EDITORIAL: Bigger school textbooks

Elementary school children who move on to new grades next spring may be surprised to see that their new textbooks are filled with much more material to learn. What can be done to change that confusion to a joy of learning?

Without exception, textbooks in all subjects that passed screenings by the education ministry have become much thicker than those currently in use. In particular, the number of pages in science and mathematics textbooks increased by more than 30 percent.

The government revised its guidelines two years ago in response to criticism against the policy for "more relaxed education." In addition to attaching importance to acquiring basic knowledge and skills, the guidelines call for children to make use of the knowledge to solve problems and learn to express themselves. The hours of lessons will also increase.

The new guidelines will be first applied to elementary schools. As a result, the textbooks were upgraded.

In fifth-grade math, for example, such problems as calculating the area of a trapezoid had been positioned as "advanced content." Under the new guidelines, they were revived as items that must be learned by all students.

In Japanese language, textbooks will carry kanji characters that students have yet to learn but the books will include hiragana to show the children how to read the kanji.

What is notable is that new textbooks incorporate many ideas on how to teach and learn. Some textbooks repeat what students learned in the previous year, carry questions to encourage debates and other verbal expressions and have space for students to jot down notes. Some textbooks carry examples of note-taking.

We were concerned about the academic levels of Japanese children, so we welcome the new, richer textbooks and hope they broaden approaches to learning.

The problem is how teachers can make really good use of these textbooks.

Quite a few diligent and serious teachers believe they must teach everything written in the textbooks. But if they try to stick to the traditional practice with the new textbooks, they could run out of time, causing many children to be left behind.

Textbooks should be used more flexibly. While attaching importance to the basics, teachers should carefully select contents to meet the children's level of understanding and give them ample time to think.

Textbooks should be regarded not only as materials to teach students, but also as tools to encourage them to notice things.

The new textbooks are full of easy-to-follow step-by-step hints. But it is the job of teachers to come up with ideas for teaching as they come face to face with children in classrooms every day.

For that, support for teachers is needed. Recently, teachers are said to be so busy that they have little time to study teaching methods and materials. To give them time to polish their teaching skills and relieve them of trivial duties, more teachers are needed.

In recent years, schools have been criticized for the declining scholastic abilities of children, and debate tended to focus on such quantitative aspects as the number of lesson hours and textbook pages. It is time more emphasis is placed on quality of education.

The thicker textbooks can provide a starting point.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 1