Current Trends for Science and Technology Education in Japan

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Current Trends for Science and Technology
Education in Japan

• GOTO Masakazu
• Curriculum Research Center
• National Institute for Educational Policy
  Research(NIER) of Japan

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• School System
• In Japan

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1.The Status of Teaching Science in Japan

• The Course of Study(National Curriculum) was
  decided by the Ministry of Education and Science
• Revision About 10 years
• 1972, 1991, 2002

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The Policy Behind the Former Curriculum

• (1)Fostering richness of spirit
• (2)Emphasis on the basics and promotion of
  education that encourages individuality
• (3)Fostering self-education ability
• (4)Respect for culture and traditions and
  promotion of international understanding

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The points of Science in the former Course of
Study

• (General points)
• (1)Emphasis on basics and individual personality
• (2)Learning based on everyday life, application
  of technology
• (3)Basic capability and creativity to come up
  with changing society
• (Science concrete points)
• (1)Observations, experiments, and raising
  cultivation
• (2)Scientific way of thinking on nature
• (3)Research activity and task study
• (4)Scientific guessing, judgment, expression of
  oneself
• (5)Utilizing computers
• (6)Science education from the viewpoints of
  protecting our environments

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The main policy at the former Science Course of
Study

• (The Elementary school)
• We are going to reinforce the actual
  experience of students with the natural phenomena
  and changing nature through observations and
  experiments. We introduced the subject Life
  Environment Studies in the 1st and 2nd grades.
• (The Lower Secondary School)
• We will offer more observations and
  experiments to students in order to nurture the
  ability of study science and ardent attitude to
  examine nature. Those studies must not be far
  from their daily life.

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The main policy at the former Science Course of
Study

• (The Upper Secondary School)
• Students are going to be encouraged to study
  science on their own and be urged to master
  scientific way of thinking. They can choose the
  appropriate classes according to their ability,
  capability and for their future plan.
• In addition, We will prepare to introduce
  computers to classrooms at all levels.

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Learning Programme of Science

• (The Elementary school)
• The science contents are divided into three
  areas A area Living things and their
  environments, B area Matters and energy, C area
  The earth and the universe
• Science and social study are integrated into
  Life Environment Studies in the First and
  Second Grade levels. Therefore science starts
  from the third grade level.

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Learning Programme of Science

• (The Lower secondary school)
• The science contents are divided into two
  fields First field Matters and phenomena
  related to substances and energy and second
  field Living things and natural matters and
  phenomena

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Learning Programme of Science

• (The Upper secondary school)
• Subjects
• Integrated Science(4 credits)
• Physics I A(2 credits), Physics I B(4
  credits), Physics II(2 credits)
• Chemistry I A(2 credits), Chemistry I
  B(4 credits), Chemistry II(2 credits)
• Biology I A(2 credits), Biology I B(4
  credits), Biology II(4 credits)
• Geology I A(2 credits), Geology I B(2
  credits), Geology II(2 credits)
• IA is the Course of Daily Life Science. The
  science-tracked student takes IB and II.
• Students must take at least one subject each
  from two subjects groups of these five.

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The number of hours for teaching
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2. Current state of children and educational
issues

• (1) High Achievements but Low Interest and
  attitude
• (2) Lacking in abilities to study and judge by
  themselves and to express their own opinions
• (3) Lacking in abilities to view things from
  multi-lateral and comprehensive angles
• (4) Few opportunities to use the computers and do
  fieldworks
• (5) Issues on the entrance examination
•  

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3. The Current Curriculum and the Reform of
Science Learning

• 1.The purpose of the national curriculum standard
  reform
• (1)To help a child cultivate rich humanity,
  sociality and identity as a Japanese living in
  the international community.
• (2)To help a child develop ability to learn and
  think independently
• (3)To help a child acquire basic abilities and
  skills and grow ones own individuality by
  allowing ample scope for educational activities
  to develop.
• (4)To encourage each school to show ingenuity in
  developing distinctive educational activities.

