GIFT School
Manifesto
We are living in a time of great change.
Recent years have seen enormous social upheaval
brought about by technological developments
that are transforming our industrial ecosystem.
The rapid pace of modern progress shows no signs of abating,
and our understanding of how the world works
soon becomes out of date.
Rapid globalization, unstable economies,
climate change, humanitarian crises, division—
the challenging issues that confront us
are more complex than ever before,
yet it is in the midst of this complexity that we must move forward.
How, then, may we and our children achieve
fulfilling lives in the face of such complexity?
This was the question that drove us to establish GIFT School.
Examining the idea of happiness shows us
that everyone sees it differently.
Still, there are some common themes
which seem to transcend eras and generations.
A purposeful life: “Feeling that life is worth living”
Since the dawn of time,
people have thought about the meaning of life.
Our actions and their results cause us to feel happiness,
as does the sensation of time well spent.
Together, these experiences fuel our motivation to continue living.
Relationships: “Feeling connected to others”
Humans are social creatures.
The feeling of being connected to
friends, family, and partners
provides both emotional support and joy.
Learning: “The feeling of constantly growing as a person”
The experience of learning should be
one that brings us joy—
satisfying our curiosity,
exploring the wonderful variety we find around us,
and sensing our potential for change.
Having the power to influence your world:
“Restoring happiness to others and to society”
The feeling of joy brought about
by making someone happy.
The gift of change that you provide to the world
through your ideas and initiatives, both big and small.
If this capacity to live with joy
is learned and cultivated from an early age,
it will serve a person for a lifetime,
regardless of where they go and what they encounter.
This is why we have chosen a different approach
to what is taken by traditional public education.
In what sort of environment do we want
our children to spend the twelve long years
of their school career—
a period so definitive in establishing the rest of their lives?
Are their differences, interests, and passions taken seriously?
Are children encouraged to push themselves, knowing that failure is permitted?
Is the school environment safe, both physically and emotionally?
Can children meet and interact with a diverse range of people?
Is learning an enjoyable experience?
Is every child’s curiosity treated with respect?
Is studying presented merely
as a necessity for passing tests?
Or is it celebrated for its role in laying the foundation
for a rich, unique, and satisfying life?
Twenty years from now,
our children will step away from their parents’
embrace and begin lives of their own,
together with other people.
When that time comes,
will they greet every day with smiles on their faces
and a desire to live joyfully in their hearts?
Instilling such an attitude towards life is GIFT School’s greatest mission.
Two pillars
COMMUNITY
A safe, welcoming environment where every child can enjoy learning
The first pillar of GIFT School’s educational approach is providing a mentally and emotionally safe environment for children to learn. We have designed our curriculum, school space, and schedule with the assumption that every child is different. Rather than encouraging comparisons with others, we focus on what matters most to each child. We support the development of social skills and emotional maturity, all while helping children realize that they are part of a community working towards a sustainable future.
CREATIVITY
Forging a new world through creativity
The second pillar of our educational approach is the concept of creativity—combining the knowledge instilled by traditional schooling with the capacity to create something of value that is entirely new. In order for children to realize their unique version of happiness and share it with others, it is important to move beyond the concept of simply doing as one is told. Instead, we believe children need critical thinking skills—the ability to discover and analyze problems, to consider solutions, and to develop a range of practical communication skills and methods of self expression.
A day at GIFT School
GIFT School is a fixed-capacity microschool
for 30 students aged 3 to 15 years.
The learning experience shifts fluidly throughout each day between individual, pair, and small group work. Children study basic skills such as math, Japanese, and English individually, at their own pace and in their own style. Science, the humanities, and art are taught in mixed-age classes consisting of students from three consecutive school years.
While the GIFT School curriculum recognizes governmental educational guidelines, we are strongly focused on delivering the skills and capacity necessary for flourishing in the modern day and age. The ultimate aim of our course of study is to deliver something that excites and engages our children, who remain ever our highest priority.
Contract time
Individual study time for core academic skills. Topics are taught in a child-first manner, after being decided one week in advance through consultation between each child and their teacher, and include: 1. Math 2. Japanese (including kanji) 3. English 4. Games 5. Pair work 6. Miniclass. Teaching materials are designed to aid in focus and include workbook and computer usage. As learning is conducted on an individual basis, easily understood topics and skills can be progressed through quickly, while points of difficulty can be explored at a more gradual pace.
