Masahiro Arimoto | Tohoku University (original) (raw)

Papers by Masahiro Arimoto

Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, Mar 27, 2023

This study sought to provide a visual representation of the mechanisms observed inside the multil... more This study sought to provide a visual representation of the mechanisms observed inside the multilayered feedback self-activity gray zone outside the classroom. Such mechanisms are said to encourage student agency when participating in classroom dialogue. By uncovering the mechanisms within this gray zone in Japanese classroom assessment, the value of independent activities, and their alignment with formative assessment, can be determined. To do this, multilayered loops were visualized in a systems-thinking loop diagram, using student Shu-ban activity loops at a Tokyo junior high school. This diagram was further analyzed within a collective activity system framework. The results suggest that while student agency fostered by student activity is a consequence of participating in classroom dialogue, the Japanese gray zone system needs to be viewed as a pluralistic and multilayered system that includes out-of-classroom activities.

東北大学大学院教育学研究科研究年報, Dec 1, 2019

Education and new developments, Jun 21, 2019

Educational practice itself is in a state of great transition as many nations seek to adapt teach... more Educational practice itself is in a state of great transition as many nations seek to adapt teaching and Learning activities in an effort to revitalize students' motivation and performance. One such measure, termed 'formative assessment', is a classroom assessment practice that is becoming the heart of the educational framework. This practice promotes continuous learning and assessment dialogue among students and their teachers, creating and sustaining their collective learning identity as respectful and successful group members. Research 'knows' that social engagement has profound psychological effects. It is, therefore, of particular interest to discuss how the interactive instructional methods that characterize 'formative assessment' interplay with the high level of collective action required of Japanese people. This is given a rich socio-cultural context by chaotic aftermath of the catastrophic 9.1 earthquake, named for its magnitude as the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. It is in the selfless responses to this event that the words "quiet dignity" refer. These attributes of identity have formed across centuries in unique cultural circumstances, and by their theoretical similarity parallel the core elements required for formative assessment, otherwise known as Assessment for Learning (AfL). The cultural development of the Japanese nation sanctions harmonious and reciprocal group action as the sine qua non of a functional society. This fact supports the proposition that Japan is a naturally hospitable research and development context for AfL. Consequently, many aspects of AfL have presented themselves in Japanese Lesson Study (jugyo kenkyu) plans since the 1910s. The authors provide unique insights into the culturally embedded pedagogy and assessment. The article is rationalized around indigenous words (e.g. kaizen) steeped in deep cultural meaning thousands of years of in the making. When these key terms are explored, they introduce the Western practitioner to novel yet familiar ideologies that assist active practitioners everywhere with their efforts to explore alternative assessment practices and revitalize traditional methods. These terms are key to an understanding about the exportable nature of indigenous assessment methods when they are designed to promote deep learning (internalization), and sustain collective motivation (social cohesion). This article emphasizes those particular aspects of Japanese cultural tradition that drive effective assessment, create well-rounded (zenjinteki) students, and prepare young adults for success in life. The authors take various approaches, exploring how classroom assessments are embedded into instructional process around the world, and how these may be creatively integrated with Japanese perspectives on classroom learning and assessment.

European Journal of Education, May 6, 2018

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, Jul 30, 2020

Since the 1970s, Japanese society has endured rapid and confusing socio-economic transformation. ... more Since the 1970s, Japanese society has endured rapid and confusing socio-economic transformation. These changes brought a sense of decentralization into Japanese life. It was a sense of loss and a sense of reality, as the stable dependencies that had characterized the Japanese way of life for centuries vanished. In the years leading up to the 21st century, this radical departure from tradition meant that the concept of continuity existed only to emphasize its absence. Society goes through a process of rapid change, posing challenges not everyone might be ready to tackle. The unintended, but inevitable, consequence is the social disaffection of Japanese youth, who may be losing their motivation (or focus) at a time of sudden and sustained adversity. The Japanese government is promoting the revitalizing energy of education for sustainable development (ESD), and even publicizes ESD’s potential for giving life a robust meaning. This is by no means an exclusively Japanese problem. In recent years, and with Japanese leadership, other UNESCO nations have integrated ESD into curricula. To fully understand the nature of the Japanese system for sustainable education, scholars need to draw from cultural philosophy, social neuroscience, historical analysis, and the ideas of socio-cognitive and constructivist theorists. Such a mix of methods provides an inter-disciplinary “geometry” of the often deeply inlaid shapes, patterns, and relationships that surround the uniquely cultural, yet highly exportable models for zenjin-education (“whole-person”).

