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Japan's education problems... is it the lack of critical thinking?

• Thread starter Emoni
• Start date 20 Jun 2008
• 22 Jun 2008

Originally Posted by Emoni This isn't exactly going the direction I had hoped... Click to expand...

Better than what Japan does with English, but that is not the point, is it? Please don't confuse the issue. Click to expand...

as far as Japanese landuage is prohibited.... Where did this random thought come from? Your own lack of critical evaluation skills seem to have brought this up, caster. I'm lost. Click to expand...

Foreigners have won it, too, including cell biologists, Jane Goodall, Noam Chomsky, etc. Click to expand...

Emoni said: There is a chance that there is a language problem here I guess. I'm not following caster's logic either. Caster, if you could, feel free to post in Japanese if you think that would express what you are trying to say better. I know I can't say everything I want in Japanese... not even close. Click to expand...

Emoni; Japanese college is kind of four years vacation except law, science and certain speciality feilds. humanities, social sciences, and fine arts is **** field and useless. To learn the real world is more important for them. it mean part time job( like washig dishes in restaurant , construction laborer...) , to make a connection and hobby in the future.. The problem is what you will do in four years for dream. in order to learn critical thinking in university? I dont think so. I learnt it through that well in the real tangle of youth day time in university was a sleeping time for me though I could get so many friends and connection as a treasure. which is better?  

Well, well, well...I am, and then I'm not surprized. This seems like a fair enough subject to discuss, even debate. . . but let's not get all tangled up in a mess of disconnected argumentive jabs and plunges, please gentlemen (and well, we have yet any ladies, so I'll stop here). [caster51 san, I ask for your best efforts here please, and it is very clear that your first post (#2) was overprotective without due cause] Yes, critical thinking is a frame of mind which needs to be implemented in the earlier years of education. It is something which needs to begin at home, actually. . . rather than in the public (or private) school system. It is something that I have focused on in working with my boys, whose public education obviously has lacked greatly in that area. Now as for the university level, I think we'll find a bit of a spread, yes, but just what would be the average, it seems, may truthfully be that critical thinking is still under applied. ① The OP was very clear in pointing out that we are looking at gross averages here, so no one should misconstrue that. I agree, and some in the medical fields I have had the pleasure of working with--including professor emeriti--also agree, that too much of the higher education format here in Japan is 'a vacation' as caster51 has posed above. What might be done, therefore, to implement motivation for students of higher education here in Japan to more broadly activate themselves? This is one major issue which the Monbusho has been putting on universities these days, and one which our institution is working on with deeper and more involvement with facuty development as well as staff development. Critical thinking is the goal. Critical thinking is what we are trying to apply so as to spur the students earlier into a more active learning frame of mind. There will have to be a tie between critical thinking at large, and creativity--it simply goes without saying--but just how strong that tie is, or in what area is lies, is something I've yet to think about. Let's see. Caster51 san, you are, if I am not mistaken, in the education field, correct? ① I use 'applied' because I'd rather think of the frame of mind that critical thinking is, as something that is more of an acquired thing, than a learned thing, and thus application of that frame of mind by the 'educators' will be picked up on by the 'educatees.'  

Let's see. Caster51 san, you are, if I am not mistaken, in the education field, correct? Click to expand...

Let me re-word (use different words to help in understanding) that; are you a teacher, caster51 san? It seems I recall that from somewhere in the past. You are partly correct with that claim there, caster51 san, as far as I have considered it. Critical thinking (which can overlap, but need not be totally equal to individualism) primarily is not a subject, like math, art, or PE, but is a mode of activity of mind applied towards the act and state of knowing. Critical thinking needs to start from pre-school.  

Thank you for your response. Yes, I understand the hardships in 'working' (so to speak) in a second language-- if all those papers from administration, education department, and job-hunting support were in English, it'd help somewhat . In the education arena, here in Japan, I have (in written comments to my son's teachers), and would suggest that the teachers (who really are over-worked anyway, only adding to the loss) challenge various aspects of what they teach before the students. This was at the jr. highschool level. In that questioning and challenging so as to affirm or dislodge a claim or theory or point in case on a matter of understanding, is what critical thinking is, the application of critical thinking will encourage students to take a more active role in searching and verifying or refutting--this is a healthier learning style. One side point of interest here, if I may, is that I have always interpreted the proverb that Mike Cash has raised, as equalling that of the Japanese proverb that JimmySeal has raised. I can see a different interpretation, but which is more commonly taken, the negative or the positive? (positive as in 'getting attention in a postive way' while yet keeping the whole functioning properly)  

all we know the critical thinking is not a mere complaint and dissatisfaction. the critical thinking is needed for improvment and evolution by trial and error. so i understand critical thinking is the trial and error of experiment indeed, if there is the lack.., it is impossible to kaizen in the system as the Japanese motto... I think Japan is challenging more than others though the result is not my business:sorry: Unfortunately, ,The current state of the education of Japan is worse than before because of too many individual critical thinking of the monster kids  

• Thread starter

caster51 said: Unfortunately, ,The current state of the education of Japan is worse than before because of too many individual critical thinking of the monster kids Click to expand...

大学院を修了しても「２人に１人」は定職に就けず、「フリーター博士」は１万２０００人以上。専任教員を夢見ながら、非常勤講師やコンビニ店員、肉体労働で食いつなぐ。 Only one out of two Ph. Ds. can get a full time position. More than 12000 of Dr. Freeter dreaming of a "full-time postion" are estimated in Japan... http://book.asahi.com/author/TKY200711140234.html Click to expand...

Stanford University and School of Medicine Minimum Annual Pay as of October 1, 2008 $40,785 Funding Rates and Guidelines | Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Click to expand...

