HOOSIERS TRIBUNE　on 4/10

フージャーズの皆様へ


　※4月の例会開催日は4月10日及び24日に変更になっています。ご注意ください。※


*************今週の出欠確認******************

今週例会の出欠確認です。
参加できない場合も4/8 PM 9：00までに返信してください。
-------------------------------------------------
氏名：（　　　　　　　）は参加します。※集合時間が18時45分に変更になっています。ご注意ください。
氏名：（　　　　　　　）は不参加です。

氏名（フルネーム）と上記の参加・不参加の一文のみコピーandペーストして
送って下さい。またこのメールの件名は変えずに返信してください。
*********************************************

最近、同姓のメンバーが増えています。出欠欄の記入は必ずフルネームで
お願いします。特に田中さん、渡辺さん、岡田さん、岡本さん、山田さん、山本さん、山口さん、
赤井さん、山下さん、辻さん、松本さんはフルネームで！


*********************************************

こんばんは、デモらです。

いよいよお花見シーズンですね。私は毎年のようにこの時期は桜の花を撮影しに出かけるのですが
今年は忙しくて行けそうにありません。みたらし団子を食べながら（？）去年までに撮った写真を見て、
お花見気分だけでも味わいたいと思ってます。

さて、今回は主に学校や教科書について話し合います。小中学生の頃の思い出や授業を振り返って、
楽しく、切なく、そして甘酸っぱい？思い出を語ってみてください。

一部の質問はやや難しく感じられるかもしれませんが、新聞やネットの受け売りでも構わないので、
理由も付けて意見を準備してきてくださいね。

今回も会長とお昼間会のメンバーが参加します。
そちらのグループは、後半の日韓問題になります。お間違えのないよう宜しくお願いします。



*********************************************

□■土曜会ブログ更新中■□

http://ameblo.jp/doyoukai/theme-10010279272.html

3月3日のブログでは、スタッフの岡田氏が、旅行先のレストランで使える英語表現集を

アップしています。この他にも役立つ英語表現集がいくつかアップされているので、
特に初心者の方は要チェックです！

*********************************************

☆★☆　今回初めて参加される方へ　☆★☆

参加希望の方は、マイケル氏にメールでご連絡ください。
できれば、以下のトピックを印刷してお持ちください。

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆


Primary school texts' contents expand

With new textbooks for primary school students becoming thicker under the
nation's new curriculum guidelines, a key task facing
school administrators will be to ensure students have sufficient class hours
to digest what they learn while also improving the
quality of teachers.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry announced
Tuesday its departure from a decadelong emphasis on what
is known as "education with latitude," or cram-free education, as it
released the results of its screening of textbooks to be used
at primary schools starting in academic year 2011.

The ministry said it endorsed all 148 textbooks in nine subjects submitted
by private publishing companies after the fiscal 2009
screening.

The average number of pages in the textbooks screened under the new
curriculum guidelines increased 43 percent from the textbooks
screened in fiscal 2000, when curriculum contents suffered large cuts.
Notably, the page count of science and arithmetic textbooks
sharply increased, by 67 percent, from those screened in 2000.

The new science and arithmetic textbooks have sections in which students are
encouraged to express ideas using their own words, and
to understand the material via practical means rather than focusing on rote
learning.

The arithmetic textbooks also include sections designed to encourage
students to think logically, while the science texts include
educational materials closely related to everyday lives.

Under the new guideline, publishers were requested to clearly state "the
circumference ratio of pi is 3.14" in their textbooks
although students are allowed to use the ratio as "3" in some cases.

Behind the curriculum changes lies the fact that the academic performance of
Japanese students aged 15 has declined as shown by the
results of the Program for International Student Assessment test conducted
by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development. Another survey on science and arithmetic education showed the
number of Japanese primary school students who enjoyed
studying science and arithmetic has been shrinking.

The new Japanese-language textbooks are introducing the use of newspaper
content, urging students to read news stories while trying
to understand how they were written and edited. This activity is designed to
enhance students' language ability.