Cambridge University Press eBooks, Nov 5, 2018

The author focuses on school research themes through the combined lens of the Lesson Study (LS) a... more The author focuses on school research themes through the combined lens of the Lesson Study (LS) and a new type of school management system that emerged in the 1980s. The author also utilizes the concept of "resources" necessary for curriculum development and has created checklists that can be used to diagnose the relationship between teachers and resources. The working hypothesis is that School Based Research (SRT) frequently uses tacit formative assessments administered either in a group or individually, for each subject and grade. (1) SRT of educational tendencies in schools reflects an amalgam of approaches including behaviorism, cognitivism, constructionism, and social culture in learning theory. (2) Integration of subjects' extracurricular activities, and informal/ non-formal learning is supported by SRT. SRT is an enabling (cultural) tool used by Communities of Practice (CoP) to evaluate the learning process, based on a collective interest in nurturing the whole person. Japanese teachers maintain a social bond with their students, based on the theory that the stronger the bond, the more successfully young learners will become zenjinteki (well-rounded) in character and reproduce similar communities around them. Using informal and non-formal LS, we can reproduce multi-layered research perspectives (including personal and social processes, and relationships). Key words： Lesson study, formative assessment, school research theme, multi-dimensional and multi-level feedback, Japanese organizational culture

Annual Bulletin, Mar 20, 2016

In the aftermath of the Tohoku disaster in Japan, a heavy emphasis has been placed on schools as ... more In the aftermath of the Tohoku disaster in Japan, a heavy emphasis has been placed on schools as scenarios for, “Schools as Focused Learning Organizations” and “Schools as Core Social Centers.” Behind the scenes, however, practices of rote learning and repeated drills overburden, tense youngsters do not arise from an adequate theoretical basis for education in 21st century classrooms. Classroom teachers are required to teach much more than discipline content, they are required to “go beyond memories” by developing students’ competencies (including metacognition using active learning through formative assessment) and frame their teaching and learning programs in the context of a carefully moderated approach to cross-curriculum priorities, such as common issues and environmental, economic, and social risks that we face locally and globally. Stabilizing the old system, creating new systems, and bridges built between the old and the new to facilitate effective transitions. Therefore, the authors stress the importance of systems thinking for Konai-kensyu (in-school teacher training) in Jyugyo-kenkyu (lesson study) and schoolbased ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) curricula and assessment by reconstructing 20 doors to Japanese education using the ERIC (Education Resource and Information center) thesaurus, which is required for writing articles in English and rethinking education by systems thinking based on Japanese culture. Although the key is curriculum and assessment at various levels, the idea of three layers and loop are visualized in order to unpack the educational processes at classroom, school, and societal levels loop simultaneously to make multiple school improvements more tangible. It shall be a prerequisite to describe complex processes in schools in terms of systems awareness using the term “organization” to reflect a society that values the special qualities of homogeneity and harmony based on well-being (kofuku de kenkou na jyotai). Students develop social-emotional competencies according to the concept of the whole child. This Scenarios of Education after the Tohoku Disaster: Preliminary Trial and Sketch of Connection Circle for Systems Awareness School Masahiro ARIMOTO (Professor, Graduate School of Education, Tohoku University) Cheng Cheng XU (Special Research Student, Graduate School of Education, Tohoku University; Doctoral Student, Institute of International and Comparative Education, Northeast Normal University, China) 年報02有本・徐氏-二[9-32].indd 7 2016/03/07 20:17:08 ― ― 8 Scenarios of Education after the Tohoku Disaster: article delineates a preliminary model, a connection circle, for driving systems-awareness in schools.

