- Online education allows students to study wherever they want, as long as they have an Internet environment!
- Children will be taught by a professional early childhood education teacher with their favorite Doraemon.
- Class content is not cramming, but is designed to naturally interest children.
Dora Kids Online" is an online educational service that allows students to take lessons from anywhere using zoom. Based on the popular children's character Doraemon, the service proposes a new learning style in which basic learning is conducted through interactive live lessons and a workbook that is delivered to each student once a month.
The service won the Excellence Award in the "BabyTech® Awards 2022 Children's Learning and Play Category. The BabyTech.jp editorial staff interviewed Hiroka Fujisawa, brand manager of "Dora Kids Online" (titles below omitted), to learn more about the service, how it was developed, and its future development.
(We spoke to...)
Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co.
Yuka Fujisawa
Enjoy learning with Doraemon through live lessons and workbooks using ZOOM!
Editorial:Thank you very much for your time today. Could you begin by giving us an overview of "Dora Kids Online"?
Fujisawa:Dora Kids Online is an online educational service for young kindergarteners through third grade elementary school students. The service consists of three live lessons per month, 40 minutes per lesson using ZOOM, and a workbook delivered monthly to your home. The instructors for the live lessons are also in charge of Dora Kids classrooms (editor's note: Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Inc. operates about 100 preschools nationwide), and in addition to their extensive experience in preschool education, they have received special training for online education.
Dora Kids Online does not study a specific subject, but rather uses a cross-curricular "theme-based learning" method. In this method, a theme is set each month, and children deepen their understanding of that theme through interactive communication between the instructor and children in live lessons.
Editorial:What exactly do you do?
Fujisawa:For example, we have an activity called "Explore Your Home," in which students search for objects in the house based on a theme. Through these activities, students learn about letters, shapes, colors, and numbers, and we construct learning methods that are not tied to the instruction of letters and numbers. In addition to these activities, we also have 10 minutes to work on a workbook that we deliver to the students once a month. Doraemon appears in the movies that open and end the live lessons.
Editorial:In Explore Your Home, do the children actually walk around the house away from the screen?
Fujisawa:Yes, I have a yellow thing in my house. If the theme is "Let's collect yellow things," we ask children to collect many yellow things in their houses. Then, they will present to the instructor and other friends how many yellow things they found, what kind of yellow things they found, and so on.
Editorial:With a screen, we can have that kind of communication!
Fujisawa:We have the same one! That one's yellow, too! We have the same one at home, too! We hope that by having live lessons like this on a daily basis, people will realize that there are many opportunities to learn in the home.
Editorial:I can continue the same way at home after class.
Fujisawa:Many children like our "Explore Your Home" program. For Christmas, it can be applied in many ways, such as "Let's look for red and green things in the house! You can apply this activity in various ways.
Editorial:What is workbook learning in a live lesson?
Fujisawa:First, the instructor explains the problem in the workbook and asks the children to do the work. Then, the instructor shows it to the children on the screen to check that they have done it, and the children's parents give them a "mark" (a circle). ......
Editorial:So there is a screen so the instructors can check to see if they are doing it right!
Fujisawa:Yes, we do. The instructor also shows the workbook problems on the screen and uses a pen to point out the areas he wants the children to focus on.
In addition to these live lessons three times a month, 36 times a year, we also held online Doraemon birthday celebrations, Halloween events, and Christmas events in 2022. There was also time for children to make crafts and show them to each other during the events, which were very lively and exciting.
Editorial:That sounds like fun! How much does the event cost and how many people attend?
Fujisawa:There is no participation fee. The event was positioned as an opportunity for students to enjoy and present the results of their studies in regular classes. The number of participants was about 30-40 people.
Comprehensive learning style in which children are naturally interested, rather than crammed education
Editorial:What are some of the features of "Dora Kids Online"?
Fujisawa:In common with the classroom-type Dora Kids, I think the greatest feature of the program is its cross-curricular approach. Generally, students work silently on subject-specific workbooks, but DoraKids Online emphasizes communication between instructors and children based on each month's theme.
For example, during the month themed "Understanding How the Postal System Works," the instructor actually sends postcards to the children's homes while explaining that they can express their feelings to their friends by writing and sending letters.
Editorial:That is interesting!
Fujisawa:The postcards will include questions such as "What is your favorite food?" "What has made you happy recently? What is your favorite food? This way, children can get an idea of what a letter or postcard looks like, and by being exposed to an actual letter with a stamp, handwritten letters, and a postmark (......), they will become interested in letters and numbers. I think this is an effect that cannot be created by studying letters and numbers individually.
We explain how the postal system works in the first of three classes per month, and the children receive a postcard from the instructor before the next class. This is not informed to the children in advance, so they are very surprised (laughs). Then, looking at the postcards they receive, they learn things like where to put the stamp, where to write the address, and how to write a sentence while thinking about the person you are sending it to: ....... In the third class, they present what kind of reply they would write if it were them.
Editorial:I have tried to teach our 4 year old daughter how the postal system works before, but it didn't go very well. With the Dora Kids Online method, she seems to understand it right away.
Fujisawa:Learning through the use of real mail may only be possible online. The instructor will help the children to present their responses in writing.
Editorial:Thank you very much. How about the other features?
Fujisawa:After all, that's where "Doraemon" appears. It appears in the opening and ending of our live lessons, and many of the inquiries we receive come from people whose children like Doraemon and who visit .......
There is also an item called "Appeal Card" with Doraemon and "Mame Dora (Editor's Note: Dora Kids' original character)" on it. Like!" OK!" and "I can't hear you." By displaying these cards on the screen in a live lesson, you can show how you feel. Even children who are shy and have trouble saying what they want to say can express themselves in a variety of ways online. I think these also help children enjoy learning.
