The purpose of this study is to initiate the critical discourse of curriculum study in terms of "symbolic exchange". It has been discussed for many years that media is the subject for curriculum study. A number of papers have discussed that the media and its content should be thematized as a target of children's study rather than as a simply learning tool because the individuals have to face overwhelming information sources in modern era so that they are obsessed with uncertainty to attain the truth without their secure sound judgment. However, the stage of media world has much more advanced beyond what we can understand in terms of the concept of media literacy. The virtual reality has gradually become an indispensable element for constituting the assumed genuine reality. It has been believed that there always exits the common ground where we can return to whenever we fall in a skeptical situation and the uncertainty permeates our sense of being. It is assumed that the real was a home we ask the fundamental reason and evidence. It has bee.n believed that the home of reality including the society and natural environment is a fertile ground where we can cultivate the sound curriculum because its validity is always indubious. For those reasons, the real is always good and sustains our valid judgment while the virtual always hinders the development of our senses of validity. Therefore, one of the prominent pedagogues has advocated that the development of the sound ego identity ought to be preceded in order to form an immune system blocking the infecting vicious virtual reality. However it should be noted this real foundation itself has become an uncertain ground for the sound curriculum development. The "virtual reality" has permeated into this home ground and started constituting an essential part for our everyday lives. The reality of our life world would not exit without the virtual entity any more, which accompanies the media tools and contents. Thus the virtual is not the object for media literacy any more but it becomes an important constitutive element for the curriculum including a tacit as well as an intacit dimension of curriculum. In conclusion this paper has proposed that the virtual reality has to be reconsidered to be an essential apparatus and ingredient for developing a virtuality - proof curriculum even though it sounds very paradoxical.

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This paper aims to describe in detail the theory of "backward design" advocated by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. They maintain that the process of curriculum development should follow these three stages: (1) to "identify desired results", (2) to "determine acceptable evidence" that shows whether those desired results are achieved, and (3) to "plan learning experiences and instruction". This paper examines the significant points and remaining issues to be discussed in the theory. Stage 1 is to clarify desired results, taking into consideration content standards, regional topic opportunities and teacher expertise and interest. At this stage, the object is to establish curricular priorities. There are three levels of importance: (1) "enduring" understanding, which should remain for the rest of the student's life, (2) important to know and do, and (3) worth being familiar with. For Wiggins and McTighe, "To understand a topic or subject is to use knowledge and skill in sophisticated, flexible ways". They identify six facets of understanding: explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge. In order to establish curricular priorities, four filters are to be used: enduring (i.e. representing "big ideas"), at the heart of the discipline, needing uncoverage (i.e. students tend to have misconceptions), and potentially engaging. They also put importance on "essential" questions as the "doorways to understanding". There are two kinds of "essential" questions: overarching "essential" questions; and "essential" and "unit" questions. Stage 2 is to determine acceptable evidence that shows the desired results are being achieved. Wiggins and McTighe argue that it is necessary to use performance tasks and projects in order to assess and promote "enduring" understanding. They make much of assessment methods in which students demonstrate the six facets of understanding. They also say that recurring tasks and longitudinal rubrics should be used in order to assess students' understanding of "big ideas". Stage 3 is to plan learning experiences and instruction, where also the six facets of understanding should be embedded. In order to design good learning experiences and instruction, Wiggins and McTighe suggest design guidelines and self-assessment criteria summarized in the acronym WHERETO. The acronym WHERETO stands for where we are going, hook student interest, equip the student, give opportunities to rethink, self-evaluation, tailor learning to various needs, organize and sequence the learning. Those three stages are to be used at both micro and macro levels of curriculum development. They believe that a focus on units (micro design) is helpful to build more robust and high-quality curricula. But the process of "backward design" also has elements which promote consistency between units and a curriculum as a whole (macro design). Such elements include a nesting structure of essential questions, recurring tasks and longitudinal rubrics. The theory of "backward design" represents a sophisticated version of Tyler Rationale, and it is significant in that it integrates various good ideas on curriculum theory. It makes use of new ideas from research on assessment, such as performance tasks and rubrics. By clarifying the relationship between objectives and various assessment methods, the depth of understanding which should be achieved is clearly defined. The six facets of understanding are useful in designing a curriculum that promotes "enduring" understanding. To build a curriculum around "essential questions" is the key strategy to bring "big ideas" into focus.

