Author: Catherine C. Lewis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1995
Catherine C. Lewis's book Educating Hearts and Minds: Reflections on Japanese PreSchool and Elementary Education paints a portrait that offers Western educators another culture's perspective on developing eager, motivated, and caring learners.
Lewis's chief assertion is that preschool and early elementary education in Japan "meets the needs of children-for belonging, autonomy, and meaningful contribution." The book expands on this concept through examining the qualities of Japanese preschool and early elementary education that are central to its success.
A core observation is Japan's focus on children's social and intellectual development in the early years. "I came to see children's academic and social development as a single tightly woven fabric," writes Lewis. The national curriculum of the preschool and early elementary education system centers on "whole children whose intellectual development cannot be extricated from their social, emotional and ethical development."
Lewis dispels myths that Japanese early education is competitive and conformity-based and instead shows how early elementary education in Japan emphasizes kindness, collaboration, pro-social values, and persistence in conjunction with academics. The aim of early education is to create a supportive classroom environment where communities of learners master the challenging curriculum cooperatively.
Japanese curriculum successfully focuses on the process of learning. Problem-solving, thinking, and discussion drive classroom instruction. These processes are more valued than simply coming to the right answer. Lewis describes "wet learning" as a type of active learning that engages children emotionally and contrasts it with a "drier" style of logic and reason that is common in Western education.
To engage students in the process of learning, Japanese teachers rely heavily on small cooperative groups. In classrooms of 30-40 students, small diverse groups of 4-8 children provide classroom management, a family-like emotional home base for children, help for children with special academic and social needs, and opportunities for reflection. Within these groups, children complete complex group projects through cooperative learning. Reflection time is built into their daily group activities.
Through a curriculum that emphasizes pro-social values, cooperative learning, and self-management, the role of the student in peer discipline increases as the role of the teacher decreases. "Instead of using rewards, punishment, or adult authority to motivate children, teachers try to build students' capacity to self-manage."
A resident of Japan for three years and a scholar of Japanese education for 14 years, Lewis conducted all field work interviews in Japanese. Throughout the book are anecdotes from Japanese children and teachers that portray a vivid picture and highlight camaraderie and cooperation among students and teachers.
In addition to her detailed description of the components and qualities of Japanese early elementary education, Lewis also weighs her supporting evidence with critical comments and describes several shortcomings of the Japanese education system. She emphasizes that her work focuses only on preschool and early elementary education.
Lewis concludes the book with thought-provoking questions on what lessons American educators can learn from the successes in Japanese preschool and early elementary education.
Dr. Catherine Lewis received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Stanford University in 1979, and is currently a research professor in the Education Department at Mills College in Oakland, CA. She directs an NSF-funded study of promising U.S. and Japanese models to spread "teaching for understanding" in elementary science. These efforts are described at http://lessonresearch.net. From 1988-1999, she was Director of Formative Research, and Director of Research and Development, at the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, CA. Educating Hearts and Minds was named an outstanding academic book of 1995 by the American Library Association's Choice.
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