Japanese cram schools

A juku chain makes weird and amusing commercials in an attempt to trick children into thinking that cramming for entrance exams can be fun:

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20 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - March 1, 2010 at 7:14 am

Categories: General Japan Tags:

asdf

if the real schools did their job juku would not exist.

Carlos

I agree! They are so focused and concentrating on studying during the day to be Japanese so much, they need to go to Cram school just to learn about the subjects that they should be learning during the day.
Nothing wrong with studying, but also kids need to be kids and kids need to have a break, play, interact and be silly sometimes. They will have enough to deal the stresses and the trials and tribulations of everyday life when they become adults.

The stress, lack of sleep, irregular diets, parents pushing them sometimes to the breaking point. I just don’t see the overall point in it. I would never allow my child to be sucked into that system.

KokuRyu

My wife and I ran a cram school for five years. We had about 70 students and employed 4 or 5 part-time instructors who taught math, physics, Calculus and, of course, English.

I like to think we actually helped students out – we helped B students become A students, and D students become C students. We also could provide very specific advice about how to study for specific high school and university entrance examinations.

It was certainly cramming – Grade 12 students studying for uni entrance exams were often studying grammar and idioms that would make them able to attend American English-language university, if they were actually able to retain the language and use it, rather than regurgitate it for an exam.

So, all of our students studying to get into good local high schools or the university of their choice were generally successful.

As for the D students, we were able to teach them study skills and self confidence to get them into the technical high school or 5 year-college stream, meaning they would have decent trades jobs by age 19 or 20.

The students who could not buckle down and quit our juku often ended up in the limbo zone of attending the “kyoyou” or “minimum essentials” stream at the local high school that offered it (the other two high schools each respectively specialized in trades stream or AP university-stream, and each required a certain GPA to get in). The “minimum essentials” kids were grouped together in the same high school class for their 3 years of high school. I taught some of those classes, and it wasn’t pretty. You really need mix of average and high performing kids in order to have lively classes (and not just in English), and the minimum essentials kids often suffered from undiagnosed learning disabilities, which often go hand in hand with lower “social intelligence”.

It should be said that there is a fourth class of middle school student that cannot attend school, and will drop out at 15, to enter construction, work for the mafia or do absolutely nothing. It’s pretty terrifying if you think about it, especially the lack of opportunities for girls in rural Japan outside of working at a bar or a brothel.

Anyway, we were able to help some students avoid this fate. Students could also study with their friends in the evenings, and could make friends with non-judgemental adults. We also had a dog that “studied” with the kids, candy, comic books, all that stuff.

It’s a good memory of mine.
somegirl

I agree that cram schools are needed for this current situation and I also agree that if schools actually did their job in TEACHING, not having the students regurgitate only for exams. School should teach students to want to learn not just because they have to learn. My father-in-law owns a small cram school, teaching the basics, mainly English grammar and math. My husband attended cram schools from a very early age with his siblings so that they could all attend the best public high school in Japan. But he hated it and he is currently not happy with his work. He doesn’t even know what he enjoys. He learned from cram school this was his strongest ability at that time was math and that is all he was allowed to focus on. There is no freedom of expression, no exploration. Also, so many parents choose a path for their child, not many children can find what they like. I feel this is why suicides and depression are so high in Japan is because of the high expectations forced on kids at such a young age. I would never send my own son to a cram school unless he wanted to go.

Aaron

First, what student _wants_ to study? To some degree, it is a parent’s responsibility to guide children to do things that are hard and unpleasant because parents can see the future benefit while the children cannot.

Second, I don’t think the problem lies in the teachers (at least, not entirely), but in the testing system itself. Why would a teacher inspire students to want to learn or express themselves or anything like that, when the thing that brings the students real, material rewards is success on the entrance exam? Until the tests change to require meaningful thinking, problem solving, or expression, there is no benefit to students learning such things.

And we can trace the problem even further back than the tests–in general, Japanese business life doesn’t reward problem solving or creative thinking–it rewards those who follow the program, making, at most, small modifications to what are assumed to be ideal systems.

I think that in many countries, people like to lay the blame on teachers, when teachers are usually just trying to do their best within the system that they live and work. Sure, there are terrible teachers…but I see everyday teachers seriously concerned about their students learning, just with no idea of how to improve that learning within the unbelievably strict confines of the government mandated curriculum, a governmental oversight system that hates change, and students whose everyday lives are so radically different than their teachers that the gap seems unbridgeable.

