The system for learning the position of celestial bodies in science education changes from the horizontal coordinate system to the equatorial coordinate system as students progress from elementary school to high school. Therefore, science teachers must have a good understanding of these two astronomical coordinate systems and their relationship. However, in the astronomical experiments of the current teacher training course, there is no practical training to systematically and quantitatively deepen understanding of these. Therefore, we have developed a practical training method for observing astronomical objects using the horizontal coordinate system and converting the obtained horizontal coordinate values into equatorial coordinate values. Practicing this training method for students training to become teachers confirmed its effectiveness and clarified some points to consider during its implementation.

Hearing investigations were conducted for kindergarteners aged 3 to 6 to study their perceptions of images observed through a telescope. Three surveys provided us with voice samples from 149 kindergarten children. Children’s perceptions of objects observed through a telescope increased not only with age but with object type and their perceptions of image inversion and magnification also improved with age and object type. The inversion of an image of a popular animation character was recognized by 56% of younger children and 95% of older children, whereas the inversion of the lunar images was recognized by only 52% of older children. Our results show that a perception gap regarding images observed through a telescope exists among children aged around 4–5 years old.

To investigate whether the students who aim to become elementary school teachers can understand the seasonal changes in the direction of sunrise using their own perception, we assessed the direction of the sunrise on the summer solstice at Ise Jingu, famous Japanese shrine in Mie Prefecture. At Ise Jingu, the sun rises from the center of the torii gate in front of Uji Bridge on the winter solstice; this phenomenon is familiar to residents of Mie Prefecture. The survey was conducted on 98 second- to fourth-year students of the Faculty of Education at Mie University. Sixty-three percent of the students understood the reasons for the seasonal change in the sunrise direction. Conversely, 14% of the respondents answered that the direction of the sunrise did not change seasonally and 11% answered that the sun rose from further south on the summer solstice than on the winter solstice. This result was similar to the survey results for junior high school students, which suggests that respondents’ understanding of solar diurnal motion and its seasonal change had not improved since they graduated from junior high school.

Hazard maps can be used as valuable materials for learning about volcanic disasters. To make it easier for students to understand the contents shown on the volcano hazard maps, we created terrain models with a 3D printer and developed teaching materials using these models. In addition, classes using the developed teaching materials were conducted at elementary schools and compulsory education schools and the results and issues were examined. Learning using terrain model teaching materials can be expected to increase students’ understanding of and interest in volcanic disasters.

In this paper, an approach using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for measuring the density of rocks is developed and practiced for use in high school textbooks. To calculate the density, scatter plots were drawn and the slope of the approximate line was calculated to enable the application of students’ mathematics and physics knowledge. By using an online Excel spreadsheet, the results of all participants could be shared in real time. Furthermore, by sharing the results of many measurements, it was possible to understand that the variability of the measured values varied according to the measurement method.

This paper describes the development of a class on measuring the size of the Earth using bring your own device (BYOD) teaching methodology. Using BYOD and web-based services enables all students’ data to be shared in real time. Consequently, the mean values of the measurement results are closer to the true values. In addition, a method is presented in which the shape of the data distribution and the values of the standard errors can provide information for the experimenter to judge the validity of the magnitude of error.

I conducted a teacher training program for an earth science field research activity that was based on a policy of proactive, interactive, and deep learning. The research activity took place in an area along the Nogawa River in Kokubunji and Chofu in Tokyo, which has a topography typical of the western Kanto Plain and where the river’s spring is located. Participants discussed the research activity and made a conclusion. The outcome of this discussion was appraised using a worksheet or discussion sheet. Many participants acknowledged the effect of the teacher’s training program and wanted to adopt it in their earth science classes. Therefore, the earth science field research activities had a certain effect.

Chondrites are a primordial meteorite group of which the members can be studied to elucidate early Solar System events. Because of their use in scientific research, chondrites are valuable and generally cannot be accessed by the public. However, some chondrites have relatively less scientific value. Many samples of these chondrites are commercially obtainable around the world and can be used for teaching students about our Solar System. In this study, purchased chondrites were processed into polished specimens for use as teaching materials. Additionally, a small-scale model of our Solar System, including the asteroid belt, was prepared as a secondary teaching material. We proposed and implemented a teaching program for high school students using both teaching materials. Students could learn about our Solar System through this program. The program was revealed to have a good relationship with basic earth science classes.

GeoSciEd IX will be held in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, in August 2022. This will be the first time that GeoSciEd is held in Japan. We would like Japan’s holding of this international conference to be a turning point in the development of Japanese earth science education and a trigger for the activation of a Japan Society of Earth Science Education. This will be based on the recent international development of earth science education, which promotes writing. We look back at previous GeoSciEd events from the participants’ perspectives. Finally, we make recommendations and state our expectations for GeoSciEd IX based on these developments and perspectives.