A Critical Review on Project-Based Learning in Japanese Secondary Education

Project-based learning (PBL) implementation in Japanese secondary school education has more momentum than ever before. However, PBL implementation in high schools is very limited. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the early stages of PBL implementation in Japanese secondary school education, which is currently in the process of signifcant reform. Why is PBL receiving so much focus in the reforms being made in the Japanese secondary school education now? What kinds of practices are schools following that explain the challenges facing secondary schools in implementing PBL? PBL in Japan has been implemented in a move towards experiential education since the early 20th century in correlation with two compatible approaches; systematic education and experiential education. The current challenge of PBL in secondary schools is to actualize PBL practices in schools through innovating the mindset of schools and teachers to move from systematic education to experiential education under the pressure of primary and secondary school curriculum reform and high school and university articulation reform. To make the PBL approach more effective in schools, setting a driving question based in the real world is effective. In that sense, PBL based on community revitalization and sustainability are powerful. In order to examine the context and effect of PBL in detail, we refer to how PBL has been implemented in schools with the encouragement of the Japan Innovative Schools Network (ISN), supported by the OECD. Global collaboration has a powerful effect on Japanese secondary school students. This paper intends to contribute to global educational reform efforts, since education reform is a major concern for every country