Variations of Board Writing Styles in Japanese Schools: How Is It Related to the Teaching of School Subjects?

Abstract

Bansho (Japanese board writing) is becoming an area of interest among researchers and educators as it could serve as an asset to make a searching inquiry into teaching. This study aims to identify the variations of bansho styles in Japanese schools and draws its data from 10 lessons from a primary school in Japan. All lesson observations were recorded, photographed, and then analyzed. Results of data analysis suggest that there is a variation of bansho styles, which indicates the kind of teaching happening in the classroom, and it relates to the teacher’s beliefs and the type of knowledge valued in the lesson.