A special “Teacher School” course was held for faculty members of public high schools in Osaka prefecture on December 3 (Saturday) at Tennoji Campus. About 70 people including high school teachers, board of education supervisors, and graduate students attended.
“Teacher School” is a workshop for teachers that consists of three graduate-level classes. This special course, which was limited to one day to fit in the busy schedule of high school teachers, focused on curriculum management and coordination between high schools and colleges.
In the morning, Assistant Professor Tomoko Tamura of Gifu University Graduate School of Education gave a presentation on her curriculum management philosophy and methods for implementation. She introduced the reverse design theory, which involves planning instruction based on goals that need to be achieved, and explained methods for analyzing and improving elements such as educational goals, organizational structure, and school culture. She noted that when applying this method, teachers should always start by pursuing better instead of best because it’s all about the children’s learning. Next, Professor Toshiyuki Kihara of the United Graduate School of Professional Teacher Education at OKU and Professor Tadashi Onchi of the Research Center for Teacher Education joined Assistant Professor Tamura in a workshop about implementing the lessons in actual classes. The class was divided into four-person groups to share stories and challenges from the schools where each of the participants work and to discuss strategies for improvement, and then engaged with other groups to further everyone’s awareness.
In the afternoon, Hideyuki Kumagai, Chair of the Liaison Office of Secondary and Higher Education at Ritsumeikan University, discussed career education and career path guidance required in high schools today. In his talk, he said: “There is a major gap between the skills companies want from potential employees and what students think they want. Companies think that students lack autonomy, communication skills, and perseverance, but students think that they lack language skills, industry knowledge, and qualifications. Students need the ability to face the working world and overcome challenges. They need to avoid the trap of focusing simply on qualifications and to instead develop unyielding persistence and communication skills that will help them to work with colleagues with diverse values and national origins.”
Next, previous “Teacher School” attendees gave a presentation onhow they implemented what they learned in real life. Miki Fukumoto, a teacher at Yuhigaoka High School, talked about her own career and the roles required of mid-level leadership, and Yuki Kihara, a teacher at Neyagawa High School, shared how she taught math classes about probability using rock-paper-scissors and dice-rolling events at a karaoke venue as examples.
Impressions of the event shared by the participating teachers included: “The visualization chart about management used during the workshop was easy to understand. I want to spend some time working on this with my colleagues in real life.” “I was surprised by how different the needs of companies are from what students think. I feel that I can help students develop skills that companies need through active learning classes.” “The approach of finding fun lesson materials in everyday life was unique, and I think it is important for students to perceive the connections between math and real life.”