Improving the Quality of Teaching
Teiichi SATO
Professor, International
University of Health and
Welfare Graduate School
Improving the Quality of Teaching
With the aim of improving the quality of teaching, various measures centering around everyday classroom teaching
and the professional development of teachers are being systematically implemented at each stage: teacher training in
universities, recruitment carried out by boards of education of prefectures and designated cities (500,000+ population),
and continuing professional development.
Improving teaching quality at each stage: training, recruitment, and CPD
Comprehensive reform of teaching quality
●Teacher training provided by universities in principle
●Teacher training courses that combine subject-based training and practical teaching
skills in an approved subject area --> provide newly qualified teachers with the minimum
skills necessary to immediately take responsibility for a class or course of study and to
put into practice the student guidance and curriculum delivery techniques acquired during
training.
Recruitment
Training
●Teacher recruitment and selection
carried out by boards of education of
prefectures and designated cities
●Evaluation from a broader perspective:
・Greater weight given to performance
in interviews and demonstration lessons
・Non-teaching experience also taken
into account
Appropriate HR mgt
CPD
●Continuing professional development
provided by boards of education:
・For new teachers ・For teachers with 10
years’ experience ・For experienced
teachers
●Continuing professional development at the
national level (National Center for Teachers’
Development):
・School management training for staff who
play a central role in education in each region
・Training covering pressing issues
●Effective management of a system for teachers performing unsatisfactorily
●New teacher evaluation system ●MEXT Outstanding Teacher Award
Recent efforts
●Improvement of teacher training courses (incl. introduction of a teaching practice element)
●Establishment of postgraduate teacher training colleges
-> Improve teacher training at the postgraduate level and provide high quality and practical
training.
●Implementation of a teaching certificate renewal system
-> Enabling teachers to regularly update their skills and knowledge will foster confident
teachers who take pride in their work, as well as increase the public’s respect and trust in the
teaching profession
-> Teaching certificate valid for 10 years. Teachers need to complete at least 30 hours of
training within the 2 years prior to the expiration of the certificate.
(Particulars of the teaching certificate renewal system to be decided during the radical
overhaul to improve the quality of teaching）
● 3 June 2010: Policies to improve teaching
quality across all aspects of teaching
submitted for inquiry to the Central Council
for Education
・Under discussions at the Central Council for
Education – Special Committee for Imrivement
of Teaching Quality
●Overview of the Report on the Discussions
published January 2011
① Further consideration being given to realizing a
master’s level degree in teacher training
② For the time being, consideration being given to
granting a “basic certificate (provisional name)” –
basic qualification for those with a bachelor’s degree
and a “general certificate (provisional name)” –
master’s level qualification for teachers completing
the necessary program after being employed as a
teacher
③ Consideration being given to establishing a
“specialized certificate (provisional name)”
●Improve the quality of teaching
by improving individual teachers’
skills -> Provide high quality
１
teaching
System of Teacher Development and Teaching Certification
1. The Principle of Teaching Certification and Principle of an Open System
Principle of Teaching Certification
Principle of an Open System
Teachers shall be those persons possessing one of the
applicable certificates awarded through the Educational
Personnel Certification Act (Article 3, paragraph 1 of the
Certification Act).
Teacher training in Japan is conducted fostering the particular
characteristics of regular universities and universities
specializing in teacher training.
2. Types of Teaching Certificates
By type of school (by subject for lower and upper secondary schools)
① Regular certificate
(Valid for 10 years)
② Specialized certificate
(Valid for ten years)
Specialized certificate (on completing a master’s degree)
③ Provisional certificate
(Valid for three years)
○ Authority awarding certificate
Prefectural Board of Education
○ Valid scope of the certificate
Class I certificate (on graduating from a university)
・Regular certificate: All prefectures
・Specialized certificate:
・Provisional certificate:
Class II certificate (on graduating from a junior college)
Within the prefecture
where the certificate was
awarded
２
Framework of Teacher Development in Universities
○
○
The teaching certificate will be awarded through the acquisition of a degree and the credits required of the teaching-training program.
The university subjects for the teacher-training program shall be certified by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology for each type of certificate.
(Note: The teacher-training program for kindergartens and elementary schools shall be comprised of subjects whose “primary purpose
is the training of teachers”.)
Bachelor’s degree, etc.
