By William Tjipto and Yasmine Mostafa
Located in Fukui Prefecture, “The Happiest Prefecture in Japan” (Japan Research Institute, 2024) and noted as providing high quality of education (MEXT, 2021, Sony Life, 2022), the University of Fukui is one of four flagship teacher training universities designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT, 2022). We believe part of that result is from a strong focus on community and education throughout Fukui.
Our approach to teacher education centers on forming communities of practice through Reflective Lesson Study, guided by both teacher and student and co-inquiry and agency. Reflective Lesson Study integrates the Japanese lesson study model with school-based reflective practice for both pre-service and in-service teachers. Through this continuous inquiry-based model, teachers and school leaders collectively research and improve their practices by focusing on specific school-based issues and students' learning, fostering a sustainable, community-focused model for educational reform. In June 2025, we welcomed a delegation of philosophy for children (p4c) educators from schools across Hawai‘i: the University of Hawaii, Waikiki Elementary School, Ka’elepulu Elementary School, and Nanaikapono Elementary School. Together we engaged in meaningful dialogue that deepened our shared understanding of how our focus on dialogue and continuous reflection aligns with the worldwide p4c movement.
p4c is a progressive education practice that is gaining momentum in Japan. It began in the United States in the late 1960’s. Today, educators across Japan are interested in learning how to use p4c because it is student-centered, promotes experiential learning and critical thinking, and fosters collaborative, democratic environments. By prioritizing children's natural curiosity and engaging them in open-ended discussions about complex ideas, p4c aligns with progressive education's goal of developing socially engaged, critical thinkers who can learn through active participation and inquiry, rather than rote memorization. Both practicing teachers and teacher candidates in University programs like ours want to learn more about how they can use p4c to develop a progressive education teaching approach in the Japanese context.
To support Japanese educators’ growing interest in p4c, at the Graduate School of Professional Development of Teachers, we integrate the practice of mitori: an empathetic, intuitive, and deep sensing that invites teachers to pay close attention to students’ classroom engagement, discussions, thoughts, and feelings. These observations are shared and reflected upon collaboratively, forming the heart of dialogue and professional development. These collaborative structures embody the communities of practice as described by Wenger et al. (2002), a place where educators continuously build shared meaning through mutually-beneficial interactions. Within these communities, educators act as reflective practitioners (Schön, 1983): educators who think critically about their actions, reflect, and adapt thoughtfully to complex, evolving educational contexts. We believe this process of improvement is mirrored in how students also benefit from participating in similar p4c classroom communities of inquiry that support reflection, agency, and critical thinking.
Through thoughtful discussion with the progressive educators from Hawai‘i, we found that the practice of p4c as exemplified by our visitors mirror our own aspirations. Their emphasis on openness in dialogue and shared inquiry aligns with our values of open-ended learning and community engagement. In the Japanese education system, there is a subject called “Comprehensive Learning (tokkatsu)” that aims at nurturing students’ non-cognitive skills like: communication, collaboration, decision making, compromise, etc. This is done through discussing various topics related to children’s school life and society, and engaging in many constructivist classroom activities. All these are led by the students themselves to build their life skills. Children imitate their society by forming small, different communities at school, where they practice their roles as community members to learn to be effective human beings in the future.
While there are many nuances of this practice that are unique to our national and cultural context, much of this aligns with the aims of American progressive educators and p4c practitioners. Though rooted in different cultural, educational, and historical contexts, both approaches share a commitment to nurturing curiosity, dialogue, and mutual respect. We prioritize safe spaces for philosophical dialogue where learners of all ages ask questions, seek deeper understanding, and reflect on their ideas with others.
Ultimately, our exchange reaffirmed a key insight: community and reflection are mutually reinforcing. A reflective teacher thrives in a supportive community, and a healthy community grows through intentional reflection. As we continue to deepen our engagement with p4c and broaden our international partnerships, we hold onto the idea that knowledge does not live in individuals alone—it is cultivated collectively, through forging relationships, creating space to inquire, and opening our hearts through discussion.
