Many science textbooks for elementary school students explain that the function of the heart is similar to that of a water pump. But most students in Japan do not use a water pump in their daily lives and do not know much about a water pump. From such a viewpoint, we developed a simple and inexpensive pump as a model of the heart in our previous work. In this work, we used the pump in science classes of elementary school to investigate its usefulness. In addition, we developed three new pumps of different size and structure to enhance students' understanding of the mechanism and the performance of the heart.

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An experimental apparatus to observe the standing electromagnetic waves, operated in the TE_<10> mode at 10.5GHz, has been constructed using a 12μm thick aluminum foil waveguide as well as a conventional 3mm brass one. Standing wave voltages are picked using a probe made from coaxial cable, a voltmeter and a travelling microscope. Guide-wavelength for both the aluminum foil and the 3mm brass waveguides is determined to be 3.5cm. The frequency of the input waves can be estimated from the guide-wave length within the experimental error 2.8%. The skin depth effect of the electromagnetic waves can also be demonstrated using this aluminum foil waveguide apparatus. There is a possibility of using such waveguides to study the properties of microwaves in high school or undergraduate physics.

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The purpose of this paper is to find ways of learning support which have an effect on students learning, and, which moreover improve teachers'ability on the basis of some cases of nature experience-based study programs at school. I patternized the learning support for nature experience-based study programs, and evaluated the effect on students and teachers through the practice of each pattern of learning support. I divided the learning support into three patterns according to the 'learning support level', and named each pattern pattern I-pattern III in order of support level. I further divided pattern II in two, pattern II-1 and II-2, according to the interaction between learning supporters and teachers in instruction. I also carried out two practices of learning support pattern II (II-1, II-2), and evaluated the effect on students and teachers provided by the learning support. Moreover, I examined the relations between each pattern of learning support and teacher development. The result, shows that learning support pattern II has a marked effect on students, learning and, moreover, on development of teachers'ability.

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In this study, we analyze the educational significance of "fish dissection" in elementary school science. Description of fish dissection has been decreasing in elementary school science textbooks in recent years, though the importance of "natural experience", "experiential learning", and the necessity of guidance about the "preciousness of life" has been proposed in science education. Our method of study is to investigate changes in teaching materials on "fish dissection" in postwar textbooks, and also children's thoughts on dissection, scientific concepts, and their esteem for life through classes of "fish dissection". Finally, we suggest problems to be solved by analyzing them. The textbooks studied were edited by four different textbook publishers on the basis of the Course of Study in Japan, which were revised in 1958, 1968, 1977, 1989, and 1998. We analyze the unit of "fish dissection" in the textbooks for fifth and sixth graders in this paper. The results of the study are as follows: "Crucian carps (Carassius cuvieri etc.)" were described as teaching materials for observations and experiments in all textbooks, which were published based on the 1958 and 1968 revisions. There were, however, no teaching materials on "fish dissection" in all textbooks published by all companies based on the 1977 revision. The teaching materials of "fish dissection" were described as references in the unit of "bodies of persons and animals" for sixth graders in the textbooks published based on the 1989, 1998 revisions by two out of four publishers. A questionnaire administered to children after the "fish dissection" class revealed the following: First, almost all children answered that it was good to practice fish dissection. Secondly, a lot of things became apparent from the reasons given for the answers, such as children's ideas on the "preciousness of life", "experiential learning", "scientific concept", and their impression about the "delicacy of body structure". Although many problems are left unsolved for including "fish dissection" in elementary school science, it seems that "fish dissection" is important for "experiential learning" in order for children to "have ideas about the structure and function of human bodies and other animals", and notice the "delicacy of body structure" that will lead to a realization of the "preciousness of life".

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Phenolphthalein changes to colorless from red in strong alkali. This is because a quinoid type diavalent anion (red) becomes a trivalent anion (colorless). The change in the red color of this reaction could be analyzed by the combination of a personal computer and a throwing type colorimeter, as I mentioned in my former article. If the preparation for this experiment is done in advance, all experiments are completed in two-period school hours. We can get the rate of this reaction, concentration dependence, temperature dependence, activated energy, equilibrium constant and so on. The following four results were found. First, the reaction rate became faster in proportion to the concentration of phenolphthalein, and increased about 1.7 times by a temperature rise of 10℃. Second, the activated energy seen for the direct reaction was 51kJ/mol, and the activated energy seen for the inverse reaction was 97kJ/mol. Third, the heat of this reaction was +46kJ/mol, and this reaction was a exothermic reaction. Fourth, the equilibrium was moved to the left by the temperature rise of the solution, and the equilibrium constant decreased.

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New education for a sustainable future is being required internationally, and learning about new energy such as fuel cells is being considered important. The concept of redox (reduction and oxidation) is essential for understanding the function of the fuel cell. Therefore, it should be examined whether the concept is correctly and properly understood by Japanese students. In this paper, we first analyzed conceptual elements that composed the concept of oxidation by questionnaire to students of a junior and a senior high school in Japan and found that almost all of them are systematically constructing the concept of oxidation centering on oxygen. Secondary, we studied the treatment of redox in science textbooks in Japan as well as the U.S. and U.K. to check the learning program on redox at high school level mainly, and found the following features; In Japan, the program focuses first on the movement of oxygen in combustion, then redox is defined based on this idea, and finally the definition of redox is expanded as a reaction by electron transfer. In the U.S. and U.K., however, redox is explained first focusing on change of ion charge of metal in solution, and then it is clearly explained as a reaction to electron movement. Moreover, the word "reduction" is translated into Japanese not as "reduce", but "return". As a result, students tend to summarize redox not as electron movement, but as oxygen movement. Our result proposes a reform of the Japanese learning program on redox to prepare Japanese students for a sustainable future.

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In general, preparing observation and experiments for biological science class is regarded as difficult. Especially student teachers can be so confused while obtaining biological teaching materials that there is little time for studying the teaching materials before making the class plan. In this study, a Biological Teaching Material Bank was constituted as a supply system of practical biological teaching materials and available core information on observation and experiments for student teachers. According to a pre-questionnaire, living being for use as biological teaching materials, which were needed most by student teachers, have been raised and cultivated. Some difficult teaching materials were also improved. The core information of observation and experiments were arranged in a unit of text for reference. An observation and experiments kit was also prepared as rental teaching materials. The new core information and class plans provided by student teachers were arranged in a file for reference for the next generation. A post-questionnaire was given to student teachers who had been supported by this study. The results show the effectiveness of the Biological Teaching Material Bank for teaching better classes; however, some problems were identified for later analysis and improvement.

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We propose a science design based on the color science for astronomical and science education. There are many colorful visual pictures in recent astronomy; e.g., "colorful photographs (images)" taken by the Hubble Space Telescope or the Subaru Telescope of Japan. Besides X-ray and radio images, the color of these "colorful images" in the optical band is not true but artificial for popular purposes. In addition, people often have wrong images of the color of celestial bodies; e.g., some people think that the color of the sun is yellow, but the true color of the sun is white. We thus investigate and calculate the true color of celestial bodies such as stars and nebulae, by using spectrum data of stars and nebulae in the optical band, calculate their sRGB values based on the color science, and display them. We show and discuss several results in this article.

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