World-Leading Math Curriculum from Japan
Japan Math is an elementary mathematics curriculum developed with the knowledge and wisdom Japanese educators accumulated over the last several decades.
Japan Math provides powerful tools in learning and everyday life. It introduces proven Japanese teaching methods to teachers and students around the world. The three unique features below allow Japan Math to realize its mission: “Math for Life – A solid foundation for a brighter future”.
Efficient and Effective Topic Arrangement
Japan Math presents well-arranged topics to deeply learn and understand each concept of mathematics.
Topics covered in Japanese textbooks are carefully selected evenly from each learning area of mathematics. The topics are arranged based on the mutual relationship between the most important concepts in each topic. In class, new concepts are always presented in association with the previously learned concepts; what is common or different, which is more general thinking, and so forth. This is done so that children can, once they have learned a topic, fully understand important concepts and grasp mutual relationship between each concept. The clarity of the roles of each topic also demonstrates that the points of the lesson are clear for the teacher. Therefore, teachers can plan and conduct a more sophisticated lesson.
Problem Solving for Deeper Understanding
Japan Math pursues a methodology for acquiring knowledge on mathematics and important learning strategies through problem solving.
Problem solving means working on a problem that children must find the solution by themselves. Mathematics education in Japan regards problem solving as "process" rather than making it a "purpose" for learning mathematics. It is important, of course, that children learn various ideas for solving problems, and that they are able to put them into use. However, inside the classroom, the teacher does not simply feed ideas to children. They try to offer various types of learning while children are actively engaging in problem solving. Acquiring important knowledge on mathematics related to a topic is not the only thing being offered here. Teachers will also convey the importance of reasoning skills that can be applied, habit of reflecting on their own thinking processes, organizing and expressing their own ideas, and most importantly, the joy of learning mathematics and its effectiveness.
Developing the Will and Skills to Use Math
Japan Math aims to develop the will and skills to use mathematics for everyday life and various other learning through verbalization training.
Acquiring mathematical knowledge and calculation methods are not the final objectives of the mathematics classes in Japan. There are many situations where children must try to solve problems involving more complex thoughts and judgments and problems that they must face in their daily lives using knowledge they have acquired. To realize effective learning in such situations, many activities that require children to carefully describe and express their ideas and calculation process are given. Putting ideas into words helps to confirm and promote understanding and it supports thinking based on understanding. In addition, verbalization is the basis of communication. It enables logical persuasion and acquiring coping skills for problems effectively when working in cooperation with others.
Our Mission: Math for Life
Japan Math wishes mathematics to be useful for everyday life and various learning just as many Japanese mathematics educators do so, and offers teaching materials and methodology to realize that wish.
Mathematics educators in Japan are convinced that learning mathematics is equivalent to acquiring important social skills.
We are surrounded by many things that are presented numerically. There are many cases where we must calculate, measure, or draw, and there are also many cases where we must think and judge logically based on numerical data. Especially in today’s rapidly changing world, we are constantly confronted with problems without clear answers or problems that are difficult to be dealt with on our own. Under such circumstances, math can be a powerful tool to persistently think, make investigate, test hypothesis, and work in cooperation with others. Japanese educators continue to teach children the necessity of learning math.
Math is not only necessary but also interesting. You may have experienced the joy of solving problems on your own thinking. In the process of solving problems, you may have also been touched by the beauty or profundity of something mathematically expressed. Japanese educators continue to endeavor in providing children with joyous experience joy and pleasure in learning math.
We hope that children use math as a lifelong resource for exploring and enriching their own lives, instead of dismissing it as one of the many school curricula. And this very hope is incorporated into our educational policy: "Math for Life-A Solid foundation for a bright future".