Development and Verification of a Sustainable Science Education System for Schools after Future Disasters
Ensuring the Rapid Resumption of Lab-Based Learning to Support Active Learning
Past disasters have resulted in conspicuous delays in the resumption of lab-based Learning at elementary and junior high schools. According to study by Ochanomizu University of the Great East Japan Earthquake, classroom learning resumed approximately one month after the disaster. However, observation and experiments in science and other classes did not restart for periods ranging from several months to over a full year, according to study. In the inevitable event of future natural disasters, such virtual abandonment of laboratory learning classes must never happen again. With that objective in mind, this project is pursuing research and development in a practical framework targeting the following three areas over a six-year period from FY2016:
| (1) Collaboration |
| Build a collaborative network with cooperating regions and organizations that will be expanded into a nationwide education safety network. |
| (2) Developing and Packaging |
| Develop and package teaching materials and tools that can be used even in the absence of science rooms or other specialized classrooms and the equipment used in those spaces. The collaborating organizations will verify and improve the effectiveness of these packaged materials. |
| (3) Databases |
| Integrate the data and knowhow obtained from past disasters and reconstruction support with new data that Ochanomizu University has collected and prepared to assess the use of the system, these packages and knowhow after future disasters. |
The core objective of this project is to develop and implement practical education contents that support active learning in normal classroom situations. If a disaster occurs during the project period, we will make persistent efforts to mobilize and carry out practical testing of the systems and packages developed, striving to quickly restore laboratory teaching and other means of practical education.