Editorial:Appeal cards are also a unique mechanism for online classes.
Fujisawa:After the children finish listening to their friends' presentations, it is very funny to see them holding up appeal cards that say "I like it! appeal cards after listening to their friends' presentations is very funny. It also nurtures their ability to communicate interactively and listen attentively, as well as their sense of self-affirmation (being happy to be praised and recognized).
The program is full of "professional experience in early childhood education" + "innovations unique to online education!
Editorial:I understand that DRAKIDS ONLINE was launched in April 2021. Can you tell us about the development process and the difficulties you faced?
Fujisawa:Although Dora Kids schools are located from Hokkaido to Kyushu, they are not evenly distributed in all areas. They are concentrated in urban areas where there are many children. As a result, we often receive inquiries from parents outside of urban areas asking, "Is there a Dora Kids classroom nearby? We have often received inquiries from parents outside of the city asking, "Is there a Dora Kids school nearby?
Dora Kids Online was born from the idea of how to deliver early childhood education to areas where such classrooms were not available. The new Corona model has enhanced the online environment for each household, and we decided to offer online classroom services at this time.
Editorial:For example, it would be difficult to open a Dora Kids classroom on a remote island, but online I can take the same classes. I live in Chiba Prefecture, and I still feel that there are not many early childhood education facilities like those in Tokyo, so I am very grateful.
Fujisawa:As you said, we cannot open a classroom in an area where there are no teachers, but with the online classroom, as long as there is an Internet environment, students can take classes on the island or overseas. We are very happy to be able to respond to inquiries that we had to decline in the past by saying, "You can receive early childhood education in our online classrooms no matter where you live.
In addition, as we have noticed with the launch of the Dora Kids Online service, we have been able to offer courses at 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm for younger, middle, and older children. As a result, we have seen an increase in usage from families who are working together. This is the same trend even in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo where Dora Kids schools are located.
We can say that we were able to overcome the obstacles of not being able to pick up and drop off students during the weekdays, lack of availability on weekends at nearby classes, and long distances and time required to pick up and drop off students at ...... by going online. I think we were able to convey the appeal of being able to provide education at home while the parents were at home preparing dinner, etc.
Editorial:I understand very well, since the majority of families these days have both working parents! By the way, I understand that all of the instructors at DRAKIDS Online also teach at DRAKIDS classrooms, but I wonder if there are any difficulties that are unique to online teaching.
Fujisawa:The biggest hurdle was that many of the instructors were not comfortable with IT equipment. I am not at all worried about early childhood education, but anyway, I was very anxious about using computers, mice, and screen sharing.
Editorial:We often hear similar stories about the installation of IT equipment in daycare centers and kindergartens. ......
Fujisawa:In order for the teachers to deliver educational services with confidence, we taught them how to use computers, zoom, and e-mail on a one-on-one basis. Once the teacher no longer feels anxious about these things, we have the actual lesson.
Editorial:It's quite a challenge. ......
Fujisawa:Also, we need to be creative in the way we present teaching materials because of the "computer screen" wackiness. So every month, we hold a workshop with the instructors to share ideas on how to use the screen and how to use the zoom function. We share how to use the screen and how to use the zoom function. Together with the instructors, we are working on ways to improve our skills and devise ways to make children enjoy using the computer screen.
Editorial:I see that you have researched various techniques to keep children focused on the screen and to keep them from getting bored!
Fujisawa:During the first month or so of the course, children are sometimes unable to stay in front of the computer and disappear from the screen, but after a month, even the youngest students are able to take the course by themselves.
Editorial:That is very helpful for us as parents (laughs). I also appreciate being able to see up close what kind of education my child is getting.
Online education, which is available at any place and time, is ideal for developing study habits!
Editorial:Can you give us some feedback from actual users and instructors of DRAKIDS Online?
Fujisawa:Again, parents have told us that it is attractive to them to be able to receive early childhood education at home. They also told us that they like the fact that they can continue learning because online study is not limited by location or time. For example, some children take the course while traveling or in the car. Others have told us that they like exploring the house and that their teachers praised them for doing well in math when they entered elementary school because of their continued use of Dora Kids Online.
Editorial:The effect of developing a habit of continuous study is wonderful. Also, the fact that there is no transportation to and from the classrooms, which I asked about earlier, is really appreciated by the parents.
Maybe a "chat space" will appear where you can chat with teachers and friends after class?
Editorial:Finally, can you tell us about the future development of Drakids Online?
Fujisawa:Since communication is limited to 3 times a month for ZOOM, we are wondering if we can create a place to communicate with the children outside of ZOOM.
Editorial:Does that mean renting a venue and organizing an event?
Fujisawa:We are looking for a system to connect online, not in real life. This is because, with ZOOM, you cannot chat with students outside of class. When class is over, you press the "bye-bye! and immediately press the exit button. In the classroom, we can talk about things like "I'm going to go to Fatty's," which is important for us to understand the children's situations and concerns. It also had the effect of shortening the distance between the instructor and the children. We are thinking ...... about creating such a place for communication and chatting outside of class.
After the interview
As a reporter from a working family who sends my 4-year-old daughter to preschool classes every Saturday, I was also very interested in Dora Kids Online. After all, eliminating the two-hour round trip to and from school is very appealing. In addition, being able to see up close how early childhood education professionals teach and interact with children would be very helpful for home study. If you are interested in early childhood education, please take this into consideration!
Dora Kids Online" Official Website
https://dora-kids.shopro.co.jp/course/sougou/online/
