Learning of Tomorrow Learning of Tomorrow: Interview with the Kyoto City Superintendent of Education—Online Education in Kyoto City” Held At the “Learning of Tomorrow” online lunch symposium held the day before yesterday, we spoke with Superintendent Aida about the initiatives being undertaken by the City of Kyoto during the school closures.
The City of Kyoto quickly launched the “Kyoto Learning Project,” an educational initiative developed in partnership with local broadcasters and newspapers, and worked to create learning opportunities throughout the entire Kyoto region.When considering the goal of “educational opportunities for all children,” the use of television proved to be an effective approach. Consequently, the project broadcast condensed summaries of curriculum content for each grade and subject, aligned with standard textbooks. Since broadcast time was limited, the programs were designed to focus not on “conveying knowledge” but on “teaching students how to learn on their own.”Another key point was that the program was structured with a focus on fostering good study habits. Video streaming began after the broadcasts. Approximately 20,000 households watched the programs live, and the total number of video views reached 50,000. It is reported that children not only in Kyoto City but also in municipalities throughout the prefecture—within the broadcast area—made use of the content.
When using the internet, we’ll relax security restrictions to allow access to YouTube and Zoom, and we’ll focus on sharing science experiment videos and interacting with the students. It’s interesting to see Zoom lunch meetings between teachers and students who tend to eat alone.
They say they will begin procuring 35,000 devices in September for loan to households without internet access—specifically those with sixth-grade elementary and third-grade junior high students—and aim to provide one device per student by the end of the fiscal year.
To support home learning, we will enhance our online infrastructure, establish a staffing framework to ensure educational support—including the assignment of two to three instructional assistants to each school—and restructure the curriculum to reduce class periods by five minutes, resulting in seven class periods per day.Of course, I imagine there were various challenges along the way, but I was impressed by how systematically and thoroughly every aspect was addressed.
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.”
