第２８６回 Workshop報告（９月６日）

≪FIRST HALF≫

The Architecture of Learning: Evaluating Subjects and Systems in Junior High Schools

In recent years, the structure of junior high school education in Japan has come under scrutiny due to its excessive demands and growing inequalities.

While the intention behind a rigorous curriculum may be to foster academic excellence, the current system presents several challenges that merit serious reconsideration.

First and foremost, the sheer volume of instructional hours and textbook content places an overwhelming burden on students.

Many junior high school students spend long hours in the classroom, followed by additional homework and club activities.

The textbooks are often dense and packed with information, leaving little room for reflection.

Another pressing issue is the widening achievement gap between high-performing and struggling students.

In Japan, access to private tutoring or cram schools (juku) has become a decisive factor in academic success.

Students from affluent families can afford supplementary education, while those from lower-income households are often left at a disadvantage.

This undermines the principle of equal opportunity and perpetuates educational inequality.

＜Questions＞

1.What was your favorite subject in junior high school, and why did you like it? What made the subject enjoyable or meaningful for you, the teacher, the content, or your own performance?

2. In Japanese schools, students are evaluated not only by entrance exams but also by an “internal assessment score,” which reflects their performance during junior high schools. Do you think this is a fair system? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

３．Imagine you are a government official redesigning the school curriculum. If one subject had to be removed from the curriculum due to limited class time, which subject would you choose and why?

*Please share a summary of your discussion on Q.3 at the end of the workshop.

≪LATTER HALF≫

When AI Thinks Too Much, We Think Less

In my department, we often have opportunities to write in English such as email, presentation etc.

These days, a newbie who joined the company has been using AI tools to create English texts all the time.

Certainly, the speed at which tasks are completed has significantly improved compared with the era without AI tools.

However, at the same time, I feel that the time spent “thinking and constructing sentences or English expressions on their own” – in other words, time for deep thinking – has greatly decreased.

Given this situation, we would like you to discuss how the use of AI tools might affect our thinking skills and personal growth, based on your own experiences.

Are there any situations where you currently use AI tools at work or in your personal life?

Please share with your group members the names of the tools you use, the situations in which you use them, and how you use them.

Examples:

Using ChatGPT to create meeting minutes

Using Canva to prepare presentation materials

Are there any tasks in your work or personal life that you would like to make more efficient using AI tools in the future?

Please share how AI might be helpful in those situations, or any concerns you may have.

Examples:

Summarizing meetings

What insights have you gained from using AI tools?

How has using AI changed the way you work or think? Please share the benefits and drawbacks you’ve experienced in your actual work or daily life.

Examples of benefits:

Shorter working time

Fewer mistakes

Examples of drawbacks:

Fewer opportunities to think for yourself

Let’s create internal guidelines to preserve our thinking skills.

While using AI tools as beneficial partners, let’s also consider how we can maintain and develop our own thinking abilities.

Work together to create guidelines, and share a few ideas within 1 minutes.

Examples:

Set a period during onboarding when new employees don’t use AI

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