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• 2. The New Subject and Issue from 2002
•  The Main Theme Vitality to live through
• (1) The 5-day school week(Perfectly)
• (2)New course established The Integrated
  Study(2-3 units school hours)
• (3) Subject-based learning to Integrated
  learning(30 reduction of contents and time)
• (4)Schools characteristics and originality and
  ingenuity(Decentralization of Education)
• (5)Teachers ability Pre-service and In-service
  Teachers training(From Teachers to Coordinators,
  Organizers and Facilitators) How to use the
  out-of-school resources and facilities like
  Museums etc. 

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3.The reform of science learning

• (1)The elementary reform standard
• (a)Objectives
• ?To help students get familiar with nature with
  intellectual interest and inquiring mind.
• ?To help students observe and do experiments with
  definite purpose
• ?To help students foster the ability and attitude
  to inquire scientifically
• ?To help students foster the scientific view and
  way of thinking
• (b)The viewpoint of reform
• ?To think highly of learning related with natural
  experience and daily life
• ?To think highly of learning related with natural
  environments and human beings
• ?To do observation and experiments with ample
  scope and definite purpose
• ?To foster problem-solving ability and
  multi-lateral and integrated viewpoints

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3.The reform of science learning

• (2)Concrete reform items
• (The Elementary school)
• ?To foster the problem-solving ability
  (comparison of natural events, abstraction of
  factors with change, designed observation and
  experiment, multi-lateral considerations)
• ?To fulfill the relation with our daily life
  (making some matters and natural disaster)
• a.?Life and its environments?
• Phenomena with real life and growth of flora
  and fauna
• b.?Matters and energy?
• Character of matters and change of states,
  and making something
• c.?Earth and cosmos?
• Phenomena in the lithosphere, atmosphere and
  the terrestrial globe,
• Pursuit of these phenomena with viewpoints of
  natural disaster

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3.The reform of science learning

• (The Lower secondary school)
• ?To foster scientific way of thinking and
  problem-solving ability
• ?To develop from learning on the basis of direct
  experience and observation to learning to foster
  analytical and integrated viewpoints
• ?To fulfill outdoor observation to foster the
  problem-solving ability
• ?To think highly of inquiry activity to solve the
  tasks.
• The 1st field
• Light, sound and chemical change, electricity,
  phenomena of motion, energy, and scientific
  technology and human beings.
• The 2nd field
• Flora and fauna, the change of the land(orogeny),
  fertilization of life, terrestrial body,
  environments, natural disasters

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3.The reform of science learning

• (The Upper secondary school)
• ?To think more highly of inquiry study.
• ?To foster the ability and attitude to inquire
  the nature
• ?To help students foster rich scientific literacy
  according to the ability and aptitude, the
  interest and attitude, future plan of students
• The new establishment of Basic science (History
  of Science), Integrated science A and
  Integrated science B
• Subjects Basic Science(2 credits), Integrated
  Science A(2 credits), Integrated Science B(2
  credits)
• Physics I(3 credits), Physics II(3 credits),
  Chemistry I(3 credits), Chemistry II(3 credits)
• Biology I(3 credits), Biology II(3 credits),
  Geology I(3 credits), Geology II(3 credits)
• Students must take at least two subjects among
  them for graduation.

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Systematic Evaluation of learning achievements

• In addition, accompanying the revision of the
  Courses of Study, which represent the concrete
  form of curriculum standards, in December 1999,
  the Minister of MEXT asked the Curriculum Council
  to deliberate on The model for evaluation of
  childrens learning and the implementation of the
  curriculum. In December 2000, the Curriculum
  Council made an interim report, in which it
  recommended a change in assessment methods from
  the norm-based system currently in use to a
  criterion-referenced system. The report makes the
  following points in this connection

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The Newly Established Subjects

• (1)Basic science(History of Science)
• (2)Integrated science A and
• Integrated science B
• In addition to Physics III, Chemistry III,
  Biology III, Earth Science III

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The Challenges faced in implementing STE programs
Encouraging STE in Japan

• Science and Technology Basic Law in 1995
• The Promotion of Learning concerned with Science
  and Technology
• Article 19 The nation should implement necessary
  policy measures to promote the learning of
  science and technology in school and social
  education, bringing enlightenment to people and
  disseminating knowledge concerned with science
  and technology, so that all the Japanese people,
  including the young, can have a wide range of
  opportunities to deepen their understanding of
  and interest in science and technology