I would say, pipokun san, that the matter you have presented, actually, misses the mark of the intent of the object of investigation here. Faults in any education system will exist, and the OP has allowed room for that, so it would not be of concern here, really. Also, while the OP does bring up a comparative attitude (American university compared to Japanese university), the main drive does focus on the Japanese education system's adherence to, or failure to adhere to a program of critical thinking instillment. I do not reason that there is any need here to take any agressive-like, defensive position towards the topic nor the OP, and would like to encourage fair-play there, by all. Again, I would argue that critical thinking should begin before public education, at home, in the early forming years--but that will depend upon the parents and immediate family situations, as well as society in general. The elementary schools in our area, at least, show signs of being very regimental in structure and that reaches down to the student level as well. Emphasis is placed on a certain procedure for certain events or general execution of certain school matters. Critical thinking would allow students to test that without fear of reprisal from the teaching staff. Critical thought process, if used in the school, would allow the teaching staff itself to test what comes down from the board of education--all the way up to the monbusho. Of course, that is not going to happen, so critical thinking as a natural part of the Japanese school system, is very weak. (And I'm speaking in non-comparative terms here, other than what I reason as being the ideal setting for learning orientated environments.) This is one example.  

If you try to do the fair-play, we have to consider the unfairness in the public education in the US that kids in property tax rich areas have better opportunity as well, though I am fully aware that the critical mindset is not necessarily the result of public spending. It is true that Japan spends much fewer money on the public education. It is more equality-oriented, so lack of the critical thinking process, in the name of equal opportunity, in the public school brings more students (parents, actually) to choose private junior high school options in Japan. It might be the best if you established a school which would give kids... the Finnish problem-solving skill, the Indian mathematical skill, the Chinese competitive environment, free public education in some European countries without being threatened by paying back huge student loans, and more under the poor public spending like Japan. But it is rather challenging to establish such an "if-then" school.  

Where to begin? Sigh. caster: (re: Kyoto Prize winners) Do you think that they arise only from creativity and critical thinking? me: No, but they wouldn't have won the prize without such attributes. caster: (re: using Japanese) what do you need here to get right answer? me: Clear English that stays on topic. caster to emoni: Japanese college is kind of four years vacation except law, science and certain speciality feilds. me: I used to think that, but I work in a top science university. It's still largely a vacation. Kids sleep in class, and their research is mostly just what the major prof wants, not anything creative or individual. Grads get hired because of ties between advisors and industry, not because of creativity or grades. caster: in order to learn critical thinking in university? I dont think so. I learnt it through that well in the real tangle of youth day time in university was a sleeping time for me though I could get so many friends and connection as a treasure. which is better? me: Off-topic response. Besides, how do you learn critical thinking as a youth? caster: the problem is they dont know the real world me: Actually, I and social pundits agree, but that still doesn't answer the OP's questions about critical thinking vs. creativity. caster: I am just an invester as self-styled and runing of family business. it is enogh for me to understand the stock market articles and MLB in English.. as for investing stock , it is easy to learn the critical thinking as usual.. me: If it is that easy, then all investors would be rich. caster: if you do business youself, critical thinking is useless at all until getting a success me: Please explain this more fully. It says you don't need critical thinking until AFTER you are a success, which I disagree with, but I really don't understand you. caster: the critical thinking is needed for improvment and evolution by trial and error. so i understand critical thinking is the trial and error of experiment me: This is the closest you have come to providing your definition of critical thinking, and I think it shows just how strange and different it is from the rest of us (unless you can explain it better). Critical thinking is logic applied to resolving questions and problems, so yes, sometimes it involves experimentation, but you contradict yourself in how you got it (your youth), how important it is (you say it's not important until after one has achieved success), and that for doing your type of business it is easy to learn (a point that the majority of people in your field cannot support). caster: Unfortunately, ,The current state of the education of Japan is worse than before because of too many individual critical thinking of the monster kids me: Ok, that is your opinion, and I would agree that in part it is true. Realize that such statements have been made for thousands of years, though. We are trying to determine whether critical thinking and/or creativity can be taught for the benefit of Japanese people, not how today's youths are rebelling ("classroom chaos" is one example). Please stay on topic. pipokun talks of small salaries for PhD's and seems to relate/equate that to critical thinking. I am lost there. Einstein had his greatest moments of creativity and critical thinking working in a patent office. Money (ie, salary) does not equate with critical thinking, nor how it can be fostered. MarsMan says critical thinking should start at home before public education. Perhaps it does already in every culture, but if you want to teach it formally with people who have studied it, you need to present it in schools. The Japanese social life in all sectors of education (K-12 to university) deals with more of the social aspects of living and working together, instead of developing academics and inventive minds. Emoni's question, I believe, is whether Japan can add the development I just mentioned to its curriculum. I wouldn't expect the country to change or eliminate its current cultural style where students learn how to live and work together, because it is a fundamental part of the social and business structure, but to improve upon people's ability to be more creative is definitely needed, IMO. Wasn't it Prime Minister Mori who boldly stated that one of Japan's goals was to obtain a certain (high) number of Nobel prizes in the next X years? http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4320903-108018,00.html Wasn't it he or Koizumi that said Japan would strive to be the top IT country in the world in just 5 years? Koizumi recognized the need to make English (the lingua franca of the world's scientific community, and nearly the same for the international business world) mandatory as early as the elementary schools (yet Abe quashed that, and Fukuda has done nothing to change matters)? More links from Japanese Nobel prize winners' thoughts on creativity in Japan: www.chem.uic.edu/marek/trips/japan/esakispeech.doc (2001) http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2001/noyori-autobio.html (note his references to education abroad and the influence of western thinking) http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4320903-108018,00.html (last paragraph) Some things Japan is doing to foster more creative thinking. http://www.cdb.riken.jp/en/04_news/articles/070906_yomiuri_nhk.html (I want to know more about this!) http://wwics.si.edu/topics/pubs/asiarpt121.pdf (2004, covers some GOOD business practices and noble goals) P.S. Has anyone else even glanced at the links I provided? Would love to hear your responses.  

P.S. Has anyone else even glanced at the links I provided? Would love to hear your responses. Click to expand...

