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This paper reports on a classroom practice involving “life history interviews” conducted at Ritsumeikan Moriyama High School during the 2024 academic year with 328 first-year high school students. The objective was to structure learning in the Japanese language arts curriculum that centers on “speaking and listening” while also integrating “writing” and “reading,” with the aim of fostering students’ active listening skills and understanding of others. The course spanned approximately 25 to 26 class hours. Students first studied conversation theory and related critical essays to grasp the significance of dialogue and develop an attitude of actively listening to others’ experiences. Subsequently, students conducted 60- to 90-minute life history interviews with adults in their immediate social circles who were at least 30 years their senior, handling the entire process from recording to transcription and documentation. The course also utilized ICT and AI-assisted transcription, positioning the entire process—from listening to writing—as a cohesive learning experience. As a result of this practice, students came to realize the importance of active listening—carefully receiving the other person’s narrative—and deepened their understanding of the life experiences and values of others that are often difficult to perceive in everyday life. Furthermore, they realized that even the lives of “ordinary, non-exceptional people” possess unique meaning and value, and gained a perspective that allows them to concretely grasp society and history through individual narratives. The great educational significance of this practice lies in its ability to go beyond traditional, knowledge-assessment-based Japanese language classes and foster practical language skills and understanding of others through dialogue, documentation, and reflection.
Research papers (academic journals)
