The education ministry's proposal to overhaul the primary and secondary curriculums to prepare students for the global economy is way overdue. For too long, Japan has heavily relied on an outdated approach that emphasized passive learning and rote memorization. Yet great care is needed to prevent the pendulum from swinging in the opposite direction.
That's what happened in the United States beginning in the 1960s, when student-centered learning began to replace a coherent, grade-by-grade curriculum. Instead of teaching the knowledge and skills in each subject necessary to move on to the next level, students were allowed to construct their own knowledge at their own pace. The result has been successive generations whose subsequent lackluster performance on tests of international competition has been the continuing subject of heated debates.
The battle between traditionalists and progressives now has taken root in Japan. Those in the former group believe that the primary purpose of schools is to pass on to students the wherewithal necessary to survive in society. The teacher acts as the sage on the stage. Those in the latter group believe that schools exist as places where students' interests are paramount. The teacher acts as the guide on the side.