Abstract
This article explores the historical, philosophical, curricular, and practical methods of the Japanese auto-biographical method, “seikatusu tsuzurikata” and its implementation in a US elementary school. Seikatsu tsuzurikata is a progressive form of journaling that “provokes students to ‘objectively’ observe the reality surrounding them in terms of their own senses without any intervention of anyone else’s authority”, by writing essays “reflecting on their social situation” (Asanuma, 1986: pp. 153, 155). Part of life writing’s central philosophy is that students are not required to participate. For students who engaged in life writing, several benefits resulted, according to their teachers. However, we found that students had great difficulty articulating their social and emotional worlds because this kind of reflective work was uncomfortable and foreign to students who were subjected to teacher-driven, “content”, and “standards based” instruction. This article concludes by exploring the possibility of connecting life writing with social-emotional learning (SEL).
Highlights
Tracing the historical roots of the tsuzurikata movement is a daunting task
Primary Questions: Could life writing provide an effective response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB)? Could life writing provide an opportunity to students that would allow them to think personally, socially, and creatively? Would students more clearly understand that NCLB/narrow curricula/standards have limited their agency and self-determination as a student?
Secondary Questions: What would life writing look like in a US elementary school? How do children narrate their realities? Are there differences according to grade level and gender? What are the limitations of life writing?
Summary
Tracing the historical roots of the tsuzurikata movement is a daunting task. Most primary sources are old Japanese texts that have been out of print for the better part of a century, or more. Our historical and philosophical understandings of the movement developed from several interviews of Japanese primary school teachers, conversations with curriculum theorist Shigeru Asanuma at Tokyo Gakugei University, and three English texts: 1) Asanuma’s (1986) The Autobiographical Method in Japanese Education, 2) Kitagawa & Kitagawa’s (1987) Making Connections with Writing: An Expressive Writing Model in Japanese Schools, and 3) Kitagawa & Kitagawa’s (2007) Core Values of Progressive Education: Seikatsu Tsuzurikata and Whole Language. Throughout the Meiji Period and into the Imperialist Period (1912-1945), Japan and its educational system became increasingly nationalistic and militaristic During these rapidly changing times in Japan’s history, cities were developed by middle and upper class families while rural farming communities and small mountain villages remained for the working poor. Teachers in urban and rural communities began to address their dissatisfaction with the narrow and oppressive national curriculum by encouraging students to become self-actualized. Self-actualization is based on being aware of abilities and talents, applying them appropriately in a variety of situations, and celebrating their successful application. (p. 41)
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