Learning of Tomorrow [Event Report] Building a School Where Students Can Pursue Their Passions: A Clark International Initiative. —“If You Love It, You’ll Be Good at It 2.0”— At the Learning of Tomorrow Online Symposium held two sessions ago, we heard a presentation about Clark Memorial International High School, a pioneer in full-time correspondence education that was the first in Japan to develop a “full-time, on-campus style” program—despite being a correspondence high school.
Because the school follows a policy of using the “time designated for work” in its correspondence program to allow students to develop their “interests” and “strengths,” it claims to provide an education that surpasses that of traditional Japanese schools by covering all educational activities mandated by the government while flexibly incorporating a variety of teaching styles.
In 1995, the school launched a “seminar system” that foreshadowed “Integrated Learning Time,” and in 1998, it introduced a “course system” that further enhanced the seminar system.We have offered a variety of 10-hour-per-week courses in fields such as international studies and English, IT and programming, and sports, as well as dance, theater, and music; art and design; childcare, social welfare, and psychology; animal studies; science; and food studies. We also offer a Special University Preparation Course for admission to highly selective universities and a Comprehensive University Preparation Course for career planning.
They are also boldly taking on new challenges that incorporate cutting-edge technology, such as online study abroad programs, virtual physical education classes, and virtual science labs. I was amazed by the numerous initiatives that seem to anticipate not just the future of distance learning, but the future of education itself.
Professor, Keio University; Ph.D. (Policy and Media)
Director, B Lab
Chairperson, Learning of Tomorrow (General Incorporated Association)
Chairperson, CANVAS
After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, he served as a visiting researcher at the MIT Media Lab before founding the NPO CANVAS and the Learning of Tomorrow Association, a General Incorporated Association, and assuming the role of representative. He serves as an outside director for Matsuya Co., Ltd., Fuji Media Holdings, Inc., and Digital Garage, Inc.
He has served on various government committees, including the Information and Communications Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as well as the NHK Central Broadcasting Program Council. He also serves as a director of the Digital Signage Consortium, among other roles. He holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Media.
His publications include *Turning On Children’s Creativity!*, *What Are Smart Kids Doing on Their Smartphones?*, *The Forefront of Online Education in Japan: Considering Learning in the Post-COVID Era*,“What Is Programming Education? 45 Questions Parents Want to Know,” and “Declaration on Digital Education.” He has also provided supervision for numerous works, including “Ah, I See! Programming Education for Parents and Children Through Manga.”
