Program co-developer Hidekazu Masato speaks
What kind of class is it that makes you think about "what you can do for the world"?

"Clothes" are something we wear every day. Many lessons focus on "materials" and "culture," but not many focus on the original meaning of "why do we wear clothes in the first place?" We expressed this in the phrase "The Power of Clothing" and created teaching materials to get children thinking. These teaching materials are designed to encourage children to actively learn, rather than simply listening to the teacher. For example, we stimulate children's interest and encourage their participation through hypothetical scenarios such as "What if the world only had T-shirts and shorts?" and activities such as "What would you wear when you start living abroad tomorrow?" In true GU style, the materials also include the ability to coordinate fashion, making it fun for children with and without an interest in fashion to participate.
Furthermore, the teaching materials also address the refugee issue from the perspective of "international understanding." Rather than simply eliciting feelings of pity, the content encourages children to take action and ask themselves, "What can we do?" Through these materials, we aim to deepen children's understanding of the "power of clothing" and the "reality of the refugee issue."

Masato Hidekazu

Elementary school teacher and edutainment producer. In 2019, he was selected as one of the top 10 in the Global Teacher Prize, out of 30,000 entries from over 150 countries, becoming the first Japanese elementary school teacher to be named one of the "Top 10 Teachers in the World." He also serves as edutainment producer for the educational version of Momotetsu. His major publications include "The World's Top Teachers Taught: An English Textbook That Will Change Children's Futures" (Kodansha).