Makoto Shichida

Professor Makoto Shichida led a worldwide revolution in education that is changing the way we understand children, their learning styles and brain capabilities.
Makoto Shichida

Putting the heart and soul back into education

Professor Makoto Shichida began his career as a passionate and much-loved English teacher in Gotsu, Japan. He taught all ages from infants to adults and noticed how much faster and easier the youngest children were learning as his career progressed. Intrigued by this phenomenon, he dedicated the next 20 years to researching early childhood brain development and psychology.

The original whole-brain teaching method

He founded the Shichida Method in 1958 as the original whole-brain teaching method. The Shichida Method is designed to draw out the innate abilities all children are born with. In 1976, he opened the first Shichida Early Learning Centre, and its popularity has since grown worldwide.

According to Professor Makoto Shichida, “Shichida Education is a soul education. The main aim of the Shichida Method is not just to give children knowledge but to cultivate their heart and soul.”

He believed that an unbalanced society that favors competition, cognitive skills, and egotism has disconnected from right brain aspects such as intuition and creativity.

Creating a positive difference

His aim in creating the Shichida Method was not only to strengthen the neural connections of right-brain abilities in harmony with the development of the left brain but also to teach children and their families how to use these extraordinary abilities to make a positive difference in the world.

Professor Shichida held a doctorate in education.  He was a well-known public figure in Japan for his numerous contributions to brain research and learning achievements. He was awarded the highest honorable Merit Prize by the World Science Council, received a distinguished service for the World Peace Grand Knight Title in 1997, and was honored with the World Peace Prize in 1998. In 2003, he received the Swedish Academy for Health and Medical Sciences Grand Prize and the Higashiku Ninomiya Invention Award.

He authored several books on early childhood education, including ‘The Right Brain and Education’ and ‘The Shichida Method: Realize Your Child’s Potential’.

Makoto Shichida led a worldwide revolution in education. His teaching method transformed our understanding of children, their learning styles, and their brain capabilities. Unfortunately, Makoto Shichida passed away on the 22nd of April 2009.

“When you engage the hearts of children, you engage their minds.”

Professor Makoto Shichida (founder)