We would like to thank our visitors from Hawai‘i for contributing their perspectives and for helping us reflect on our own processes and learn through shared dialogue. Through this collaborative inquiry, we have strengthened our community and deepened our reflection. We are confident that this dialogue will continue to ripple outward, inspiring reflective and collaborative learning communities well beyond our own institutions and that progressive education and p4c will continue to grow worldwide
For Japanese Readers:
福井大学が位置する福井県は、「日本一幸せな県」（日本総合研究所, 2024年）とされ、また高い教育水準で知られています（文部科学省, 2021年; ソニー生命, 2022年）。福井大学は文部科学省（MEXT, 2022年）により指定された4つの主要な教員養成拠点大学の一つであり、その背景には長年にわたる福井全体での地域コミュニティの育成と教育の充実への貢献があると私たちは考えています。
私たちの教員教育へのアプローチは、教師と生徒の共同探究や主体性に基づいた「省察的授業研究（Reflective Lesson Study）」を通して、実践共同体（Communities of Practice）を形成することに重点を置いています。省察的授業研究は、日本の授業研究モデルと、教員養成課程および現職教員の両方を対象とした現場での反省的実践を統合したものです。この継続的な探究に基づくモデルを通して、教師と学校長は、学校現場の具体的な課題と生徒の学習に焦点を当てることで、共同で実践を研究・改善し、持続可能なコミュニティ重視の教育改革モデルを育みます。2025年6月には、ハワイ大学、ワイキキ小学校、カエレプル小学校、ナナイカポノ小学校から訪れた哲学教育（p4c: Philosophy for Children）の教育者代表団をお迎えしました。私たちは対話を通じて、対話と省察を重視する本学の取り組みが、世界的なp4cの理念とどのように響き合うかを確認し合いました。
p4cは、日本で急速に普及しつつある進歩的な教育実践です。1960年代後半にアメリカで始まりました。今日、日本中の教育関係者がp4cの活用方法を学ぶことに関心を寄せています。p4cは生徒中心で、体験学習と批判的思考を促進し、協調的で民主的な環境を育むからです。子どもたちの自然な好奇心を重視し、複雑な概念について自由な議論に参加させることで、p4cは、暗記ではなく積極的な参加と探究を通して学ぶことができる、社会参加型で批判的思考力のある人材を育成するという進歩的な教育の目標に合致しています。現役の教員も、私たちのような大学のプログラムに参加する教員候補生も、日本の教育環境においてp4cを活用し、進歩的な教育の教授法を開発する方法について詳しく学びたいと考えています。
日本の教育者の間で高まるp4cへの関心を支えるため、より具体的には、教職大学院では「見取り(mitori)」の実践を取り入れています。これは、教師が生徒の授業への関わり、議論、思考、感情に細心の注意を払うよう促す、共感的で直感的、そして深い感覚に基づく観察です。これらの観察は協働的に共有され、考察されることで、対話と専門能力開発の中核が形成されます。こうした協働的な構造は、Wengerら（2002）が述べた実践共同体を体現しており、教育者が相互に有益な相互作用を通じて継続的に共通の意味を構築していく場です。これらの共同体において、教育者は反省的な実践者（Schön, 1983）として活動します。つまり、自らの行動について批判的に考え、反省し、複雑で変化する教育環境に思慮深く適応する教育者です。この改善のプロセスは、生徒が反省、主体性、批判的思考を促すp4c探究共同体に参加することで得られる恩恵にも反映されていると私たちは考えています。
ハワイの訪問団との議論を通して、彼らのp4cの実践が私たちの理念と一致していることを改めて確認しました。日本の教育における「特別活動（tokkatsu）」も、子どもたちのコミュニケーション力や協働力、意思決定力など非認知能力を育てる重要な取り組みであり、生徒主導での活動を通じて社会性を身につけさせます。このように文化的背景は異なりますが、p4cと日本の教育実践は相互に通じる部分が多いことがわかりました。
この実践には、私たちの国や文化に特有のニュアンスが数多くありますが、その多くはアメリカの進歩主義教育者やp4c実践者の目指すところと一致しています。異なる文化的、教育的、歴史的背景に根ざしながらも、どちらのアプローチも好奇心、対話、そして相互尊重を育むという点で共通しています。私たちは、あらゆる年齢の学習者が質問し、より深い理解を求め、他者と共に自分の考えを振り返ることができる、哲学的な対話のための安全な空間を重視しています。
最も重要な学びは、「コミュニティと省察は互いを育む」という気づきでした。省察的な教師は支え合うコミュニティで成長し、健全なコミュニティは意図的な省察を通して発展します。私たちは今後も国際的な連携を深め、p4cの理念を広げることで、知識が個人の中だけで完結せず、関係性の中で築かれていくことを大切にしたいと考えています。
最後に、ハワイの訪問団の皆様のご協力に心から感謝申し上げます。彼らとの対話を通じて私たちの実践も振り返ることができ、共同探究の場としてのコミュニティをより一層深めることができました。この取り組みが今後も広がり、世界中で省察的・協働的な学習共同体が発展し続けることを願っています。
WORKS CITED:
Japan Research Institute. (2024). Happiness ranking of all 47 prefectures 2024 edition. https://www.jri.or.jp/
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan. (2021). 2021 National Academic Ability and Learning Survey. https://www.mext.go.jp/
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan. (2022). Regarding the designation of flagship universities for teacher training. https://www.mext.go.jp/
Schon, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. U.S.A.: Basic books, Inc.
Sony Life. (2022). 47 Prefecture Lifestyle Survey 2022. https://www.sonylife.co.jp/company/news/2022/nr_221215.html
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., Snyder, W. M., (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice. Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
William Tjipto discovered an interest in the Japanese-style of holistic education when he started working in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher, which led him to pursue a Master’s in Education at the University of Fukui. Now an Assistant Professor there, he supports international educators and has collaborated on global initiatives, including JICA and MEXT-supported projects in Africa and Asia. His current research explores the roles of Assistant Language Teachers in Japan and the development of teacher communities.
Yasmine Mostafa was born and raised in Egypt, and then moved to Japan in 2006, where she obtained her Master’s and PhD in linguistics from Nagoya University. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Fukui, who she is widely engaged in Educational Development in Japan as well as other countries, including her homeland, Egypt. She plays an important role in bridging knowledge and practices and creating Professional Learning Communities among practitioners through various Professional Training Programs, for example, the EJEP program. Her current research focuses on developing teachers’ competence for better education for children.
