December 1 to 31.2005
Sony Science Education Program for Children
Final Screening Results
The final screening session was held to consider which of the four candidate schools still in the running should qualify as Full Awardment Project schools. After careful deliberation, the screening committee selected two schools; Matsugae Kita Elementary School (Kita Kyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture) and Kariya Higashi Junior High School (Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture).
Overview of Project Application Essay Content:
- An increasing number of schools are achieving success in formulating quality educational project plans by adopting an approach that begins with conducting thorough review and evaluation of the results of previous projects and applying the knowledge gained to the next challenge (or project plan). The introduction of the new scoring system, in which application, review and evaluation account for 50 percent of marks and the quality of the project plan for the coming year for the other 50 percent, is beginning to produce positive results.
- Teachers of some schools had found out worrying facts that children enjoy taking part in experiments but are not interested in examining and interpreting the results. And, there has been a notable increase in the number of schools that are now taking the time to study what is required to foster in children a real motivation to discover and learn of their own volition. They are doing this through carefully analyzing their young subjects, who are still children, when reviewing the results of completed educational projects.
- The ongoing quest to further the education of children has led to an increase in the number of plans that focus on "learning through and from each other." The approach begins with encouraging children to formulate their own opinions, then asking them to explain why they believe in what they do as a way to promote exchange of views between children. This is a truly worthwhile approach that serves to develop both powers of observation and communication skills in children.
- This process has led to an increase in the number of plans that attempt to forge links between the study of natural science and other subjects (including Japanese, ethics, and integrated study). Other plans are focusing on exploring the links between natural science and mathematics.
The Sony Education Program for Children is delighted with the new developments that include an increase in the number of schools taking a comprehensive approach to determining what is required to foster children with an appreciation for the sciences, more schools formulating educational project plans that focus on their own unique qualities and the effect this success will have in promoting the kind of educational research that can sustain the evolution of education in Japan.
Sony Science Teachers Association (SSTA) Support Activities
Overseas Study Workshop
Interviews were conducted of applicants for the "Project Zero Classroom 2006" at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The ongoing theme is "Views on Understanding." A total of four applicants representing Aomori Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture were selected.
Sony Preschool Education Program for Children
1. Announcing Results of Screening for Educational Project Essays
The Program received project application essays from a total of 62 kindergartens and nursery schools located in 22 towns and cities across Japan during the application period (April 1 to September 12). After a careful process involving document screening, fact-finding visits and the final screening, awardments were granted to a total of 34 schools. These included the Advanced Project Awardment to four schools, the Superior Project Awardment to ten schools and the Fine Effort Awardment to 19 schools. One school was also granted the Lord Mayor of London Awardment (*1), an awardment being specially granted for limited two-year period.
Visitors to our site are invited to read an overview of the evaluations revealing those strengths on which the screening committee, headed by Chairman Hideaki Koizumi, rated the qualifying essays. The evaluations also offer insights on what the Sony Foundation for Education feels the various essays are trying to tell us. For more details, please visit the following URL.
Screening Evaluation: http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/preschool/2005/souhyou.html
Advanced Project Awardment Schools (4) and School Project Subthemes
- Keya no Mori Nursery School (Private), Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture
Appreciation for the Sciences Leads to a Richer and More Meaningful Life - Sumiyoshi Municipal Nursery School (public), Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture
Discovering the Wonders of Science Through Seeing, Touching and Trying Things for Oneself - Tokiwakai Nursery School (private), affiliated with Tokiwakai College, Osaka City, Osaka Regional District
Awakening an Appreciation for the Sciences in Children - Hokuryo Kindergarten (private), affiliated with Mizutani School, Hikawa Gun, Shimane Prefecture
Preschool Education to Get Inquiring Minds Started: Inspired Young Minds are Naturally Moved to Ask the "Why" and the "Wherefore"
Visit the Following URL for a list of all the awardment qualifying schools.
List of Awardment Qualifying Schools:
http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/preschool/2005/list.html
2. Applied Preschool Education Research Workshop Report Now Posted
Reports on the Applied Preschool Education Research Workshops recently held at Advanced Project Schools for 2004 have been posted on the Foundation website. The schools include Hokuryo Kindergarten (Shimane Prefecture), Izumigaoka Nursery School affiliated with Tokiwakai College (Osaka) and Aizuwakaba Kindergarten (Fukushima Prefecture). The reports present the key features of each workshop meeting in a simple and straightforward format. Visitors are encouraged to follow the activities of the workshops at the URL listed below.
http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/preschool/2005exhibition/jissenteian.html
"Wellspring of Science Inspiration---Children's Schoolhouse of Dreams"
Following on the success of 2005, a "2nd Wellspring of Science Inspiration" program is being scheduled for 2006.
- Date (To be confirmed)
August 14 (Mon.) to 18 (Friday), 2006 - Venue (To be confirmed)
Shizen no Mura Village Waka Ayu, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
The team of twelve educators slated to serve as instructors for the 2006 program have just held their first planning session.
The Wellspring of Science Inspiration program will begin accepting applications from aspiring young students in March.