Project
A full two hours of each day are devoted to project-style enquiry-based learning, with children engaging in a thorough examination of a single topic over 2-4 months. Younger students are first exposed to a teacher-lead deep exploration of a certain topic. As they get older, they are gradually tasked with leading the learning experience and expanding the scope of their projects. Project topics focus primarily on science and the humanities and are both cross-domain and practical in nature.
Reading
GIFT School’s language art class focuses primarily on reading and writing skills. Books are chosen with consideration for each child’s interests, and provide opportunities to learn about various genres, the use of books as resource materials, and the utilization of technology. In addition to solo reading time, we also use pair and group work to develop children’s listening, comprehension, and reasoning skills, as well as their ability to write stories and poetry.
P4C
P4C, or ‘Philosophy for Children’, is a time when children can engage in the study of philosophy. Focusing on questions that arise in the course of daily life and studies, this period presents an opportunity for both children and adults to engage deeply with the unknown. The capacity for wide-ranging curiosity and the ability to consider the ‘why’ behind something contributes to the indispensable habit of lifelong learning and discovery.
Yoga & Meditation
In addition to providing space for children to play outside, GIFT School also offers yoga and meditation sessions. These practices combine to build a healthy, resilient, and supple body, while also contributing to improved mental focus and clarity. Children will learn to experience and regulate a range of feelings, such as stress, anger, and sadness—essential skills for every member of our modern society.
Arts
GIFT School offers two arts-focused curriculums: Arts & Crafts, which explores a variety of media such as painting, sculpture, and filmmaking, and Performing Arts, which teaches music, dance, and acting. While each of these skills are important in their own right, we also believe that the arts possess an enormous power to stimulate a child’s imagination, drive the creation of new ideas and values, and encourage children to explore their limits.
| Availability | Children from 3-12 years of age (as of Apr. 2020); 2-5 students per grade | |
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| Selection method | Individual consultation between child, parents, and GIFT School staff |
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| Application | Fill in and submit the below form | |
| Enrollment fee | 100,000円 | |
| Tuition and other fees | Tuition and other fees: ¥100,000/month Facilities fee: ¥50,000/year Materials fee: ¥50,000/year *Other fees may apply. |
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*Please refer to the following points when considering enrollment:
Would your child be comfortable at GIFT School? Are they interested in enrolling?
Are there any major differences between your family’s educational approach and that of GIFT School?
Would your child be able to communicate easily with GIFT School staff and students?
Our team
We view the staff and teachers of GIFT School as having two primary roles: that of designers and scientists.
As designers, we work to stimulate each child’s curiosity through scrupulous attention to GIFT School’s curriculum, physical space, and schedule.
We leave these concerns behind, however, when it comes time to actually interacting with the children. Instead, we use this time to focus on what they are thinking, feeling, and learning. Paying close attention to each child’s experience—and letting that experience guide our next steps—helps us to learn together with a spirit of enquiry.
Naoki Tomita : Founder
Born in Japan, Naoki lived in Madrid from the age of five until twenty years old. He worked as a magazine editor and writer before beginning a career in freelance video production in 2011. Naoki founded the creative agency NINJA WORKS in 2015; his daughter was born the same year, which spurred him to launch the education-oriented GIFT project.
Ryo Hattori : Founder
Ryo obtained a graduate degree from Keio University. After engaging in basic research at Keio’s Institute for Advanced Life Sciences, he joined an international patent office where he handled rights protection and utilization of domestic and foreign intellectual property. In 2013, Ryo founded a management consulting firm that works primarily with startups and education-related clients. He co-founded the communication strategy and creative production consulting firm NINJA WORKS in 2015, and together with the other members of NINJA WORKS he has dedicated himself to creating a new approach to education through the GIFT project.
Miki Nagasaki : Art & Craft
Miki studied early childhood education in America, and has utilized her experience with educational methods such as the Reggio Emilia approach, the Creative Curriculum, and the International Baccalaureate to provide child-led, discovery-based learning experiences.
Jackie Janssen : Science
Born in the USA, Jackie has a degree in biomedical engineering. As a STEM teacher, Jackie specializes in teaching a wide range of subjects such as math and science.
KOsuke Fujishima : Science GUIDE
After spending time as a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Kosuke joined the Tokyo Institute of Technology Earth Life Research Institute’s “First Logic/Astrobiology Contribution Program” as a specially appointed associate professor. He also serves as specially appointed associate professor to the Keio University Graduate School’s policy and media courses.