Critical thinking requires objectivity and logic, both of which took me some time to learn on the net. I would say that the Canadian school system better promotes critical thinking, with debate about hot topics and stuff, still, there are a lot of people that are more driven by theiur emotion and what they want to believe than what's real (I include myself in there, as I wasn't terribly objective when I first hit the forums). Logic is a whole other skill that some people do well at, but others don't take the time to learn. I'd say that with the emphasis on getting along here, most people don't challenge each other's opinions and beliefs for fear of disrupting the harmony and stuff. Ask a lot of Japanese about a contraversial topic, a lot will simply say that some people believe this, and others believe that, and that it's a diffcult issue. They don't give their own opinion on that topic. What I found since I started debating on the net, was that having people challenge my opinions and beliefs was a great way to look at my opinions and beliefs and see if they were somehow off the mark. A lot of my beliefs and opinions have gone through incredible changes since hitting the forums.  

• 23 Jun 2008

I would like to point out here, pipokun san, that somehow you have got it wrong: Correct me if I am wrong, the poor English education is what Emoni wanted to discuss here. Speak it out loud in other thread. ​ The OP is clear enough on that, and the general line of topic is clear enough, actually. Now I am a little puzzled over why you have responded the way you have in post numbers 38, and 40. This has almost nothing to do educational budgets. We should try to refrain from comparisons--we are talking only of the situation in Japan. Let's all please keep this in mind. I agree with pipokun that better educational environments make for better education (and that begins at home) and that one way of improving that environment here in Japan would possibly be to implement more critical thinking activities from elementary school--little by little. If, in Japan, on average, this mode of thinking process had been applied in educational settings, then it would be much more active in child raising (in circumstances where parents have gone through that system fully). That would mean pre-school and then elementary school up. Therefore while I agree that it has to applied (thus taught) in schools, it should be applied (thus taught) at home too--and firstly.  

FrustratedDave

Glenski said: Dave, I am not ridiculing caster. I deal with poorly written English every day in the university where I work (and I handled even worse in the 4 years I taught HS here). I simply cannot grasp what he says, and moreover he seems to persist in an elitist sort of attitude about Japan. It is the latter I am more calling him out for. Clearer posts would help, of course, but I think there is more to it than that. As for writing in Japanese, please, I urge you NOT to do that! There are plenty of people here who could contribute but cannot read Japanese at all. The forum is largely in English, and we have a separate forum for Japanese. I suggest the mods take a stand here, re: language to be used vs. replies that do not stay on topic. Click to expand...

If learning critical thinking means learning logic, analysis, evaluation, cognitive skills, objectiveness, etc. it should be taught in Japan. Someone mentioned debate, but if the classroom application of critical thinking is debate, it's actually ineffective in promoting that mode of thinking. It's weak in certain areas. 1. It locks participants into "either-or" "right-wrong" "good-bad" positions, limiting alternative possibilities that don't fit into either category. It also largely ignores creative solutions to problems. 2. Certain competitiveness in debate encourages people to find fault with the opponents' position even where there's no fault. Like someone said, people just insist their position no matter what, just for the sake of consistency, so lack of intellectual humility, lack of rational self-reflection are weaknesses. (Like caster said it.). 3. No consensus building, when a consensus is required. Actually, Japan does better in these areas, I believe. Classical debate is outdated. What's the best way to teach/learn critical thinking in Japan?  

reset, I've encountered debate in Japan. It is very different from western style. Compare Japan's style to bowling. Everyone waits while one person delivers his ball (topic). Then the next person, and so on. In western style (informal, anyway), it is more dynamic like tennis. The 2 difficult parts of western style debating for Japanese are: 1) refuting statements, even if they have time to do so. 2) refuting statements when they DON'T have time. Believe me, I've tried. I can point out a guy who does this in high school with moderate success, but it takes a heckuva lot of planning and explanation. Most people get only a smattering of the process (which is still partially based on critical thinking to make or refute points), but that's about all.  

Reset: I disagree with point one, as debaters who aren't assigned a side often do think about what was said in a debate later and change positions on it. They may try to hold on to whatever position they had going into the debate, but then a lot of them also change positions after a debate. Also, I think people do try to find fault, I agree, but there's only so myuch fault one can try to find with a more correct position. You'll notice that in certain debates, that one side runs out of attacks and defenses. Is it just because of the quality of the debaters? I'd have to say that in a few cases it is just the quality of the debaters, but in others, one side clearly has a more correct position. In a Tibetan monestary, debate is done before others, so most people can judge for themselves who has the more logical argument. Competition sharpens skills... there's not really a fear that debate will cause 'good and bad' sides, or that, and people can see who lacks humilty or rational self-reflection.. so there's little doubt as to who has got those skills and who hasn't... but the again, those that don't really have it do improve their critical thinking... the environment demands it. Lastly, Japan lags behind the west for so many reasons. In America, there's a lot of contraversy, and lots of people with strong opinions, however it is a country that makes a lot of advances in the sciences and other areas, in Japan, they simply follow the steps of the western world, and in a lot of areas, like law, they're ten years behind the western countries. I don't know that we should give up debate and advancement for the sake of consensus... as is done here in Japan.  

"Japan vs the west" ---I don't think that comparison is a good one. Japan is only ONE country, the West is MANY countries. Japan's population is fairly static, the Western population is highly mobile. Japan needs more active effort to import ideas from the outside world, the West is just sitting there, and new people, new ideas come in.  

pipokun said: ... Correct me if I am wrong, the poor English education is NOT what Emoni wanted to discuss here. Speak it out loud in other thread. Click to expand...

