Toshiba promotes experience-oriented science education to enhance children’s" ability to think."
As a corporation with a reputation for high-level technology, Toshiba gives great effort into the promotion of science education for the youth. Activities varies, but some major examples are: displays and workshops at Toshiba Science Museum, and ExploraVision Awards program in North America. Toshiba is now planning to further expand our support for experience-oriented science education in Japan.
Recently, there is a concern that children are less interested in mathematics 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. Toshiba is supporting such activities by these organizations and promoting new types of school education. |
 |
Collaborating with Real Science Education Institute |
|
"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."
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. |
|
experience-oriented class |
|
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
The Toshiba Science Museum in Kawasaki City is a popular spot for school trips and field studies as a corporation operated museum where students can learn about science technology and have fun at the same time. Since its opening in 1961, the total number of visitors has reached eight million. The museum holds experiment workshops aimed at students to enjoy science and technology through "experiencing, knowing and learning." A total of 7,000 elementary and junior high school students participate annualy.
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.
GEMS is a method invented at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California in Berkeley, which aims to let children make their own discoveries through various experiments and to acquire the ability to think. |
|
 |
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. |
|
 |
Galileo Workshop Experimental Classroom
This workshop has been held since 1999 with cooperation from a nonprofit organization, Galileo Workshop, which is a study group of elementary, junior high, and high school teachers. They invent exciting experiments to "teach everyone the fun of science." The lesson is held two times a day totaling 80 children participating. |
|
 |
Komukai Toshiba Boys and Girls Inventors' Club
This club was established in June 2004. Employees at the Toshiba Research and Development Center joined forces with local elementary school teachers to work as instructors. Approximately 150 elementary and junior high school students are creatively working on new inventions all through the year. |
|
 |
Real Science Club (every Wednesday)
Games and experiments using science are provided. No reservation or fee required.
Science class on demand
The staff visit schools (mainly elementary) to give science classes to the students using experiments, which are becoming rare recently. Some of the many experiments are "funny batteries" "liquid nitrogen" and "water kaleidoscope". |
|
 |
Sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, the ExploraVision Awards is a science competition that lets children to use their creativity and imaginations to envision technologies that could exist 20 years in the future, based on current scientific trends. In the 16th year 4,527 teams, including 14,042 students, submitted entries. Eight outstanding teams of 26 students and their families were invited to the annual Awards Weekend in Washington DC to receive their awards on June 6, 2008. Over 264,000 students have been participated in this program.
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 |
|
The winning team of 16th
Tadashi Okamura, Chairman of
Toshiba, meets students at
awards ceremony Awards |
|
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. |
|
 |
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. |
|
 |
The workshop is designed for elementary school and junior high school students to have a better understanding of the inner workings of home electronics and appliances. 23 pairs of parent-child who participated in the workshop received instructions from 21 Toshiba Group employees who volunteered in the event. Those volunteered employees were called "Disassembly Doctors" and children learned the proper tool use, technology of the products as well as recycling of each parts from the Doctors.
Employees volunteer
Consumer System Solution Marketing & Engineering Department
System LSI Division I
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. |
|
 |
Enhancing Computer Literacy in the Philippines
100 Toshiba notebook computers were donated to support "GILAS," a program promoted by Ayala Foundation. GILAS promote computer literacy among public high schools in the Philippines, aiming internet access to all students in 5,789 public high schools. It also aim 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.
To Top