Japanese language instruciton under MEXT 2008 course of study : Learning for developing students' universe of language through transactions with words of others

本研究は,学習者が自分のまわりの他者と出会いかかわり合うことをとおして,自分自身の言葉の世界を広げ,自らの学びを探究していくことができるようにするための効果的な指導法を開発していくことを目的としている。そこで,小学1年生と小学4年生において,他者の言葉として教科書以外のテキストを位置付け,言葉をとおしたかかわり合いの場を意図的,計画的に設定し,教科書本文との比較をとおして読みを深める実践を試みた。1年生では,教科書と絵本を比べることによって,共通点や相違点に気付き,物語の本質的なおもしろさに迫っていくことができた。4年生では,自分の読みをもたせることを大切にした結果,子どもたちは自分たちの考えと比べて感想や疑問を抱きながら本文を読み,主体的な読みを生み出すことができた。二つの実践をとおして,学年やねらいに応じて他者の言葉を設定することの有効性がわかった。その際,他者の言葉を吟味して選択するとともに,比べ方や比べる視点を明確にすることが必要であると感じた。今後は,他者の言葉として,テキストとともに学習者同士のかかわり合いを,授業の中に効果的に生かすことのできる単元づくりを試みたい

Developing Trans-Curriculum Learning of Japanese Language Arts in a K-9 integrated school II: For nurturing students with the zest for living and with capabilities to solving their own tasks for themselves

本研究は，昨年度に引き続き，幼小中一貫校としての特色を生かして，通教科的能力を位置づけた国語科の学習開発を行うことによって，新領域「希望（のぞみ）」との関連を明らかにすることを目的としている。本年度は，幼小中各学校段階において，「物語で作者が伝えたいこと」をどのようにとらえているのかを比較・検討することによって，幼小中12年間を見通した通教科的能力の育成につなげていった。幼稚園年長児・小学校１年生・中学校３年生では「おおきなかぶ」を，小学校４年生と中学校１年生では「世界でいちばんやかましい音」を教材として，その読みを比較・検討した。結果として，読みの系統性を踏まえた課題設定を通して上位学年の読みに近づく学習活動により，通教科的能力の育成に資することができた。The purpose of this study is intended to clarify the relationship with “NOZOMI” and our developing literature units for nurturing students’ learning abilities beyond each school subject. In this paper, by examining how students make out “what authors convey through stories” in each grade levels of elementary and secondary classes, the teaching objectives for lessons for nurturing students’ abilities adapting any situations were settled. Based on the outcomes of the lessons about A BIG TURNIP(a Russian folk tale) in the eldest class in kindergarten, Grade1 and Grade9 classes, and THE LOUDEST NOISE IN THE WORLD(by Benjamin Elkin) in Grade4 and Grade7 classes, any features of students’ responses were revealed through comparing and examining reader responses to each texts in each grades. For developing “NOZOMI” related learnings, it would be important to implement learning activities with the task settings following the ladders for reading development so much

Epidemiologic trends and distributions of imported infectious diseases among travelers to Japan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2016 to 2021: a descriptive study

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the trends of imported infectious diseases among travelers to non-endemic countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aimed to describe those among travelers to Japan. METHODS: This is a descriptive study based on national surveillance data. Imported infectious disease cases were defined as those with a reported overseas source of infection among 15 diseases pre-selected based on the probability and impact of importation. The number of notified cases from April 2016 to March 2021 were described by disease and time of diagnosis. The relative ratio and absolute difference in case counts-both by number and per arrival-were calculated by disease comparing those from the pandemic period (April 2020-March 2021) to the pre-pandemic period (April 2016-March 2020). RESULTS: A total of 3524 imported infectious disease cases were diagnosed during the study period, including 3439 cases before and 85 cases during the pandemic. The proportionate distribution of diseases changed but notification counts of all 15 diseases decreased during the pandemic. Accounting for arrivals, however, seven diseases showed a two-fold or greater increase, with a notable absolute increase per million arrivals for amebiasis (60.1; 95%CI, 41.5-78.7), malaria (21.7; 10.5-33.0), and typhoid fever (9.3; 1.9-16.8). CONCLUSION: The epidemiology of imported infectious diseases changed during the pandemic. While the number of imported infectious disease cases decreased, the number of cases per arrivals increased considerably both in relative and absolute terms for several diseases of public health and clinical importance

An approach to building Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) trainees’ capacities as educators

Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs), which are modelled after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemic Intelligence Service programme, began in 1980 and have produced graduates in more than 70 countries, including 12 in the Western Pacific Region.1,2 These programmes aim to “build sustainable capacity for detecting and responding to public health threats” and “develop expertise so that disease outbreaks can be detected locally and prevented from spreading”.3 FETPs thus include training in applied epidemiology and public health services. FETP trainees and graduates, however, often have additional responsibilities: mentoring newer trainees, supervising in the field, leading short training courses, facilitating meetings, etc. Programmes therefore must provide trainees with the knowledge and skills to fulfil these responsibilities

Preparation for mass gathering events from the perspective of a non-host country: the experience of Japan during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games

The World Health Organization recommends that countries or organizations that host mass gatherings plan ahead and prepare for possible public health events to ensure a safe environment for local residents, participants and travellers.1 Public health events during mass gatherings can also affect non-host countries. There are numerous reports of the spread of infectious diseases by travellers returning from mass gatherings,2 which can potentially pose the risk of an outbreak of new infectious diseases to travellers’ home countries. With more frequent travel across borders, it is prudent that non-host countries prepare for mass gathering events