Innovation in Japan: Looking to the Future
This chapter simultaneously functions as a summary of the contents of the book and as a practical guide for educators looking to implement their own future innovations. Drawing on the lessons of the various initiatives described and discussed in the book,
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opened this book by expressing our admiration for the energy, vision and commitment to innovation displayed by the various contributors. We intend to close by channeling that admiration into a positive, constructive evaluation of some of the lessons learned from the various innovations discussed. Our belief is that although the book is very
S. Ryan (*) School of Culture, Media and Society, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan e-mail: [email protected] S. Nakamura · H. Reinders Department of Languages, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand e-mail: [email protected] H. Reinders Department of Education, Anaheim University, Anaheim, CA, USA © The Author(s) 2019 H. Reinders et al. (eds.), Innovation in Language Teaching and Learning, New Language Learning and Teaching Environments, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12567-7_14
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much rooted in the setting of English education in Japan, many of the concerns and themes will be transferable to other learning situations. As uniquely captured by each chapter, innovation is not a mere implementation of creative ideas. The roots of these ideas extend back months, years and even decades into the contexts in which innovation is to take place. Its meaningful implementation then requires persistence of physical and intellectual effort. In this closing chapter, we hope to look beneath the surface to uncover some underlying principles informing future practitioners. Although this final chapter represents a review of the contents of the book, it is intended to be forward-looking and is aimed at offering practical support to those with future innovations in mind.
Innovation and Context Above all, this has been a book about innovation in context. No single action, or course of action, can be considered innovative in itself; innovation emerges from the interaction between action and context. It is impossible to understand innovation without understanding the context within which it is taking place, and the various chapters in this book share the implicit aim of exploring the context of English education in Japan and how that context is driving—and sometimes impeding— efforts to innovate. In doing so, the authors investigate some of the different levels at which innovation can take place, from macro-level policy and planning decisions to the micro-level initiatives taken by individual teachers, and, perhaps most important of all, the various interconnections between these contextual levels. The act of innovation in effect represents an attempt to change the learning context; therefore, the aims and means of any innovative initiative must be sufficiently in harmony with existing contextual parameters in order to succeed. Put simply, pushing too hard or in the wrong direction can increase resistance, reducing the chances of success. Philip Seargeant’s chapter allows us to step back and consider the bigger picture by situating English education in Japan within the
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