Japanese Schools and What They Have to Offer

I don’t like saying that specific cultures are superior to others, I truly believe that every culture has something unique and incredible to offer our world. However, I think Japanese schools are one of those golden nuggets that are something unique and incredible to our world. 

First, the culture of the school. They are surrounded by and expected to be respectful, kind, and considerate. Overall, this is the vibe of the entire country, but especially in schools. They are expected to respect their elders. 

They take care of their school. When school is over, the students and teachers roll up their sleeves and get to work cleaning and maintaining the school. Boards and surfaces are wiped and cleaned, as well as walls, windows, doors, and floors. There are no janitorial jobs in schools because they work together as a community to keep their schools and streets clean. 

The students are responsible and independent. The train systems in Japan are very intricate, but it’s not uncommon to see children as young as elementary-aged students riding the trains by themselves to get to and from school and activities by themselves. They start riding the trains at such a young age that by the time they are in school, it’s not a big deal for them to hop on and off at their correct stops and make transfers when needed. 

Overnight field trips are common. Even in elementary school, it’s typical for students to attend overnight field trips with their schools. The goal of these trips is not only to experience new places around Japan, but to also utilize life skills such as navigating trains and buses, working together in groups of students, and being responsible for themselves outside of a school setting. 

Overall, they are held to a high standard. The students are expected to be respectful, try their best, and be good, upstanding citizens both inside their schools and out. 

The amount of respect within the country is astounding! It’s very cool to see how Japanese schools differ from our schools in America. There are many, many other countries with great schools, too! Finland and Singapore are two that easily come to mind, but each country has its own school systems that are equally fascinating to observe and compare. 

Inquiry into SDGs: Zero Hunger

This is a series of provocations designed to provide resources for students to inquire into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. For more, click here

Zero Hunger. It’s a bold goal. But if we work together to wisely use the tools and abundance of our world today, it is possible. Share the resources below with students to help them inquire into this important global goal.

Resource #1: World Food Program Quiz on Hunger

Resource #2: Michael Pollan’s Food Rules by Ant House Studio

Resource #3: An Oasis in the Midst of a Food Desert by Great Big Story

https://vimeo.com/282897376

Resource #4: Tweet from the World Food Program

Maria Rita says food has never been a problem for her family before #CycloneIdai. They used to grow tomatoes, cucumber, pumpkin, beans, maize and never ran out.

A joint seed & food distribution with @FAO is helping smallholder farmers in #Mozambique return to the field. ??? pic.twitter.com/layeL3iQbG— World Food Programme (@WFP) April 17, 2019

Resource #5: The Good Garden: How One Family Went From Hunger to Having Enough by Katie Smith Milway & Sylvie Daigneault

Provocation Questions:

  • Why does hunger exist?
  • What efforts improve hunger?
  • How can we more wisely use the food we grow?
  • What are the different perspectives on food shortages?
  • Whose responsibility is it to ensure everyone has enough to eat?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

Inquiry Into SDGs: Peace, Justice, & Strong Institutions

This is a series of provocations designed to provide resources for students to inquire into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. For more, click here

The global goal of Peace, Justice, & Strong Institutions is meant to “significantly reduce all forms of violence, and work with governments and communities to find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity. Strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights is key to this process, as is reducing the flow of illicit arms and strengthening the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.”

Use the following resources to help introduce students to this global goal & consider how it connects to their lives.

Resource #1: Martin Luther King ‘Mountaintop’ by Salomon Ligthelm

Resource #2: Further Up Yonder by Giacomo Sardelli

Resource #3: Bel-AIR by Morgan Cooper

Resource #4:: The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy

Provocation Questions:

  • What is peace?
  • What is justice?
  • How do peace & violence impact an individual? A community? A country?
  • What is our responsibility to work toward peace?
  • How do strong institutions promote peace?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

Inquiry into SDGs: Decent Work & Economic Growth

This is a series of provocations designed to provide resources for students to inquire into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. For more, click here

A good summary of the Decent Work & Economic Growth global goal is as follows:

“The SDGs promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030.”

