Teachers are always required to brush up their teaching skills through teacher training programs and it is most important that these training programs be organized to provide teachers not only with technical knowledge but also practical techniques to put their knowledge to good use in their classes. To suggest more effective teacher training programs, we need to review the contents of the programs fully. However, there have been no systems to evaluate the results of the training programs so far.
I reported the results of the survey regarding how the programs raised teachers’ awareness of the importance of effective teaching techniques by conducting questionnaires before and after the training programs.
In the programs for upper secondary school science teachers to gain creative class leading skills, teachers experienced the process which students would take to explore their world of science. In the programs for elementary and lower secondary school teachers, teachers designed and made polystyrene foam knives to deepen their understandings of the teaching materials, such as exothermic wires.
The result of this survey shows that teachers can acquire a wide variety of teaching techniques as well as scientific knowledge and methods through training programs when we try to set more pragmatic procedures. For each teacherto intensify their interests in science education and keep practicing for their pedagogical development, the teacher training programs should be examined and improved deliberately from now on.

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Over the past several decades, our understanding of genetic phenomena and the intricate and complicated mechanisms that mediate genetic effects has grown tremendously. Modern genetics is an important area for students in upper secondary schools in Japan. The new national curriculum framework, the Course of Study for Secondary Schools, emphasizes study in this area, including molecular evolution and molecular phylogenetics.
We are developing new teaching materials for molecular phylogenetics that include processes necessary for students to produce a molecular phylogenetic tree. Because students are familiar with vegetables, we use them as a new teaching material. We introduced the hypothesis of “the edible portions of vegetables and the forms of their flowers reflect the systems of these vegetables” to this teaching material. We established methods of producing phylogenetic trees using free software (MEGA4.0) and sequences of rbcL genes of some vegetables obtained from an English database: the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Using these teaching materials, students were able to verify a hypothesis described above, and realize “the edible portions of vegetables do not reflect the systems of these vegetables, but the flower forms do.” Furthermore, students could learn about molecular evolution, molecular phylogenetic trees, molecular clocks, scientific names, and classification systems of living things.
Based on pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire results and positive impressions of the activity by students, the teaching materials developed in this study are regarded as useful for teaching systematics, molecular clocks, evolutionary relationships among some vegetables, and the evolution of plants.

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In this study, we have introduced a concept of particles first into the “water and steam” unit in the fourth grade of the elementary school and then applied this concept to the “dissolution” unit in the fifth grade. Through this classstudy, we have paid attention mostly to the following two points: making the class content as simple as possible and solving problems by use of a scientifically correct particle model. Then we have examined whether a child at the elementary school stage could effectively use the knowledge of particles acquired in the previous study. In this article, we describe the reason why we chose the “water and steam” unit as the scene to introduce the concept of particles to the elementary school students for the first time. Then, we report the results for our teaching practice.The suggestion that a teacher gave fourth grade children is only “all the materials are comprised of invisible small particles” and “the size of the particles does not change”. By using these clues, children solved a problem “whereas the water is visible, why is the steam invisible?”. The next year, the same children learned about the uniformity of dissolution by using the knowledge obtained in the former study. Their understanding of the learning contents was very good. Therefore, we concluded that children were able to form an image of the solution by the particle model.

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A new class of “Invertebrate animals” was introduced in the unit “Groups of animals” in 2^nd grade lower secondary school, and then anatomical exercise methods were described in their science texts.
In this study, how the actual anatomical exercises were carried out in the secondary school science classes from2008 to 2012 were investigated. As a result, recently, anatomical exercises were actually conducted in the 2nd grade, and mainly cuttlefish “Decapodiformes” and Japanese littleneck “Ruditapes philippinarum” were used in the classes.
Additionally, it was found that the students expanded their knowledge about region and organs through observation.The following 3 points were found by checking students’ consciousness and knowledge changes.
1. After the anatomical exercise using sagittated calamari “Todarodes pacificus” and Japanese littleneck, students’ consciousness about anatomical did not change either positively or negatively.
2. At the end of the unit, there were no significant differences in students’ understanding of vertebrate animals; however, there were significant differences in understanding of invertebrate animals among grades.
3. The Study of “Invertebrate animals” was not definitely effective with an increase in students’ interest in animal group classification. However, the study of “Invertebrate animals” was effective in keeping the students’ already high consciousness of loving and protecting living things.

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Interactivity, which is one of the features of information and communication technology, makes collaborative learning possible. Not only can teachers and students transmit information mutually, but students can also exchange opinions mutually. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of a video call using FaceTime in a science class for grade nine students when one iPad is arranged in a group. From the questionnaires, the written responses, and the comments of the students after the lesson, we found that a video call using FaceTime might raise the efficacy to cultivate and improve students‘“ Scientific Thinking, Judgment and Expression”.

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The aim of this study is to analyze the characteristics of teaching evolution utilizing the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS). The authors established two points of analysis as follows;1) the reasons why evolution and teaching evolution is emphasized in BSCS, and 2) the treatment of evolution in BSCS’s teachers’ handbooks, textbooks, and materials.
As a result of our analysis, we have found that the treatment of evolution in BSCS’s teacher’s handbooks, textbooks, and materials reflects the reason why evolution and teaching evolution is emphasized in BSCS. We also have made sense of the following characteristics of teaching evolution in BSCS; evolution is taught as an important scientific theory, with the central role of evolution in biology reflected; the students’ understanding of nature of science and the scientific backgrounds of social problems related to evolution are developed through teaching evolution. In addition, we consider that the characteristics of teaching evolution utilizing BSCS in that teaching evolution is emphasized in order to maintain the integrity of science as presented in biological education.

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This paper describes the development of an experimental device to measure the glycerol produced from the decomposition of oils and fats by lipases. This device is made from three slide glasses formed into a prism shape. A solution is then poured into this prism and a laser beam is irradiated from the side. The position of the laser beam on the screen moves in proportion to the concentration of the solution.
Lipase from Candida rugosa (CRL) is utilized for this experiment, because of its ability to decompose oils and fats into fatty acids and glycerol. The difference between the measurements by this method and by those measurementsrecorded by the enzyme method, which is the current official method of measurement recorded, was 7% of the average. The molarity of glycerol showed approximately 1/3 fatty acids after 3 hours reaction.
Subsequently, I introduced this new device to the science club. The theme of the activity was to examine the positional specificity difference between CRL and porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) which decomposes oils to fatty acids and monoglycerides. The results of the students’ experiments showed no remarkable increase in the glycerol content when using PPL as opposed to CRL.
This device can be easily utilized by students, and as such, has the potential to become an effective tool for future educational activities.

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Experimental materials of chemical equilibrium between nitrogen dioxide and dinitrogen tetroxide are mentioned in many textbooks for upper secondary school chemistry. However, they involve several problems yet to be solved for use in classrooms because concentrated nitric acid and toxic nitrogen dioxide giving off fumes. Furthermore, the observation of changes in color of nitrogen oxide with equilibrium shift is difficult for instantaneous reactions.In this study, we developed materials for teaching chemical equilibrium with nitrogen dioxide based on a microscale experiment using a syringe and stopper cocks. Individual experiments in a classroom made it possible for students to repeatedly observe and confirm the changes in color. Also, using a microscale experiment could impart to the students a secure procedure for the handling of chemical reagents.
Using the developed experiments with a microscale device, we taught public upper secondary school students and examined its effectiveness as a teaching material. The analysis of a questionnaire confirmed that individual experiments, which are characteristic of microscale experiments, encouraged students to understand chemical equilibrium with insightful realizations of the processes involved.

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To investigate students’ understanding of ‘buoyancy’, we conducted two research studies from grade seven to university students. The purpose of the first research study (I) was to examine whether introducing the concept of water pressure to students at lower secondary level would affect their understanding about buoyancy. The second research study (II) was conducted for the purpose of investigating the students’ recognition of buoyancy in objects moving in water; one was coming up to the surface and the other was sinking in the water. We also focused on their recognition of buoyancy with regard to ‘the objects above the water and on the bottom in the water’.
As a result of research study I, the following two points were revealed.
(1) The students who understand the feature of water pressure tend to have two images of buoyant force; the deeper the object in the water, the larger the force with which it is buoyed up; actually the buoyant force remains constant whether in shallow or deep water.
(2) On the other hand, the students who did not understand the feature of water pressure had three images of buoyant force; two of three were same mentioned above, in addition, the shallower in the water, the larger the force with which the object was buoyed up. The number of students who gave these three images was the same.
As a result of research study II, the following two points were revealed.
(1) Some students who had not learned about buoyancy could answer that buoyant force acts on static objects hanged by strings in the water. However, they could not point out that buoyant force acts on the floating or sinking object in the water.
(2) The students who have already learned about buoyancy did not have the misunderstandings mentioned above.However most of them thought an equal buoyant force acted on the object both wholly and partly immersed in water.
Moreover, we have suggested the implication of teaching method of buoyancy for grade seven students.

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An ICT-based learning program for teaching students about photosynthesis and respiration in elementary school science classes was developed using PASCO’s SPARK Science Learning System^TM (PASCO, USA), which consistsof probeware (gas sensors) and data-logging systems. First, in order to select a plant suitable for use in elementary school classes, changes in the level of CO₂ and O₂ concentration for 10 minutes under light (60 W, 4500 lx) were examined in 6 plant species familiar to elementary school students (yoshino cherry, bamboo-leaved oak, satsuki azalea, mugwort, dokudami, potato). Dokudami showed the greatest changes as compared to the other 5 species.Second, classroom practice of the program for learning about photosynthesis and respiration using the SPARK System and dokudami was carried out in 4 classes of an elementary school in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture. The effectiveness of the program was assessed by open-ended questionnaires for the 45 students and 4 teachers. Eighty-four percent of the students referred to their understanding of plant photosynthesis and respiration. Thirty-three percent of students referred to the process of changes in CO₂ and O₂ concentration. Visualization of the changes in gas concentration using ICT enabled the students to develop deeper understanding of photosynthetic processes. Furthermore, all 4 teachers answered that they considered the SPARK System to be effective for teaching photosynthesis and respiration. These results suggest the ICT-based learning program has great potential for science education in elementary schools.

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“TimeTree” provides information about evolutionary time among organisms, i.e. when two species have diverged from a common ancestor, thus allowing us to easily draw a phylogenetic tree of life. Using this online tool, we developed teaching methods to understand the concept of biodiversity on the basis of evolution, and further examined its effect on students’ learning. In order to evaluate the effect of active learning using “TimeTree”, we conducted a field experiment targeting 47 university students belonging to a general education course. We first examined the students on their knowledge of evolution biology, and then gave the students an assignment using smartphone that investigates divergence times between various species in the zoo. The students looked around the zoo and searched for the divergence times of pairs of 10 animal species, as well as those of 7 primates.“ TimeTree” was a tractable online tool for the students. Most students could successfully draw a phylogenetic tree among species using the data of the divergence times. Finally, we conducted the same test of their knowledge of evolution biology. By comparing the scores of pre- and post-tests, we found significant effects that improve the understanding of tree thinking, macroevolution, the timescale of evolution, and biogeography. In conclusion, the teaching or training using the online tool “TimeTree” was effective for promoting the understanding of evolution and biodiversity that is regarded as an important unit in the new teaching guidelines of biological education.

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