December 1 to 31.2004
Sony Science Education Program for Children
The role of the Sony Science Education Program for Children is to provide education subsidy each year for educational projects of superior merit that are designed to "foster children with an appreciation for the sciences." Schools from across Japan are invited to submit applications for assistance for their educational projects. As of the September 6 deadline for educational projects for 2005, the Program had received applications for educational projects from a total of 213 schools, of which 152 were elementary schools, 59 junior high schools and two combined elementary and junior high schools. The selection process was conducted in three steps that begin with the initial screening of submitted documents, the fact-finding visits to candidate schools and the final screening process. The 110 schools (projects) selected for Awardment for 2005 were announced on December 20, 2004.
- Full Awardment Projects: 1 school
Full Awardment schools qualify for education subsidy of ¥2 million and Sony-manufactured equipment (retail value approx. ¥650,000) intended for educational use. - Encouragement Awardment Projects: 15 schools
Encouragement Awardment schools qualify for financial assistance of ¥500,000 and Sony-manufactured equipment (retail value approx. ¥300,000) intended for educational use. - Fine Effort Awardment Projects: 94 schools
Fine Effort Awardment schools qualify for financial assistance of ¥100,000 and Sony-manufactured equipment (retail value approx. ¥250,000) intended for educational use.
education subsidy for the educational projects totaling ¥18.9 million was provided by the Sony Foundation for Education and equipment intended for educational use (laptop computers, LCD data projectors, digital video camcorders, digital still cameras, etc.) was donated by Sony Corporation. Application submitting schools whose projects failed to qualify for awardment were presented with Sony-manufactured digital still cameras (retail value approx. ¥60,000) as a reward for their efforts. The total value of donated Sony equipment (including nonqualifying schools) came to approximately ¥34.85 million.
Note that the awardment presentation ceremonies for the 110 awardment qualifying schools, to be held between the end of January and the end of February 2005, will be attended by representatives from Sony Group companies active in the local regions of qualifying schools.
Screening Committee Members (Titles)
- Hiroshi Nozaki (Director, National Museum of Japan)
- Kenji Hori (Supervisor, Intellectual Property Rights Office, University of Electro-Communications)
- Minoru Eda (Professor, Graduate School, Aomori University)
- Katsunobu Matsumoto (Professor, Faculty of Education, Osaka Kyoiku University)
- Midori Miyazaki (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Policy and Information Studies, Chiba University of Commerce)
Overview of 2005 Educational Project of the Full Awardment School
Ueji Elementary School (Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture): Was awarded for Ueji Project designed to foster children with an appreciation for the sciences.
Principal: Tetsuo Kawase
Address: 3-31, Ueji, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture
Tel: (0564) 53-0501
Ueji Elementary School believes that children with an appreciation for the sciences are children that (1) react with marvel and wonderment at the phenomena and events that nature around us brings, (2) when fascinated and wanting to know the why and wherefore take the initiative and follow their own instincts to study and solve the problems they encounter and (3) are capable of learning and expanding their knowledge through their interactions with their friends and the world around them, enabling them to develop new ideas and create new things. The school has established plans for a series of five projects that are designed to foster these qualities in children.
The following awarded projects were evaluated especially highly for setting out in detail educational proposals that can be applied by other schools throughout Japan. Project 1 (natural science) is designed to encourage teachers to structure instruction in unit segments as a way to better sustain the child's desire to enquire and also teaches children to broaden their knowledge by expressing and exchanging views with their peers. Project 2 (science of living) is designed to encourage teachers to structure instruction in unit segments in order to more effectively teach children to develop their own powers of cognitive awareness. Project 3 (integrated study) is designed to structure methods for evaluating the kind of strengths that the integrated study classes attempt to foster in children.
The Ueji Elementary School project was also recognized for conducting reviews and evaluation of the results of practical application conducted in the area of natural science, science of living and integrated classes and for having in place an effective process for incorporating the results into educational plans for the coming year.
The main schools qualifying for awardment are listed below.
