Exploring Natural Phenomena
JWU offers STEAM education at all stages of its kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, senior high school and university with the concept of “Exploring Natural Phenomena.” In their early childhood at kindergarten, pupils first develop an interest in and familiarity with various “wonders” of everyday life through hands-on experience with the objects and nature around them. Students deepen their learning in junior and senior high schools and at university they are given the opportunity to learn to think logically about not only natural science, but also social and mathematical phenomena using mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, life science and information science. We will accompany pupils and students in their STEAM learning.
Goals of integrated science and mathematics education program
Aims of science and mathematics education according to educational stages program characteristics
JWU
Acquire logical thinking methods based on mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, and information science for natural science, social phenomena, and mathematical phenomena.
Goals
- Acquire analytic and critical thinking skills through experiments, seminars and thesis writing.
- Cultivate interdisciplinary perspectives.
Achievement goals of participants
- Increase progression rate to graduate school to 30%
- Obtain a teaching license for elementary/junior high/senior high schools
- Realize their own potential based on natural sciences and scientific (mathematical) thinking
- Find employment by taking advantage of their learning in fields such as manufacturing, information and communications, finance, insurance, public service and teaching
Programs
- Subjects that allow students to learn across the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, information)
- Course programs that focuses on experiments and seminars
- Graduation research required of all students
- Research presentation at university festival
- Teacher training course
Senior High School affiliated with J.W.U.
Develop scientific thinking about natural phenomena and cultivate analytic and critical thinking skills.
Goals
- Cultivate critical thinking skills through experiments and theoretical studies.
- Cultivate skills to organize and analyze data.
Achievement goals of participants
- Acquire knowledge and skills.
- Enhance thinking, decision-making and expressive skills in a balanced manner.
- Go on to study science and engineering/medical, dental and pharmacy fields
- Presentation of results at school festival
- Presentation of results at external events
Program
- Course of study that focuses on experiments and data analysis
- Summer School taught by Faculty of Science
- Senior High School-University Connection Program Spring Seminar
- Club activities (biology, astronomy, robotics)
- Special lecture “Chi no Izumi (Spring of Knowledge)” (outer space)
Junior High School affiliated with J.W.U.
Have an interest in natural phenomena and cultivate scientific viewpoints/thinking
Goals
- Learn through contact with real objects
- Understand phenomena through experiments and observations
Achievement goals of participants
- Understand the mechanisms of familiar phenomena and acquire a scientific way of thinking
- Go on to study a science field
- Exhibition and presentation of research at school festival
Programs
- Classes that focus on experiments and observations
- Classes that incorporate data analysis
- Club activities (physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy)
- Field trips (stargazing event, open school)
- Summer School taught by Faculty of Science (science classes)
Homey Elementary School affiliated with J.W.U.
Observe, proactively investigate and understand natural phenomena and objects
Goals
- Improve basic skills regarding observations and experiments
- Cultivate skills to verbalize abstract concepts
Achievement goals of participants
- Learn science with an awareness of its significance
- Have an attitude to tackle problem-solving independently
- Express what they have understood in their own words
Programs
- Observations/experiments that focus on verbalizing understanding
- Field trips (agricultural experience at Nishi-Ikuta campus)
- Science class (visit to electron microscope facility)
Homei Kindergarten affiliated with J.W.U.
Familiarize science in everyday life and feel a sense of wonder
Goals
- Access science through play
Achievement goals of participants
- Cultivate curiosity and thinking and expressive skills
- Have interest in science and natural phenomena in familiar situations
- Become more curious about various matters
Programs
- Education using real objects that fosters curiosity, thinking and expressive skills about nature, living things and familiar phenomena
- Science class
Program details
JWU and Homey Elementary School affiliated with J.W.U.
- Science class (using optical microscope for the first time at science class)
JWU and Junior High School affiliated with J.W.U.
- Let’s take out the ingredients of the medicine!
- Let’s make a code!
- Impact of global warming on natural ecosystems
- Sum of the exterior angles and number of rotations of a closed polyline such as a star shape
- What color are vegetables?
JWU and Senior High School affiliated with J.W.U.
Summer School taught by Faculty of Science
- Let’s measure the distance between integers!
- The mechanism and diversity of color vision
- Introduction to data science using Excel
- Time travel to 1888? -- Generation of electromagnetic waves and radio waves from outer space
- Mysterious relationship between the shape of a molecule and its scent
- Gene transfer into human cultured cells
- Let's investigate genes and proteins on our PCs
Special lecture “Chi no Izumi (Spring of Knowledge)”
- Master mathematics
- Lecture on outer space