I don't know if you have any experience with the school system in Japan, reset san, but your presentation on debate is faulty, largely due to missing the 'exercise in thinking' part of the matter. To debate, a person has to be able to think in a critical mode in order to deduce conclusions from facts of data--evidence (and even at times be able to do so in determining the validity of such). A person has to be able to debate both the pro and the con of an issue or proposition. A person will have to learn more than what can be learned simply by rote memory. One text I have used and still do, kind of puts it like this (which has bearing): In recognition of these realities about learning, knowledge, and the scientific method, this book presents not just a collection of facts, but a description of the prodedures, experiments, and logical reasoning that scientists have used in their attempt to understand the physciology of behavior. If, in the interest of expediency, you focus on the conclusions and ignore the process that leads to them, you run the risk of acquiring information that will quickly become obsolete. On the other hand, if you try to understand the experiments and see how the conclusions follow from the results, you will acquire knowledge that lives and grows. 窶｡@ ​ While this is a specific example, the general principle is what I have intended to appeal to here. This underscores the importance of thinking critically. Creativity is very much tied in with imagination. Imagination, the greater bulk of the better evidence tells us, is very much tied in with a certain brain state wherein the right hemsphere tends more so to 'dress up' certain picked up and associated left-brain sequences of pure data, and often runs in positive correlation with non-norm, abstract bent brain states--very high degrees of imagination being associate with what would other wise be mental illnesses. When we talk of critical thinking, therefore, we would be focusing less on imagination (creativity) and more on the good ole left hemisphere matter of sequential data in space/time--ration and all its branches. Therefore critical thinking applying creative conception would prove to better build and organize developed thinking processes than creative conception applying rote data would; if that's worded correctly. It could be alikened, as I see it, to teaching one to fish, to eat, rather than simply giving one a fish to eat. 窶｡@ Physiology of Behavior by Neil R. Carlson, 7th ed. 2001, p23  

It is true that the debating skill is one of the problem solving skills for your critical mindset, but the kaizen activities and other problem solving styles are also the tools for thinking critically, aren't they? It is great of Glenski to try to teach a debate form in English. But does the poor debating skill in a foreign language mean the lack of critical thinking? Revenant said something that Japanese avoid discussing (maybe) touchy topics. It is partly true that I can hardly imagine a business situation where you can freely discuss controversial issues in your office. Also, I cannot imagine the situation in Canada/the US, either.  

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May 18, 2023

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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Why do Japanese teachers seem unready to teach critical thinking in classrooms?

by Chiba University

Globally, critical thinking (CT) is regarded as a highly desirable cognitive skill that enables a person to question, analyze, and assess an idea or theory from multiple perspectives. CT has become an integral and mandatory part of global educational curricula, but its definition varies across contexts and cultural backgrounds.

To assess the implementation of CT, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducts the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). In a 2018 survey (TALIS 2018), only 12.6% of lower secondary schoolteachers in Japan taught CT, compared to the global average of 58.1%.

To understand this gap, Assistant Professor Kazuyuki Nomura from Chiba University, Japan, set out to understand the reason underlying Japan's dismal performance in TALIS 2018. The study was published in Educational Philosophy and Theory .

"Japan's poor scoring in teaching CT puzzled me after I read the TALIS 2018 Results. Granted, CT varies from context to context, but little research has been conducted to understand what CT means in Japanese classrooms. Therefore, I took it on," explains Dr. Nomura, an expert in intercultural education, speaking of his motivation for the study.

In this qualitative study , Dr. Nomura conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 certified Japanese schoolteachers from diverse backgrounds , including one from a school for children with special educational needs (SENs), between May and July 2022 to understand their perspectives on CT and the outcomes of TALIS 2018.

All participants agreed that the Japanese adjective "hihanteki" for the English word "critical" had a negative undertone, making most teachers hesitant about introducing CT to their classrooms. Most of the participants also felt that the use of "hihanteki shikoo" as a direct translation of the words " critical thinking " in the TALIS 2018 was not correct. Many teachers were unaware that the national curriculum guidelines contain the concept of CT. Teachers who knew about it and had tried integrating it into their pedagogy were in a sheer minority.

By contrast, multidimensional-multiperspective thinking (MMT), which is a facet of CT, enjoys more acceptance and popularity in Japan since the curriculum guidelines explicitly promote MMT. The study found that while most participants shied away from implementing CT, they were comfortable with MMT and used it regularly in their teaching. Additionally, almost all participants suggested that teaching MMT depends on socioeconomic status (SES), and that teaching MMT in low-SES schools was challenging.

Moreover, "empathy" is a hidden, central pillar of the Japanese school curriculum. All participants concurred that empathy is a core value in Japanese education, and most of them felt that it is impossible to practice CT or MMT without teaching empathy. Coupling MMT with empathy increased the autonomy of schoolteachers in Japan. They struck a delicate balance between the national curriculum, the school culture, and their teaching practice. As a result, they managed to circumvent the power of OECD-led global education.

Still, Dr. Nomura maintains that the merits of global CT can be combined with the Japanese teachers' emic understanding of CT to get the best of both worlds. Through CT skills and empathy, Japanese teachers can enable a growingly diverse student population to think big and beyond the perimeters of Japan.

Although CT and politics go hand-in-hand, as per the law, Japanese schools cannot teach politically controversial topics and must maintain neutrality. To remedy this, he recommends that teachers use non-Japanese or fictional examples to implement CT in their classrooms.

"As Japan is now becoming increasingly multicultural, teachers could use CT skills to help children think about Japan's future, enhance open-mindedness, and live together with others with equity and dignity," suggests Dr. Nomura.

For future research, classroom observations could be the best candidate, given that MMT is a core educational goal in the current national curriculum. The results of this study could thus help spark a much-needed discussion about CT teaching in Japan and elsewhere.

Provided by Chiba University

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Why do Japanese teachers seem unready to teach critical thinking in classrooms?

A study in Japan highlights how schoolteachers circumvent the influence of the globally promoted version of critical thinking in their emic (indigenous) teaching practice

Chiba University

image: A new study finds that Japanese schoolteachers have unintentionally modified the concept of critical thinking and practice indigenous versions while adhering to the national curriculum guidelines that strive to align with global education standards. view more 

Credit: Tony Cassidy from Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/63712423@N00/363713806, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JapaneseClassroom2.jpg)

Globally, critical thinking (CT) is regarded as a highly desirable cognitive skill that enables a person to question, analyze, and assess an idea or theory from multiple perspectives. CT has become an integral and mandatory part of global educational curricula, but its definition varies across contexts and cultural backgrounds.

