Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to describe the historical development of science teacher education in pre-service and in-service education in Japan with a focus on the systemic changes and teachers’ professional learning culture. The characteristics of science teacher education generally are elucidated through an analysis of the system and professional culture across time in Japan. There is a conflict regarding the integration and balance between pedagogical and content knowledge across the world. The author identified this problem as a historical and socio-cultural aporia regarding the ideal model of secondary school science teachers. In the study’s conclusion, the author argues, based on the historical and international perspectives, that we should not ignore science teachers’ traditionally accumulated wisdom and expertise, and that it is critical to identify the role that the professional learning community plays role in aiding prospective teachers to become expert science teachers.
Highlights
Some international surveys - such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted in 2015, as well as the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), carried out in 2013 - have successfully portrayed Japan’s educational system and the features of Japanese teachers’ professional/occupational culture, as well as students’ higher academic achievement
Debates about the models that describe teachers and their professional culture have existed since the late nineteenth century (e.g., Kimura & Iwata, 2007; Kumura & Iwahashi, 1967 Shimahara, 1998)
To compare pre-service science teacher education across the world, Lederman and Lederman (2015) asked readers the following question: “What is an appropriate balance of subject matter and pedagogy?” (p. 6)
Summary
Some international surveys - such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted in 2015, as well as the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), carried out in 2013 - have successfully portrayed Japan’s educational system and the features of Japanese teachers’ professional/occupational culture (hereinafter referred to as professional culture), as well as students’ higher academic achievement. Japan began to develop its professional learning culture with advent of modernization in the second half of the nineteenth century. In Japanese, the term “teacher” is complex because it can be expressed by three words. Kyoshi (kyōshi) might be the closest word to the English meaning of “teacher” (Isozaki, 2016). Debates about the models that describe teachers and their professional culture have existed since the late nineteenth century (e.g., Kimura & Iwata, 2007; Kumura & Iwahashi, 1967 Shimahara, 1998). The meaning of “profession” might not exactly correlate with the Western concept of it (Kimura & Iwata, 2007)
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