＋
Completion of the teacher-training program
①
Bachelor’s degree
＝level of a Class I certificate
Junior college diploma: Class II certificate
Master’s degree: Specialized certificate
⇒
Classes relating to subjects
（Minimum no. of credits for elementary school teaching: 8,
lower and upper secondary school teaching: 20）
②
Classes relating to the teaching profession
Teaching certificate
Awarded according to the
type of school (according
to the types of subjects in
cases of lower secondary
schools and upper
secondary schools)
(Minimum no. of credits for elementary school teaching: 41,
lower secondary school teaching: 31, upper secondary school training: 23)
・ Significance of the teaching profession
・ Basic theory of education
・ Courses of study and methods of instruction
・ Student guidance, education counseling and careers guidance
・ Teaching practice (Elementary and lower secondary school teaching: 4 weeks,
upper secondary school teaching: 2 weeks）
・ Teaching practicum
③
Classes relating to subjects or the teaching profession
(Minimum no. of credits for elementary school teaching: 10,
lower secondary school teaching: 8,
upper secondary school teaching: 16)
※ Chosen from the abovementioned ①or ②
※The credits are for a Class I certificate
３
Composition of teachers by the certificate
<Percentage of certificate holders by certificate of current teachers＞
（FY 2007）
Category
Specialized certificate
Class I certificate
Class II certificate
Kindergartens
0.4%
21.0%
73.7%
Elementary schools
3.2%
80.2%
14.7%
Lower secondary
schools
5.4%
89.4%
4.8%
Upper secondary
schools
24.2%
74.9%
（Statistical Survey of Teaching Personnel）
100%
90%
0.4
3.2
5.4
21.0
24.2
80%
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
a
g
e
70%
60%
50%
40%
専修
一種
二種
80.2
89.4
73.7
Upper
secondary
schools
74.9
30%
20%
10%
14.7
4.8
0%
幼稚園
Kindergartens
小学校
Elementary
Schools
中学校
Lower
Secondary
Schools
高等学
Upper
Secondary
Schools
４
Composition of teachers by the certificate
<Breakdown by educational background of teaching staff of public schools＞
（FY 2010）
Elementary schools
Lower secondary
schools
Upper secondary
schools
Departments/universities for
teaching training
41.0%
27.3%
12.2%
Regular universities
49.6%
59.8%
63.2%
Junior colleges, etc.
3.2%
1.5%
0.6%
Graduate schools
6.2%
11.4%
24.0%
Category
（Survey of the Teaching Personnel Division)
100%
90%
6.2
3.2
11.4
1.5
80%
70%
24
0.6
49.6
60%
59.8
Junior
colleges, etc.
50%
63.2
40%
Graduate
schools
Regular
universities
30%
20%
Teaching
training
universities
41.0
27.3
10%
12.2
0%
Elementary schools
Lower secondary schools
Upper secondary schools
５
Numbers of persons who acquired certification and numbers of persons who have been
employed as teachers
Year of certification
being granted
Number of persons who
acquired certification (persons)
Number of persons who have
been employed as teachers
(persons)
FY 1964
４９，４６４
３２，９３６
FY 1969
１３１，９７３
３６，７４７ ※
FY 1975
１５２，９１５
５３，４１３
FY 1981
１６８，４３３
５６，５９１
FY 1987
１４２，１５２
４４，２２８
FY 1993
１２８，３４２
３３，５８６
FY 1999
１１５，６６９
２６，８９５
FY 2005
１１７，９０３
４０，１５６
● Number of persons who acquired certification: investigated by the Teachers Division
● Number of persons employed as teachers: School Teachers Statistical Survey (the year of employment being the fiscal year
following the year of acquisition of certification)
The applicable schools for the survey were national/prefectural and municipal and private kindergartens, elementary schools,
lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools, schools for the blind, the deaf or otherwise disabled (currently schools for
special needs education) and secondary schools
However, the applicable schools for the survey of the above ※ were prefectural and municipal elementary schools, lower
secondary schools, upper secondary schools, schools for the blind, the deaf or otherwise disabled (currently schools for
special needs education) and private kindergartens and upper secondary schools
６
Teacher Training Implementation System
1st year
5th year
10th year
15th year
20th year
25th year
30th year
●Training in school management for educational personnel such as principals and viceprincipals who will bear a central role in school education in each region
Training at the national level
Training for
middle-level teachers
Training for
vice-principals
Training for
principals management
Dispatches overseas for training (2 months)
●Training carried out by local governments to cultivate instructors of training and leaders who will shoulder
planning and proposals about issues of urgent importance
・Cultivation and training of leaders for promoting education aimed at school organization
management and raising Japanese-language skills
・Overseas dispatch program for leaders of educational issues training (2 weeks)
７
Teacher Training Implementation System
1st year
5th year
10th year
15th year
20th year
25th year
30th year
●Legal training（for all teachers）
Training implemented by prefectural Boards of Education
Training for
teachers with
10 years of
job experience
Training for
newly hired
teachers
●Training in accordance with job experience
Training for teachers
with 5 years of
job experience
Training for teachers
with 20 years of
job experience
●Training in accordance with ability
Training for students guidance superintendents
Training for persons in charge of newly appointed
office workers concerned with instruction
Training for vice-principals/principals
●Training through longer-term dispatching
Training through long-term dispatching to
private sector companies, etc.
