Inquiry Lab
Investigate a question and share findings publicly.
04 / Concept proposal · 2025–
Neo-Terakoya
Small places, shared support.
The local tradition
What is a terakoya?
Privately run schools for commoners’ children in Edo-period Japan.
Reading
Writing
Some also taught arithmetic.
The proposal
Small, connected learning places. Alongside public education in Japan.
Room for different interests, paces, and strengths.
- My role
- Concept & learning systems design
- Output
- Draft architecture & learning formats
In development · untested proposal
01 / Design basis
More ways to take part.
Lived experience · Field observations · Desk research
Learning fit
Mismatched pace. Overlooked needs.
Access to support
Regional gaps and limited routes to consultation.
Six draft design principles
Participation
- Inclusion first
- Begin with belonging.
- Personal + shared
- Support individual learning within a community.
Learning
- Visible growth
- Use portfolios and performance assessment.
- Local curriculum
- Use local resources as learning material.
Local support
- Local asset mapping
- Identify available places, people, and resources.
- Capacity building
- Build the skills and support needed to sustain each place.
02 / Inside a learning place
Six conditions, one learning environment.
A place and a rhythm.
01 Space
A flexible third place for learning.
02 Time
After-school sessions and seasonal intensives.
People and possibilities.
03 People
A core facilitator, mentors, and peer supporters.
04 Modules
Adaptable inquiry, expression, language, and STEAM formats.
Ways to notice growth.
05 Technology
Lightweight tracking and ways to capture portfolio work.
06 Assessment
Artifacts, reflection, and possible micro-credentials.
03 / Draft learning formats
Different starting points for learning.
Explore & test
STEAM Micro-Lab
Build, test, revise, and document the process.
Express & communicate
Expression Atelier
Give experience form through writing, drawing, sound, and movement.
Language Studio
Explore speech sounds, meaning, and multilingual play.
Navigate everyday life
City as Classroom
Observe a place, map it, and propose a change.
Self-Advocacy Studio
Create a personal guide to support, boundaries, and self-regulation.
04 / The proposed network
Local places. Connected practice.
Each place
- Small scale
- Mixed ages
- Open entry
- Practical learning
- Locally adaptable
Across places
- Practice
- Curriculum & learning formats
- Documentation
- Portfolios & reflection
- Partnerships
- People, places & resources
Portfolios could connect learning across
- Home
- School
- Community
Could connected hubs reduce isolation?
05 / What needs testing
Learn locally before connecting places.
Could in-person sessions, online participation, and local resources widen access while preserving psychological safety?
Try locally
Listen & prototype
Try weekly sessions with a small cohort.
Pilot a hub
Explore local operations.
Review what changes
- Who can take part?
- Demand, access, and barriers to participation.
- What sustains a place?
- People, staffing, funding, and local resources.
- What would count as progress?
- Participation, learning, and psychological safety.
Revise
Consider connecting
Connect hubs
Share curriculum and practice.
Formalize partnerships
Develop collaboration and system integration.