To assess the implementation of CT, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducts the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). In a 2018 survey (TALIS 2018), only 12.6% of lower secondary schoolteachers in Japan taught CT, compared to the global average of 58.1%. To understand this gap, Assistant Professor Kazuyuki Nomura from Chiba University, Japan, set out to understand the reason underlying Japan’s dismal performance in TALIS 2018. The study was made available online on March 31, 2023, and published in Educational Philosophy and Theory .

“ Japan’s poor scoring in teaching CT puzzled me after I read the TALIS 2018 Results. Granted, CT varies from context to context, but little research has been conducted to understand what CT means in Japanese classrooms. Therefore, I took it on, ” explains Dr. Nomura, an expert in intercultural education, speaking of his motivation for the study.

In this qualitative study, Dr. Nomura conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 certified Japanese schoolteachers from diverse backgrounds, including one from a school for children with special educational needs (SENs), between May and July 2022 to understand their perspectives on CT and the outcomes of TALIS 2018.

All participants agreed that the Japanese adjective “ hihanteki” for the English word “critical” had a negative undertone, making most teachers hesitant about introducing CT to their classrooms. Most of the participants also felt that the use of “ hihanteki shikoo” as a direct translation of the words “critical thinking” in the TALIS 2018 was not correct. Many teachers were unaware that the national curriculum guidelines contain the concept of CT. Teachers who knew about it and had tried integrating it into their pedagogy were in a sheer minority.

By contrast, multidimensional-multiperspective thinking (MMT), which is a facet of CT, enjoys more acceptance and popularity in Japan since the curriculum guidelines explicitly promote MMT. The study found that while most participants shied away from implementing CT, they were comfortable with MMT and used it regularly in their teaching. Additionally, almost all participants suggested that teaching MMT depends on socioeconomic status (SES), and that teaching MMT in low-SES schools was challenging.

Moreover, “empathy” is a hidden, central pillar of the Japanese school curriculum. All participants concurred that empathy is a core value in Japanese education, and most of them felt that it is impossible to practice CT or MMT without teaching empathy. Coupling MMT with empathy increased the autonomy of schoolteachers in Japan. They struck a delicate balance between the national curriculum, the school culture, and their teaching practice. As a result, they managed to circumvent the power of OECD-led global education.

Still, Dr. Nomura maintains that the merits of global CT can be combined with the Japanese teachers’ emic understanding of CT to get the best of both worlds. Through CT skills and empathy, Japanese teachers can enable a growingly diverse student population to think big and beyond the perimeters of Japan. Although CT and politics go hand-in-hand, as per the law, Japanese schools cannot teach politically controversial topics and must maintain neutrality. To remedy this, he recommends that teachers use non-Japanese or fictional examples to implement CT in their classrooms.

“ As Japan is now becoming increasingly multicultural, teachers could use CT skills to help children think about Japan’s future, enhance open-mindedness, and live together with others with equity and dignity,” suggests Dr. Nomura.

For future research, classroom observations could be the best candidate, given that MMT is a core educational goal in the current national curriculum. The results of this study could thus help spark a much-needed discussion about CT teaching in Japan and elsewhere.

About Assistant Professor Kazuyuki Nomura from Chiba University

Dr. Kazuyuki Nomura is currently an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies, Chiba University in Japan. Dr. Nomura is an educational researcher, and his research areas cover intercultural education and curriculum studies. He has published articles in reputed journals to his credits and has also co-authored several books. Dr. Nomura is a member of many educational research associations and has received accolades for his research contributions.

Educational Philosophy and Theory

10.1080/00131857.2023.2192925

Method of Research

Subject of research, article title.

Exploring the emic understanding of ‘critical thinking’ in Japanese education: An analysis of teachers’ voices

Article Publication Date

31-Mar-2023

COI Statement

No potential conflict of interest

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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An Exploration of Japanese Students’ Concept and Application of Critical Thinking in Academic Writing

• First Online: 10 March 2018

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Part of the book series: English Language Education ((ELED,volume 14))

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A key requirement to successful academic writing is the demonstration of critical thought, and in the West, it is a central criterion in distinguishing novice from expert writers. Yet the concept is difficult to define, identify and implement. This is especially the case for students from a non-Western background where knowledge telling is valued more than knowledge transforming, and therefore such students suffer when attempting to effectively implement critical thought into their essays. Universities emphasise “critical thinking” along with the expectation that students develop a Western mode of argument with the understanding that students will apply this to their discipline-specific courses. However, post-EAP learners often continue to struggle in grasping not only the meaning of critical thinking, but more importantly, how it is demonstrated in argumentative writing. Overall, the importance of the argumentative essay for the Japanese EAP student cannot be undermined. It is also vital to investigate how students’ understanding of argumentation develops during their academic careers.

This study used in-depth semi-structured interviews with three Japanese undergraduate students to explore their understanding of and challenges with critical thinking as well as questions pertaining to their personal development as critical thinkers. The findings suggest the three participants’ understanding as to what critical thinking involves was initially confused and uncertain but was clarified through repeated written assessments, feedback from faculty and other educational support systems. The results also revealed that their cultural and linguistic backgrounds were not deemed as a deterrent to displaying critical thought. While subject knowledge and acquiring a “workable balance between self and sources” (Groom, 2000, p. 65, as cited in Wingate 2012 ) proved to be obstacles, all participants revealed that they learned to analyse articles, evaluate and synthesise sources, include relevant evidence in arguments and tailor a structured text. The results of the research suggest that a more direct approach in the instruction of critical thinking in writing is required.

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Appendix A: Semi-structured Interview Guide

Summary of participant’s academic writing experience during EAP course.

