Developing and Using Teaching Materials for Gaming Simulation―The Case of “Merging of Municipalities” at Akita Integrated Learning Center―

Abstract

One of the major purposes of formal education is to help students develop a sense of “zest for living” as defined by the latest Ministry of Education guidelines. The present paper reformulates this definition as a practical skill that helps make a substantial contribution to society. In the field of teaching social studies, the purpose can be divided into two sub-goals. The first is to help pupils and students acquire a body of knowledge that is usable in an actual social context. The second sub-goal is to provide them with guidance on the way in which they look at social reality objectively. In the past the instruction seems to have emphasized the acquisition of knowledge rather than the use of it. It also seems that teachers have neglected to teach pupils and students the skills of identifying and solving a variety of problems on their own initiative. The present paper is an attempt to cast empirical light on these issues. In so doing, a set of materials will be presented along with a guideline as to how the present author used them for a teacher training session. The materials were ones which had been so constructed that they might help in-service teacher trainees acquire the skills of identifying and solving problems by using role-plays (so-called ‘gaming simulation’) under the topic of whether or not promotion should be made for merging municipalities in local areas. The paper concludes by summarizing the effective use of the materials, and suggesting various issues that should be addressed in future research.