One of the things that you might consider as a family when choosing an international school or preschool, will be the type of curriculum on offer. From our visits to the schools in the greater Tokyo area, we have seen some excellent teaching and learning taking place through a variety of curriculum frameworks, but is the curriculum used important both in developing international mindedness and in regard to individual student learning and access to higher education? In order to answer these questions, let us first look at the main curricula on offer in the Tokyo international schools.
International Baccalaureate
From our research, the most popular curriculum framework used in Tokyo international schools is the International Baccalaureate. This is currently used partially or fully in approximately 40% of schools. It consists of four educational programmes for students aged 3 to 19: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), and the Career-related programme (CP).
Students are supported in the development of skills for personal and professional success, in addition to the formation of their cultural identity, with reflection a key part of this process. The PYP (3-12 years) is taught through ‘units of inquiry’ and uses a framework of objectives set out in ‘phases’ by the I.B. whilst the MYP includes the study of eight subject groups (language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, science, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design). The ‘I.B. learner profile’ outlines several qualities that the programme is trying to develop in young people. It encourages students to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. These are fundamental to the teaching that goes on in the IB programme.
Cambridge International
Cambridge International, developed by Cambridge University Press and Assessment, is also a widely used curriculum framework in the Tokyo area. The Cambridge Pathway which consists of four stages from primary to pre-university (Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, Cambridge Upper Secondary, and Cambridge Advanced) is partially or wholly used in approximately 20% of Tokyo international schools.
Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary consist of ten subjects (English, English as a Second Language, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Digital Literacy, Global Perspectives, Music, Physical Education, and Art and Design). Cambridge Upper Secondary (14-16 years old) builds on the skills and knowledge from Cambridge Lower Secondary and consists of two routes to formal qualifications: Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge O Level. Cambridge Advanced (16-19 years old) is for those preparing for university or other higher education institutions. Here, students work towards the formal qualifications of Cambridge International AS & A Levels. Cambridge Global Perspectives is a programme used across all the Cambridge Pathways and is intended to help students develop skills such as research, collaboration, reflection and critical thinking.
International Curriculum
The International Curriculum comprises the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC, ages 2-5); the International Primary Curriculum (IPC, ages 5-11); and the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC, ages 11-14). It is currently only found in a handful of international schools in Tokyo, although it is used worldwide fully or partially in over 90 countries.
It is organised into three types of learning: Personal, International and Academic. Learners study a range of subjects including Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Art, Society, Geography, History, Technology, Music, and Physical Education via thematic units. It also has eight attributes or ‘Personal Learning Goals’: adaptability, communication, co-operation, enquiry, morality, resilience, respect, and thoughtfulness. The IYMC has been mapped to the National Curriculum for England and the Common Core Standards of the US.
Montessori & Reggio Emilia
These frameworks are most commonly found in the international preschools that we have visited and researched, although there is also the Montessori School of Tokyo which takes students to age 15 years. These frameworks are child-centred, with learning led by the child (‘self-directed learning’) with many ‘hands on learning’ experiences. In the early years there is a large emphasis on inquiry through play and for Reggio Emilia schools, also a strong connection to nature and natural resources and materials. In addition, it is common to find multi-age classes where younger children can learn from older children, and older children can develop leadership skills.
U.S. Curriculum
Of the two main country related curriculums (American and British) used in the international school sector of Tokyo, an American based curriculum is more widely used with just over 20% of schools partially or fully using it as their curriculum framework. It is a broad curriculum with similar subject areas studied all the way through school, for example, English, mathematics, sciences, history, foreign languages, art, music, and physical education. Additional subjects can be studied in the last two years of high school. There is no national curriculum; curriculum decisions are decentralised, given over to states, authorities, and individual schools. However, many schools use the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), a group of common standards in Language Arts and Mathematics for kindergarten through to the senior year of high school. These outline what students should know and be able to do in each year of school for these two subjects.
British Curriculum
Currently there are four international schools in Tokyo using a British curriculum (from England or Scotland) to structure their teaching and learning. The main one used is the National Curriculum for England which sets out the subjects to be taught and the expected standards to be met by all English public schools. Students initially study a broad and balanced curriculum much like the American system, including Citizenship and Religious Education as stand-alone subjects, but in Key stage 4 (Year 10&11, age 14-16) and 5 (Year 12&13, age 16-18) can specialise as to what they want to sit formal exams (GCSEs and A Levels) in. These qualifications will allow them access to university or other higher education institutions.
Can schools that use a national curriculum be international?
There is a misconception that only those schools using an ‘international’ curriculum can be truly international, but in fact there is much written on the many schools who are guided by a national curriculum who are highly international in their outlook and focus. Being international is not determined by the specifics of what is taught; it is more a particular approach to teaching and learning and the value system that the school adopts. An internationally minded school encourages its students to be open minded, value different perspectives, embrace diversity and respect the range of cultures found in the world. A central part of this is understanding one’s local or individual identity as it is only then that an individual can see how they are connected to the global community.
The concept of international mindedness is vast, but in simple terms, it can be seen in the following approaches to teaching and learning. Students work collaboratively on a range of activities and projects, learning to adopt roles in a group, problem solve, and be sensitive to others’ thoughts and suggestions. They are encouraged to share their experiences and opinions so that a greater sense of understanding and empathy is achieved. They are also given time to reflect on their own and others’ thoughts. Schools use the diversity of the students as an opportunity to learn about the differences and similarities in cultures and traditions. These are not curriculum driven but are instead the values and experiences that the school, as a community, are adopting to aid the students in becoming truly globally minded individuals.
Does the curriculum affect what is being taught?
Although at the primary level, the academic pace might vary between schools, for example, the British start formal education earlier than many countries, by the end of high school, the average student from all curriculum frameworks is generally in a similar academic place. Curricula may be structured differently, such as when particular subjects are taught, and the focus of these subjects, but for areas such as English, Mathematics and the Sciences, the same skills and knowledge are being taught worldwide. The main differences appear in other areas, such as History and Geography, where the knowledge focus may be different although the types of skills being studied will remain the same, for example, understanding chronology in British history as opposed to American history.
Does the curriculum matter for higher education?
As a family you may already be thinking about whether your child will go to university or college, and where that might be. With this in mind, you may have already decided which curriculum will be best for your child, for example an American curriculum for an American college. However, the fact is that universities and colleges in all countries are used to welcoming students from around the world. With the understanding that countries use different curriculum frameworks, there is already in place a system to compare academic results from different frameworks, so that a student, for example, who has studied using the British system can quite easily apply and be accepted to an American college. This is the same for all frameworks, whether it be the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International. An example of this is the fact that China is the country of origin for the majority of international students in the U.S., but the most popular curriculum used in the Chinese international school sector is not a U.S. curriculum but rather the International Baccalaureate followed closely by the British Curriculum (information from the International Schools Database). Therefore, you may have an individual preference for a particular curriculum; however, when it comes to university or college, it won’t really be an advantage or a disadvantage.
Conclusion
All the curricula offered in Tokyo international schools are of high quality and are robust enough to prepare students well for both higher education, and for a globally mobile lifestyle. Although there may be some differences in the focus of some areas, generally, the skills and concepts that are being taught are very similar. The values of the school and its approach to teaching and learning, are what will make it internationally minded, not the content of the curriculum.
Our next blog…
Is student diversity important? We’ve seen from our visits that some international schools are more cosmopolitan than others, and so in our next blog, we’ll be exploring this topic a little further.