Journal on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, Aug 1, 2022

Based on the social culture of Japan and how educational trends of the 1980s became the prototype... more Based on the social culture of Japan and how educational trends of the 1980s became the prototype for the organizational culture of schools, some schools have rejected the formative assessments that flourished at the time and have consistently used complex assessments. The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of children's learning from individualized narrative data. In this paper, we use data from a record of integrated learning at Ina Elementary School in Nagano, Japan, which documents the learning of a single child, with peer group dynamics and teacher support, to examine how teachers perceive children's learning from children's statements. The method of analysis of this data was conducted using NVIVO, a qualitative analysis tool, based on a frame grounded in the concept of "relationship" (kankei in Japanese). The data were categorized from the children's statements (narratives), and the learning records were coded and interpreted for meaning. To visualize, at various levels (individual, peer, classroom), we used Peter Senge's learning organization. The results show that children at Ina Elementary School learn directly from learning resources. And teachers work together with them toward the learning resources. In this form of learning, the teacher nurtures the competencies that are invisible and difficult to measure in children, with the teacher's tacit knowledge. Therefore, it is very difficult to visualize children's learning. For this reason, we can approach the essence of children's learning.

Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics

Japanese schools have been found to develop their school-based curriculum and pedagogy. Based on ... more Japanese schools have been found to develop their school-based curriculum and pedagogy. Based on Japan's social culture and the educational trends of the 1980s, which became the prototype for the school's organizational culture, the school had a consistently complex assessment. Therefore, we focused on their narrative data. However, lesson studies are only methodology and not theorized. Japan is no exception; each school's lesson practice records are individualized, and the knowledge is buried. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the productivity of lesson study by interpreting the data theoretically and raising its level of abstraction. This study aims to establish a methodology for conceptualizing narrative data using qualitative analysis software. Lessons were regarded as a system, which comes from cybernetics to clarify the complex relationship between various factors in the classroom. Coding was conducted based on a frame ("kizuki", "nakama") ...

東北大学大学院教育学研究科研究年報, Jun 1, 2021

東北大学大学院教育学研究科研究年報, Dec 1, 2016

Advances in research on teaching, Dec 1, 2014

Abstract Interest in narrative pedagogies is growing. However, few studies have been conducted ou... more Abstract Interest in narrative pedagogies is growing. However, few studies have been conducted outside Western contexts. There remains a paucity of narrative research published by Japanese scholars, despite a pervasive culture of “teacher to teacher conversations,” storytelling, reflection, and action research by teachers in Japan. Thus, this research fills an important gap in the literature. It provides exemplars from preservice teacher education, higher education, and high school, as these educational milieus reflect the notion of “traveling stories” (Olson & Craig, 2009). We describe how this narrative pedagogy is interpreted from an insider’s point of view, through the voices of teacher education students, teachers, and teacher educators. In this process, students and teachers become curriculum-makers (Clandinin & Connelly, 1988; Craig & Ross, 2008), co-constructing knowledge, and reshaping teacher knowledge and identity. Narrative teacher education pedagogies resonate with Japanese teachers and play an important role in curriculum, teaching, and learning in Japan within our increasingly interconnected world. Furthermore, narrative relates favorably to many Japanese cultural practices, including kankei (interrelationships), kizuna (bonds), and kizuki (with-it-ness). These are important, integral, and tacit elements of Japanese teachers’ practices because they embody the “mind and heart” of their personal practical sense of knowing. Furthermore, these practices involve placing other people’s needs ahead of our own – an essential skill for global citizens of the 21st century.