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This study's purpose is to make clear what the conditions and effectiveness/problems of the curriculum development are from the Partnership between Momochi Elementary School (at which Masuda was an elementary school teacher in 2003) and Seinan Gakuin University (Tashiro's students of education). First, we had common goals for our partnership project as below. (1) Supporting "Sougo Gakushu"/Student's Individual Study. (2)The students as good models for elementary children. (3) The school as a learning place for the students. Second, this is the summary for curriculum development from the partnership. The "Sougo Gakushu" consists of three elements which are: "the nature of the community," "the needs of children/parents," "the features of the teachers". Also it uses a "Unit method" which is always flexible, and the ideas have some concepts: "the children's dreams," and "communication ability". Tashiro developed the project "School Support Learning" that is valid for "Enshu I & II" for his students' development. In "Enshu II", the students modified the plan of the project, and participated in supporting activities for the school classes and events. After supporting the project, they reflected on their activities, and they could complete their dissertations for their Bachelor's Degree. This method for dissertations was very useful because the students could face the real educational world. In this study, we found out the following: 1) The conditions of the curriculum development by partnership. ・ Flexibility of curriculum planning which is not predetermined at the beginning. ・ "Flexible framework" based on "Voluntary Motivation" of both the elementary children and university students. ・ Planning which is feasible for both situations (the opinions of both sides, the conditions of busy schedules, etc) 2) The result ・ Extending discretion for curriculum development for "Sougo Gakushu". (especially, Sougo Gakushu is focusing on experience learning.) ・ The children's learning motivation is becoming higher. ・ The curriculum development is based on the integration between teaching theory and teaching practice. ・ The students could learn teacher's skills for their future. (Most of the students want to be a teacher.) 3) The issues for next research. ・ How to integrate between a "School Support Learning" project and an "analysis of the teaching" which is mainly the students' major. ・ How to collaborate other college teachers with the elementary school staff. ・ What is the meaning of SSL in teacher education of the research field. ・ How to convey the methods to develop the SSL curriculum to the elementary school whose organization is improved. ・ Creating a research method on how to develop the curriculum through a partnership between an elementary school and a university in general.

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The purpose of this paper is to examine career design learning in use of portfolios. The focal point is the replacement from the National Record of Achievement (NRA) to the Progress File in England. The NRA was introduced in 1991, used as record of accumulation evaluation. The NRA is portfolios with national unified style and form, and covered from schools and colleges to life-long career. However, The NRA had limit of recognition and validity. So, in 1997, the replacement to the Progress File started. What does the replacement change? The policy which Progress File owners complete their portfolios positive puts into practice. The guidebooks (both versions of paper form and CD-ROM are available) are developed and distributed, and the owners accumulate the evidence steadily by the system writing direct to the guidebooks. Based on the evidence accumulated in their portfolios, the owners can make their resumes and presentations positive. The national unified form is available but the flexible arrangements become alright and recommended. The Action Plan was able to be added again to the portfolios by the increase of capacity. However, the model style of a portfolio and guidebooks are made, for lightening the burdens of practice coping with the priorities. Why is the replacement done? Progress File emphasises that the portfolio owners make career design positive. The portfolios are no longer used as resumes or certificates themselves. The NRA owners tended to be passive and dependent. Progress File is easy to contain concrete evidence, not only the abstracted evaluations, such as test marks, subject grades and certificated achievements, but also written reports, works, photographs, audiovisual data, etc., which include the result in sports, arts, local activities, etc., obtained from outside of the schools. Therefore, it is easy also for the owners to realizing one's progress and to develop positive learning attitudes with their understanding their actual conditions. What are the conditions and the challenges? The case studies of the governmental research and development emphasise supports to positive career design. There found the effects at practice of the mentally retarded and the disadvantaged etc. However, it is limited effects against the insincere learning attitudes of some part of young college boys, and there is little evidence of effect over certificated examinations. And it is necessary to consider balanced resource allocations against other educational activities, about the frequencies and time length of the instructions, and teachers' burden. It is also important for instructors, such as school teachers, to train and improve their abilities. Patience is needed, since the immediate effects are not expectable of Progress File. In higher education institutions, there are a lot of types of portfolios for career design learning, calling them Progress Files as a general term. With the above conditions, it takes seven years for completing replacement from the NRA to the Progress File (s). In the replacement to Progress File (s), it is emphasised that the owners do positive career design rather than anything. In Japan, the system which would be more suitable for career design learning with portfolios should be examined, comparing similar domestic independent initiatives, although Syougai Gakusyu Passport (Lifelong Learning Passport), portfolio type of the accumulation evaluation record very similar to the NRA is researched by the national government's projects and is already put in practice by some local governments.