●Training related to specialized knowledge/skill
Specialized training related to course guidance/ student guidance
●Training for teachers lacking teaching skill
Training to acquire high-level
teaching skill
８
Implementation of Lesson Study in Japan①
99% of elementary schools and 98% of lower and upper
secondary schools implement lesson study
授業研究の年間回数
Number of times
of Lesson Study per year
0
1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-40
0 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30
4031-40
410.5%
高等学校（公立） 2.4%
public upper secondary school
61.8%
17.4%
61.8%
2.4%
8.7%
17.4%
0.5% 1.4%
3.4% 1.4%
1.9%
8.7% 3.4%2.4%
1.9% 2.4%
1.3%0.8%
中学校 2.1%
60.6%
lower secondary school
1.3%
22.7%
60.6%
7.7% 3.2% 1.1%
22.7%
7.7% 0.5%
3.2%
0.8%
2.1%
小学校 1.3%
elementary school
1.3%
1.1%
0.5%
33.6%
43.0%
33.6%
NIER, Survey Report on Improving Quality of Teachers (2011)
10.9%
43.0%
0.4%
5.0%2.9%
0.9%
2.1%
10.9%
5.0% 2.1%
0.4%
2.9%
0.9%
９
Implementation of Lesson Study in Japan ②
90% of elementary schools and 79% of lower secondary
schools have school-wide organization for study
校内研究のための全校的な組織
school-wide
organisation for study
schoo-wide committee
全校的な委員会が組織されている
is organised
教務委員会・教務部等が校内研究を担当している
instruction section is in charge of lesson その他
study in school
校内研究のための校内組織はない
無回答
no school organisation for study
others
高等学校（公立）
42.1
27.6
no answer 26.8
public upper secondary
school
中学校
lower secondary school
小学校 school
elementary
26.8%
42.1%
79.1
27.6%
15.2
79.1%
90.5
90.5%
3.1
0.4
3.1%
1.5
4.2
0.4%
0.0
15.2%
4.2%
1.5%
0.0%
5.5 5.5%
2.81.0
2.8%
1.0%
0.1%
0.1
NIER, Survey Report on Improving Quality of Teachers (2011)
１０
Implementation of Lesson Study in Japan ③
95% of elementary, 86% of lower secondary and 65 %
of upper secondary schools produced survey reports in
the past 5 years
研究のまとめの作成
production of survey report
produced
survey reports during the past過去５年のうちには、研究のまとめ作成せず
5years
現在を含め、過去５年のうちに、研究のまとめを作成
高等学校（公立）
65.0during the past 5 years
33.9
did not produce survey report
no answer
public upper
中学校
secondary
school
lower secondary
school
小学校
elementary school
65.0%
86.0
33.9%
86.0%
95.4
無回答
1.2
14.0
1.2%
0.0
14.0%0.0%
4.10.4
95.4%
4.1%
0.4%
NIER, Survey Report on Improving Quality of Teachers (2011)
１１
Outline: System of Graduate Schools for Teacher Education (professional degree courses)
1. Characteristics (in contrast to existing master’s degree courses)
① Legal requirement to have teachers with practical experience comprise at least 40% of required full-time teachers
② At least 10 credits of a total 45 must be training/practice conducted on-site in schools, etc. (mandatory)
③ Existing graduate courses require students to partake in field-specific research, while graduate schools for
teacher education do not require research guidance or submission of a master’s thesis
④ Universities are required to go through accreditation evaluation every seven years but graduate schools for
teacher education are required to receive an additional field-specific accreditation every five years
2. Current state (as at FY2010)
Teacher rate of recruitment:
:
② Maximum enrollment rate:
③ Applicants:
④ Enrollees:
①
90.0% (including temporary recruitment; FY2010)
national teaching universities/department 59.6%)
95.5% (5.1% increase over previous fiscal year)
1,198 (increase of 73 over previous fiscal year)
802 (increase of 55 over previous fiscal year)
in-service (current) teachers -- 391 (increase of 8 over previous fiscal year)