[Full Awardment School]
- Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture Metropolitan Ueji Elementary School
[Encouragement Awardment School]
- Misawa City, Aomori Prefecture Metropolitan Nei Elementary School
- Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture Metropolitan Okayama Elementary School
- Tsukidate-cho, Date Gun, Fukushima Prefecture Municipal Tsukidate Elementary School
- Chikura-machi, Awa Gun, Chiba Prefecture Municipal Takeda Elementary School
- Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture Metropolitan Wakamatsu Junior High School
- Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture Metropolitan Midori-cho Junior High School
- Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture Metropolitan Honda Junior High School
- Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture Metropolitan Konakadai Junior High School
- Kofu District, Tokyo Metropolitan Nisshin Elementary School
- Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Metropolitan Kosaka Elementary School
- Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture Metropolitan Mutsumi Seibu Elementary School
- Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture Metropolitan Fujimatsu Junior High School
- Toyoda City, Aichi Prefecture Metropolitan Aizuma Junior High School
- Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture Metropolitan Sanyo Junior High School
- Ondo-cho, Aki Gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Metropolitan Tonoko Elementary School
Sony Preschool Education Program for Children
The awardment screening results for the Sony Preschool Education Program for Children were announced on December 20, 2004. A total of 84 nursery schools and kindergartens from 26 regional and municipal districts submitted project applications this year. After a careful screening process involving the initial screening of submitted documents and firsthand interviews, the Program selected a total of 44 schools for awardment. Of these, four qualified for the Advanced Project Awardment, 12 for the Superior Project Awardment and 28 for the Fine Effort Project Awardment.
The Advanced Project Awardment and Superior Project Awardment schools were provided with education subsidy for education totaling ¥44 million. All awardment qualifying schools were presented with Sony manufactured educational equipment (VAIO laptop computers and digital still cameras). Application submitting schools not qualifying for awardment were presented with digital still cameras as a reward for their efforts. (Full retail value of the Sony equipment came to approximately ¥11.7 million.)
The four Advanced Project Awardment schools were selected on the basis of the merits described below.
- Ibaraki University Department of the Education Kindergarten (Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture)
Practical Example of Fostering Children with an Appreciation for the Sciences: Creating a Pond That Attracts Dragonflies
The project is to restore a dried up pond on the school grounds that will provide a place where the children can commune with nature. The project received high marks for its approach of enabling children to discover and learn many new things gradually over a long period. Things such as that nature doesn't necessarily do what we want it to. The project was also recognized for the concerted approach the teachers took in closely observing the behavior of the children through the alternating periods of high and low child interest in project activities while applying innovative new ideas whenever necessary. - Onomachi Nursery School (Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture)
The Forest as the Setting for Nursery Education---Enrichment through Communion with Nature
This nursery school, which received the Superior Project Awardment the previous year, had already attained a higher level of development. Not resting on its laurels, however, the school has taken the initiative in reviewing the activities of the past from different perspectives and adopting new approaches in order to develop further and establish new directions for the future. Points of particular merit include 1) taking an integrated approach to activities that were conducted separately the previous year, 2) focusing on fostering consideration for others with the emphasis on the environment by taking on the task of growing things for the birds that live in the forest and 3) teachers involved on the project giving careful thought to what they wish to foster in the children and adopting innovative approaches for doing so. The project taught us that consideration for others is an important part of "fostering children with an appreciation for the sciences." - Akasaki Nursery School (Tohaku Municipality, Tottori Prefecture)
Enrichment through Inspiration---Learning Where You Live
Project merits include the fact that, based on themes and topics native to the local area, the project attempts to inspire the hearts of children by having them participate in project type activities conducted steadily over long periods. The project also has the teachers working as a team in a trial and error approach. This enables them to gain experience step-by-step through their project activities and establish directions for the future based on the current achievements of the children. - Seinan Jo Gakuin Mt. Zion Kindergarten (Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
Practical Research Designed to Foster Children with an Appreciation for the Sciences
The project was given high marks for recognizing that being able to live in harmony with others and with nature is at the heart of fostering interest in the sciences and for taking a direct approach to the very difficult challenge of combining consideration for others with science education. Special emphasis was placed on characteristics unique to the school and aesthetic sensibilities. The project was also recognized for its focus on finding ways to meet the challenges that ensure development will continue on through future years.
Chairman of Screening Committee: Hideaki Koizumi (Prof., Dr.Sc. Fellow (Corporate Chief Scientist and Corporate Director) Hitachi, Ltd.; Director, Center of Research on Brain-Science & Society; Director, Brain-Science and Education Program, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Member of Screening Committee: Toshiyuki Yamada (President, Shohoku College)
Member of Screening Committee: Kiyomi Akita (Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo)
Through this program the Sony Foundation for Education hopes to be able to pass on the details of unique plans and their practical application, including messages from the participating teachers that those plans incorporate, to the general public, as well as educators involved in preschool education throughout Japan.
