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 Fostering the next generation by promoting science education all over the world 
Toshiba promotes experience-oriented science education to enhance children’s" ability to think."
Recently, there is concern that children are less and less interested in math and science and studies in general. Not only the government but also many educational NPOs are working hard to provide better education in these fields. In order to support those movements, Toshiba is cooperating with a nonprofit organization, Real Science Education Institute, whose administrative director is the Doctor of science Jin Akiyama, in order to support the development and promotion of experience-oriented science and math education. |
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Collaborating with Real Science Education Institute |
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"Encouragement of Experience-oriented Science Education"
In March 2008, a workshop and panel discussion event " Encouragement of Experience-oriented Science Education," was held by the Real Science Education Institute at the campus of the University of Tokyo supported by Toshiba. Participants listened to the speeches by Mr. Akiyama, the director of the institute, and Mr. Komiya, the former director of the Toshiba Science Museum. The panel discussion between educational professionals expressed the importance of experience-oriented science education.
In March 2009, we held a symposium in the Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo targeting people involved in the education field, especially teachers at elementary and junior high schools. During the symposium, a panel discussion was held between Mr. Zeniya, the vice minister of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Mr. Akiyama; and Mr. Nishida, the ex-President of Toshiba surrounding the topic "The issues of school education and the cultivation of human resources capable of succeeding in international society." |
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Experience-oriented class by Toshiba
In May 5, 2008, a science class was provided by Toshiba titled," Jin Akiyama's Fun Mathematics" at the seminar hall of the National Youth Center. Mr. Akiyama is the director of the Real Science Education Institute and also an enthusiastic researcher who releases about ten treatises a year. In the class, 300 children and their parents enjoyed learning science by participating in an experiment using scissors and watching the exciting demonstrations by Mr. Akiyama.
In May 2009, we held the Toshiba Experiential Science Class in Tokyo, in which Mr. Akiyama was invited as an instructor. About 1000 parents and children had the opportunity to learn about the fun with science. |
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experience-oriented class |
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Cooperation with educational NPOs
Real Science Education Institute
Real Science Education Institute is an NPO established to give shape to the concept of experiential science education. The institute aims to create a new type of science education that enables young people to cultivate creativity and problem-solving skills through experience while deriving pleasure from a growing involvement in the study of science. The institute strives to promote and put into practice experiential science education on the basis of three principal activities: instructor training, curriculum development, and support for school education.
Toshiba Science Museum Satisfies Intellectual Curiosity
Events at Toshiba Science Museum
Furthermore, the Museum sponsors "Inventors' Club," and promotes other activities outside the Museum such as "Science class on demand" which are held approximately 60 times a year.
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) is an educational curriculum created by the Laurence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley, aiming to foster children's ability to think for themselves through discoveries made by conducting experiments. Students are encouraged to use their imagination and work in groups. |
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Galileo Workshop Experimental Classroom
This series of lessons has been held since 1999 with collaboration from a nonprofit organization, Galileo Workshop, and has a history of more than 110 successful classes. Galileo Workshop is a study group of elementary, junior high and high school teachers who aspire to invent exciting experiments to “teach everyone about the fun of science” |
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Komukai Toshiba Boys and Girls Inventors' Club
This club was established in June 2004. Employees at Corporate Research ＆Development Center joined forces with local elementary school teachers to work as instructors. Almost 100 elementary and junior high school students are creatively working on new inventions all through the year. In 2009, there are four different courses such as “robot course” and “kids course.” |
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Wonder Mathematics Expedition
This is a mathematics class that has games and puzzles. The class is separated into two: one for first to forth graders at elementary school, and another for fifth elementary to third grade junior high school students. There are around 50 participants in each class every time. |
Atom Workshop
A volunteer group in Kawasaki City is the main organizer of this workshop. It was started in 2004, and since then, handicraft or experiment workshops have been held for elementary school children. Approximately 100 children participate every time. |
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Toshiba Science Museum Science Club
Every Wednesday, after-school classes are held at the Toshiba Science Museum. Anyone wanting to join our experiment workshops and learn science technologies can come without reservation. During the summer holidays, we extend the hours. |
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Science class on demand
The staff of the museum visits schools (mainly elementary) to give science classes to students using a variety of 15 original experiments, including “funny batteries,”“liquid nitrogen,”and “water kaleidoscope.” |
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Participation in events
Every year, the Toshiba Science Museum participates actively in events related to science and technology, including Youngsters’ Science Festival. As part of our efforts to build a good relationship with the local community, we use those opportunities to help students discover the fun side of science. |
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"The ExploraVision Awards program is an exciting science and technology competition sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). It encourages children from kindergarten through 12th grade in the U.S. and Canada to conduct in-depth scientific research and envision innovative technologies that could exist 20 years in the future. Since the first competition in 1992, more than 250,000 students have participated in the program. Every year, eight winning first- and second-place ExploraVision teams are invited to travel to Washington D.C. for a special awards weekend and presentation ceremony. Here students are given an opportunity to present their work to their local senators and congressmen and have their achievements recognized publicly. Toshiba employees escort the winning students and their parents to the awards weekend and lend their support.”
