Current Issues of Natural Disasters as Described in Recent Science Education

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  • 近年の理科教育における自然災害の取扱いの現状と課題
  • 近年の理科教育における自然災害の取扱いの現状と課題 : 平成に発生した自然災害と学習指導要領改訂等から捉えた理科教育への影響
  • キンネン ノ リカ キョウイク ニ オケル シゼン サイガイ ノ トリアツカイ ノ ゲンジョウ ト カダイ : ヘイセイ ニ ハッセイ シタ シゼン サイガイ ト ガクシュウ シドウ ヨウリョウ カイテイ トウ カラ トラエタ リカ キョウイク エ ノ エイキョウ
  • —Development and Features of Science Education since Heisei-era Natural Disasters, Supported by the Revised Course of Study—
  • ―平成に発生した自然災害と学習指導要領改訂等から捉えた理科教育への影響―

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Abstract

<p>Based on the revised course of study issued in 1998, which was intended to overhaul the old curriculum, fewer topics of natural phenomenon had been written about in science textbooks as compared with those published 10 years prior. The subsequent revision, in 2008, said that educators should teach natural disasters in relation to real human lives. This change was mainly based on the desire to nurture scientific literacy, which the OECD had suggested following PISA 2006 investigations, and on international discussions about preventing natural disasters during UN/DESD (Decade for Education in Sustainable Development) conferences. In the latest course of study, published in 2017, the term ‘disasters’ on General Provisions shows significant and closer connection with education for preventing/reducing disasters. Moreover, it has been explicitly stated that teachers should help students grasp disasters via instruction from a cross-subject perspective based on the idea of Curriculum Management. Considering the above situation, I would like to raise three issues: ① Since natural disasters have been taught both in social studies and science, some aspects have been double-defined. It would be more effective to clearly divide each category into either social studies or science. The topic of social systems for preventing disasters has been taught in Social Studies in Japan for years, and Science has dealt with natural phenomena themselves. ② For school children, it is particularly challenging to connect natural disasters studied in Science or Social Studies to their daily lives. This is partly due to the MEXT system, which has two independent departments: one for school subjects and the other for school safety, including disasters. ③ It is crucial to teach children how to prevent/reduce natural disasters, especially when following the UN policy of ESD. However, the idea is neither fully understood by school children nor even by teachers, while the international movement to adopt and keep the ESD rules is becoming widely known. Further discussion of these three issues is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of students’ learning on natural disasters in future. </p>

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