Proposal for Disaster Mitigation Education in Schools to be developed as a topic for English Language Activities

Abstract

This is about a proposal for disaster mitigation education in schools to be developed as a topic for English activities especially at the primary school level. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, an increased number of disaster mitigation educational activities flourish at schools in Japan. Teachers of any school or of any subject are trying to teach something about disasters. The author's survey of disaster mitigation education in some schools around Japan shows that the lowest opportunity offered was in the subject of English language. The author thinks that a mixed study of English and disaster mitigation at schools is effective in both English study and disaster mitigation education. One aspect of this is the adoption of crisis vocabulary to describe protective actions in English, for example ‘drop, cover, and hold’. The author found that this is effective for both English study and disaster mitigation study.