In this paper, I discuss how "career education" in the 1970's affected the "general mathematics" programs in the United States. Although "career education" was thought of as a program for low ability students in the beginning of the 1970's, it began to be placed in "application", which is regarded as the content of mathematics education in general. On the other hand, there was another aspect such as "business mathematics", which was directly related to careers: however, in this paper I discuss the "general mathematics" programs to get some viewpoints for constructing the mathematics curriculum. There are five points to the teaching materials and their positions concerning careers in "general mathematics". The first is to emphasize the role of careers to get the meaning of learning mathematics. The second is to motivate students to learn mathematics with career-based materials. The third is to emphasize the application of mathematics as a part of learning contents. The fourth is to integrate various mathematical ideas on career situations. The fifth is to develop the thinking abilities such as problem solving abilities learned through career-related mathematics.

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The General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ) were developed and introduced in the United Kingdom from 1992 by the national government initiative with voluntary-based providing system (the coordinator is a quango, the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ)). The qualifications, of which 3 levels (equal status to GCSE and GCE A-level/AS-level) corresponding to the types of occupations which are available at present, are designed to certify broad competence integrating the contents of vocational and general education by modular system, which consists of the Core Skills Units (Communication, Application of Number, Information Technology, etc.) and Vocational Units. The aim of this implementation is improvement both of the vocational and the academic qualifications with narrow and partial qualities. The holders of GNVQ are expected to be competent workers who have flexibility to the social changes. GNVQ are also intended to be entrance qualifications for higher education as one of the main courses. GNVQ mainly have the following problems, (1) Guidance and consultation for the learners, (2) Whether the competence of the qualification holders actually comes to be the bases of learning in the future, (3) Inclination of becoming second-choice for learners with lower academic achivement, and (4) Manegement of the standard setting (epecially of the Core Skills). Although these problems have not been solved, GNVQ should keep on running because it is difficult to find an alternative. But from this case study, we should learn from the use of the resources of the exisiting instituitions concerned and the co-operation of the NVCQ, the national government, and the other instituitions, if we intend to develop the good qualifications in the good context of lifelong learning.

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The purpose of this paper is to clarify the formation of curricula for the object lessons in the elememtary school attached to Tokyo Higher Normal School (Koshi-Husho) in the Taisho Era. In the latter Meiji era, Koshi-Husho provided the subject for the lower grades which was called "Jinjo Shougaku Chiri Rekishi Rika" (an integrated curriculum geography, history, and nature study). The subject put emphasis on the observation and the activity of the children. In the Taisho era, in 1912, the subject called "Kyodo-ka" (Community Study), and also the contents was changed. I will examine the formation of this subject by focusing on the contents. In conclusion, the Community Study was divided into the Nature Study in the Lower Grades and "Kyodo-Chiri" (geography of the community). And the contents of "Object Lesson" in Taisho 13 (1924) were restricted within the subject matter of the natural science. The contents are as follows. 1. The subject of this study 2. The principles and contents of Community Study in 1912 3. The formation of "object lesson" in the Taisho Era 4. The principles and contents of Nature Study in Lower Grades 5. Conclusion

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The purpose of this paper is to examine and clarify what characteristics the elective curriculum of a Japanese junior high school has. In terms of methods, the author tries to grasp the transition of the features of elective course models that have been developed experimental schools by the Ministry of Education. The analytical data are obtained from the reports those schools had published. As the result of the analysis, I found that the elective curriculum has been developed through three stages as follows. In the first stage (1976-1983), the elective course played the role of supporting the required subjects. It is exemplified in the drill-and-practice for slow learners and application of quantitative evaluation. In the second stage (1982-1989), the course functioned as a tool for acquiring particular skills such as presentation ability or for mastering research methods. The data also showed the growing tendency to respond to students' needs, typically exemplified by preparing various mini-courses. In the third stage (1988-1992), the course has become to include the elements to facilitate students' reflection. Each school has initiated its original strategy in improving the process of choosing the subject, the methods for evaluation, and the measures for presentation and discussion on their achievements. In conclusion, it can be said that the elective curriculum in the Japanese junior high school is featured by the tendency toward having the possibility to prepare learning systems which provide students for various kinds of opportunities for decision-making about themselves. Those learning systems, if they are realized, have a possibility to contribute to students' self-understanding. Thus they contrast with the 'passive' elective courses such as drill-and- practice and supplemental contents.

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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the integrated curriculum of kindergarten and primary grades developed by Lilian G. Katz and others with comparing this curriculum to the Play School established by Caroline Pratt in 1914. The National Association for the Education of Young Children started the reform in early childhood education in the middle of the 1980s. The movement involves two major activities. The first reviews progressive kindergarten-primary curricula in the 1920s, especially Play School and other experimental schools. This activity is represented by Polly Greenberg. The second is shown by Katz and others who have developed 'Project Work'. This integrated curriculum of kindergarten and primary grades involves great problems. There are great differences among the children's achievement, because the children do not always work to the limits of their ability. Some are free-wheeling, while others are working at a level far beyond their customary performance. By Comparing the effects in 'Project Work' with the effects produced through plays in the Play School, we could recognize great differences of levels that the children do their best to achieve their own activities. The major components of the differences are three: meaningful activities for children, bringing up the class through interacting with each other, and sympathetic teacher's questionings to guide discovery and inquiry.

