The Journal of the Geological Society of Japan
Online ISSN : 1349-9963
Print ISSN : 0016-7630
ISSN-L : 0016-7630
Volume 114, Issue 4
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
SPECIAL ISSUE : Advancement in the Education of Earth Sciences in the Twenty First Century
Reviews
  • Tokuji Mitsugi
    2008 Volume 114 Issue 4 Pages 149-156
    Published: April 15, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 24, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To clarify the actual condition of outdoor observation of strata in science classes of elementary and junior high schools, I investigated the situation of enforcement of outdoor observation in 15 districts of Japan, the reasons why teachers could not implement outdoor observation, and the teachers’ points of view on outdoor observation. As a result, it became evident that the enforcement rate was different in each district, ranging from 0% to 50% in elementary schools and 0% to 71% in junior high schools. The different enforcement rates in elementary schools were attributed to the geological conditions of the districts. The teachers who could not implement the observation cited lack of adequate outcrops, short school hours for observation, and the absence of means of transportation to the outcrop as the reasons for the non-implementation of outdoor observation. Instead of outdoor observation, teachers in a few schools took their students on visits to exhibitions in museums. The ratio of teachers who understand the importance of outdoor observation is about 90% in elementary schools and 80% in junior high schools. In contrast, the ratio of teachers who implemented the observation is about 30% in elementary schools and 50% in junior high schools. Many teachers expected support from researchers in terms of introducing the observation place and participating in their classes as guest teachers.
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  • Itoko Tamura
    2008 Volume 114 Issue 4 Pages 157-162
    Published: April 15, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 24, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Opportunities to study Earth Science have been decreased in high schools. Such decrease was mainly caused by the National Course of Study enforced in 2003. A school hours allotted for the existing subjects were reduced due to the introduction of new subjects “Information” and “Period for integrated study”. Furthermore, at least one subject should be chosen from three new subjects of Science, “Science A”, “Science B” and “Basic Science”. In such a situation, Earth Science would have be most affected because it is less concerning the university entrance examination.
    The ratio of enrollment “Earth Science I” is only 3.1%, which is the smallest percentage among the 7 subjects of Science. One of the serious problems is the decreasing of Earth Science teachers in high school. The total number of high school students has been decreasing since 1987. The recruitment of Earth Science teachers, to fill the vacancy of the retired teacher, has not been performed in most of prefectures for over a decade. The number of Earth Science teachers must be acceleratingly decreasing after many Earth Science teachers of the boomer-generation are recently retired.
    Earth Science is lightly treated in the university entrance examination because it is regarded as a less important subject. This fact is caused by the recent situation that a student's course after graduation is thought to be most dominant in school education. The high school education should be reconsidered from wide viewpoints and recover its primary aim of the study.
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  • Michiko Yajima
    2008 Volume 114 Issue 4 Pages 163-169
    Published: April 15, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 24, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To consider a contribution of geology to the social, elementary, and secondary educations, I reviewed the history of Earth Science education in previous course of study and textbooks. There had been a large influence of the German ‘Erdkunde’ (“earth knowledge”) in the Meiji Era and still after the World War II. But now the spirit of ‘Erdkunde’ might have been disappeared. The cooperation of geology and geography in the spirit seems to be important especially in the secondary education. It is significant for students to think about natural phenomena in the light of ‘Erdkunde’.
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  • Mutsumi Nakai, Hitoshi Nakai
    2008 Volume 114 Issue 4 Pages 170-179
    Published: April 15, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 24, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Recently, in Japan, most college students did not study earth science in high school. Only about 10 per cent of students have studied all subjects of science in high school. Many of them have studied only two subjects of science, particularly biology and chemistry, when they were high-school students. In addition, they did not spend much time on scientific experiment and observation in their school days. Contents that relate to earth science and biology represent more than 60 per cent of subject in science course of elementary school and many scientific experiment and observation are required, however, educational college students do not have enough science literacy to teach in elementary school. This is a serious issue on the teacher training system of Japan.
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  • Tokuji Mitsugi, Haruhiko Koizumi
    2008 Volume 114 Issue 4 Pages 180-186
    Published: April 15, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 24, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    As a form of contributing to society in general, the undertaking of outreach activities and providing of education for children by scientists has now attracted attention. In this society, which is a scientific organization of researchers, there has been a gradual increase in the number of outreach programs by scientists. In this paper, the activities of the “Youth Earth Scientist Forum,” in a junior poster session of the Geological Society of Japan, are introduced. In addition, the effect and significance of these activities are discussed. As a result, it became clear that these activities were of high educational value for students. Moreover, researchers of the society began to increase their activities. Therefore, these activities are effective for the spread of knowledge of geology and education of the younger generation. On the other hand, they are problematic from the view point of the increase in the number of participants and limit of contents.
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Articles
  • Chikako Eto, Yoshiro Ishihara, Susumu Tanabe, Katsumi Kimura, Toshio N ...
    2008 Volume 114 Issue 4 Pages 187-199
    Published: April 15, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 24, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Thick, muddy “Chuseki-so”, filling the incised-valley formed until the last glacial maximum, distributes under the Tokyo Lowland, central Japan. Many borehole logs for ground surveys are available as datasets for constructing geological models in this area. In this study, the methods for constructing three-dimensional models of N-values and lithofacies of the Chuseki-so under the northern part of the Tokyo Lowland are examined using a borehole database maintained by the Urban Geology Research Project of the Geological Survey of Japan. The three-dimensional models are constructed by horizontal interpolation of irregularly scattered data of the borehole logs on each altitude and their vertical stacking. The inverse-distance weighting method is used for the interpolation of N-values, and the interpolation of lithofacies is based on the mode values of lithofacies in individual reference ranges. The spatial distributions of the N-values and lithofacies in the three-dimensional model well represent inner structures of the Chuseki-so. In the other words, based on the distributions of the N-values and lithofacies, the spatial distributions of characteristic sediments, such as meandering-channel fills and floodplain deposits, sand spits and transgressive sand shoal deposits are visualized clearly.
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  • Yuta Shiino, Yutaro Suzuki, Fumio Kobayashi
    2008 Volume 114 Issue 4 Pages 200-205
    Published: April 15, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 24, 2009
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A fusulinid fauna, newly distinguished from the calcareous conglomerate of the Middle Permian Hoso-o Formation in Kamiyasse area, southern Kitakami Mountain, Northeast Japan, consists of Sumatrina cf. annae, Pseudodoliolina pseudolepida, Chusenella sinensis, and others. An early Midian age (late Wordian) is strongly suggestive for this fauna by the presence of Sumatrina cf. annae and the absence of both primitive forms of Neoschwagerina and Afghanella indicating an early-middle Murgabian age, and advanced forms of Lepidolina and Yabeina referable to the middle-late Midian. This age assignment of the formation by fusulinids is consistent with the previous ones by ammonoids.
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