Takuya Baba

Mathematics Education Lesson Study in Japan from Historical, Community , Institutional and Development Assistance Perspectives

Japanese mathematics education is characterized by structured problem solving (Stigler and Hiebert in The teaching gap. Free Press, New York, 1999). Lesson study, where a group of teachers develops a lesson together, refines it furthermore. This learning opportunity has spread to various levels of the educational system during the last one hundred years, forming the lesson study practice and of today and becoming a part of our educational culture. This chapter addresses the culture, which Japanese mathematics education has nurtured from three perspectives such as history, community, and institution. These perspectives are discussed with a basis on Bishop in Mathematical enculturation: A cultural perspective on mathematics education. Kluwer, Dordrecht (1989). Besides these, a fourth perspective, developmental assistance, is also employed to compare the perspectives of Japan with those of developing countries.

The WIFI Study: Students’ Valuing of Mathematics Learning in Hong Kong and Japan

This chapter introduces the reader to the What I Find Important (in my mathematics learning) study (WIFI), conducted by a consortium of 21 research teams from 18 economies. It uses the same questionnaire to assess what students value in their respective mathematics education experiences. Two case economies, Hong Kong and Japan, provide the context for the discussion. This provides a reference point for analyzing four significant themes: the affordance to identify and define cultures and subcultures, the documenting and comparing of espoused and enacted valuing, the triangulation of survey responses, and the culturally situated labelling of values and valuing.

数学教育分野における国際協力の考察 : ケニア国中等理数科教育強化プロジェクトを事例として 【調査報告】

The role of basic education is refocused from different angle at Jomtien Conference (1990) after 30 years haveelapsed since international conferences on the educational planning were convened for universal primary educationaround 1960. In this conference, it is regarded as a part, and especially a fundamental part, of human rights ratherthan as a tool to attain economic development. Thus international cooperation in the field of education is gearedtowards improvement of its quality as well as quantitative attainment of the universal basic education. In this direc-tion Japanese government has committed herself during UNCTAD general conference to the education in Africa,and the SMASSE (Strengthening Mathematics and Science at Secondary Education) project, between Kenyan gov-ernment and Japanese government is one development of such commitment in the field of mathematics and scienceeducation at the secondary level. This report has intended to present what the project considered and implementedduring the early stage. And through this presentation, the authors have presented two implications towards theoriza-tion of international cooperation in the field of mathematics education. They are namely consideration of socio-cul-tural aspect in mathematics curriculum and professional development of teachers through lesson research.

Redefinition of Literacy Towards EFA Era : Focusing on the Mathematics Education 【Article】

The increment of information used to be regarded as a good thing unconditionally. However what we realize at the corner of this century is the unequal distribution of wealth and information which causes itself grow bigger and bigger than ever before. And it poses invincible tasks to humankind. The World Declaration, which has a symbolic meaning in the history of international cooperation, may become a cornerstone so long as we see some possibility in it and orchestrate our efforts toward the achievement of its goal. However, it may be degenerated into another empty doodle on the wall of history unless we translate these words into action. What we should do to change the possibility into the reality is to convert symbolism into practicability. It is our task to redefine the literacy as a basic ability in this declaration and to develop the discussion based upon that definition. The critical thinking and creative attitude are the key concepts which create the circulative channel between two sides which cannot be easily fused into one. They have been employed to enable not fusion but integration of the two mathematizations, science and technique.