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There are three types of curriculum approaches in Home Economics Education lead by ideas representing each decade in the United States: "concept-based" in the 60's; "competency-based" in the 70's; and "practical problem-based" in the 80's. These approaches not only explicate the existence of the Home Economics Curriculum in the United States but also have significant meanings in designing the future Home Economics Curriculum in Japan. These approaches are summarized as follows : 1. "Concept-based" approach is the method of constructing the curriculum in which the concepts and generalizations abstracted from Home Econonics as a discipline are the nucleus of curriculum content. Accordingly, the curriculum based on this approach states clearly the relations among concepts or between concepts and generalizations. However, the problem is that the structure of knowledge in accordance with scholarly system in Home Economics is separated from the sequence of cognitive development of learners. 2. In "competency-based" approach, competencies derived from task analysis are identified as performance objectives, and they are the component of course objectives. Emphasis on the attainment of course objectives in terms of educational technology amounts to the mastery of specified knowledge and skills. As a result, the curriculm based on this approach gave little attention to the complex questioning process of learners. 3. "Practical problem-based" approach can open the way to get over the points at issues of the preceding two approaches. From this perspective, curriculum content including intellectual skills is organized around the practical problems derived from continuing concerns of the family in relation to human significance. This approach is grounded on the theory by Brown, Marjorie M. which is based on critical theory. Therefore, the curriculum based on this theory is designed to foster working power from the viewpoint of unification of thought and action as well as clarification of thought processes in solving practical problems.

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This paper attempts to explore the new horizon of the curriculum study, which we can discover underneath the formally alleged curriculum goals, e. g. acquiring conceptual knowledge, skills, and rules. The new horizon of the curriculum study is designated as currere based on the original Latin word of curriculum. In the field of curriculum study, traditionally, it has been assumed, as if it is self-evident, that educational aims, educational objectives, and educational content are constructed on the rational and objective formulation. In this assumption, it has also been taken for granted that 'experience' is determined by the objective entity outside the subjective dimension. In this traditional curriculum discourse, the determination about "me" always comes from prescribed external goals. I hereby address the necessity of phenomenological reflection in the traditional discourse of curriculum. The dichotomy between objectivity and subjectivity of curriculum has hindered the exploration of the subjectivity which never exists in the isolated state from objective entities. Searching for the original ego monad of the subjectivity leads to the exploration of the thinking ego as the objective existence. Being contradictory, we can attain at the ego monad merely through ideation of ego. Therefore, we are inclined to leaning on the idealized and isolated ego which is taken for granted in order to search for the subjective meaning of the curriculum. Currere is the subjective action and process of uncovering the meaning undermeath the taken-for-granted traditional framework. This action is performed exclusively in the subjective dimension by tracing back to the origin of the pre-predicative dimension of the world sedimented in the curriculum. For attaining this goal, we need to reflect on the transcendental subjectivity through the clarification of intentionality.

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The purpose of our experiment is to create an educational environment where children are encouraged to act as valuable members of society. In 1990, The Ministry of Education appointed Haruta Higashi Elememtary School as a Primary Education Development Project School. Since then, We have been working very hard to fulfill and improve our children's fundamental scholastic ability within the primary education curriculum. We have three objectives in accordance with the procedures of our project. The fist objective: How can we improve our school curriculum, judging from our present children's condition and the process of our education situation? The next: What basic scholastic achievements will support the program? And the last: How should this curriculum be presented? With these three objectives, we have further developed our studies concerning how to proceed and present the new curriculum. From our studies, we have actually established differrent hypotheses which lead to facts on other studies that support the primary education curriculum. As we struggled to present project experiences, trying to change knowledge into action, we came to a conclusion that the real new primary education is the lesson we have been trying go hard to provide the children with: the SEIKATU-TAIKEN-KA (a lesson teaching the children how to live a better life as a human through experiences with their whole mind and body). We have adopted this SEIKATU-TAIKEN-KA lesson is to enable the child to be an individual who can cope actively with the ability to live as a valuable member of this rapidly changing society. We actually took an interest in things that exist around us, such as International Culture, Industrial Techniques, Welfare Problems, and General Communications. We immersed the children in these activities and provided them with opportunities that will enable them to support themselves and gain the fundamental power to face the big changes in society, therefore enabling them to live a better life. This SEIKATU-TAIKEN-KA lesson is to give children the ability to practice in the future what they study now. The children will understand International matters, Welfare matters, Communication and Technical matters which they will have learned by actually participating in these activities. Therefore, when we talk about the activities in this SEIKATU-TAIKEN-KA lesson, the activity itself is the object, the plan, and the program. We have divided this SEIKATU-TAIKEN-KA lesson into four main fields. 1) International 2) Industrial 3) Welfare 4) Communication During these activities, because we want the children to take the initiative in the activities, the thoughts and imaginations of the children will be listened to and accepted. The teacher's ideas will support and enhance the activities to a better standard, at the same time, becoming the life stage curriculum. So each activity we have adopted will improve the life stage curriculum. We made sure all of the children who participated will always have some part in with those activities that follow. At the same time we also endured that the aim of the activity was focused on the correct subject, to insure the learning quality of the activity.

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This elective course has been carried out by this school over a period of twenty years. During these twenty years, the aim, the procedure and the structure of the course have been changed considerably. Now in this course the students work independently. The students decide what they study and work accordingly. We evaluate the course as follows; The students do a self-evaluation three times: at the beginning of the course, during the course and at the end of the course. We compare these results of the students' evaluation. We found the following: 1) Through the course, the students' interest to the subjects increased. 2) At the beginning, they showed great expectation to the course itself. By the middle of the course, however, they faced some difficulty in adjusting their learning method to the new style of the course. At the end of course, they got used to this learning style and seemed to feel satisfied. 3) The following 7 factors are drawn: (a) Learning Attitude (b) Interest in Subjects (c) Interest and Attitude to Society (d) Learning Method (e) Role in Group Activity (f) Relation to Learning of Main 9 course (g) Relation to Friends Hence, the features of this style of learning were structurally well shown.

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