Description of criteria and features of academic writing in English compared to that of Japanese.

Understanding of critical thinking in academic writing.

Difficulties with academic writing and presenting argument(s).

Development in critical thinking post-EAP:

Strategies employed.

Tutor feedback and/or support from peers.

Other institutional support.

Closing comments, questions and suggestions.

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About this chapter

Bennett, L.Y. (2018). An Exploration of Japanese Students’ Concept and Application of Critical Thinking in Academic Writing. In: Ruegg, R., Williams, C. (eds) Teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in Japan. English Language Education, vol 14. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8264-1_7

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Learn How to Think in Japanese with These Awesome Tips, Tricks and Translation Ideas

Your thoughts make you who you are.

Of course, thinking in a foreign language isn’t natural for most new language learners .

You tend to process your thoughts in your native tongue because it’s what you’re used to, and habits are powerful things.

That doesn’t mean you can’t learn to think in Japanese—it’s actually a vital step on the road to fluency.

In this post, you’ll learn exactly how to start thinking in Japanese step-by-step.

1. Use Real or Imaginary Stories and Conversations

Take note of small interactions throughout the day, narrate your morning routine, make up your own stories, 2. translate and practice monologues in japanese, pick your passage, translate the text, keep it short to start, 3. dive into complete and total japanese immersion, change up the settings on your devices, binge-watch japanese content, listen to japanese music, how to use these tips effectively to start thinking in japanese, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

On any given day, you’re likely to talk to at least one person. Maybe a few, right?

I don’t mean deep or complicated interactions, either.

Think of any conversation you had today.

The 30-second snippet with the cashier down the street or the guidelines you received for a project at work would be fine fodder. In fact, the more common the conversations you choose, the stronger your everyday Japanese vocabulary will become.

Keep snippets of that conversation in your mind for later translation.

Perhaps pretend to have that conversation again and act it out.

By moving words back and forth in context, you’ll create stronger connections with those words and help your brain put the vocabulary to active use.

If you’re not into chatting or you have a bad memory, don’t fret.

You can use the things in your home and your everyday routine to help.

Let’s say you get up in the morning and you head to the bathroom. As you get up to go get your toothbrush, start talking to yourself about your day.

You can talk about all of the things you’re going to do in Japanese.

Since you use these words daily, it’s easy to see how you’ll get more and more comfortable with them.

If you’re feeling more creative or looking to stretch your vocabulary, then you could make up a story about your toothbrush.

What’s he going to do today when you’re gone?

Will he save the soap from the perils of your faucet?

Romance the floss?

Or try to avoid the fate of accidentally falling on the floor?

Every story, day after day, that you tell yourself in Japanese will help you think more in the language. Plus, your morning routine will be a lot less boring!

When you first begin to think in a different language, you’re translating, translating, translating.

Until one day, the word or phrase you’re looking for doesn’t pop up in your native language first—it begins to immediately occur in Japanese.

But you’ll need to take your translation skills to the next level and purposefully include new vocabulary. That’s where monologues come in.

Unless you were into drama class in school, you probably haven’t spent a lot of time in the land of monologues.

That’s a shame—they’re valuable tools in learning to think in Japanese. They’re also great for introverts since all you need is yourself and some basic tools.

First, get a camera or audio recorder.

Most of us have apps for that built into our smartphones and tablets for this already, so check before you download.

Then, follow these steps:

Pick a favorite passage from a book or a movie that you love.

It could be anything from Shakespeare to “Star Wars.”

If you’re more web-inclined, you could choose your favorite fan fic or Creepypasta to begin translating.

Just don’t pick something that’s already in Japanese, for obvious reasons.

You could choose a subtitled anime or a translated manga if you like. If you’re the creative type you could even write your own story for source material.

Next, translate it into Japanese.

Try to do this from memory as much as possible, but don’t be afraid to look up words when you need to.

Just don’t auto-translate the whole thing at once. It’s tempting to get it done as quickly as possible, but the process is what matters here.

Now, start the recorder and begin talking.

Once you have your translation of the piece recorded, play it back.

Listen to what you said and translate it to your native language in your own mind.

This type of back-and-forth translation helps you take advantage of your existing pathways, and it holds your interest because of the material.

Try to keep paragraphs/recordings under five minutes to begin.

You’ll be surprised how far you can get in that little bit of time.

Then as you find the translations are getting easier, you can move onto longer and more complex passages. Remember it’s a process, not an end goal.

Immersion is about making the language a part of your everyday life.

You can do this in several ways.

One of the more common ways is to read news or entertainment sites in Japanese. This will not only help you think more in the language but also create a better ear for it in real life.

Here are a few more simple steps to create an immersive Japanese environment.

Another option would be to change your social media or phone language.

If you’re at a place where you can read Japanese with some basic skills, then consider changing over one of your social media sites (or your phone if you’re feeling bold) to show you text in Japanese.

With the variety of things that people post, you’re likely to get some great conversational practice and add to your vocabulary swiftly.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, then change your whole browser.

Watch YouTube , movies or TV in Japanese.

Choose your favorite YouTuber from this list of the top 250 from Japan .

Be sure to put the captions on in your native tongue.

This will allow you to hear the words in Japanese and attach them to your English thoughts.

In time, you’ll realize that you no longer need the subtitles, and your brain begins to think of what it hears as the natural language of the media you’re consuming.

Seeing both English and Japanese subtitles simultaneously can also help you form stronger connections between the two languages, ultimately improving your ability to think in Japanese.

Dual-language interactive captions are available on FluentU , a website and app that also has a diverse collection of Japanese videos.

If you’re looking for something easy to use on the go, then get into J-pop .

Song lyrics tend to be catchy and stick in your brain easier than prose normally would.

If you need some inspiration, check out this Spotify playlist for the Japan Top 50 .

By enjoying lyrics in Japanese, you’ll help your brain latch onto complete thoughts in the language.

Remember that you can do this and that it’s a great step up from memorizing vocabulary.

