Weijers, Dan M.Edwards, Alexander2025-12-172025-12-172025https://hdl.handle.net/10289/17828This thesis discusses the educational philosophy of Sosaku Kobayashi, the principal and founder of Tomoe Gakuen, the innovative school featured in the novel Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window. It begins with an introduction to the novel and its author, situating Tomoe Gakuen within the broader context of early-20th-century Japanese education. After discussing the features of the progressive education movement, I then explore the key principles, values, and teaching style that Sosaku Kobayashi employs, as illustrated through the anecdotes in the novel, and the goals they are intended to achieve. Following this, I discuss how learner-centered education has influenced modern curricula worldwide since the Second World War and examine the ongoing dialogue between its detractors and advocates. This segues into a comparison between the learning philosophy of Sosaku Kobayashi and other prominent styles of progressive education, namely Montessori, Steiner, and outdoor-focused education. Finally, I explore what Kobayashi’s philosophy might have looked like had it developed into a broader educational movement and continued to flourish into the 21st century beyond Tomoe Gakuen.enAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.Thesis