Keisuke Kirita : Art & Philosphy
Keisuke is an education-focused researcher whose areas of expertise include art education, pedagogy, and qualitative research. He contributed to The Palgrave Handbook of Global Arts Education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and several Japanese-language art and education publications. Keisuke is a collaborative researcher at Sophia University, a research fellow at kotaenonaigakko, and a representative of the Edu:re volunteer organization. He completed doctoral coursework studies at Sophia University’s Graduate School of Human Sciences, and received a DC1 “Research Fellowships for Young Scientists” scholarship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
Yana Naumova : Yoga
Born in Russia, Yana is a bilingual English teacher and yoga educator who also works as a model. Having practiced yoga as part of her daily routine since the age of 17, Yana can attest to yoga’s effectiveness in maintaining mental and physical balance and wellbeing. Yana acquired the RYT 200 yoga training certification under the training of Patrick Oancia and his team. She is also qualified as a children’s yoga instructor.
Asako Noda : Reading & Writing
Born in Singapore, Asako spent her early years in the United Kingdom, where she studied story writing at a local elementary school. Using her experiences working in media marketing, translation, and interpretation, Asako developed and implemented the “Little Writers” program with advice from international school and UK elementary school staff. Asako works at an NGO which organizes international camps for children.
Arvin HOma Aya : Performing Arts
Arvin was born in San Francisco, California. Beginning in 1998, she was involved in studio production with a variety of artists, and also engaged in lyric writing and translation work. 2002 saw further development of her singing career with performances as a featured vocalist on numerous club music tracks. Beginning in 2017, Arvin supervised and directed combined music and English programs at various schools and childcare facilities. Arvin is also engaged in a variety of educational initiatives that incorporate English with music, participating in Japan-wide “Kids meet Jazz!” concerts and establishing the parent-child “Ko to oto” collaboration event.
FAQ
Q : Is GIFT School authorized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology?
A : No, it is not. Much as with international schools in Japan, students attending GIFT School register with a public elementary or junior high school in order to receive their graduation certification. We cooperate with these registered schools in a variety of ways such as by submitting regular reports.
Q : Please tell me more about your curriculum. How closely do you adhere to governmental curriculum guidelines?
A : Our curriculum is based on a variety of progressive practices used by both Japan-based and international schools, and is also designed with consideration for future developments in the global society and marketplace. Mostly importantly, however, are the specific needs of the children actually attending our school. While we certainly refer to the Japanese government’s curriculum guidelines, we believe that they are something to be adapted rather than criteria we should attempt to meet in their entirety. At GIFT School, we encourage children to acquire basic skills such as math, English, and Japanese (reading, writing and kanji) at their own pace, while science, art, and the humanities are taught in inquiry-focused, project-based classes consisting of mixed-grade students from three consecutive school years. Finally, we believe that it is important to consider each child’s progress not in terms of a single school year, but rather over the much longer period represented by the standard twelve years of formal education.
Q : I have some concerns about my child’s academic ability if they were to attend GIFT School.
A : In our experience observing the results of various progressive schools, there appears to be no difference in academic ability or percentage of students who pursue higher education when compared to public schools. Furthermore, we believe it is necessary for us all to reconsider what a student’s academic ability is meant to be used for. For example, research has shown that information learned specifically for the purpose of passing a test is almost entirely forgotten three months later.
At GIFT School, we encourage children to learn how to learn by supporting them as they steadily acquire skills that they feel are important.
Q : What is the primary language used at GIFT School? Is it a problem if my child only speaks Japanese or English?
A : The environment at GIFT School is one that generally supports the use of either language at any time, rather than limiting the use of a specific language to a particular study period. Ideally, we believe that increased long-term exposure to both languages in daily school life will result in students being comfortable using either language. It is our opinion that the awareness of different values and emotions which accompany multilingualism is an irreplaceable experience for a child to have.
Q : What do Field Trips typically entail?
A : Wednesday of each week is our Field Trip/Free Time day. On Field Trip days we usually visit locations which match the current project topic, such as art galleries or museums. We also aim to provide experiences which are difficult to come by in the city, such as visits to farms to give children the opportunity to engage in agricultural activities. Free Time, on the other hand, is primarily child-led, and can be used for various purposes such as taking care of unfinished study, engaging in project research, or simply relaxing.
Q : Do you offer childcare after 15:30? Do you work with any after-school facilities?
A : We offer after-school services from 15:30 to 18:30. Please contact us for further details.
Q :Do you offer pickup services?
A : We are currently considering establishing a school bus route between GIFT School and the nearest train station. Please contact us for further details.