United Nations Development Programme

Below are resources intended to help students think about how they might make personal connections to this goal. How does it impact their local areas? How might their choices help?

Resource #1: PeopleMovin: interactive online graph of migration flows across the world


Resource #2: Fair Hotels advertisement by Naissance

Resource #3: My Brother by Audrey Yeo

Resource #4: One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway & Eugenie Fernandes

Provocation Questions:

  • What is “decent work” like?
  • What are the benefits of a human having a job?
  • How is job availability changing?
  • What are the effects when a person is unable to work? For themselves? For their families? For their communities?
  • How is work connected to healthy economies, communities, and countries?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

Inquiry into SDGs: Affordable & Clean Energy

This is a series of provocations designed to provide resources for students to inquire into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. For more, click here

Affordable and Clean Energy is a goal intended not only to ensure access to electricity for all, but to seek for renewable, clean sources. Use these resources to help your students inquire into this goal, and how they might contribute!

Resource #1: Small World Energy by Niles Heckman (see also the thought-provoking sequel, World Energy Crisis)

Resource #2: Go Beyond Oil by Greenpeace via The Kid Should See This

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhX0mSipSk8

Resource #3: Energy Defined by Nova via The Kid Should See This

Resource #4: The Solar Do-Nothing Machine via The Kid Should See This

Resource #5: Don’t Worry, Drive On: Fossil Fuels & Fracking Lies by Alex Perry

Resource #6: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

Provocation Questions:

  • What is energy?
  • How do humans harness energy for our benefit?
  • What is our responsibility to work toward cleaner energy?
  • What are the different perspectives on energy use that involves fossil fuels vs energy use that involves renewable sources?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

Inquiry into SDGs: Life Below Water

This is a series of provocations designed to provide resources for students to inquire into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. For more, click here

The global goal of Life Below Water looks the way humans are treating our oceans, targeting issues such as marine pollution, over-exploited fish populations, and acidification of our oceans. And given the fact that 3 billion depend on the marine industry for their livelihoods, we need to find more sustainable use of these resources. Share these videos and books with your students to help them think about how these issues impact them!

Resource #1: Plastics Watch by BBC (see more clips here)

Resource #2: Henry – Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Resource #3: The Ocean Cleanup Technology, Explained via The Kid Should See This

Resource #4: Where Did the Oil Go? by NRDC via The Kid Should See This

Resource #5: Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne & Éric Puybaret; The Brilliant Deep by Kate Messner & Matthew Forsythe; Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola

Provocation Questions:

  • What resources do the oceans provide that humans use?
  • What is the relationship like between our oceans and humans?
  • How might that relationship improve to help both our oceans and humans, and what is our responsibility to do so?
  • What obstacles stand in the way of improving the way we care for our oceans?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

Inquiry into SDG’s: Gender Equality

This is a series of provocations designed to provide resources for students to inquire into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. For more, click here

With International Women’s Day last week, I thought this would be a great time to publish the Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality. This goal aims to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Women and children are vulnerable in a myriad of ways, including child marriage, sexual violence, access to education, and presence in leadership, and equal pay. These resources are meant to help students consider what this global goal means to them and how they can be part of the solution.

Resource #1: #IWasTold by Ultimate Software

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLQkOHphhhY

Resource #2: by International Women’s Day 2018 by Vodafone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0dI6McraBM

Resource #3: Trailer for She Started It Movie

Resource #4: Dream Crazier by Nike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whpJ19RJ4JY

Resource #5: Equality, Sports & Title IX ~Erin Buzuvis & Kristine Newall by TedEd

Resource #6: Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai and Kerascoet

Provocation Questions:

  • What is gender equality?
  • How do gender equality issues look different around the world? How do they look similar?
  • How is gender equality changing?
  • Whose responsibility is it to make things more equal for all people?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto