A Study on the Improvement of School Education Environment During the Period of the Decrease in the Number of Children

本报告分为两部分：第一部分是关于在日本学生人数减少期间改善学校设施的现状和问题，第二部分是关于采用部门教室制度的学校。自理事会报告提交以来，日本的教育政策正在发生变化。同样，小学和初中教育设施的改善也在发生变化。这是从量的改进转向质的改进。第一部分是以三次问卷调查为基础，对市教委学校设施处进行分析。第二部分是对1999年在秋田成立的一所公立初中的个案研究。学校实行分科制，学生每节课都要移动教室上课。这一模式虽然在日本的初中学校中很少被引进，但却被视为推进教育改革的典范之一。该教学楼有三个重要的建筑特点：1）每个教室都是为特定的学科设计的; 2）在教学楼的中央有一个开放空间，用作学校图书馆;一是师生都喜欢这座校舍，二是分科制的教室体系受到学生的普遍肯定，第三，每一节课的声誉都与课堂环境的丰富密切相关。

The present report has two parts : the part one deals with the present situation and problem of the improvement of school facilities during the period of decrease in the number of students in Japan, and the part two focuses on a school which adopts the departmentalized classroom system.The Japanese education policy has being changing since the submission of the report of the Council on Education. Similarly, the improvement of school facilities for elementary and junior high education has been changing. It is the diversion from quantitative improvement to qualitative one. The part one analyzes, based upon the three times questionnaire to the division for school facilities in municipal boards of education. It is one of the important fact findings that about 7 percent of elementary schools have open-plan classrooms.The part two is a case study on a public junior high school founded in 1999 in Akita. The school is designed for the departmentalized classroom system : students move classroom and take lessons every period. Although this is introduced to few junior high schools in Japan, is viewed as one of the models that promote the educational reform. The school building has 3 important architectural characteristics, 1) every classroom is designed for specific subject, 2) a open-space is located at central part of school building and used as school library, 3) the computer room called "media center" is designed as open-type.The main findings are as follows ; firstly both students and teachers like this school building, secondary the departmentalized classroom system is received affirmation by students in general, thirdly each reputation of the lesson is closely related with the enrichment of the classroom environment.