new departmental graduates, etc. -- 411 (increase of 47 over previous fiscal year)
１２
Current State of Graduate Schools with Teacher-Training Programs (FY 2010)
Name of the university
Year of establishment
Student admission
capacity
Location
1
2008
Hokkaido University of Education
45
Hokkaido
2
2008
Miyagi University of Education
32
Miyagi
3
2009
Yamagata University
20
Yamagata
4
2008
Gunma University
16
Gunma
5
2008
Tokyo Gakugei University
30
Tokyo
6
2008
Joetsu University of Education
50
Niigata
7
2008
University of Fukui
30
Fukui
8
2010
University of Yamanashi
14
Yamanashi
9
2008
Gifu University
20
Gifu
10
2009
Shizuoka University
20
Shizuoka
11
2008
Aichi University of Education
50
Aichi
12
2008
Kyoto University of Education
60
Kyoto
13
2008
Hyogo University of Teacher Education
100
Hyogo
14
2008
Nara University of Education
20
Nara
15
2008
Okayama University
20
Okayama
16
2008
Naruto University of Edcuation
50
Tokushima
17
2009
Fukuoka University of Education
20
Fukuoka
18
2008
Nagasaki University
20
Nagasaki
19
2008
University of Miyazaki
28
Miyazaki
20
2009
Seitoku University
30
Chiba
１３
Current State of Graduate Schools with Teacher-Training Programs (FY 2010)
21
2008
Soka University
25
Tokyo
22
2008
Tamagawa University
20
Tokyo
23
2009
Teikyo University
30
Tokyo
24
2008
Waseda University
70
Tokyo
25
2008
Tokoha Gakuen University
20
Shizuoka
Total
25 universities
840 students
１４
Outline of System for Teacher Certification Renewal
The objective of this system is to secure society’s trust and respect for professionals who teach with confidence and pride,
cultivated through the maintenance of qualifications and abilities by periodically upgrading knowledge and skills. The system was
adopted on April 1, 2009.
1. Renewing the validity of certificate
(1) Both regular and special certificates are valid for 10 years.
(2) Prefectural boards of education can renew certificates in cases where those who applied for renewal have/are:
① Completed at least 30 hrs of new courses for certificate renewal certified by the minister of MEXT
② Exempt from the requirement in ①
Those in a position to instruct teachers
○ “Outstanding teacher” awardees
○
※Not
applicable to those without required knowledge/skills
(3) An identical system is applicable to in-service (current) teachers
○ Old certificates are not subject to validity limitations (conferred on/before 3-31-2009).
○ Teachers, etc., with old certificates who do not complete the new courses for certificate renewal within the required time period risk
being in possession of an expired certificate.
○ Approximately 85,000 to 89,000 people are expected to partake in the new courses every year.
2. New courses for certificate renewal
(1) Entities permitted to administer new courses for certificate renewal:
universities, designated teaching/testing bodies, prefectural boards of education, independent administrative/public interest corporations, etc.
(2) Contents of the new course
① Reflections on the teaching profession; generational changes in children; trends in educational policy; understanding cooperation/coordination
in and out of school (at least 12 hours)
② Instruction in subjects, student guidance, and other issues related to enhancement of education/teaching, etc. (at least 18 hours)
3. Efforts at implementation
○ Allocated 140 million yen from the FY2011 budget plan for use in the support of professional teacher training at universities, such as assistance to
universities in remote locations that administer the new courses, etc.
