Developing and Testing Education Systems That Are Sustainable After Future Disasters

Ensuring the Rapid Resumption of Lab-Based Learning to Support Active Learning

Past disasters have resulted in conspicuous delays in the resumption of lab-based Learning at elementary and junior high schools. According to Ochanomizu University surveys and research of the Great East Japan Earthquake, classroom learning resumed approximately one month after the disaster. We also discovered, however, that observation, experiments and laboratory learning in science, home economics and other classes did not restart for periods ranging from several months to over a full year. In the inevitable event of future natural disasters, such virtual abandonment of laboratory learning classes must never happen again. With that objective in mind, this project is pursuing research and development in a practical framework targeting the following three areas over a six-year period from FY2016:

(1) Collaboration

Build a collaborative network with cooperating regions and organizations that will be expanded into a nationwide education safety network.

(2) Packaging

Develop and package teaching materials and tools that can be used even in the absence of science laboratories or other specialized classrooms and the equipment used in those spaces. The collaborating organizations will verify and improve the effectiveness of these packaged materials.

(3) Databases

Integrate the data and knowhow obtained from past disasters and reconstruction support with new data that Ochanomizu University has collected and prepared to assess the use of the system, these packages and knowhow after future disasters.

The core objective of this project is to develop and implement practical education contents that support active learning in normal classroom situations. If a disaster occurs during the project period, we will make persistent efforts to mobilize and carry out practical testing of the systems and packages developed, striving to quickly restore laboratory teaching and other means of practical education.