Planning of Special Educational Activities through Three Years in High School : A Trial on Organizing Students into Energetic. Voluntary Groups

「生徒自身の手で自律した体育祭を創る」・・・・・・2002年2月2日付けで高校体育祭運営局から提示されたコンセプトである。それより遡ること4ヶ月前の2001年11月,高校生徒会執行部から2002年度「学校祭」基本方針(案)が提出された。その冒頭に次のように謳ってある。「学校祭(文化祭・体育祭)は,本校の伝統的校風である自出・自主・自律の精神を発現する場であり・・・・・・(中略)・・・・・・主体的な学習の場である。(後略)」生徒たちの中には学校行事を「学びの場」として捉え,それを「自律的に」運営していこうという意識がある。これは今に始まったことではなく,長年本校で培われてきた精神である。ではそれを支える教職員側の意識・態勢はどうであったのか。本稿は2000年度入学生を受け持った6人の担任団がどの場面で何を学ばせようと意図して「学びの場」としての行事を仕掛けていったのか,その実践の記録である

Organizing Active Learning Models in Science Classes (2)

The purpose of this study is to organize active learning models in science classes. Through classroom practice from elementary school to upper secondary school, we observed the followings: 1) the "reciprocal of internalization and externalization," which means collaborative and cooperative learning, is the key to active learning in science lessons; 2) by creating a "subject skeleton," teachers can gain clarity regarding the promotion of deep learning and organize active learning models in science classes

Organizing of Active Learning Models in Science Classes (2)

The purpose of this study is to organize active learning models in science classes. Through classroom practice from elementary school to upper secondary school, we observed the following: 1) the "reciprocal of internalization and externalization," which means collaborative and cooperative learning, is the key to active learning in science lessons; 2) by creating a "subject skeleton," teachers can gain clarity regarding the promotion of deep learning and organize active learning models in science classes

Atrazine-Induced Aromatase Expression Is SF-1 Dependent: Implications for Endocrine Disruption in Wildlife and Reproductive Cancers in Humans

BACKGROUND: Atrazine is a potent endocrine disruptor that increases aromatase expression in some human cancer cell lines. The mechanism involves the inhibition of phosphodiesterase and subsequent elevation of cAMP. METHODS: We compared steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) expression in atrazine responsive and non-responsive cell lines and transfected SF-1 into nonresponsive cell lines to assess SF-1’s role in atrazine-induced aromatase. We used a luciferase reporter driven by the SF-1–dependent aromatase promoter (ArPII) to examine activation of this promoter by atrazine and the related simazine. We mutated the SF-1 binding site to confirm the role of SF-1. We also examined effects of 55 other chemicals. Finally, we examined the ability of atrazine and simazine to bind to SF-1 and enhance SF-1 binding to ArPII. RESULTS: Atrazine-responsive adrenal carcinoma cells (H295R) expressed 54 times more SF-1 than nonresponsive ovarian granulosa KGN cells. Exogenous SF-1 conveyed atrazine-responsiveness to otherwise nonresponsive KGN and NIH/3T3 cells. Atrazine induced binding of SF-1 to chromatin and mutation of the SF-1 binding site in ArPII eliminated SF-1 binding and atrazine-responsiveness in H295R cells. Out of 55 chemicals examined, only atrazine, simazine, and benzopyrene induced luciferase via ArPII. Atrazine bound directly to SF-1, showing that atrazine is a ligand for this “orphan” receptor. CONCLUSION: The current findings are consistent with atrazine’s endocrine-disrupting effects in fish, amphibians, and reptiles; the induction of mammary and prostate cancer in laboratory rodents; and correlations between atrazine and similar reproductive cancers in humans. This study highlights the importance of atrazine as a risk factor in endocrine disruption in wildlife and reproductive cancers in laboratory rodents and humans

Active Learning Models in Science Classes

研究の第１年次に当たる本年は，理科におけるアクティブラーニング型授業の構造化に向けて，内化と外化の往還を取り入れた授業デザインとその実践に取り組み，具体的実践の蓄積を行った。小学校，中学校，高等学校それぞれで実践を行ったところ，１）学習内容の定着が図られる，２）発展的な内容や未習内容を生徒が主体的に理解することが可能である，３）協働的な学びの場面を加えることで理解の深化が図られる，４）どのような課題に取り組ませるのかといった課題の設定がカギである，５）アクティブラーニングであるか否かを判断するための要素を明らかにする必要がある，などの一定の成果と課題が明らかになった。The purpose of this study is to create active learning models in science classes. As the first-year research, the authors designed the classes which would include a round trip between externalization and internalization, and put them into practice. The designed models were adopted in elementary, junior high and senior high school classes. What have become clear are as the following; 1) Students’ acquisition of the learning contents can be promoted, 2) Students can understand advanced contents proactively, 3) Students’ learning can be deepened by adding collaborative activities, 4) The success or failure to active learning may depend on the quality of the tasks which students work on, 5) It is necessary to clarify the factors to determine active learning

Development and Practice of Teaching Materials for Chemical Experiments and Analysis Using Data Loggers

近年，理科教育の現場で話題となっている実験，分析へのICT 機器の導入について，高等学校「化学基礎」の単元「酸・塩基と中和」と，「化学」の単元「化学反応と熱・光」でデータロガーを導入した実験教材を開発し，試行・実践を行った。開発教材にはいくつかの課題も残るが，これまでよりも実験時間を短縮し，授業時間内に生徒自身の操作によりグラフを作成・分析（議論）することができることが確認できた。生徒たち自身がデータの意味を考えながら，連続的かつ自動で計測されたデータをもとに実験結果を分析，考察する機会を提供できるという点では，一定の効果がある教材を開発できたと考えられる。The introduction of ICT equipment for experiments and analysis has become an important topic in science education. We developed experimental teaching materials by introducing data loggers for the unit "Acid, Base and Neutralization" in "Basic Chemistry" and the unit "Heat of Reaction and Thermochemistry" in "Chemistry" at senior high school, and conducted trials and practices. Although some issues remain with the developed teaching materials, we could shorten the experiment time and confirm that students can create and analyze (discuss) graphs by themselves within the class time. We believe that we could develop teaching materials that have a particular effect in that they provide students with opportunities to analyze and discuss experimental results based on continuously and automatically measured data while considering the meaning of the data

Conversational System of Spectrum Analysis by the Use of Graphic Display

The spectral analysis system was made by the use of the computer HITAC M-160 II and the graphic display terminal, in order to analyze efficiently various kinds of wave data observed by Antarctic research, such as magnetic pulsations, natural electromagnetic waves, seismological waves and meteorological phenomena. The largest merit of the system is that it can analyze one- or two-dimensional time series data trial and error by the use of graphic display terminal. From the long original data one can choose easily a part of data for analysis, and freely use several kinds of filters and spectral methods. Generally used spectral methods, Blackman-Tukey, Fast Fourier Transform and Maximum-Entropy Method and the Chebyshev-filters, high-pass, low-pass, band-pass and band-reject are usable. In this paper, the system is outlined, and the spectral and filtered results of the test data are given and discussed