On a Friday in late February, we had observation classes and invited students’ families to observe their school life. On Fridays, the 4th to 9th grade students decide their own timetables. School timetables used to be decided for each grade, but now students can decide their own timetables. That’s why we sometimes have several 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students in the English classroom together. Each student checks their progress in the unit and engages in their learning. Although students in the same grade are doing slightly different things, they are learning by working together.
The 1st and 2nd grade students, they had the classes with their homeroom teachers. They said, “I wasn’t nervous”, and “I was happy to see it.” During the class, some children called over their families to see what they were doing.
The 3rd and 4th grade students had physical education class together and had fun playing soccer while following the rules. They seemed to be even more excited than usual because they got their families’ cheering like “Good! Good!” and “Nice!”. When we play sports, we get excited when we have spectators. Over in 5th grade, they reviewed the basics and worked on advanced questions in math, English, science, and social studies.
These days, Fridays are the time to improve their self-management skills with teachers’ help or using a learning app. It is a skill that can be used even when the students move onto the next grade, so although they have some difficulties to make plans, we want to support them so that they can continue doing their best.
