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In the Land of the Rising Sun
By Larry
Malone
You're going to Japan in July? That's the hottest time
of the year--and it rains all the time. You'll be steamed!
Why are you going then?
The FOSS staff received at the JSSE meeting.
From left: Hisaki Hitomi, Yasushi Ogura, Linda DeLucchi,
Larry Malone, Larry Lowery
We (Larry Lowery, Linda De Lucchi, and Larry Malone) were
going to Japan in July because that's when the Japan Society
for Science Education (JSSE) was having its 22nd annual meeting,
and they were inviting us to present FOSS.
We had met Yasushi Ogura, then a graduate student, and now
a researcher of the National Institute for Educational Research
in Tokyo, at a National Science Teachers Association convention.
He attended a FOSS introductory workshop and became interested
in the active-learning philosophy and pedagogical approaches
employed by FOSS activities. He and a number of his colleagues
in Japan are trying to foresee the future of science education
in their country, and they are not convinced that the traditional
approaches alone will serve in the future.
Ogura readily admitted that Japanese students perform very
well on the rigorous national examinations, due in part to
the cultural traditions of hard work and honor where academic
performance is concerned. But the examinations rely heavily
on students' ability to recall facts and names that have been
committed to memory. This is shallow mastery of subject matter.
And no one is going to be hired to take tests after completing
their schooling—they'll be hired to develop new products
and procedures, solve problems, and engage in long-term planning
for the benefit of the people, the land, and the planet. Ogura
and his associates are looking for ways to enhance the science
preparation being provided the next generation of Japanese
citizens. Ogura thought maybe the FOSS story could provide
an infusion of fresh ideas for rethinking science education
in Japan.
The JSSE meeting was held on the campus of the Tokyo Gakugei
University (est. 1949), one of the leading teacher-training
institutions in Japan. About 300 participants from all over
Japan attended the three-day meeting. JSSE members are university
professors in math, science, and education, graduate students,
and others involved in science education. They are active
in establishing the standards, courses of study, and learning
materials that are used nationwide in Japan. They are the
agents of change if change is to happen.
Atushi Yoshida (left) addresses the workshop
audience.
We arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 28, in plenty of time
for Larry Lowery's "most honorable lecture" on Thursday. The
lecture was the featured general session. Larry spoke, with
the aid of a most skilled interpreter, on the subject of active
learning, brain development, and research on instructional
methods and educational outcomes. Just about all of the audience
could follow Larry's flow of ideas pretty well in English—the
study of English is mandatory in Japanese schools—but
it was nice to have the interpretation in order to convey
the subtler and more technical dimensions of the address.
The second most honorable presentation was given by our colleague,
Dr. Floyd Mattheis, Professor Emeritus at East Carolina University,
Greenville, NC and one of the original FOSS trial center directors.
His presentation at JSSE was entitled "Science Education Reform
in the United States as it Relates to Curriculum Research
and Development" and provided a forum for an exchange of ideas
between educators from Japan and the United States. Floyd
is highly respected by the Japan science education community
as a result of his 13 study visits to the country since 1977.
On Friday we trotted out the FOSS kits and worked with a full
house of 50 participants, again with the benefit of an interpreter
(although the materials spoke for themselves in a universal
language that was fully understood by all). After a brief
discussion of the FOSS history and philosophy, a summary of
the educational/ political environment in which it was developed,
and the goals for students and society that FOSS strives to
attain, we cut to the chase.
Some of the 50 FOSS workshop participants.
I started with Black Boxes from the Models and Designs
Module. It was a big hit. The concentration and diligence
were palpable. And the results were typical—indistinguishable
from the models developed by American science educators—or
sixth graders for that matter—around the world. And
the reasons for including the activity in the module were
absolutely clear to the participants. They enjoyed the challenge,
weathered the frustration, seized the opportunities for creative
problem solving, and took full advantage of the materials
to develop, refine, argue, and revise their models. And the
drought stopper stopped them all. The notion of a self-starting
siphon was unfamiliar, but intriguing.
Note: Three weeks later one of our hosts, Hisaki Hitomi,
was in Berkeley gathering additional science curriculum information
for a research project. He brought a wonderful piece of Japanese
folk art to us as a gift. It is a cup with a little gnome
in the bottom, looking up at the drinker. He is a reminder
that a polite guest does not fill his cup 100% full, but rather
in deference to the host, fills his cup to only 80%, or possibly
90% capacity. If the guest has the temerity to fill his cup
full, he gets a surprise. The entire contents of the cup streams
out a hole in the bottom, onto his shirt and into his lap.
The cup, like the drought stopper, is a self-starting siphon.
Linda finished the workshop with the Human Body Module,
demonstrating how an introduction to fundamental body systems
can be accomplished with a hands-on approach. And the Mr.
Bones assemblies looked very familiar—arms akimbo, lower
legs reversed, lumbar vertebrae tried on as neck bones. Again,
we were struck by the universality of the approaches people
employ around the planet when they work with materials to
construct understanding of the natural world.
We had a wonderful time. The participants had a wonderful
time. But is that all? We're hoping to continue our dialog
with our Japanese science educator friends. There was a mutually
expressed sense that as members of two of the most influential
countries on the planet, we share some responsibility for
helping our citizens attain a substantial level of scientific
literacy. Whether the FOSS methods will influence changes
in Japanese science education remains to be seen, but we welcome
the opportunity to continue the discussions.
During our visit we had an opportunity to participate in the
Youngsters Science Festival held at the Japan Science Foundation's
Science Museum, located on the grounds of the Imperial Palace
in Tokyo. For one week each year the Science Museum is transformed
into a hands-on science extravaganza where thousands of students,
teachers, and families share in the excitement of science.
Many of the exhibit booths are staffed by students who engage
the festival participants in interactive science and engineering
events. Because of the popularity of the festival, it has
been recreated in many other parts of the country. There really
is no equivalent community/ school science celebration in
the United States.
We did have a few days after the conference to see some of
the natural marvels and cultural locations in Japan. One stop
in Nikko was the Toshugu Shrine, completed in 1636 to honor
the first Shogun, Iyeyasu Tokugawa. Here at the sacred stable
we saw a series of monkey carvings representing the "life
of a man." One is the famous "hear no evil, speak no evil,
and see no evil" icon depicting good advice being delivered
from mother to child. It seemed like good advice for curriculum
developers, so we took our vow of eternal integrity as we
emulated the famous carving. This was just one of countless
powerful locations we visited over the next few days.
Close-up of the "hear no evil..." woodcarving.
Larry, Linda, and Larry at Toshugo Shrine
in Nikko.
I would like to recognize several people whose insight, kindness,
and generosity made our trip to Japan a memorable life experience.
First, Yasushi Ogura who initiated the whole adventure and
made many of our arrangements for housing, transportation,
and recreation. Thanks to Atsushi Yoshida for guiding us into
the center of Tokyo to seek out a Japanese bird identification
guide. And thanks to Hisaki Hitomi (and Hiroko) who guided
us around Nikko, one of the cultural and scenic gems of Japan.
And finally, thank you to Professor Takashi Shimojo, director
general of the 22nd annual meeting of the JSSE, for making
our visit to Japan a possibility. |
