Educating Hearts and Minds

Further to my comments about allowing children to use blades and screwdrivers, I have started reading a book which does indeed make this kind of observation at a generalised level in Japanese nursery and elementary schools. The amount of time spent in 'free play' often almost unsupervised amounts to about half of each day and the remainder on eating, tiding up, class meetings (which include reflection on events and actions of oneself and others during the day), singing and other group activities. Discipline is not common, instead teachers often respond with questions and explanations, not demands. For Japanese teachers, it's a matter of pride that students do things without being told. The teacher shouldn't have to say a word (Shigefumi Nagano, Japanese educational researcher).
Backed by a national curriculum that strongly emphasizes children's social and ethical development, Japanese educators are not ashamed to say that helping children 'Enjoy friendships', 'Notice one another's good points' and 'Create happy memories' are central goals of schooling. Caring, committed children in a school community where all feel valued.
Educating Hearts and Minds Reflections on Japanese Preschool and Elementary Education (Catherine C Lewis 1995 Cambridge University Press)

What great aspirations and I have yet to observe this in a real classroom situation, but already watching the children play, eat lunch and interact you cannot help but notice the sense of 'family' that is created among the students. Waiting for each other, helping to pack up another's lunch, passing another student something first before taking one for themself. Fascinating.