The Japanese Journal of Curriculum Studies, 1992

Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, Mar 27, 2023

This study sought to provide a visual representation of the mechanisms observed inside the multil... more This study sought to provide a visual representation of the mechanisms observed inside the multilayered feedback self-activity gray zone outside the classroom. Such mechanisms are said to encourage student agency when participating in classroom dialogue. By uncovering the mechanisms within this gray zone in Japanese classroom assessment, the value of independent activities, and their alignment with formative assessment, can be determined. To do this, multilayered loops were visualized in a systems-thinking loop diagram, using student Shu-ban activity loops at a Tokyo junior high school. This diagram was further analyzed within a collective activity system framework. The results suggest that while student agency fostered by student activity is a consequence of participating in classroom dialogue, the Japanese gray zone system needs to be viewed as a pluralistic and multilayered system that includes out-of-classroom activities.

東北大学大学院教育学研究科研究年報, Dec 1, 2019

Education and new developments, Jun 21, 2019

Educational practice itself is in a state of great transition as many nations seek to adapt teach... more Educational practice itself is in a state of great transition as many nations seek to adapt teaching and Learning activities in an effort to revitalize students' motivation and performance. One such measure, termed 'formative assessment', is a classroom assessment practice that is becoming the heart of the educational framework. This practice promotes continuous learning and assessment dialogue among students and their teachers, creating and sustaining their collective learning identity as respectful and successful group members. Research 'knows' that social engagement has profound psychological effects. It is, therefore, of particular interest to discuss how the interactive instructional methods that characterize 'formative assessment' interplay with the high level of collective action required of Japanese people. This is given a rich socio-cultural context by chaotic aftermath of the catastrophic 9.1 earthquake, named for its magnitude as the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. It is in the selfless responses to this event that the words "quiet dignity" refer. These attributes of identity have formed across centuries in unique cultural circumstances, and by their theoretical similarity parallel the core elements required for formative assessment, otherwise known as Assessment for Learning (AfL). The cultural development of the Japanese nation sanctions harmonious and reciprocal group action as the sine qua non of a functional society. This fact supports the proposition that Japan is a naturally hospitable research and development context for AfL. Consequently, many aspects of AfL have presented themselves in Japanese Lesson Study (jugyo kenkyu) plans since the 1910s. The authors provide unique insights into the culturally embedded pedagogy and assessment. The article is rationalized around indigenous words (e.g. kaizen) steeped in deep cultural meaning thousands of years of in the making. When these key terms are explored, they introduce the Western practitioner to novel yet familiar ideologies that assist active practitioners everywhere with their efforts to explore alternative assessment practices and revitalize traditional methods. These terms are key to an understanding about the exportable nature of indigenous assessment methods when they are designed to promote deep learning (internalization), and sustain collective motivation (social cohesion). This article emphasizes those particular aspects of Japanese cultural tradition that drive effective assessment, create well-rounded (zenjinteki) students, and prepare young adults for success in life. The authors take various approaches, exploring how classroom assessments are embedded into instructional process around the world, and how these may be creatively integrated with Japanese perspectives on classroom learning and assessment.

European Journal of Education, May 6, 2018

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, Jul 30, 2020

Since the 1970s, Japanese society has endured rapid and confusing socio-economic transformation. ... more Since the 1970s, Japanese society has endured rapid and confusing socio-economic transformation. These changes brought a sense of decentralization into Japanese life. It was a sense of loss and a sense of reality, as the stable dependencies that had characterized the Japanese way of life for centuries vanished. In the years leading up to the 21st century, this radical departure from tradition meant that the concept of continuity existed only to emphasize its absence. Society goes through a process of rapid change, posing challenges not everyone might be ready to tackle. The unintended, but inevitable, consequence is the social disaffection of Japanese youth, who may be losing their motivation (or focus) at a time of sudden and sustained adversity. The Japanese government is promoting the revitalizing energy of education for sustainable development (ESD), and even publicizes ESD’s potential for giving life a robust meaning. This is by no means an exclusively Japanese problem. In recent years, and with Japanese leadership, other UNESCO nations have integrated ESD into curricula. To fully understand the nature of the Japanese system for sustainable education, scholars need to draw from cultural philosophy, social neuroscience, historical analysis, and the ideas of socio-cognitive and constructivist theorists. Such a mix of methods provides an inter-disciplinary “geometry” of the often deeply inlaid shapes, patterns, and relationships that surround the uniquely cultural, yet highly exportable models for zenjin-education (“whole-person”).