１５
Diagram: The Current Path of Teacher Improvement
Certificate renewal course
(usually university – age )
10
CPD for teachers with
Certificate renewal course
years’ experience
(usually university – age ) (Board of Education)
Certificate renewal course
(usually university – age )
55
45
Continuing professional development
(Board of Education)
１６
Acquire high-level teaching certificate
(usually university course)
：Stipulated by Special Rules for the
Public Educational Personnel and Staff Act17
Awarded certificate (Prefectural Board of Education)
Training for new teachers
(Board of Education)
Provisional period of employment (Board of
Education)
Selection test for employment (usually Board of Education)
35
Post-graduate
-year university course
= Specialist certificate
= Class
certificate
4
1
Junior College
= Class
certificate
Attainment of university degree/credits
2
50 years
40 years
30 years
20 years of age
：Stipulated by Educational Personnel Certification Act
Central Council for Education - Special Committee for Improvement of Teaching Quality
Overview of the Report on the Discussions
System of Teacher Certification
Reform of the System to Support the Improvement of Teaching Quality throughout Teachers’ Careers
中央教育審議会 教員の資質能力向上特別部会
◇ Consideration being given to establishing a “basic
certificate”
―審議経過報告のポイント②―
◇ Consideration being given to establishing a “specialized certificate
(provisional name) and “general certificate” (provisional name)
Consideration being given to realizing a master’s level degree in teacher training
including, for the time being, granting a “basic certificate (provisional name)”
- basic qualification for those with a bachelor’s degree and a “general
certificate (provisional name)” - master’s level qualification for teachers
completing the necessary program after being employed as a teacher
◇ With regard to the system of renewal of teacher certification,
consideration with a view to transitioning to a new system to support teachers in
continuously developing their expertise of their own accord
◇ Coordination of the links between the system of renewal of teacher
certification and teacher training for teachers with 10 years’ teaching experience
(provisional name)”
Consideration being given to establishing a “specialized certificate
(provisional name)” to officially certify a certain level of expertise* in order to
support teachers in acquiring a higher level of expertise and social training
throughout their career (*school management, student guidance, subjects
guidance, special needs education, etc.)
◇ Consideration of the pros and cons of establishing collective certificates for
a number of school types such as a “compulsory education certificate” or a
“secondary education certificate”
Training
Teacher training
Improvement in the quality of teacher training
education in universities and necessity for a teacher
training system enabling teachers to continue their
studies in order to acquire a high level of practical
teaching skills even after obtaining a bachelor’s degree
◇ Consideration to be given in the future to requiring
the completion of a one or two year master’s program
in addition to the four-year undergraduate program
(requirement of a master’s degree)
◇ Guarantee of the quality of teacher training through
stricter approval of accreditation criteria
◇ With regard to the requirement of a master’s degree,
consideration to be given to the scale of the training
and organizational structure of the universities as well
as reduction of the economic burden on students
Employment
◇ Consideration being given to
establishing a master’s program aimed
at people who have not completed an
undergraduate teacher training
program so that working people at
various stages of their career can utilize
their expertise and pursue a career in
teaching
◇ Improvement of the gap in the age
groups of teachers (few teachers in the 30s
and 40s age groups)
◇ Consideration being given to the
employment and allocation of temporary
teachers and part-time teachers
Necessity for a training system to enable teachers to
improve the quality of their teaching skills throughout
their career
◇ With regard to novice teachers’ training, overall
consideration regarding the duration of the training and
the timing of the novice teachers’ training (also
consideration being given to dissolution of the current
novice teachers’ training for the sake of reform)
◇ Development of training through coordination
between those with the power of appointment and
the universities, consideration being given to
awarding credits for attending the training in order to
qualify for the “specialized certificate” (provisional
name)
◇ Division of roles between the national government
and local governments
◇ Vitalization of in-school training and self-motivated
training
１７
Central Council for Education - Special Committee for Improvement of Teaching Quality
Overview of the Report on the Discussions
School principal’s leadership and management skills
◇ Enhancement of specialty courses focusing on school management at graduate schools with teacher-training programs
and implementation of management-type development training in centers for teacher training provided by the national
government and local governments
Coordination and collaboration between the boards of education, universities and other related
institutions
Necessity for the construction of a framework where the cooperative and collaborative efforts of the related institutions and the local
community will be steadily and extensively implemented
(Example)
◇ Accreditation and evaluation of
university teacher-training
programs
◇ Evaluation of the course records
at the time of conferring a
“specialized certificate”
(provisional name)
◇ Implementation of training
through coordination between the
universities and boards of
education
１８
Thank you!