The book is majorly focused on the relationship of structure of the education system followed by the Japanese and the moral values instilled in the structure aimed at defining primarily the training of children in a group life perception. I would agree that preschools can influence the outcome personalities of kids in school. The Japanese are agreeably a group-oriented people.
The Japanese two-year-olds are said to be dependent, undisciplined, and indulged kids, but by the oldness of six they have developed respect, cooperativeness, and self-reliance in their community. In this book, Lois Peak step by step, tries to prove the objectives of learning in a group environ attempts to bring out the socialization process to life, and agrees that training socially appropriate behavior is propelled in a setting which encourages and promotes the habits and attitudes of group life.
This is conducted and implemented via a skillful grouping of teaching space observations in classrooms and playground environments of the kids. Interviews conducted on teachers and mothers/parents, the transcripts of classroom events, and quotations from Japanese professional literature all act as a first hand evidential proof of the way of education practiced in Japanese classrooms.
Lois Peak argues that the hardworking nature and direction taking in the education system forms an important and advantageous approach to educating the young ones. When Lois Peak toured to Japan with the aim and main objective to search for the "magical childrearing technique" behind this transformation that is widely practiced and encouraged in Japan, she learned that the solution lies not in the family but in the preschool, where teachers gently train their pupils in proper group behavior.
The findings of Peak subsequently highlight on the stereotype idea of American folklore are bend on the notion that the Japanese way of teaching is majorly focused on oriented examination conduction on their students continuously. This is one of the mythical misconceptions that the she claims the American teachers and parents are convinced of the Japanese way of education. The statistical point of view that aims at disapproving this line of thought is emphasized in the book where it is displayed that up to 94 percent of all the preschool pupils matriculate at local public junior high schools without having to sit for an entrance examination.
Another allegory that book states argues on regarding the transition from home to preschool life is the concept of formalness in the criterion of education in Japan where they encourage a set rules that are followed on a day to day basis. These include the use of uniforms, speeches by the principal, unison morning exercises and group classroom presentation. This leaves most Americans with the thought that the Japanese preschools resemble military schools and establishments that are very strict and formal on classroom behavior.
Contrary to this view, Peak argues that this is ironical and opposite to what people think since the activities conducted are aimed at increasing a pupils IQ and in overall help them develop their talent. The playground exercise and the brief moral lectures aid in building and supporting a kid’s growth via inspiring them in character and positively good virtues.
The third finding that Peak came up with in her book is the misconception that the Japanese home training of their children is a resultant feature of the activities and operation in their classrooms, as they see most of the Japanese classrooms are perceived as well-disciplined therefore they conclude the assumption that this discipline originates directly from home. In a realistic fact, the author reasons that this fallacy is far from the truth since most parents require their kids to exhibit self-reliance, politeness and a cooperative behavior.
The accuracy of the discoveries to this research is agreeable since the culture practiced in Japan has been carried via lots of generations. This is to mainly encourage the primary educational goal of the preschool experience that, children are not supposed to only acquire academic facts but they need to have the full academic learning and physical educational experience. This will benefit them while assimilating their manners and attitudes which are appropriate to life in public social situations.
What I get to learn from this book is that contrary to general discernments, Japanese nurseries are play-centered settings that give slight attention to educational training. They majorly focus on the physical growth of a young individual to enhance their intellectual behavior. Here is where Japanese youngsters learn their first lessons in group life. The book author, Peak discusses her view of the profound and essential distinction between the way children are expected to behave at home with their parents at home, and the way they should act while in preschool and elementary school. The future of the kids is entirely dependent on the first lessons of group behavior essentially practiced in preschool.
These everyday techniques used in the Japanese classrooms teach us on how remarkable and sophisticated this system is effective to members of the Japanese society. We get to learn and recognize that there is a great influence of Western folk psychology on the ways of child bearing and rearing habits. The book helps us understand the diversity in the learning processes between the different education systems. Peak, the author describes and urges readers to appreciate the way the Japanese socialize their children to become members of a group and encourage her readers to reconsider how they accomplish the same process with their own children.
Conclusively, the principal objective of the cheerful and even boisterous surroundings in a Japanese classroom is not aimed at teaching academic details of learning-readiness services, but is designed to train behavior and attitudes suitable to the existence of people in public and the social setups. For instance, this criterion inspires one to learn on the difference between the life at home and the outside world, most probably the school.Therefore, decisively I can agree that the practices put in place to prepare a kid in Japan for preschool inclosing the requirements of a parent stating the self-sufficiency skills of a kid like dressing, talking and other performances before acceptance to the school. Some of these rules are not even considered since the kids are educated and directed accordingly on life important skills before being introduced to the high school world.
References
Peak, L. (1991). Learning to go to school in Japan: The transition from home to preschool life. Berkeley u.a: Univ. of California Press.
