We offer an exciting learning experience to everyone related to education

This is a learning forum organized by Mr. YAMASAKI, a teacher working at a school in the Chugoku region, where members with different backgrounds discuss education from multiple aspects. What is their vision to expand the potential of school education?

Connect different points to expand learning

Interviewer：What made you launch Toitate Labo?

Mr. YAMASAKI：Being a school teacher at school, I have a complex in that I only know how to be a teacher. Each year, I often think, “How can I be a teacher without knowing such a thing?” Now I have become a parent and have a lot of experience as a teacher. But I am yet to be the father of a high school student, and I still have a complex of only knowing the job of a teacher. At the same time, I know that no one can experience every profession in the world. So I came to think that I need to have a place where I can learn about education with people from diverse backgrounds, connect with such people, and expand my learning. This can also be a forum where schools and teachers can connect to society.

Online lessons will become face-to-face classes in the future

Interviewer：Was Toitate Labo significantly influenced by COVID-19?

Mr. YAMASAKI：Of course I wanted to have exciting discussions directly with the participants at the events. But we were able to connect with people around world online. For some events, participants living in Hiroshima City gathered in person, while those in other areas met online. Through such mixed-style events, we were able to find a new form of learning. I am sure that this mixed in-person and online model will work effectively in schools.

Designing school learning based on creative activities

Interviewer： Mr. YAMASAKI, is there anything in particular you want to do from now on?

Mr. YAMASAKI： In recent years, I have been sympathetic to the idea of “learning through creating and knowing,” which the Future Classroom project of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry aims at. If you want to be creative enough to make something, you need to have the necessary knowledge to do that, which you are naturally motivated to learn. Toitate Labo organized online lessons for making tanka and composing music. Students learned about tanka in studying the subjects of Japanese language, science and mathematics before making their tanka poems, while they composed music based on their knowledge of mathematics and music courses. They transcended different subjects to create tanka or music. Through these creative processes, they actually enjoyed learning. I hope this learning style will be recognized by many people though Toitate Labo. I also hope Toitate Labo can offer a forum in which teachers can try their new teaching models.

Toitate Labo (TTL)

mail: toitatelabo@gmail.com

www.toitatelabo.jp

Interview with

Representative：YAMASAKI Yusuke

We conducted interviews!

NAGATA Minori（Yasuda Women’s University）：Impressed by their passion for education and the future!

NAKAGAWA Rika（Yasuda Women’s University）：I became interested in education!

YOSHIZANE Saki（Yasuda Women’s University）：The broad age range of the participants surprised me.

Comment from editor

YAMASAKI-sensei was very cheerful and passionate. We were really attracted by his talk. At Toitate Labo, the participants and students working as staff members were all proactively learning. We felt they were enjoying learning based on what they liked. As schools are undergoing a major transformation, a forum like Toitate Labo, where teachers and students as well as parents can learn together, is very useful.