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Short abstract:

Exploring the human-material relationship in education, this paper utilizes new materialism to challenge traditional views and introduce 'New-teaching-material-ism', advocating a symmetrical relationship and a novel educational paradigm.

Long abstract:

This paper aims to reconsider the relationship between materials and humans within the educational context of the Anthropocene era. Historically, Western philosophy has positioned humans as distinct from and dominant over nature, capable of controlling it from an external vantage point. Yet, the ongoing difficulty in resolving global issues, such as environmental crises, underscore the historical coexistence between humans and materials.

This study investigates the significance of materials in education across four key sections. First, it outlines the historical development of teaching material categories in Japan. Second, it demonstrates that discourse on Japanese teaching materials have predominantly been framed within a humanist perspective that privileges a linear progression toward rational and idealized beings, where the material-human relationship is viewed as asymmetrical. Third, by employing new materialism—which acknowledges the diverse changes occurring as materials and humans engage in varying connections and separations—I reexamine the notion of teaching materials. Fourth, through the examination of narratives from Japanese educators regarding Handmade Teaching Materials, akin to Montessori’s materials, used in Japanese special education for the non-verbal education of children with severe intellectual disabilities or multiple disabilities, I present instances of educational practices where children, materials, and teachers evolve collectively.

This paper introduces the term "New-teaching-material-ism" as a term for the theory and practice of reenvisioning teaching materials through the lens of new materialism. This approach advocates for a symmetrical relationship between materials and humans, suggesting a novel educational paradigm.