[Education News] Is the teacher’s job about to change drastically!? An active teacher explains 4 major news items including the ‘proposal to abolish ABC grading of attitudes,’ ‘AI education,’ and ‘liberalization of class hours’!

Hello, this is Mr. Hitsuji🐏

This time, it’s a slightly different article than usual.

“This Week’s Education News”

From the information released between October 5th and 11th, 2026, I will introduce 4 news items that elementary school teachers should know.

And this time, some pretty big stories have come out.

Is the evaluation of ‘proactive attitude toward learning’ going to change?

Will there be time to learn about AI in elementary school?

Can class hours for subjects be adjusted by each school?

Can an educational curriculum be created to suit children who refuse to attend school?

…….

Wait a minute. Is the education world suddenly getting serious? lol

However, first, something important.

What I am introducing this time is the content of the ‘Summary of Deliberations for the Next Course of Study, etc.’ published on October 5th.

In other words, it is still at the consideration stage.

It doesn’t mean you can change how you grade report cards or freely rearrange timetables starting tomorrow.

The next Course of Study is scheduled to be implemented sequentially from the 2028 school year.

Now, I will explain it as clearly as possible from the perspective of an active elementary school teacher!

① Is the evaluation of ‘proactive attitude toward learning’ going to change significantly!?

Personally, this is news I am paying close attention to.

Currently, in each subject in elementary school, learning status is evaluated mainly from three perspectives.

・Knowledge and skills

・Thinking, judgment, and expression

・Proactive attitude toward learning

Among these, a direction to significantly review the evaluation method for the last one, ‘proactive attitude toward learning,’ has been indicated.

What is being considered is a plan to remove ‘ability to engage in learning, humanity, etc.’ from independent ABC grading and capture it through intra-personal evaluation in comprehensive comments or by adding a ‘○’ to ‘thinking, judgment, and expression’.

Here, a question for the teachers.

Isn’t it difficult to evaluate ‘proactive attitude toward learning’? lol

Of course, it is important to see students engaging in learning persistently and adjusting their own ways of learning.

But how do you evaluate that objectively?

Reflection every hour?

Worksheets?

Behavior during class?

In the first place, is a child who speaks up a lot proactive, and is a child who thinks quietly not proactive?

It’s not that simple, is it?

I myself sometimes feel the difficulty of evaluation.

And it would be putting the cart before the horse if collecting materials to leave evidence of evaluation became the goal.

The current review proposal also indicates a direction to suppress formal collection of evaluation materials.

Instead of making children write reflections for the sake of evaluation, use reflections for the children’s learning.

I would be happy if things moved in that direction.

However, please do not misunderstand this point.

It does not mean that ‘learning proactively’ will become unimportant.

What might change is mainly the way it is evaluated.

Also, at this point, it is not the stage to change school-wide evaluation criteria or report cards.

② Will ‘learning about AI’ become standard in elementary school!?

Next is news regarding AI.

A direction has been indicated to establish a new area related to information in the ‘Period for Integrated Studies’ in elementary school.

What is being considered as learning content includes:

・Information collection, organization, and dissemination

・Information ethics

・Media literacy

・Programming

・Characteristics of AI

Some people might imagine ICT education so far as operating tablets or research learning.

But from now on, it won’t just be that.

For example, if you ask a generative AI a question, it returns a plausible-sounding text.

However, that answer is not necessarily correct.

In other words,

“It’s correct because the AI said so!” will not pass.That is what it means.

I also use AI to create teaching materials and tools, but AI can make mistakes.Moreover, it can sometimes make mistakes quite confidently.

I wish I could have some of that confidence. lol

That is precisely why I want children to acquire the ability to check for themselves rather than believing information as it is.

Not just being able to use AI, but being able to doubt AI.

Isn’t this going to be an important skill for the coming era?

However, just because a new area is being established, it does not mean that the direction is simply to increase annual class hours.

How to organize the relationship with existing learning, and what to do with specific class content.

This is a point to watch in future discussions.

③ Can class hours for subjects be adjusted by each school!?

Next is news related to school timetables.

A mechanism called the ‘Adjustable Class Hours System’ is being considered.

Simply put, it is a system that allows schools to adjust a portion of the standard class hours for each subject, etc., under certain conditions, and use the time according to the actual situation of the school.

For example, to enrich learning time for Japanese, arithmetic, etc., according to school issues.

To establish school-specific learning activities.

To utilize time for organizational research and training for teachers.

Such flexible curriculum creation is being considered.

I think this is a pretty big change.

Even now, schools are devising their own curricula, but there is a framework called standard class hours.

