2016 Volume 125 Issue 6 Pages 813-829
Geoparks in Japan have been introduced into high-school education in various forms. However, most take the viewpoint of earth science and lack connections among geoscience, history and culture. A geo-story with a geographical viewpoint that treats the arts, social sciences, and natural science comprehensively is required to solve this problem. High-school education at Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark is discussed. Muroto Senior High School conducts Geopark study classes, in which students study geoscience, history, and culture, while planning and carrying out Geopark tours. In classes, students with poor communication skills come to have a sense of self-affirmation by carrying out interview surveys of local residents. In the music class, a geographical viewpoint is introduced to the practice of learning songs related to commercial fishing from local residents. Students learn that the activities of the earth relate to the histories of fisheries together with relations between submarine topography formed by subducting plates and the ecology of sea life. Stimulated by these classes, some students will participate in local traditional festivals and activate the local region in the future. Students learn various things from local residents and find new value in their hometown through their activities. Moreover, schools, government, and local residents, who had not interacted with each other acquire new connections with each other through the Geopark. A chain of new “chemical reactions” among people is one of the values of Geopark activities. To develop such Geopark activities, Geopark specialists, who have geographical knowledge and are capable of thinking and acting with local residents, are essential.