Cambridge University Press eBooks, Nov 5, 2018

The author focuses on school research themes through the combined lens of the Lesson Study (LS) a... more The author focuses on school research themes through the combined lens of the Lesson Study (LS) and a new type of school management system that emerged in the 1980s. The author also utilizes the concept of "resources" necessary for curriculum development and has created checklists that can be used to diagnose the relationship between teachers and resources. The working hypothesis is that School Based Research (SRT) frequently uses tacit formative assessments administered either in a group or individually, for each subject and grade. (1) SRT of educational tendencies in schools reflects an amalgam of approaches including behaviorism, cognitivism, constructionism, and social culture in learning theory. (2) Integration of subjects' extracurricular activities, and informal/ non-formal learning is supported by SRT. SRT is an enabling (cultural) tool used by Communities of Practice (CoP) to evaluate the learning process, based on a collective interest in nurturing the whole person. Japanese teachers maintain a social bond with their students, based on the theory that the stronger the bond, the more successfully young learners will become zenjinteki (well-rounded) in character and reproduce similar communities around them. Using informal and non-formal LS, we can reproduce multi-layered research perspectives (including personal and social processes, and relationships). Key words： Lesson study, formative assessment, school research theme, multi-dimensional and multi-level feedback, Japanese organizational culture

Annual Bulletin, Mar 20, 2016

In the aftermath of the Tohoku disaster in Japan, a heavy emphasis has been placed on schools as ... more In the aftermath of the Tohoku disaster in Japan, a heavy emphasis has been placed on schools as scenarios for, “Schools as Focused Learning Organizations” and “Schools as Core Social Centers.” Behind the scenes, however, practices of rote learning and repeated drills overburden, tense youngsters do not arise from an adequate theoretical basis for education in 21st century classrooms. Classroom teachers are required to teach much more than discipline content, they are required to “go beyond memories” by developing students’ competencies (including metacognition using active learning through formative assessment) and frame their teaching and learning programs in the context of a carefully moderated approach to cross-curriculum priorities, such as common issues and environmental, economic, and social risks that we face locally and globally. Stabilizing the old system, creating new systems, and bridges built between the old and the new to facilitate effective transitions. Therefore, the authors stress the importance of systems thinking for Konai-kensyu (in-school teacher training) in Jyugyo-kenkyu (lesson study) and schoolbased ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) curricula and assessment by reconstructing 20 doors to Japanese education using the ERIC (Education Resource and Information center) thesaurus, which is required for writing articles in English and rethinking education by systems thinking based on Japanese culture. Although the key is curriculum and assessment at various levels, the idea of three layers and loop are visualized in order to unpack the educational processes at classroom, school, and societal levels loop simultaneously to make multiple school improvements more tangible. It shall be a prerequisite to describe complex processes in schools in terms of systems awareness using the term “organization” to reflect a society that values the special qualities of homogeneity and harmony based on well-being (kofuku de kenkou na jyotai). Students develop social-emotional competencies according to the concept of the whole child. This Scenarios of Education after the Tohoku Disaster: Preliminary Trial and Sketch of Connection Circle for Systems Awareness School Masahiro ARIMOTO (Professor, Graduate School of Education, Tohoku University) Cheng Cheng XU (Special Research Student, Graduate School of Education, Tohoku University; Doctoral Student, Institute of International and Comparative Education, Northeast Normal University, China) 年報02有本・徐氏-二[9-32].indd 7 2016/03/07 20:17:08 ― ― 8 Scenarios of Education after the Tohoku Disaster: article delineates a preliminary model, a connection circle, for driving systems-awareness in schools.

