2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
[G03-04] Initiatives in Squid Dissection Classes for the Spread of Ocean Education
Keywords:ocean education, teacher training, squid dissection practice
Ocean education encompasses not only the natural sciences, such as ocean currents, water quality, and species distribution, but also industries (e.g., fisheries and shipping), disaster prevention, and local sea-related cultures. The Basic Act on Ocean Policy states that ocean education will be promoted so that citizens have a better understanding of the oceans, and the Third Basic Plan on Ocean Policy states that all cities, towns, and villages will be involved in ocean education by 2025. However, there are few schools taking the initiative to integrate ocean education. This is due not only to the breadth and specialized nature of the subject, but also the fact that teachers themselves have had few opportunities to learn about the ocean in school.
In recent years, universities and research institutes have collaborated on efforts to incorporate a familiar food source, seafood, into educational materials (e.g., for science classes) so that more schools can engage in ocean education. Since 2022, Meisei University and the Institute of Noto Satoumi Education and Studies have been conducting classes at junior high schools based on the GIGA School Program, which was launched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Through these classes they conduct research on ocean education which utilizes ICT, and are supporting and teaching squid dissection classes entirely online. In the classes, students receive lectures on squid ecology, squid evolution, squid fishing, and squid-related environmental issues as preliminary lessons, and then observe the organs and learn about their functions while dissecting thawed squid specimens. Currently, this hands-on experience is conducted mainly as a specific unit of science in junior high schools, but there are expectations that working with real squid after the preliminary lessons will encourage inquiry-based learning about squid ecology, as well as about the marine environment and industries surrounding squids. If dissection lessons are incorporated into a teacher’s training, it may not only lead to acquiring knowledge and broadening interests in the ocean, but also encourage them to consider how their own teaching subjects relate to the ocean.
With the cooperation of teachers who participated in squid dissections at Yagisawa Junior High School in Nishitokyo City, a survey was conducted on the relevance between the dissection experience and their teaching subjects, as well as on changes in their awareness towards ocean education as teachers. As a result, the number of teachers who answered "no" or "not so much" to the question of whether the content of the dissection lesson could be incorporated into their own subjects decreased after the experience compared to before, however, the number of teachers who answered "neither" increased. They also reported that they have become strongly aware of the necessity for factors considered important for implementing ocean education in schools, such as understanding and cooperation from the community and parents, understanding and cooperation from administrators and teachers, expertise, and organizing learning experiences outside of school. However, the perceived need for collaboration among grade levels decreased, and the number of participants who answered “neither” increased when asked about the experience’s consistency with their curriculums or connection with their teaching units. It appears that the dissection did not lead teachers to think about the relationship between the knowledge they gained from the training and their own teaching subjects, or about how learning contents could be collaborated between grades. The survey results suggest that providing support through presenting specific model lessons, including teacher trainings, may be necessary for the spread and advancement of ocean education.
In the future, the same survey will be conducted at schools that are participating in squid dissection lessons. A comparative analysis will also be done regarding the association between educators' education on the oceans and the subjects they teach.
In recent years, universities and research institutes have collaborated on efforts to incorporate a familiar food source, seafood, into educational materials (e.g., for science classes) so that more schools can engage in ocean education. Since 2022, Meisei University and the Institute of Noto Satoumi Education and Studies have been conducting classes at junior high schools based on the GIGA School Program, which was launched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Through these classes they conduct research on ocean education which utilizes ICT, and are supporting and teaching squid dissection classes entirely online. In the classes, students receive lectures on squid ecology, squid evolution, squid fishing, and squid-related environmental issues as preliminary lessons, and then observe the organs and learn about their functions while dissecting thawed squid specimens. Currently, this hands-on experience is conducted mainly as a specific unit of science in junior high schools, but there are expectations that working with real squid after the preliminary lessons will encourage inquiry-based learning about squid ecology, as well as about the marine environment and industries surrounding squids. If dissection lessons are incorporated into a teacher’s training, it may not only lead to acquiring knowledge and broadening interests in the ocean, but also encourage them to consider how their own teaching subjects relate to the ocean.
With the cooperation of teachers who participated in squid dissections at Yagisawa Junior High School in Nishitokyo City, a survey was conducted on the relevance between the dissection experience and their teaching subjects, as well as on changes in their awareness towards ocean education as teachers. As a result, the number of teachers who answered "no" or "not so much" to the question of whether the content of the dissection lesson could be incorporated into their own subjects decreased after the experience compared to before, however, the number of teachers who answered "neither" increased. They also reported that they have become strongly aware of the necessity for factors considered important for implementing ocean education in schools, such as understanding and cooperation from the community and parents, understanding and cooperation from administrators and teachers, expertise, and organizing learning experiences outside of school. However, the perceived need for collaboration among grade levels decreased, and the number of participants who answered “neither” increased when asked about the experience’s consistency with their curriculums or connection with their teaching units. It appears that the dissection did not lead teachers to think about the relationship between the knowledge they gained from the training and their own teaching subjects, or about how learning contents could be collaborated between grades. The survey results suggest that providing support through presenting specific model lessons, including teacher trainings, may be necessary for the spread and advancement of ocean education.
In the future, the same survey will be conducted at schools that are participating in squid dissection lessons. A comparative analysis will also be done regarding the association between educators' education on the oceans and the subjects they teach.