Craig

What is it with asians and tests?
common sense

Let kids be kids, play and creativity is healthy..I remember when i was young and after school we would go to the park and play baseball untill it was sooooooo dark that we could not see the ball anymore….I have students who come to my class after Juku and are falling asleep cos of there over worked studying. I t’s just a money grab and the schools should do a better job..
common sense

PS cram schools are Just getting kids ready for the terrible work life/schedule the will have when working in their future careers. work work and more long working hours with usually no overtime pay.
http://www.squidoo.com/shinsengumi-samurai Eric

Japan’s education system has its good points and bad points, but I think one obstacle to reform is the extent to which education is a business in Japan. I wonder what percentage of GDP cram schools rake in.
Metrogirl13

I meant that they know more at age 8 than you do now.Well they most likely do anyway.
Rune

To me, the Japanese education system is broken. It’s focus on rote learning without understanding and one correct way to do anything stifles innovation and produces conformity. This makes for a reliance on cram schools that teach how to pass a test and does not instil knowledge, perpetuating also a class divide and stifling social mobility.

Excerpt a paper in the online The Asia Pacific Journal: Japan Focus by Sophia University tenured professor in ethnography David H Slater entitled The Making of Japan’s New Working Class: “Freeters” and the Progression From Middle School to the Labor Market (emphasis in extract mine).

This formal curriculum thus does not demand understanding (how do you “understand” a multiplication table or a list of the longest rivers in Europe?), but it does require hard work strategically directed at and justified by the promise of passing entrance exams. Sara’s classmate explained the thinking of many students at elite schools: “What we study is not really something you can ‘understand’ (rikai). You just memorize. That’s okay because if we had to understand it all, we could never pass the exams.” High school is a means of moving to another level, to college for elite students such as Sara, and mastery of the seemingly arbitrary bits and pieces of the exam curriculum is the means to that end. Maximization of this opportunity by students is not easy but is essential for success. Sara’s classmate continues: “It is hard work, tons of work, but if you don’t do it, you won’t get anywhere. And then, why are you in school?”

The essay is interesting and if you have any interest in Japan and sociology, you should really give it a read.
MC okii Dokii

it is from my understanding that the Japanese education system was adopted after WW2 from the American model. At the time IQ was very popular and measuring intelligence with testing pretty much determined how far you`d get in life. Schools were pretty much set up ensuring high scores for these tests.

As many have already pointed out. Studying for tests, and studying something you find useful, are completely different things. People tend to forget what they study for tests as their is no real application afterwards to retain that information.

The biggest problem I find with the Japanese education system isnt from its teachers, but really from the government and its failure to update its laws. (or make laws that do more harm than good.)

Compared to other countries who have Teacher unions, monster boards of trustees, or some kind of institute with enough power that can police education laws. Japan has no real motivation to improve its education standard.

In short, Japan is utilizing an out-dated education system that is run by bureaucrats. Cram schools fill a niche for parents that dont feel their children is getting enough.

ponta

Some says Japanese teacher union has damaged Japanese education system.
Google 日教組　教育

MC okii Dokii

I wouldn`t be surprised.

I m not going to say its a perfect system, but there does need to be a more prevalent driving force for Japanese education system to change.

There is also something to be said about nepotism and work after retirement for most government institutions.
But thats an entirely different issue.
KaraKoramParka

Ponta, have you’ve been drinking the Nakayama Kool-Aid?

http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/nakayama-says-school-teachers-union-should-be-disbanded

Google 日教組組織率デマ

ponta

“Ponta, have you’ve been drinking the Nakayama Kool-Aid?”

No not at all.

Google 日教組組織率デマ

It is about demagogie on the co-relations between Teachers’s union and the students academic ability, isn’t it?

So?
KaraKoramParka

So???

I don’t know what kind of people that you’re referring to when you say “some”, but I doubt they have any knowledge on this topic.

I recommend reading a book by Kariya Takehiko. He’s one of the leading education scholar in Japan.

『欲ばり過ぎるニッポンの教育』
ponta

”I don’t know what kind of people that you’re referring to when you say “some”, but I doubt they have any knowledge on this topic.”

You don’t know who I was referring to but do you doubt whoever they are they have any knowledge on this topic? Is that educated reasoning? Do you have any proof that there is no negative influence by Teacher’s union on Japanese education?

欲ばり過ぎるニッポンの教育

Review By akokakuta “緑の森と図書館” -33 人中、27人の方が、｢このレビューが参考になった｣と投票しています

、「学力が世界一」と言われるフィンランドの取材を通じて、日本の教育内容とは基本的に大差がないとしている。

　本書を通じて日本の教育は、基本的には何も変える必要がない、ただし、教育にかかる予算と教員養成のための時間さえ増やしてくれればいいのではないかと感じた。”

“Visiting Finland whose academic achievement is said to be the best in the world for the coverage, the book conclude that Japanese education is not basically different from it,

I have an impression after the reading the book that basically there is no need to change Japanese education, and all we need is
to increase the budget for the education and the time to train the teachers.

・・・・Sounds interesting to you?

LOD

This cram school, Misuzu Gakuen, is controlled by the new religion called World Mate. The school’s weird ads are clearly inspired by the cult leader… I mean Japan’s leading Renaissance man, Toshu Fukami.

http://park8.wakwak.com/~kasa/Religion/worldmate.html

Ido

lol the more you know the more you understand why these ads exists! Thanks for the info~

Japanese cram schools

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