It’ll go faster if you make it fun, so find the techniques that appeal to you and use them. Don’t feel locked into one thing just because you started with it.

Just don’t forget that the translation is a vital step in this process. You don’t want to memorize sounds without meanings attached to them.

Don’t be afraid to use tools like your favorite Japanese dictionary —they’re great for words you don’t know, and can be valuable. But don’t abuse them.

If you auto-translate with tools like Google Translate , you’ll miss half of the point of these exercises.

You need the words to be strongly associated with your natural thought if you want to be able to think in Japanese at the end of this process.

And there you have it—three foolproof methods to help you start thinking in Japanese.

With practice, you’ll find that Japanese starts to come more naturally to you. And you can maintain fluent conversations for longer!

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU .

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:

FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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    Recently, the necessity of critical thinking (CT) education has been noted in various areas, and the number of studies related to CT education in Japan has been steadily increasing.  Therefore, this article highlights pertinent issues in these studies by reviewing recent theoretical and practical studies regarding CT educations conducted in Japan.  Practical studies, the focus of this article, are classified based on the purpose of CT educations (such as the development of academic literacy or of citizenship literacy) as well as on the manner of education, such as the “general approach” (in which students learn critical thinking through separate critical thinking courses), or the “immersion approach” (in which students learn critical thinking by immersing themselves in the existing subject-matter areas).  The findings confirm that CT education is conducted for various purposes and by various methods.  In addition, this article provides several suggestions for further CT practices and studies by elucidating the importance of the purpose of teaching and the suitability of the outcome evaluation.     Key Words : critical thinking, education, higher-order literacy, instructional approach, evaluation

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Critical Thinking in Translation/クリティカルシンキング – 批判的思考

Critical thinking is an interesting word when it appears in translation. It is commonly referred to as one of the key skills needed to prepare children for the 21st century, which seemed like such a long way away, but now happens to be nearly eighteen percent over. For this reason, we are no longer just preparing children for the 21st Century. We are living it and should actually be preparing for the 22nd Century.

As part of this preparation for a rapidly changing world, we send our children to school to learn, but learn what? They learn content that is divided roughly into academic disciplines, but as a parent, it is not so much what your child is learning that should interest you, as most of it can be Googled, rather you should be interested in what they can do with that content. How does it help them to come to understand their world?

Above the subject-based content, there is a set of skills that are encountered across all subject areas. One of those is critical thinking. Critical thinking skills help to ensure that you are sensitive to the intentions behind the different information that bombards you. In its English form, the term does not have a negative connotation, yet in its Japanese form, the meaning of critical thinking does not translate so smoothly. It seems that this slight problem of translation is causing mixed-feelings in the Japanese school system with moves to bring a more critical perspective into approaches to teaching and learning in Japanese classrooms. 

Critical thinking is not about finding something wrong, or inherently bad. We understand that the basis of communication is intention and interpretation. Developing critical thinking skills is about discerning oftentimes subtle intentions in messages that may not be readily apparent. The portrayal of body image in the media is an example of one of these types of messages. Communication in all its forms is intentional to a degree, but messages are interpreted in many different ways by the audience, so if our children are going to understand their world they need to be able to think critically. As a number of Japanese schools embrace the International Baccalaureate programs, teachers and school administrators may need to revise their understanding of critical thinking and shift their deeply embedded styles of teaching and learning.

Critical thinking skills allow children to discern intent and form more independent ideas. The process does, however, necessitate students challenging the content they are exposed to, questioning the texts they use and the words of their teachers. Of course, more didactic teaching methods and content-driven, memory-based approaches to teaching and learning will not foster critical thinking. The question that confronts us is how far will school systems be willing to bend and shift in order to develop these all-important critical thinking skills? Do we really want our children to be able to question the world? If so, our school systems have some work to do.

クリティカルシンキング – 批判的思考

急速に変化し続けている世の中において、私たちは一体何を学ばせるために子供を学校へ行かせているのでしょうか。子供たちは学んでいます。しかし子供たちが学んでいる内容は、今の時代ネットで検索すれば出てくるであろう内容を多く含んでいます。親は子供が何を学んできたかよりも、むしろ学んだことで何ができるのか、またどうすれば子供たちは自分たちが生きている世界を深く理解できるようになるのか、ということにより関心を持つべきではないでしょうか。

科目ごとの内容を超えて、全ての科目においてカバーされるべきスキルがあります。そのスキルの一つがクリティカルシンキングです。クリティカルシンキングスキルにより、情報の裏側で意図している内容にまで敏感になることができます。クリティカルシンキング（批判的思考）という言葉は、和訳では少し否定的な意味合いを含みますが、英語では否定的な意味合いはありません。ピッタリの和訳ができないことにより、クリティカルな思考を学校授業へ取り入れることに少し複雑な感情を抱かれる方がおられるかもしれません。

クリティカルシンキングとは、何か粗を探すとか、間違いを批判することではありません。コミュニケーションとは、自分が意図したいことを伝え、説明することだと思います。クリティカルシンキングスキルを磨くとは、容易には理解しにくいメッセージの中にある、微妙に意図されたことを見抜けるようになることです。いかなる形であれ、コミュニケーションはある程度、意図的に自分の意思が伝わるように行われますが、聞き手によってそのメッセージはさまざまな形で解釈されることがあります。子供たちが世の中を理解しようとするならば、やはりあらゆる側面から批判的に考えることが必要なのです。現在、日本国内で国際バカロレアが注目を集めています。それに伴いクリティカルシンキングの理解が深まり、クリティカルシンキングのティーチングスタイルがより取り込まれることになるかもしれません。

クリティカルシンキングスキルは、子供たちにもっと自由な形で物事を理解する力を育んでくれます。しかし自分が発する内容を考えることや、自分が発する言葉や先生が言われる事柄への疑問を持つなど、子供たちにとってはチャレンジになることでしょう。講義形式や記憶重視型アプローチではクリティカルシンキング能力は育ちません。これからの子供たちが、このグローバル社会で生き抜いていくには、あらゆる角度から物事をとらえ、批判的に考える力を育むことが求められるのではないでしょうか。

(Originally published in Mamanpere , 2017)

Japanese Universe

For all passionate Japanese learners!

