Opinion Getting Education On Track By JOHN GATHRIGHT	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
よりよい教育へ 千葉大学が今年、初の飛び級制度を導入した。カナダ人の筆者は、個性に合わせて飛び級を採用しているカナダの教育制度を紹介する。

In Japan, the admittance of three second-year high school students to Chiba University has made headline news and spurred much debate concerning the future of the Japanese educational system.

Everyone has gifts and/or special talents. Some are more obvious than others and some are more socially recognized, but as people we all have a right to the opportunities, academic or otherwise, needed to develop them.

It has been more than 20 years since I was in elementary school. But I clearly remember how fortunate I was to have a teacher who recommended that I be allowed to skip a grade. That teacher believed that my disruptive behavior in class was actually due to boredom.

Skipping a grade provided me with challenge but it also created stress and pressure. Moving up a year was not the answer to all my problems. The other students were older, and I was unprepared for the topics and the work load. There were some jealous students, and some called me names ("Brain," "Teacher's Pet"), but at least I wasn't bored stiff in class anymore. All the teasing wore off as I made new friends.

Things have really changed since I was in school. I am the oldest in a family of eight kids. It has been fascinating to watch how the Canadian school system adapted to accommodate each of my siblings so that each was encouraged to excel in his or her own way

My youngest brother is just now attending university. He benefited from accelerated course programs in high school. He worked hard to develop his gifts and was granted admission to his university with enough credits to put him in the middle of his second year of study. He is younger than many students at his university, but because his is not an uncommon case, he is not deprived socially or judged negatively by his peers. In fact, they respect him for his achievements!

Skipping grades is no longer the only option, nor always the solution. Students are offered accelerated classes in many subjects as elective choices, and at some high schools there are even university-level courses for which students are granted university credits.

To foster peer mentoring, homerooms are no longer assigned according to grade level nor limited to one age group. Students are given elite status for their achievements but are encouraged to recognize and appreciate diversity in abilities.

I visited one of my sisters' classrooms and was impressed by the class motto: "We all march to a different drum." On the principal's door was written: "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink! Students ― School is your `well'; drink all that you can!"

A system designed for one kind of learner at one speed of learning will never fit all students. I am convinced that efforts like those above are on the right track toward an enlightened and improved education system. The Chiba University case is another step in the right direction. However, the Education Ministry needs to take a holistic approach and provide a system that addresses the needs of both academically gifted and academically handicapped students.

Shukan ST: Feb. 13, 1998

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