April 1 to 30.2006
Sony Science Education Program for Children & SSTA
Guide to Classroom Instruction Discussion Session: To be held at Full Awardment Project School
Classroom Instruction Discussion Session will be held at Kariya Higashi Junior High School (Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture), which was named as the Full Awardment Project School for FY2005.
Date: June 16 (Fri.), 2006. Reception begins at 12:30; Discussion Session will be held from 13:00 to 16:30.
Research Topic: Fostering Children with enquiring attitudes and an appreciation for the science- Cultivating Sensitivity, Creativity and Initiative
"The Foundation: Creating Classes that Inspire Students to Love Your Subject"
The Discussion Session will be held in the afternoon. In addition to the open classes that will be held for all subjects, a substantial program has been planned for the Session, including a commemorative lecture to be given by Dr. Shunpei Yamazaki, president of Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. and registered in Guinness Book of World Records for the number of patents he has acquired.
Everyone's participation will be welcomed!
For details, please access the following link:
http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/science/taikai/2006.html
Young Teacher- Training Workshop Now Approaching !
Focusing on teachers in their second to fifth years of teaching, the Workshop aims to improve qualifications and capabilities to create better science classes.
With the focus on improving experiments and practical skills through practical training and the formation of teaching plans, the ability to make teaching plans for science curricula will be instilled.
Transcending prefectural bounds, this will be an opportunity to further exchanges with teachers from neighboring areas who have participated and to learn about new trends in education from lecturers and instructors.
This year, 120 teachers will be participating at five venues. We will be reporting the enthusiasm that the young teachers bring, and we hope that you will be looking forward to it.
For the schedule and reports on past workshops, please access the following link: http://www-sec.sony-ef.or.jp/young/index.html
Leadership -Development Workshop : Activities Have Begun Through E-mailing List
The Leader Development Seminar, which focuses on key teachers in various areas from whom leadership is expected, is now entering its third year.
With the aim of developing teachers able to conduct recommendable research as practitioners of science education and to instill pacesetting class practice, continued training will be given over two years, beginning with the Summer Seminar.
In the Summer Seminar, in addition to talks and commemorative lectures given by top lecturers, participants will form small groups for thorough discussion of common themes to develop curriculum and the like. Substantial training will be provided over the course of three days and two nights.
In preparation for this workshop, an e-mailing list will be used to facilitate exchanges of opinion among 40 teachers nationwide. The organization of groups and the determination of themes for each will be advanced for the Summer Seminar.
The third year is off to a good start: in one short week since the e-mailing list was released, over 100 e-mails have been exchanged.
For details on the Leader Development Seminar and reports on the first and the second years, please access the following link:
http://www-sec.sony-ef.or.jp/seminar/index.html
Sony Preschool Education Program for Children
The start of a new fiscal year is a busy time, marked by various events and functions and we hope that everyone is off to a good start. This year, as well, our program will be seeking essays for educational project application. We openly invite everyone involved with kindergartens and nursery schools nationwide that are fostering children's sensitivity and creativity to submit their efforts.
See http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/preschool/2006/index.html.
If you are interested, please contact us and we will send you the application requirements.
Volume 3 of the well-received Collection of Practical Teaching Cases has been completed in booklet form.
The entire content is also posted on our homepage:
http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/preschool/practice/index.html
Now accepting orders! If you would like to receive Volume 3, please contact us.
We will begin sending out the booklets in early May.
Sony Education Foundation
Tel.: 03-3442-1005
Fax: 03-3442-1035
E-mail:
This month's theme for web magazine Did You See That?! The Spirit of Science is presented below. Please take a look.
- Vol. 23, The Feeling of Nature: How do children perceive nature's abundance?
http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/preschool/webmagazine/webmag23.html - Vol. 24 Stirring the Mind: Eliciting sensitivity, imagination and curiosity
http://www.sony-ef.or.jp/preschool/webmagazine/webmag24.html
The next issue, Vol., 25 (Mon., May 1): Insects: Known and unknown
Wellspring of Science Inspiration---Children's Schoolhouse of Dreams
The submission of applications for FY 2006 "Wellspring of Science Inspiration - Children's Schoolhouse of Dreams" began in March and ended on April 26 (Wed.). We received applications from about 60 people from 10 prefectures, in Kanto area.
Thank you very much for so many applications. Hereafter, through the document- and interview-based screening process, we will select about 30 participants, by the beginning of June.
We are constantly preparing to ensure that, this summer's activities will be substantial and will prove to be memorable for participants.
