Collaborative study between Japan and US on development of teaching materials and evaluation method concerning problem-solving skills in Geography

本研究旨在与美国研究人员、日本和美国教师合作，制定中学地理问题解决能力的课程、教学计划和教材，以及评价方法。通过分析日本实验教学中的学生报告，研究人员澄清了许多日本学生普遍存在的问题解决能力问题。这些原则是：a）许多学生没有弄清问题发生在哪里的习惯，也不了解问题的原因和结果因地而异，这是地理观点和地理思维方式的基础，B）学生在寻找解决问题所需的信息方面很薄弱，c）很少有学生有记录参考资料的习惯，等等。美方的“建设新学校-地理位置分析课”和日方的“通过人类贫困指数思考贫困问题”。这两种材料分别于2002年3月和5月在日本和美国的课堂上进行了实验。通过课堂观察发现，在日本，学生们很害羞，很少回答老师的问题，但他们很积极地参与了课堂活动。当他们回答问题时，他们会仔细考虑老师要他们回答的问题，并按照老师的意图仔细组织答案。然而，他们在真实的情境中应用所学的基本概念时并不积极。另一方面，美国学生在回答问题时非常积极，有时会提出超出教师意图或期望的建议。他们积极地将他们所掌握的基本地理概念应用于真实的情况。

The research aims to develop curriculum, teaching plan and material, and method of evaluation in secondary school Geography for problem-solving skill in cooperation with American researchers, and with Japanese and American teachers.Through analyzing students' reports written in experimental teaching in Japan, the researchers clarified problems of problem-solving skills common to many Japanese students. Those are: a) many students have no habit to clarify where the problem is happening and do not understand that the problem has different causes and results according to the place, that is the very basics of geographic views and geographic way of thinking, b) students are weak in finding necessary information for problem-solving, c) few students have habit to note the reference, etc.At the same time, two teaching materials were developed : "Building a new school- A geography lesson in locational analysis" by American side and "Thinking the problem of poverty through Human Poverty Index" by Japanese side. The both materials were experimented in Japanese and American classrooms in March and May 2002.Through classroom observation, it was found that in Japan, students are shy and rare to answer teacher's questions, but they are participating the lesson. When they answer, they are careful about what the teacher wants them to answer, and carefully organize the answer following teacher's intention. However, they are not positive in applying basic conceptions they have learned in the real situation. In the other hand, American students are very active in answering the questions, and sometimes propose beyond teacher's intention or expectations. They are positive to apply basic geographical concepts they have to the real situation.