[MEXT] Draft Interim Report of the Working Group on Textbooks, Teaching Materials, and Software

On August 25, 2022, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) held the 5th meeting of the Working Group on Textbooks, Teaching Materials, and Software. At the meeting, the MEXT presented a draft of the working group's interim report (draft summary of issues) entitled "Ideal Textbooks, Teaching Materials, and Software Toward the Integral Enrichment of Individualized Optimal Learning in Tandem with Collaborative Learning."

Based on the "First Report of the Study Council on the Future of Digital Textbooks," the MEXT plans to fully introduce digital textbooks for learners in school year 2024. In preparation for this, the Elementary and Secondary Education Division of the Central Council for Education approved the establishment of a "Special Committee on School Education Toward the Integral Enrichment of Individual Optimal Learning in Tandem with Collaborative Learning" on January 14, 2022. Since then, the special committee has discussed the following to enhance individualized optimal learning and collaborative learning in an integrated manner:

  1. How the guidance for learning and daily life should be through the smooth use of one terminal per student.
  2. How textbooks, teaching materials, and related software should be.
  3. How to improve the environment inside and outside schools.
  4. Other issues

The working group mentioned above has been established under this division to study (1) how digital textbooks should be introduced in 2024, (2) how digital textbooks, digital teaching materials, and related software should be used appropriately, and other issues.

The draft interim report includes the following statements.

  • Under the GIGA School Program, schools are accelerating the introduction of "digital teaching materials" and "learning support software," etc. Nonetheless, textbooks will continue to play the role of "primary teaching materials with assured quality," while the digitalization of textbooks will lead to the enhancement of learning by connecting and strengthening cooperation through the use of digital teaching materials.
  • Textbooks and teaching materials will need to adapt to the progress of the digitalization of society while keeping an eye on changes in the future social lives of pupils and students.
  • Digital textbooks should be simple, lightweight, and effectively combined with a range of other teaching materials and software, taking advantage of the strengths of digital technology in order to enhance individual optimal learning and collaborative learning in an integrated manner.
  • From the perspective of universal design and convenience for students who use multiple digital textbooks, the accessibility functions equipped in current digital textbooks, such as ruby characters in Japanese, color inversion, and text-to-speech software, should be retained and enhanced. Besides, it is required to standardize viewers (e.g., single sign-on support, unified layout, hierarchy, and so on to the extent possible.)
  • In addition to efforts to improve the communication environment from the viewpoint of smooth class implementation, it is necessary to distribute audio and video data separately and to make the data lighter, considering the communication environment of various schools.

For more information, visit the website below.
https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo3/089/giji_list/index.htm

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