Japan math video

Amazingly different from what I thought education in Japan would be. I admit that I am in the group with preconceived ideas of what and educational setting would look like in Japan. I was amazed at what seemed to be chaos in the classroom. Coming from PE (which I often refer to as controlled chaos) there does seem to be a level of control from the teacher in what the students are required to do. My concern lies with what the students are doing when not involved in math. You can see two boys getting physical (playfully) when the teacher was involved with other students. In my experiences this can sometime lead to more serious situations very quickly.

The other factor that caught me by surprise was the number of kids in the class. When the video pans over and the line of student continues around the classroom. This again is something that I did not believe happened in Japanese education.

I believe what I saw in the video goes completely against what we are taught as educators but I also believe that this style/method leads to more responsibility for the students. By given more freedom that are responsible for their own learning because they cannot rely on the teacher for constant advice. The students have to find ways to learn that can include conversation with each other which leads to the volume of the class. I also feel that because of the society that they live in, they spend time when they go home and continue to work ( <- yet another preconceived idea?)