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The purpose of this paper is not a mere introduction of the philosophy or the practice of multicultural education, as often seen. Today in Japan, multicultural education generally tends to be thought as being similar to education for international understanding, a practice for understanding the different cultures. However, the practice of multicultural education has a possibility of reforming the substantial concept of education itself, instead of just emphasizing on the issues of race and ethnicity. Its philosophy and essence can bring a fundamental reform to the daily educational practice in many classrooms of the schools in Japan, in such fields as integrated study education, social studies, language education, etc. Also it can inspire the incorporation of at least three following important elements to the educational philosophy in Japan. First, the creation of the new culture caused by the confrontation to foreignness. Second, the objectification of oneself based on the ability of analyzing the information. And third, the academic achievement based on the concept learning. It is the purpose of this research, unlike the conventional research, to investigate the principle of multicultural education standing on the hypothesis mentioned above. The goal of the practice of multicultural education in the United States is the co-living of the various individuals, each of them maintaining their cultural identity at the same time. Therefore it can be mentioned as a practice for fostering "the competence to live" in this modern society, continuing to become more diverse, more complicated. And there it can be found not only the understanding of the different cultures but the basic elements of the character formation, such as extension of one's self-respect, acquisition of the objective grasp of oneself, development in understanding and considering for others, and fostering the broad social awareness. From the point of view as mentioned above, this paper verifies the practice of multicultural education, based on the positive data collected by the writer's own fieldwork. And it can be said as a result that the actual development of the children was seen to a considerable extent in the five developmental territories (self-grasping, respect for others, social awareness, information analysis, and academic achievement). Also, "marginality" in two different meanings can be considered as the extremely important elements of this educational practice: first, to recognize oneself as a marginal man, and second, the marginal conditions of the educational environment.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the task in which curriculum study should undertake, based on analyses of a questionnaire research and interview about the curriculum development and teacher organization in Unified Lower and Upper Secondary School from the viewpoint of curriculum articulation. In Japan, character of Lower Secondary School and Upper Secondary School is different in teachers. For example, teacher-training system (pre-service education), teacher's license and so on. Therefore, each teacher's culture is not same. But, since those teachers work together in Unified Lower and Upper Secondary School, there is a problem in teacher's organization. Actually, they can not work for six-year throughout curriculum development as one team. Because they give priority to their own value as Lower secondary school teacher or Upper one. Generally, curriculum articulation means "connection and division". In those schools curricular, connection means "consistency curriculum for six years" and division is "dividing six years into grades (Gakunen-no-Bunsetsuka in Japanese)", for example, 2-2-2 or 1-2-2-1 years system, and so on. By questionnaire research from Sep. to Oct. 2003, I surveyed all national and public such schools (h = 237) in Japan, to clear 1) What was difficult with curriculum development, 2) How teacher's culture was changed by curriculum development, and 3) How the "dividing six years into grades" affect curriculum development. And to elucidate characteristic of alternative teacher organization style, I implemented a case study on six-year secondary school, which has a consistency curriculum for throughout six years (called "Chuto-Kyouiku-Gakkou" in Japanese) by interview investigation at Dec. 2003. Results of questionnaire research are following: 1) Educational organization: There is an important problem about teacher's role dilemma; Lower secondary teachers must teach Upper's classes, and Upper secondary teachers must teach Lower's ones. 2) Teacher organization based on dividing six-years into grades: They can not develop consistency curriculum for throughout six-years, because there is not enough to work as one team. 3) Core organization for curriculum development throughout six-years: In those schools they have to build up core organization as supervisor for effective curriculum development. Findings of interview investigation are following: 1) Originality of organization for curriculum development Committee of curriculum: Most significant function of this organization is to consider consistency curriculum throughout six-year with high mobility. Delegation of each subjects and sectional meeting in each subjects: Those meetings concerning with subjects develop curricular smoothly. Since they make the original plans of each subjects together in advance. 