Journal on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, Aug 1, 2022

Based on the social culture of Japan and how educational trends of the 1980s became the prototype... more Based on the social culture of Japan and how educational trends of the 1980s became the prototype for the organizational culture of schools, some schools have rejected the formative assessments that flourished at the time and have consistently used complex assessments. The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of children's learning from individualized narrative data. In this paper, we use data from a record of integrated learning at Ina Elementary School in Nagano, Japan, which documents the learning of a single child, with peer group dynamics and teacher support, to examine how teachers perceive children's learning from children's statements. The method of analysis of this data was conducted using NVIVO, a qualitative analysis tool, based on a frame grounded in the concept of "relationship" (kankei in Japanese). The data were categorized from the children's statements (narratives), and the learning records were coded and interpreted for meaning. To visualize, at various levels (individual, peer, classroom), we used Peter Senge's learning organization. The results show that children at Ina Elementary School learn directly from learning resources. And teachers work together with them toward the learning resources. In this form of learning, the teacher nurtures the competencies that are invisible and difficult to measure in children, with the teacher's tacit knowledge. Therefore, it is very difficult to visualize children's learning. For this reason, we can approach the essence of children's learning.

Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics

Japanese schools have been found to develop their school-based curriculum and pedagogy. Based on ... more Japanese schools have been found to develop their school-based curriculum and pedagogy. Based on Japan's social culture and the educational trends of the 1980s, which became the prototype for the school's organizational culture, the school had a consistently complex assessment. Therefore, we focused on their narrative data. However, lesson studies are only methodology and not theorized. Japan is no exception; each school's lesson practice records are individualized, and the knowledge is buried. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the productivity of lesson study by interpreting the data theoretically and raising its level of abstraction. This study aims to establish a methodology for conceptualizing narrative data using qualitative analysis software. Lessons were regarded as a system, which comes from cybernetics to clarify the complex relationship between various factors in the classroom. Coding was conducted based on a frame ("kizuki", "nakama") ...

東北大学大学院教育学研究科研究年報, Jun 1, 2021

東北大学大学院教育学研究科研究年報, Dec 1, 2016

Advances in research on teaching, Dec 1, 2014

Abstract Interest in narrative pedagogies is growing. However, few studies have been conducted ou... more Abstract Interest in narrative pedagogies is growing. However, few studies have been conducted outside Western contexts. There remains a paucity of narrative research published by Japanese scholars, despite a pervasive culture of “teacher to teacher conversations,” storytelling, reflection, and action research by teachers in Japan. Thus, this research fills an important gap in the literature. It provides exemplars from preservice teacher education, higher education, and high school, as these educational milieus reflect the notion of “traveling stories” (Olson & Craig, 2009). We describe how this narrative pedagogy is interpreted from an insider’s point of view, through the voices of teacher education students, teachers, and teacher educators. In this process, students and teachers become curriculum-makers (Clandinin & Connelly, 1988; Craig & Ross, 2008), co-constructing knowledge, and reshaping teacher knowledge and identity. Narrative teacher education pedagogies resonate with Japanese teachers and play an important role in curriculum, teaching, and learning in Japan within our increasingly interconnected world. Furthermore, narrative relates favorably to many Japanese cultural practices, including kankei (interrelationships), kizuna (bonds), and kizuki (with-it-ness). These are important, integral, and tacit elements of Japanese teachers’ practices because they embody the “mind and heart” of their personal practical sense of knowing. Furthermore, these practices involve placing other people’s needs ahead of our own – an essential skill for global citizens of the 21st century.

The Japanese Journal of Curriculum Studies, 1992

Cambridge Handbook of Instructional Feedback, 2019

Arimoto, M., & Clark, I. (2019). Interactive assessment: Cultural perspectives and practices in t... more Arimoto, M., & Clark, I. (2019). Interactive assessment: Cultural perspectives and practices in the nexus of 'Heart and Mind'. In J. Smith & A. Lipnevich (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Instructional Feedback (pp.474-503). New York: Cambridge University.

Oxford Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology, 2020

Clark, I., Nae, N., & Arimoto, M. (2020). “Education for Sustainable Development and the 'Whole-P... more Clark, I., Nae, N., & Arimoto, M. (2020). “Education for Sustainable Development and the 'Whole-Person' Curriculum in Japan.” In L. Zhang (Ed.), Oxford Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.