Curriculum making and learning instruction about the local community at the lower-elementary level: A case study of ‘living environment studies’ teachers in western Japan

This interpretive qualitative study examines how teachers in western Japan approach curriculum making and learning instruction in lower-elementary living environment studies (LES) education. LES aims to develop children’s awareness of their relationship with and connection to their environments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six LES teachers with experience teaching in various localities from a certain prefecture of the Chugoku region, to explore the influences behind their approaches to curriculum making. Results reveal that LES curriculum making involves aligning children’s interests and concerns with the environment of the community they live in. Insights for designing curriculums in lower-elementary education are presented.