Thinking in Japanese, a Critical Skill to Fluency in Japanese

Speaking requires thinking. Before you can say something in Japanese you need to know what you want to say. That requires being able to formulate sentences in your mind. This is a very important part of learning Japanese. I think most people would agree that thinking in Japanese is important. But I have not seen many explanations on how you can learn to do it. So, here I will do my best to explain how you can improve this critical skill.

What is Thinking in Japanese?

This sounds like an obvious question but it is important to understand what we are talking about when we say thinking. Also, it is important to know what thinking is not in order to be able to learn to do it correctly.

Thinking is not the same as Speaking

Thinking is not exactly the same as speaking in your head. At least for me, I don’t verbalize every single word in my head when I am thinking about something. Sometimes I may be thinking about something and not use any language. Or, I may be thinking about a concept or feeling without a strong connection to a specific word. Or, I may be thinking of a concept where a word does exist without saying that word. For convenience sake though, in this post when I say thinking in Japanese I only mean speaking to yourself in Japanese in your head.

Knowledge vs. Skill of Thinking in Japanese

Japanese classes, textbooks, courses, and so on focus on helping you to understand and memorize Japanese concepts, words, phrases, etc. This is not the same as speaking in Japanese. Learning to think in Japanese is a skill. You can have knowledge about Japanese but that does not mean that you have the skill to use that knowledge. Yes, knowledge does lead to these skills but that alone is not enough.

Textbooks or classes will test your knowledge by giving you questions to answer. This helps you to see if you remember things but it does not help you to generate thoughts on your own. Testing helps by giving you a trigger to see if you remember something. Flashcards are an example of this. They help you to memorize vocabulary and to see if you remember words. But they don’t help you to use those words. So, when I say thinking in Japanese, this means to express your spontaneous thoughts in Japanese.

Creating Phrases: Step One for Thinking in Japanese

The first step to think in Japanese is to learn to create phrases.

Start Simple

I have two huge complaints about example sentences used in learning material. First, most books pack in example sentence after sentence all having unique words which show up once in the book and never again. Second, most of the books will also use sentences about politics, economics, people’s conversations, or topics that I don’t know anything about. These are things that are hard if not impossible to visualize.

When you are trying to learn something it is best to simplify everything else unimportant for that situation. So, for example, if you are learning about the various forms of Japanese adjectives keep it simple. The more complex, abstract, or unknown the words or topic is the less focus you can give on actually learning about the adjectives.

Since thinking in Japanse is a skill, your focus should be on using what you know. Not on acquiring more knowledge. Take a few words that you know and create phrases with them.

Play with Words and Phrases

This technique works by choosing a few familiar words and making several different phrases with them. For example, 鳥 とり means bird and 飛 と ぶ means to fly . Pretend these are the only two words you know.  Since you can’t make grammatical sentences though without particles you need to add some.

• 鳥が飛ぶ – birds fly / the bird flys
• 鳥も飛ぶ – birds also fly/ the bird also flys
• 飛ぶ鳥  – The bird/birds that fly/ the flying bird

These are two very simple statements and don’t mean anything out of context. That is ok for now. When you are learning to think in Japanese it is important to limit the number of words you use. In your mind use the simple words you know and can visualize easily like the two above. Picking a few words and then trying to play with them to make different phrases allows you to get used to creating phrases in Japanese. If you are worried about what words to use in your sentences it will become harder to think of phrases. But, once you get used to saying certain sentence structures in your head you can add in more vocabulary.

So, let’s say you spent 10 minutes talking about birds flying and are getting bored of it. Now try adding more words, 猫 ねこ meaning cat and 寝 ね る meaning to sleep.

• 猫が寝る – the cat sleeps / cats sleep
• 猫も寝る – the cat also sleeps / cats also sleep

This is where you actually start using the thinking skill. Now that you know a few words and how to create a few sentences you can swap words with each other.

The sentences you use don’t need to be possible or even logical at this point. What you are trying to do is stimulate your mind to spontaneously create sentences. As you start this exercise along with the simple words you choose to create sentences with, other words will start to spontaneously pop up. If you know the word for dog,  犬 いぬ then you may spontaneously think of the sentence

Again, it does not need to make sense. While you do this exercise and you think of one word, your brain will trigger other words you may know. The word for tail which is しっぽ may pop into your head. You may not know how to use the word at that moment. But, as you learn more you will be able to use these words in a sentence easier.

Learning to think is more about how you use the words than which words you use. So, in order to get good at this skill try focusing on integrating new words, word forms or knowledge about Japanese with what you already know slowly.

Other Techniques to Thinking in Japanese

After you get used to creating sentences in your mind you will have jumped over a huge language learning hurdle. Being able to create sentences in your mind spontaneously will help you to know better how much Japanese you know. By being able to create sentences you can observe what words pop up in your mind which will give you a better idea of what you know. Also, when trying to think of sentences in your head if you are unable to say something then you know what to work on.

After you feel comfortable with creating phrases though, the next step is to become more fluent at it.

Pretend you are talking to Someone

Now that you are able to create sentences, try adding a second person. Think of having a conversation in your head. Try to speak both parts of yourself and the participant. What this does is allows you to create a mental environment where you can stimulate your own mind to come up with your own thoughts. In real life when you talk to someone ideas pop up from your own thoughts and from what the other person has said. Having a conversation in your head makes it easier to spontaneously come up with things to say.

Write As you Think

Like I stated earlier, thinking is not the same as speaking. Sometimes when you think about something in your head you don’t necessarily say everything. When you write something down you are forcing yourself to generate words and you can visually see what you actually are thinking. This gives you another level of control to see how well you are actually thinking in Japanese.

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Published by Keith

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