Issues of Transformation in the Ideas of Curriculum Reform, Curriculum Standards and Textbooks—A Japanese Perspective

課程改革理念、課程標準與教科書的轉化議題——日本觀點

2006 年日本正式實施新教育基本法，但最近在進行學校教育與社會教育改革時仍面臨許多困難。根據修正後的教育法，政府根據國家課程標準舉行國家考試，以「教育績效責任」之名試圖改變公立學校教育系統。然而，與歐美相較，日本對於標準取向教育之批評明顯少許多。公立學校的教育問題多發生在國小高年級與國中階段，介於10-15 歲的青春期學生。過去的20 年間，日本處在所謂的「第三代教育改革時代」，忙於處理大部分發生在10 至15 歲學生的拒絕上學、校園霸凌、少年犯罪以及OECD/PISA 2003 及2006 測驗成績不如預期表現。因此，2008 年政府修訂了國家教程、國家課程標準，以有效提升「生活熱忱」的思考能力。新教育法關注公共教育，所以，課程標準在小學課程中強調義務教育、道德教育、語言活動、數學教育、科學教育、傳統文化教育、體驗活動以及外語活動。除此之外，精熟基本而重要的知識和技能、增加每周教學時數、提高學習動機以及建立學習習慣都是重點項目，這些有利於達到提升思考能力之目標。但國中學生處於人生的交叉路口且面臨相當大的壓力，中央教育委員會並沒有對國中教育有更深入、透徹的探討。

In recent times, the Japanese government has faced difficulties in reformingschool and social education despite the amendment of the Fundamental Lawof Education 2006. With the revision of the main laws of education, the governmenthas been transforming the public education system in terms of “educationalaccountability” by establishing a national test related to national curriculumstandards. However, in Japan, there has been much less criticism ofstandard-oriented education than there has been in the U.S. or Europe.Interestingly enough, the educational problems in public schools are almostall found at the upper grades of elementary school and all grades of juniorhigh school with young adolescent students aged 10-15. In the past two decades,Japan has been in the midst of a so-called “Age of the 3rd EducationalReform.” We have been coping with school refusal, bullying, and delinquency,along with lower than expected student scores on OECD/PISA 2003 and 2006,which mostly occur among students of the age range mentioned above.Therefore, in 2008, the government revised the National Course of Study,the national curriculum standards, in order to raise thinking abilities effectivelyas the core of the “Zest for Living” campaign. Under the new laws concerningpublic education, the revised curriculum standards stressed compulsory education,moral education, language activities, mathematics and science education,traditional culture education, experiential activities, and foreign language activitiesin the elementary curriculum.In addition, mastering basic knowledge and skills, increasing the number ofhours of instruction per week, enhancing learning motivation, and establishinglearning habits are all emphasized. All of these should help reach the final objectiveof improving thinking abilities. However, the Central Council for Educationhas not discussed our middle level education in any thorough way,though junior high school students are standing at the crossroads of their livesand suffer considerable stress.