Schools and districts have started supporting their teachers giving lessons to their students staying home, on the Internet using Google or some other survices.
I sometimes heard in US that they think Japan is so technologically advanced that they have already installed the brand-new technology in school and each classroom has Wi-fi for their students and teachers.
But that’s not true.
American classrooms are way more advanced. If classrooms in American schools are smartphone, those in Japanese schools are the Telegraph.
We still use blackboard and chalk. There are 40 or sometimes more students in one classroom. The students’ desks are facing front, where they only see their teachers and the blackboard, and the back of the head of the students in front.
Teachers just give lectures and in some classes students do not speak at all. They only listen to their teachers speaking, which does not help students learn something because of lack of outputs, and write down what they see on the blackboard.
So this style is very convenient when you want to do the “remote-class” because it is always one way. Yes. What they do right now is filming their imaginary lesson, where they just talk to their students who are not actually there.
When people want to learn something, they have to use it.
What we should do now is not giving old information that has existed for centuries, because they may already know and they can search on line if they need it, but giving questions and clues to solve the questions. Or sometimes giving nothing to make them come up with their own questions.
Teachers are not “TEACHers” any longer.
Well, What do you think?
April 28, 2020