Student Writing

Student Writing >> Physical Education: Japan vs. Hong Kong

By Nanami Hasegawa, Grade 10, Osaka International School

It is commonly known that children should have the right to play and exercise is beneficial for their overall health. However, it is evident that the emphasis on sports in schools differ by region, even if they are neighbors to one another such as Hong Kong and Japan. When education in Hong Kong is mentioned, most people would think about the high achieving Hong Kongese students; they would most likely not know much about the situation of sports in schools across Hong Kong. This is because most competitive local and private schools in Hong Kong prioritize academics in order to build up their reputations (Pühse and Gerber 351). Physical education is viewed as a subject that takes away time from academics and is not valued in competitive schools that rely on academic success to gauge their educational level. According to a male student at a prestigious school, “Students are told that academic results are more important and therefore do not spend a big portion of their time in physical education classes.” (Source) This mindset has become rooted in the citizens of Hong Kong over time, leading parents to believe that sports will not be necessary for their children’s future careers. Japanese players on an extracurricular school baseball team warm up.

Due to the possible historical influence from the British Empire, clubs are prevalent across Hong Kong since the British system teaches the students the basics of PE and encourages students to do activities that interest them outside of school (National Curriculum in England). These clubs are also able to provide more high-quality facilities than most local schools in Hong Kong, so students who want to be more involved opt to these clubs to further their passion.

In contrast, not only is Japan known for its solid academics, but it is also famous for its intensity in school sports. Physical education is not merely a subject in Japan but viewed as a part of the Japanese education plan (Nakai and Metzler 17). Unlike some public schools in Hong Kong, Japanese public schools organize extracurricular sports activities. Physical education teachers play the leading role in these activities in addition to their regular classes, so the problem of how they devote more of their time to these competitive extracurriculars than their classes are prevalent across schools. Due to this problem, there has been a recent push for these extracurricular sports activities to shift away from the competitive aspect and instead encourage life-long participation in sports.

Multiple extracurricular school sports teams in Japan are also known to practice in extreme conditions. Students tend to train in the severe summer weather to improve their skills over the summer break as the militaristic practices from World War II still exist in schools today. In both the past and present, punishment in both physical education classes and after-school activities include physical punishment such as running laps. “When I was on the school’s soccer team, my coach used to be part of the military so he would not let us drink water during practice since that is how he trained soldiers to be stronger,” said a former high school student at a school in Tokyo during the 1980s (Source 2). These types of punishment have been lightened as time passed. “Whenever they forget their gear for practice, we make them do 100 push ups and sit ups,” said a high school teacher that coaches his school soccer team at a public school in Saitama Prefecture (Source 3). This shows that Japanese schools tend to take sports to the extreme, to the point where it endangers the students’ health. This is the opposite of some local schools in Hong Kong, where they don’t encourage exercise in schools because they fear students getting hurt.

Even though different regions face different problems in their sports programs in schools, there are also similarities. For example, both students in Hong Kong and Japan state that the curriculums they follow are not enjoyable because they are inflexible and repetitive (Hasegawa). However, this issue can be easily solved by possibly increasing the variety of sports that are conducted in physical education classes. This shows that it is possible to increase student engagement in sports within schools and that students are motivated to improve their sports program.

All in all, there are differences in attitudes towards sports in schools between regions, but at the same time, there are also similarities, especially within international schools. Even though some of the issues that are caused by differing points of view can be solved through simple fixes, others involve large-scale government policies that students and educators have less control over. Nevertheless, it is still crucial that students and educators take action to mitigate the negative effects that are caused by differing attitudes towards sports in schools.

Works Cited - Hasegawa, Nanami. “Personal Project on if Culture Affects Students’ Attitude Towards Sports”. Questionnaire. 4 Oct. 2017. - Nakai, Takashi, and Michael W Metzler. “Standards and Practices in Asian Physical Education.” JOPERD, Sept. 2005. - “National Curriculum in England: Physical Education Programmes of Study.” National Curriculum in England: Physical Education Programmes of Study , Department for Education, www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationalcurriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study/nationalcurriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study. - Pühse, Uwe, and Markus Gerber. International Comparison of Physical Education: Concepts, Problems, Prospects. Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2005, https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=qCtBTC8MaVIC&source=gbs_ navlinks_s

Source, Anonymous. Personal interview. 22 July 2017. Source 2, Anonymous. Personal interview. 31 July 2017. Source 3, Anonymous. Personal interview. 31 July 2017.

Curriculum Initiatives >> An Art Journey

By Jill Allyn Carter (P-12 Art), Concordia International School in Hanoi

What a wonderful teaching opportunity to build an ART STUDIO at our new 7 year old Concordia International School in Hanoi. I was hired to teach PS- Grade 12 as Art Instructor for the 2017-18 school year. I was at Pattimura Elementary school (JIS) Jakarta International School for 19 years. I used my Professional Development training with Kath Murdoch for 6 years , the author of the Power of Inquiry to start my journey.. I was thinking and wondering how I could move my MS Art program forward.

My new MS principal, Dr. Ian Sutherland discussed being a Transformational Teacher during orientation back in August when I arrived. This really resonated with me. I wanted to transform our CISH Art room into an ART STUDIO Learning Space.. I wanted to show and share with my students how artists think and use the creative process. What an opportunity I have to transform the learning space, my students and myself.

The Learning Space The transformation started by removing a very large desk. Everyone talks about you do not need a desk. Get rid of it! I used a semicircular table I found it centering and the students know where to find my classroom Ipad. Next I asked facilities to put wheels on all my tables so I could move the tables for every class from Reception class to HS. I added another semicircular table and 5 wooden stools and made it in Art Bar. I sit with my MS students to reflect, revise , and discuss their learning. I worked with facilities to put in modern wood shelving to support my MS artists in selecting their own supplies and returning them to their proper place. Lastly, I wanted to inspire my students to create by adding colorful handmade umbrella’s from Asia and shell and mirrored strings from Bali to shine the light into our working space.

Creative Process and how it works in MS Art The front wall holds the words; Creative Process: Imagine-PlanCreate-Express-Revise and REFLECT! So, with that in mind I also discussed how Artists think and used “A Personal Journey” by Davis Publication to help guide our learning. I wanted to have my MS start with Artist Are Storytellers. Each MS student had to create a piece of art that had a main character and produce it in their own way and there choice of art materials. This was a good way to let my students share their own voice in their work and since we were both new to each other this was my entry point to a MS art. We continued with themes such as Artists are Messengers and Artist are Designers. This was a good way to try different themes and materials in a place where taking a risk was a good thing and not worry about a grade. My mandatory grade 8 art class had become the Magnificent Grade 8 Art class that I told them in the beginning days they would become.

Transformation of myself as an Art Teacher I have been very lucky to study with many fine teachers during my professional development training at JIS and CISH. It supported me as I moved through transformational moments in my life. I found that I needed to think and wonder as much as my students. I needed the “Power Of Inquiry”(KM) to support my teaching. I look to Cathy Hunt to inspire my learning with Art and Technology and Dr Lois Helland who wrote “Studio Thinking” and was the project manager of Project Zero in 1998 when I attended. My students benefited from my efforts to make PD apart of my life long Art teaching journey.

The Art Studio at CISH will continue to move forward and transform with the help of my MS students who show me they are not afraid to take a risk and they want to get better with their art. ART in their school day and their life helps them to express what all MS students want to do and find a meaningful way to share it with themselves and others. As our first semester comes to a close, There are exhibition boards full of artwork outside the Art Studio hallway and my MS student artists’ learning journey continues. It is time to reflect again.