English
日本語
The conference started with an international science course lesson for teachers of Juku schools. While showing the slideshow, Mr. Deseo, who is in charge of the project, would ask the teachers questions such as "Why?" and "What will happen after this?". Of course, there wasn't just one correct answer, so a wide variety of answers were given by the teachers. They were praised, with phrases such as “Excellent” and “I love that”. The presentation was lead in the direction based on their responses.
Following the presentation, the participants could visualize how classes could be carried out in the same way for students. It is understandable that the teachers of St. Dominic's have developed confidence in teaching the new course. If one can teach with such energy and enthusiasm, the scientific thinking itself should be promoted, regardless of the students English abilities. Mr. Deseo's presentation was well received and ended with a tumultuous applause.
Out of the three stages mentioned by Mr Deseo, Mr. Ichiro Ishikawa, the curriculum manager of St. Dominic's Institute, says that the "Prediction"-stage is particularly important for developing creative thinking. The future of science education will have a focus on teaching students a way of thinking independently, where there isn't just one correct answer.
After the conference, the elements of 21st century education could be noticed everywhere. In the international class, where students learn science terms in English, "Alexa" was placed in the corner of the classroom. During class the teacher, Mr. Willis, asked; “Alexa, how do you explain the base of a microscope?”. Even though Alexa wasn't located near the teacher's desk, but in the back of the class, the response sounded as if a good honor student, sitting in the corner, was replying to the teachers question; “The base of a microscope is ...”.
Studying hard doesn't mean memorizing a large vocabulary. It can be seen from the student's performances that they are passionate and want to study late at home. This is reflected in the hallway, where posters created by the students are hanging for display. In the picture you can see Lily and Azalea comparing the scientific differences in their leaves. It's important that the first grade students learn the terms of the flower structure are introduced in English when they also get introduced in Japanese.