Supporting Companies:Toshiba America, Inc., Toshiba America Information Sys-tems, Inc., Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C., Toshiba International Corporation, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., Toshiba Medical Systems, Inc., Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc., Toshiba of Canada, Ltd., Toshiba America Foundation, Toshiba Corporation |
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2008 winning team
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The Winning team of 14th Diane Pollitt Heatherstone Elementary
Students participating in the EVA program experience team building, problem solving and build research & development skills. EVA covers a broad spectrum of the curriculum and is a great learning process. It provides students with many challenges. |
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The Winning team of 15th Gail Vawter Edisen Academy
EVA inspired our students to accomplish goals they never thought possible. Students worked in teams to research, design and invent a solution to an open-ended engineering problem. What started out as a desire to help a friend with diabetes, ended up with a patented nano-technology drug to improve the life of all diabetics. |
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Math and Science teaching program competition in China
 In 2008, Toshiba Group held“ The 1st Toshiba Cup Contest of Math and Science Teaching Program for the Normal University Students in China.”This consists of a teaching plan competition for university educationstudents preparing to be a teacher in Math, Biology, or Science. The candidates created their original teaching program, provided simulated lessons, and were evaluated based on whether or not elementary and junior high school students were motivated and enthusiastic enough to learn. More than 2,500 students participated from 12 schools all over China. Nine winners, with their corresponding professors, were offered a training trip to Japan, where they visited Japanese schools and met Chinese researchers at Toshiba's Corporate Research & Development Center.
 Aiming to promote the understanding of the basic structure of home appliances, and other electronic products, we held a “disassembling workshop” for elementary and junior high school students in collaboration with Setagaya Culture and Information Center Seikatsu-Kobo. We had another successful workshop, the fourth one, in November 2008 with 28 families taking part. 23 employees of Toshiba Group joined the event as “disassembling masters” where they gave instructions on the use of appropriate tools and provided information on parts and technologies used for those products, as well as on how to recycle them.
Employees volunteer
Toshiba Corporation Semiconductor Company
Tadashi Honda
I volunteered in this workshop with the hopes of cultivating enthusiasm for science and technology in children. Initially, I was concerned that it might be too challenging, or that the children would lose interest after a few minutes, but I was amazed by their concentration and willingness to learn. I hope this workshop has changed the way they look at products they use in everyday life, and generated some curiosity about other ones. |
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Enhancing Computer Literacy in the Philippines
 100 Toshiba laptop computers were donated to support “GILAS,”a program promoted by Ayala Foundation. GILAS promote computer literacy among public high schools in the Philippines, aiming to provide internet access to all students in public high schools. We also donated 100 million peso in order to provide the schools with the necessary infrastructure and to equip the teachers with basic knowledge on computers.
Factory Tour
 To reach out to as many people as possible and show them what Toshiba Group is doing, communication with local residents is promoted through visits to the Toshiba Science Museum and factories and also by holding special classes at local schools. The photo shows a factory tour in progress at Changzhou Toshiba Transformer Co.,Ltd. in China.
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