Oyo-Buturi International

Oyo-Buturi International Interviews What happens if you heat water in a beak- OBI: And do you actually let them do the er? Will the volume change just by heating? experiment? The topic of this issue is science education Will it become larger or smaller – or will Mr Oguro: Yes. The 4th graders do their for children at the primary and high school there be no change whatsoever? So I experiments in small groups. I explain how level. We now report conversations of in- “throw” them a problem. They each make the main equipment is to be used, such as terviews with Mr Kiharu Oguro of Tama- a choice and write down why they decided alcohol lamps and in some cases I demon- gawa Gakuen Primary School and Mr Hi- on a particular answer. The answers are strate the use of the particular pieces of roshi Masuko of Azabu High School. They usually based on personal experiences, such equipment. both teach science to children: Mr Oguro as the pupil who remembered that when OBI: What do you do when they have fin- teaches children from ages 6 to 11 and Mr his mother filled a saucepan with water it ished the experiment? Masuko teaches children from age 12 to boiled over into the cooker. So he thought Mr Oguro: First, I ask the children to 17. We hope that their ideas about teaching that the volume would increase and his present their results and compare them and their hopes and concerns for with their forecasts. Then I ask the future of science education for them to write down their interpre- children will make a positive contri- tation based on their actual results, bution to the current debate on ed- whether the results were right or ucation at primary and secondary wrong. After that, I speak for a few school levels. minutes about the experiment and give them examples of everyday sit- uations where similar results can Mr Kiharu Oguro readily be seen. For example, “Air Tamagawa Gakuen also expands when heated: the size Primary School, Tokyo of a bicycle or car tire is different in the summer and winter; the tyre OBI: How do you interact with children who have only just left tube life-buoy when that you play kindergarten? with at the seaside becomes much Mr Oguro: Children in the first harder if you leave it in the sun. grade and second grades are only 6 Have you noticed?” As a finale I or 7 years old, so they are at the leave a them with a few questions to stage of learning how to behave as think about. How does heat travel part of a social group. They have through the water? What would lived with their parents and broth- happen if a metal was heated? Re- ers or sisters, but they have yet to lated topics... experience living as member of any OBI: Have you found that children other kind of group. They must like or dislike any particular kinds practice what they have been told at of experiments? home about good manners, eating Mr Oguro: Yes. Children like ex- properly in company and so on. So periments where rapid changes can the first couple of years are spent es- be seen and the results are easy to tablishing the basic foundations of attain. They dislike experiments everyday life outside the home. The where changes are slow or results 3rd and 4rd grades are then devoted difficult to get. Chemistry experi- to studying particular subjects. ments are popular but biology experiments, such as looking at differ- OBI: In your experience, for what length of time can 1st and 2nd ences in the growth rates of plants graders concentrate on listening to you forecast and reason were based on that ob- in the dark and daylight, are not so well during class time? servation. Or there was the boy who wrote liked. They take too long before results can Mr Oguro: If I only talk, then about 15 to that the volume should decrease because he be seen! 20 minutes! But when I teach science and remembered that when his mother boiled OBI: Do you have any explanation as to use a variety of interesting equipment, they some water and left for a while he came why children are keen to think and play will quite often listen for 40 to 50 minutes back to find that it had “disappeared”. with science at primary school age, but at and time goes by very quickly. OBI: What else do you ask the children to 18 or so they tend to move more towards write? the arts subjects? The rika-banare. OBI: Do you have a particular method of teaching science to such young children? Mr Oguro: I ask them to write down how Mr Oguro: One problem is that many Mr Oguro: I do not really “teach them” sci- they would experimentally check their teachers at primary and high school teach- ence; I encourage them to think about why forecast results; the most efficient method; ing science subjects do not have a back- particular things happen the way they do to how long it would take; what aspects would ground in science themselves; they are try to solve problems by themselves and be dangerous, such as when using fire, and mostly from arts backgrounds. I must add, not to be afraid of making mistakes. so on. That is when I ask them to write though, that this is not the case at my down the whole procedure for carrying out school, Tamagawa Gakuen. These teachers OBI: Can you give an example? Mr Oguro: Yes, let’s take this example. an experiment. went on to study arts because they themselves disliked maths and science in their Mr Hiroshi Masuko of science education in this country? younger days. The result is that they do not Azabu High School, Tokyo Mr Masuko: The trends are quite clear. teach children in a way that makes the sub- Firstly, the percentage of class time allocat- ject interesting and enjoyable. As a result OBI: Why did you decide to become a high ed to science is such that the 6-8 age group children lose interest in the subject at an school teacher? is 0%, 8-9 is 11%, and 9-15 is 10%. At early age. The problem lies with teachers Mr Masuko: When I finished my under- senior high school only 4 hours per week is who rely too much on videos, photographs graduate degree at Waseda University I was required and all science subjects, physics, and text books with very little experimental not too sure what I wanted to do, so I de- chemistry, biology, and earth sciences are work to back it up. cided to stay on and do a Master’s degree. selective. OBI: What aspect of science or technology It was during this time that I first thought Next, most science teachers at the ele- do you think has had the most affect on so- about becoming a teacher. I then had to mentary level disliked science when they ciety in the 20th century? pass an examination to get the qualification were students but went on to become Mr Oguro: That is a difficult question, but to become a school teacher and here I am. teachers and now have the responsibility of I think computers have really changed the OBI: Can you tell us a little about the his- teaching science to youngsters. Few schools world a lot. The people responsible for de- tory of your school, the number of students have specialist science teachers and in some veloping computers have changed society. and so on? cases the teachers do not know how to use OBI: How to do think computers will be Mr Masuko: Azabu High School is a pri- equipment properly. used in educating primary school children? vate school. It was founded in 1895 by Mr At at the junior high school level, there Mr Oguro: As a tool for learning, and for Ebara and we have a total of 1800 students are not enough allocated class hours to communicating. At Tamagawa we at the moment. It’s a boys’ only school and teach the curriculum as required. have an exchange programme with Pupils tend to treat scientific topics a similar school in California and as a test of memory and as the pu- we use computers to hold regular pils progress up in years the discussions about the environ- number of students who like sci- ment, using video cameras over the ence goes down and those who dis- Internet. This helps the children like it goes up. experience the English language at At the senior high school level, first hand. We have also started a the is a dramatic decrease in the new network called “Chat-Net” number students who take up sci- for communication between the ence, especially physics. school, parents and children via Young people are interested in the Internet using electronic mail. the fruits of science but they are We teach the children the basics not interested in being part of the about how to use computers. Be- process of advancing science. ing children, they absorb new ideas OBI: What do you think are the quickly and the 10-11 year-old main reasons for young children’s children are already quite compe- dislike of scientific subjects? tent. Mr Masuko: “Efficiency!” Chil- OBI: What do you do in your spare dren want the best possible results time? Do you have any particular with the minimum of effort.

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