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Science Literacy Enhancement Initiative

• From the start of the 2002 fiscal year, with the
  aim of countering the drift away from science
  and technology by young people and society at
  large, and of increasing interest in science
  education and science and technology among
  children, MEXT launched the Science Literacy
  Enhancement Initiative in the hope that this
  would enhance eagerness to learn and help to
  foster creativity, intellectual curiosity and an
  enquiring mind.
• Specifically, the Science Literacy Enhancement
  Initiative contains the following projects

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1) Super Science High school and Science-liking
School

• Collaboration with Institute and University

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Hands-on activities and Fieldwork
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Research Presentation

• (1)Research-based learning
• (2)Club activities
• (3)Science volunteer
• (4)Collaboration with University, museum,
  academic society and local society etc.
• (5)Innovative Curriculum

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2) Science Partnership Program

• "Science Partnership Program (SPP)" supports
  schools that want to introduce educational
  resources from outside schools into classrooms.
  MEXT will help upper secondary schools and lower
  secondary schools invite distinguished
  researchers and engineers to give special
  lectures on scientific topics. MEXT will also
  help partnerships between schools and
  universities, research institutes and private
  companies develop innovative science learning
  programs.

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3) Rika-e Initiative (Development of advanced
digital study materials for science and
technology education)

• The study materials will be distributed to every
  classroom in Japan through the Internet(for
  example NICER(National Information Center for
  Educational Resources in NIER), by the end of
  2005

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4)The National Museum of Emerging Science and
Innovation

• National Museum of Emerging Science and
  Innovation (Mirai-CAN) is a newly opened science
  museum (opened in 2001). The museum is to be the
  center for promoting public understanding of
  science and technology and fostering human
  resources in Japan.
• Volunteers
• Interpreters
• New Technology
• Hands-0n
• Interactive learning

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5)Supporting activities at science centers and
science museums nationwide

• To stimulate activities of science centers and
  science museums, a national network for
  information exchange between science centers and
  museums was established. Now, a new program that
  supports partnership between science centers,
  museums and local schools has been launched.

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UN? Education for Sustainable Development ?

• Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
  (DESE) from 2005 to 2015
• UNESCO designated as the lead agency to promote
  and implement ESD
• Environmental Education, Development Education,
  Peace Education, Value Education, Democracy
  Education, Gender Minority Education, Human
  Right Education, etc
• Integrated Learning in Japan
• NIER organized the International Symposium for
  Sustainable Development and Education for the
  21st Century in 2005

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The Green Plan to promote environmental
education.

• Law No.130 for Enhancing Motivation for
  Environmental Conservation and Promoting
  Environmental Education was promulgated in 2003.
• The International Symposium on Educational Reform
  by NIER MEXT Sustainable Development and
  Education for the 21st Century was held in 2005.
  The objectives of the symposium are the
  following
• The National Institute for Educational Policy
  Research (NIER) in The Ministry of Education,
  Culture Sports and Technology (MEXT) will issue
  the New Teachers manual for instructing ESD in
  collaboration with the Environmental Agency for
  promoting and supporting the endeavor at each
  school in 2007.

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Training of teachers

• (1) University Education (pre-service education)
• (2) In-service Training
• (3) Leave for Graduate School Study

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Conclusions Recommendations

• MEXT has tried to improve and strengthen the
  system for STE. The informal education facilities
  also want to contribute to school and public
  education in the context of our current lifelong
  learning society.
• Science and technology teachers are expected to
  organize their teaching so as to make use of
  various teaching materials and local nature, as
  well as facilities and personnel outside the
  school with a view to inspiring students and
  showing them how interesting science and
  technology learning is, and making them more
  interested in science and technology not only in
  science and technology teaching hours but also in
  the Period of Integrated Study.

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Conclusions Recommendations

• Teachers are expected to play a role not only as
  teachers but also as coordinators and organizers
  in order to organize science learning
• Therefore science teachers education
  (Professional development) is even more important
  in the future.
• (Curriculum development, Assessment standard,
  National-level Test, Teachers education System
  development etc. )