September 1 to 30.2004
Sony Science Education Program for Children & Sony Science Teachers Association
- The Program received a total of 213 applications for educational projects as of the deadline of September 6, 2004. While the overall number declined by 27 projects from the preceding year, we were pleased to see applications for four or more projects from the traditionally less active prefectures, including Hyogo, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Ehime,Oita and Kanagawa Prefectures. Such broadly based participation bodes well for the healthy development of the Program. Such broadly based participation across Japan's prefectures will surely go much further in promoting the development and diversification of the Program.
- Chiba Prefecture led the way with 28 project applications (seven more than last year), of which eleven were from first-time applicants (primary and junior high schools) in the southern region. This was certainly a result of the efforts on the part of the SSTA's Chiba chapter to expand its sphere of activities south from of Chiba City. Special workshops were held in southern Chiba as part of a drive to recruit new participants. It is hoped that SSTA chapters in other prefectures will adopt this successful approach in expanding the sphere of activities in their respective regions
- The final results of the screening process are scheduled to be announced on Dec. 20.
- The first of the project report presentation meetings by last year's qualifying schools was held at the Iijima Minami Primary School in Akita City, Sept. 10. Highly regarded by the 129 educators, mainly from the Akita Prefecture area, in attendance, the meeting included examples of practical application classes based on projects that qualified for the Encouragement Awardment. These were examples of classes aiming to "foster children with an appreciation for the sciences" by focusing on the basics of natural science, utilization of TT and learning problem solving methods. Participating in the poster sessions were 10 schools (for a total of 24) from outside Akita Prefecture. The natural science teachers in attendance expressed delight at witnessing the growing trend toward "employing the real thing" by actual experiments and exhibits of teaching materials.
Sony Preschool Education Program for Children
Report Presentation Meeting for Advanced Awardment Schools
The Advanced Awardment School Report Presentation Meeting for the Onomachi Nursery School (Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture) was held at two locations, the nursery school itself and the gymnasium of the local Onomachi Primary School on Sept. 17. Attended by over 150 participants, including kindergarten, nursery school and primary school teachers, as well as aspiring student nursery school teachers, the meeting proved a success that exceeded expectations.
The open-house nursery school session was held in the nearby woodlands. The program of activities for three and four year olds focused on natural objects available in the woodland while the program for five year olds and second graders from the nearby primary school focused on creating things from things found in nature.
The Symposium was attended by teachers from the kindergarten, nursery school and the participating primary school. Also attending in an advisory capacity were Assistant Professor Yokoyama, a specialist in pre-school education at the junior college of Showa Women's University, and Assistant Professor Matsubara, a specialist in science education at Kanazawa University. The two professors presented recommendations based on their areas of expertise, followed by dissertations on the theme of "fostering children with an appreciation for the sciences" as it relates to their individual areas of academic endeavor.
The commemorative lecture was given by Professor Hirose of the graduate school at Kanazawa University. The subject of the lecture was "Discovery and Invention That Starts in the World Right Around Us" and the professor cited specific examples over the course of his discussion.
