Junten Junior High School / Senior High School

On Friday, February 17th, prior to the Junten SGH Presentation Event, Junten hosted open classes to provide opportunities for teachers and researchers outside of Junten to observe our English, Japanese, Mathematics, and Contemporary Social Studies classes. Junten had Open Classes for SGH teachers and educators from different schools who are very keen to gain new ideas for their classes. Over 70 guests came to see the classes.

Junten hoped to show not only classes that focus on SGH, but also how Junten supports the advancement of critical thinking and other academic skills in young learners. In short, teachers who came to see the open classes addressed the ongoing challenge:

“How do we structure our classes to enhance motivation and initiative?“

The teachers who hosted the open classes are always thinking about how to improve their courses. Junten’s ambitious teachers contribute to the school’s high quality of academia.

Junten’s academic mission is to “cultivate authentic academic skill by valuing the student learning process.”  Junten classes do not simply “teach a subject,” but focus on energizing students’ academic curiosity and deepening their appreciation for humanity.

The four classes held on Open Class Day illustrated Junten’s academic policy:

• Japanese : “ Interpreting Literature”
• The Japanese teacher explained the different interpretations of a Haruki Murakami novel and encouraged students to think about the story from different angles.

• Mathematics: “ Math You Can Talk About”
• In this class, students discussed mathematics. Focusing on trigonometric ratios, students worked together on solutions to formulas.

• Contemporary Social Studies：” Connecting Modern Society and You”
• The teacher avoided the typical lecture style format and encouraged students to engage through pair work. Students learned how to develop their opinions on the topic of “trade theories.”

• English：”Connecting through English”
• This English course discussed the “The Ertuğrul Incident,” a historical event that connects Turkey and Japan. The class used the incident to show how important it is for humans to relate to one another.
• Many of the teachers who came to observe the classes were very impressed about the level of student engagement. Here are some of the comments from the guests:

“I felt that the classes and students were wonderful. Some classes were very fast-paced but students seemed to follow the speed without hesitation. That was very impressive.“

“The class started with a review of the previous lesson, then the teacher encouraged students to reflect on what they studied. I learned a great deal from this class. I realized that cultivating minds is a very important thing.”

Mr.Tanemura, Japanese	Mr.Takaya, Contemporary Social Studies

“The class structure was very good and I thought that the pace was good too. I also noticed that the teacher really paid attention to the relationships between students.”

“I noticed that the students enjoyed the class and were not hesitant about being observed by strangers. I was very glad to observe the class. The students’ presentations were excellent. I was impressed by the student’s’ skill level and my colleague was impressed as well”

Mr.Asawa, English	Mr.Kodera, Mathematics

Junten will continue researching and exploring ways to improve our classes. We wish to encourage students to improve their academic skills and we will foster opportunities for students to share their experiences and knowledge with their peers.