Development of Curriculum for "Planning and Management of Integrated Studies" Centered in Making Things Education through Exchange Learning and Regional Alliance

通过终身学习，技术教育是文科的一部分，因为每个人都应该获得参与和适应当今不断变化的技术世界所需的基础。与许多发达国家的技术教育体系不同，日本的技术教育学科只是在初中实施的三年课程。最近，技术教育的校外活动受到挑战，通过地区联盟组织名为熊本单色博览会的制造车间来提高儿童对技术兴趣的潜力。为稳定形成初中前学生技术教育的基础，自2005年起，以平均每年两次的速度成功举办了三年。这是在学校假期或周末在熊本公共设施举行的为期一天的研讨会。熊本公学教育局联合向学校做了宣传。工作坊的工作人员是来自熊本大学、公立学校、当地工业部门和教育相关组织的志愿者。他们聚集在一起，计划和准备各种适合孩子们制作的物品，特别是在发展他们自由的技术多样性方面，并符合参与者从幼儿园到小学的不同发展需求。供参加者制作的题目是在“综合研究的规划和管理”课程中编写的。因此，对于学生，即职前教师来说，这种校外活动确实很有价值，他们可以向在职教师学习，在实际和积极的教学中积累经验。当然，这样的研讨会有助于有效地促进工业技术教育和广泛的技术素养区域的教育手段和资源共享。

Technology education is a part of liberal arts through lifelong learning because everyone should gain the foundation needed to participate in and adapt to today's ever-changing technological world. Different from the system of technology education in many developed countries, the subject of technology education in Japan is just a three years curriculum implemented only in junior high school. Recently, off-school activities in technology education have been challenged to enhance children's potential of technological interests by organizing a Making Things Workshop named Kumamoto Monodsukuri Fair by regional alliances. As to form the foundation of technology education for students prior to junior high school stably, the workshop has been continued for three years successfully since 2005 at average of two times per year. It was a one day workshop held in Kumamoto public facilities during school break seasons or weekends. The announcement of workshop was advertised to schools with corporation of Kumamoto Public School Board. Staffs of the workshops are volunteers from Kumamoto University, public schools, local industrial sectors and education related organizations. They gathered together to plan and prepare various and suitable items for children to make, especially in the view of developing their liberal technological variety, and in corresponding to the distinct developmental needs of participants from kindergarten to elementary school. The items for participants to make were developed in the classes of "Planning and Management of Integrated Studies". Therefore, this off-campus activity for students, i.e., the pre-service teachers, is valuable indeed for them to learn from in-service teachers so as to accumulate experiences in practical and active instruction of making things. Of course, such workshop is useful to share educational means and resources for promoting industrial technology education efficiently and technological literate region widely.