[M-GI23] Neo-Kitchen Earth Science as an activation tool for our brain

[MGI23-01] Introduction to New Kitchen Earth Science

*Kei Kurita¹, Miwa Kuri², Satoshi Sakai³ (1.Earthquake Research Institute,University of Tokyo, 2.International Research Institute of Disaster Sci.,Tohoku University, 3.Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies,Kyoto University)

Keywords:freshman education, experimental course, last chance to study earth science

After intermission of several years we propose the new version of “Kitchen Earth Science” again. As an introduction to this session we explain the current situation and our new aims toward the session proposal. During the intermission period outreach activities have become active and popular and our previous aim to utilize Kitchen Earth Science matters in such occasions has been more or less accomplished. At the same time new problems have arisen in the university education,particularly around the design of experimental course. As the freshmen education in the universities recent trend is to start professional classes as early as possible at the sacrifice of general arts educations. This trend is coupled with the critical reviews on the conventional classes taught unilaterally in large class rooms. Innovations in the freshman education are an urgent task. Recently the tendency of diminishing numbers of students taking earth science classes in the high schools has been apparent so that the earth science lectures at the freshman education in the universities has become important. If these lectures are eliminated or are not taught carefully the last class of the earth science for the most people should be junior-high school class although social demands for higher comprehensions in the earth science matters are increasing such as the understanding of natural hazards and our future environments. Under consideration of these two aspects we propose experimental courses of earth science at the freshman educations could resolve the problems and improve the quality if we can properly incorporate essence of “Kitchen Earth Science”.As an introduction to this session we show several trails in Tohoku University, Kyoto University and Tokyo University.