[Info. File] Current Status of Systems for Teachers’ Professional Learning

Based on the CCE’s Report “Comprehensive Measures for Creating an Environment to Secure High-Quality Teachers Who Will Support ‘Japan-Style School Education in the Reiwa Era’”

published its report

titled "Comprehensive Measures for Creating an Environment to Secure High-Quality Teachers to Lead 'Reiwa-era Japanese-style School Education'." This report stated that it is necessary to promote three measures in an integrated manner: "accelerating work style reforms in schools," "improving teachers' working conditions," and "enhancing the guidance and management systems of schools."

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Among the three measures, "improving the guidance and management system of schools" relates to supporting young teachers. In recent years, the number of young teachers has increased due to mass retirements and mass hirings of teachers. Teachers bear great responsibility for the education of students from a young age, even with little experience, and young teachers spend long hours at school outside of regular hours, resulting in a high rate of leave due to mental illness, etc. The report states that the burden on teachers, including young teachers, will be reduced by reducing the number of teaching hours assigned to them and improving the system related to student guidance, and that support will be provided so that they can grow into highly specialized professionals in education.

Regarding the improvement of teachers' qualifications and abilities, there have been major system changes since 2022. In July 2022, the teacher's license renewal system was progressively abolished, and since April 2023, the system has been centered on "encouraging participation based on dialogue utilizing training history" (hereinafter, "encouraging participation based on dialogue"). In the encouraging participation based on dialogue, a record of the training history is created for each teacher, and guidance and advice on learning are provided by the principal and other school administrators based on that record.

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Under the current license renewal system, learning tended to be driven by external factors such as license renewal. However, the encouragement of training based on dialogue aims to shift towards a system that emphasizes teachers' proactive choices. From fiscal year 2024, an information system called the "National Teacher Training Platform (Plant)" will enable participation in and centralized management of training provided by various entities.

emphasizing a balance between teachers' autonomy and ensuring professional standards

, principals and others are required to use teacher development indicators and teacher training plans as criteria when providing guidance and advice, indicating an intention to ensure that each teacher possesses a standard of professional competence commensurate with their responsibilities and experience. Guidelines on this system issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also request that principals and others consider requiring teachers who are deemed far from meeting the expected level of training participation to take the training as a job order.

In this way, the "Comprehensive Measures for Creating an Environment for Securing High-Quality Teachers to Bear the Responsibility of 'Reiwa-era Japanese-style School Education'" is a system that advocates a balance between teachers' autonomy and professional standards, and is expected to create effective learning opportunities, especially for young teachers.

However, there are challenges in making the dialogue-based encouragement system for participation work as intended.

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Firstly, school administrators, such as principals, who encourage participation in training programs need strong leadership skills to avoid either unilaterally ordering participation or, conversely, neglecting it altogether. Secondly, depending on the size of the school, it may be possible for senior teachers, rather than school administrators, to take part in encouraging participation, and with the number of mid-career teachers decreasing, the development of middle leaders is urgently needed. Thirdly, with the problem of correcting long working hours, securing time for training and learning becomes a challenge. Fourthly, while the operation of Plant has greatly expanded the range of training options, the existence of various providers necessitates the establishment of a system to guarantee the quality of training.

In the context of future work style reforms, it can be said that the refinement of systems related to teacher learning must also be carried out in an integrated manner.

(Published with additions and revisions in the November 2024 issue of "EN-ICHI FORUM")

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