2) Flexible reform with all organizations; In this school, since they always inquiry better organization for curriculum, if necessary, they check and improve all organizations. Thus, from the viewpoint of curriculum articulation, curriculum development in those schools must be investigated by organization of "consistency curriculum for six-years" and of "dividing six-years into grades". In conclusion, to develop curriculum, we must consider uniting curriculum and teacher organization.

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Due to the fact that globalization is progressing nowadays, the ability/stature is needed for understanding the dependence relationship with each other, for solving the world issues, for corresponding to sudden changes and different values/cultures. Moreover, the ability/stature for commitment to fair competition is needed especially for flourishing in the global society. This ability/stature could be identified as Cross-Cultural Competency (CCC), and in many countries it is researched, discussed and the theory related to it is practiced in every area. This study aims to develop and examine the curriculum especially for developing Business Cross-Cultural Competency (BCCC) based on the "Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)" theory, because corresponding to globalization in business is quite demanding now. At first, we extracted four key competencies of BCCC with two kinds of questionnaires given to Japanese businesspersons who flourish in the global business. They are "curiosity", "attitude for achieving their aim with strong will and passion", "ability of thinking from alternative dimensions", "positive attitude to do anything willingly". Then we created a short program "Let's Develop the Local Industry in Hiroshima to Global Business" to develop the four key competencies by referring to "Competency Learning" theory ("modeling learning", "learning by experience", "learning in making conception"). Secondly, we examined how student's BCCC was developed through the program by analyzing their final project, final impression papers, their activities in the class, their assessment test by themselves. As a result, we identified the effect of this program through their developed BCCC. The success and failure in the practice of this program were as follows: Students could get a clear aim of this program by showing the planning and final goal of the program. But our explanation about the competency with concrete examples was not enough. The research activities for developing "curiosity" and "ability of thinking from alternative dimensions" competencies were limited to IT activities. In the group discussions, students could gradually develop "attitude for achieving their aim with strong will and passion" and "positive attitude to do anything willingly" by solving the small conflicts of their opinions. In the three-time assessment test by themselves, they could always remember their aim, because we directed them to reflect their activities for re-thinking their main aim and for making their next activity clear through the test. But there were some students who could not understand that the assessment standards were indicators of activities. The learning through video could motivate them and make them form a picture of this program, but next time we hope to teach them the effective way of research information, the way of using the information to form new ideas etc. Finally, regarding the improvement of this program, the assessment of standards and the way of assessment should be improved first from the view points whether the level of competency will be developed stage by stage through study activities and/or whether it is possible to test the level of competencies one by one, through testing in the practical class; we also clarify the structure how these four competencies are developed through interaction. Secondly, we have to clarify what we could teach in the subject (acquisition of knowledge), what we should do through "Period for Integrated Study" (utilizing knowledge), how we could interact between two types of studies effectively, and when and how we could assess. We are going to improve the theoretical model from the viewpoint of curriculum development, and develop the optimum curriculum building CCC.

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