusion: Individual learning activity
To reflect his/her own activity
Sharing information
between kindergarten and elementary school

The key of this project was how it facilitated
conversation among teachers.
The use of a mailing list
We’re able to share a lot of information and
to contact with each other
without the liaison conference.
(Sometimes we talked face to face)
Learning Unit a mud dumpling Reflection
objectives/aims
Reflection Cards
Children do not seem
Reinterp
to teach
retation
something one
with
another.
video
the fact : the age of 5 child
looked hard at the age of 6 child
Teacher’interpretation:
He learned a lot from observation
Why?
Awareness of
the problem
Improvement of support
Improve
a unit
plan
A new awareness of
child’s learning
The fact after improvement
What to learn
as the kindergarten teacher in developing a
learning unit with elementary school teachers

The age of 5 children can do the project learning in
May.

How they support children to clarify the task.

Many viewpoints of teaching materials

The age of 5 children can prepare for materials
from their own needs by themselves.
What to learn
as the elementary school teacher in developing a
learning unit with kindergarten teachers

How to support individually and how to establish
an effective learning environment for children to
learn on their own initiative.

It is important for them to understand individuals in
detail and clarify the goal and the way support for
each child etc.
Collaboration in ML
Teacher L
Teacher K
Teacher J
Teacher I
Teacher H
Teacher G
Teacher F
Teacher E
Teacher D
Teacher C
Teacher B
Teacher A
Univ. Staff
The order of utterance during project in ML
Conclusion

The school system required a reflective teaching
system, and consequently, the mentors within the
school developed the school-based curriculum and
supported their own and their colleagues’ CPD.