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Paper short abstract

"Proactive, interactive, and deep learning" served as an approach to introduce the perspective of active learning into elementary and secondary education. How is this learning intended to be realized within the new moral education with a motto “moral classes encouraging thinking and discussing”?

Paper long abstract

In the mid-2010s, the Ministry of Education (MEXT) introduced active learning into elementary and secondary education, using the phrase “proactive, interactive, and deep learning”. At the same time, moral education was transformed into a formal subject, which required the use of a Ministry-approved textbook and descriptive evaluation. Aiming to meet both goals together, the Ministry promoted “moral classes encouraging thinking and discussing”, which addresses moral issues with no single correct answer.

In 2016, the Ministry's “Expert Committee on the Evaluation of Moral Education” proposed three “high-quality” teaching methods: learning focusing on projecting oneself onto characters in reading materials, problem-based learning, and experiential learning about moral conduct. However, teachers’ classroom practice is influenced by textbooks more directly than it is influenced by national policy documents.

This paper examines official reports, the new national curriculum and new textbooks to shed light on (a) how textbook publishers interpret government policy and (b) what modals of active learning are presented to teachers in moral education textbooks.