The possibility has emerged to flexibly move a part of that according to the actual situation of the school.

However, a note of caution here.

“Reducing class hours = teachers can freely go home early” is not the case.

Too bad!

Teachers who have already started preparing to leave work, please sit down for a moment. lol

What will you use the created time for?

How will you guarantee the children’s learning?

As a school, it is necessary to think about this properly.

What I am curious about is whether the flexibility of the system will lead to a reduction in the burden on the field.

Even if the system is created, it will be tough if the number of plans and reports increases significantly.

“The paperwork to make things flexible has increased, and it’s not flexible at all!”

I don’t want it to end up like that. lol

Considerations are underway with an eye toward advance implementation from the 2028 school year.

I would like to confirm the specific system design in the future.

④ Can a ‘special educational curriculum’ be created to suit children who refuse to attend school!?

Finally, news regarding support for school non-attendance.

For students who refuse to attend school, a mechanism is being considered that allows for the organization of a more flexible curriculum while also taking into account the intentions of the individual and their guardians.

For example,

・Learning with fewer hours than the standard class hours

・Re-learning content from lower grades as necessary

・Incorporating experiential activities and social skills training

・Participating in learning online

・Evaluating flexibly according to learning content

These are the directions.

Regarding this, I personally think it is a very important discussion.

For children who cannot come to school,

“You must study the same content for the same amount of time as everyone else”

It can be difficult to do it just in that form.

For example, suppose there is a child who felt they could try learning again after a long time.

But it might be difficult to suddenly proceed with grade-appropriate content according to the normal timetable.

At such times, you can adjust the learning content and time according to the child’s situation.

I think this has great significance.

However, being flexible is different from not having to sufficiently guarantee opportunities to learn.

What is important is not to force children to fit into the school system, but how to guarantee the learning that children need.

I don’t want to forget this perspective.

Also, this proposal does not mean that all current individual responses will automatically transition to the new system.

We need to wait for future considerations regarding the details of the system, the start date, and specific operational methods.

What the 4 news items have in common

Reading this news, there is something I felt.

That is,

“Trying to make the system more flexible, from ‘everyone the same’ to ‘learning that suits each individual’.”

Reviewing evaluation methods.

Fostering the ability to handle information.

Adjusting class hours.

Thinking about an educational curriculum that suits children who refuse to attend school.

They are different news items, but a common direction can be seen.

Of course, changing the system will not solve everything.

Rather, there is a possibility that new issues will arise in the field.

And what I am most concerned about is,

“Will teachers and children really be relieved as a result of changing the system?”

New system.

New plan.

New evaluation.

New training.

…….

The purpose of the system is not to increase paperwork.

It is to make children’s learning better.For that purpose, I also think it is important that teachers can secure time to face the children.

It is not decided yet. That is why I want to know now.

The 4 items introduced this time are all content at the consideration stage for the next Course of Study.

The current Course of Study and evaluation methods will not change immediately.

And currently, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is soliciting opinions on this summary of deliberations.

The period is,

October 6, 2026 – November 5, 2026, 23:59

is.

Teachers can also convey their opinions from the perspective of the field, rather than just waiting for changes in the system.

When working at school,

“I wish it were a system like this”

“I want this part to be a little more flexible”

You have thoughts like that, right?

This is also an opportunity to deliver such voices from the field.

I myself would like to keep a close eye on future trends.

Finally

This time, I introduced 4 items that I especially want to pay attention to from the education news of October 5th-11th, 2026.

The revision of the Course of Study might feel like a story for the future.

But the direction indicated this time is something that will also relate to future class creation and classroom management.

As a teacher, I think it is important to know this kind of information.

However, what I want to aim for is not to become a teacher who knows a lot of news.

“To become a teacher who can think about how that news relates to the children in front of them.”

I would like to continue to introduce important news related to education in an easy-to-understand manner from the perspective of the field.

Even difficult system stories, as fun as possible.

But, the content accurately.

I was supposed to be reading education news, but I realized I was laughing.

I aim for such an article. lol

Among the 4 news items this time, which one were you most interested in?

This was Mr. Hitsuji🐏

⸻

【Reference Materials/Primary Information】

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ‘Summary of Deliberations for the Next Course of Study, etc.’ (October 5, 2026)

https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo3/004/gaiyou/1292164_00001.htm

Public comment regarding the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ‘Summary of Deliberations for the Next Course of Study, etc.’ (October 6, 2026)

https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/houdou/mext_01690.html

e-Gov Public Comment (Case Number 185001511)

https://public-comment.e-gov.go.jp/pcm/detail?CLASSNAME=PCMMSTDETAIL&Mode=0&id=185001511

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