All social studies textbooks for fifth-grade students carry a reference to
the territorial dispute with South Korea over the
Takeshima islets.


Q1. Talk about your impressive memories in your school days.

学生時代の印象的な思い出を話してみてください。

Q2. What was your favorite subject in school? What kind of contents in it
did you have interest in?

学校で好きな教科は何でしたか？その教科のどんな内容に興味がありましたか？

Q3. What do you think is the most important subject in elementary school?
How about in junior high school? Why?

小学校でどの教科が一番大切だと思いますか？中学校ではどうでしょう？なぜですか？


Q4. Remember your memory about textbooks. What are your impressive or
memorable contents of textbooks you've ever used?

教科書のことを思いだしてみてください。あなたが使った教科書で、もっとも印象的な内容はどんなものですか？

Q5. The average number of pages in the textbooks screened under the new
curriculum guidelines increased 43 percent from the
textbooks screened in fiscal 2000.
What do you think of this figure?

2000年度検定の教科書に比べ、新指導要領に基づいて検定された教科書の平均ページ数は43%増えました。この数字についてどう思いますか？

Q6. Teachers have to follow the screened textbooks and ‘curriculum
guidelines' shown by the government especially in compulsory
education.
Education in Japan is more uniformalized and averaged because of this
system. Do you think it's a good system?

教師は、特に義務教育においては、検定済み教科書と教育指導要綱に沿って授業を行わなければなりません。
この制度のおかげで日本の教育は（諸外国に比べ）より画一的・平均的なものとなっています。この制度はいいものだと思いますか？

Q7. Imagine you wrote a totally new textbook. What subject or field would
you write about? Could you explain the contents as well?

全く新しい教科書を自分で作ると想像してみてください。どんな教科や分野の教科書を作りたいですか？内容についても説明してください。


会長グループ：

Study Japan-ROK history for deeper understanding
The Yomiuri Shimbun

For Japanese and South Koreans to have a common vision of the history of their two countries, it is important to find ways to deepen mutual understanding while acknowledging each other's different historical perspectives.

On Tuesday, the second Japan-South Korea joint history study panel of researchers unveiled its report.

In the first group's report, released in 2005, different views from historians from both countries over such issues as the legitimacy of the 1910 treaty on Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula and Japan's military actions on the peninsula in ancient times were compiled in the report.

Within the second joint study group, a subgroup focusing on history textbooks used in both countries was created in addition to the original three subpanels focusing on different historical periods established under the first joint panel.

===

Textbook group added


The textbook subgroup analyzed differences in the two countries' textbook systems and descriptions of historical events in their textbooks. In the report, the scholars involved wrote their research papers according to themes.

Here again, we can see fierce debate between the Japanese and South Korean scholars.

For instance, one South Korean researcher said that descriptions about so-called comfort women have been decreasing in Japanese textbooks in recent years and attributed this phenomenon to Japan's conservative swing in its political and social circumstances.

However, there was once a development in the comfort women issue that invited misunderstanding in the international community. In the early 1990s some Japanese newspapers published inaccurate information about the mobilization of the female volunteer work force in Japan during the Pacific War as the "hunt for comfort women" by the government." This information circulated in Japan and then in other countries.

In his comments to the South Korean researcher, a Japanese researcher criticized the thesis, saying it was based on an "argument with serious faults," referring to the paper's confusion of the female volunteer work force with comfort women.

Unless such factual errors are corrected, it will be hard to have constructive discussions.

===

S. Korean textbooks discussed


In discussions of textbooks in both countries, it has aways previously been problems with Japanese textbooks that have been taken up. This time, however, opinions were exchanged on problems in South Korean textbooks.

For instance, there was discussion of the use of the term "nittei," which can be taken to mean the "Japanese Empire," "Japanese imperialism," or "Japanese imperialists." The Japanese side questioned what the term really means or whether it means Japanese imperialists.

The Japanese side also said the use of the term "king" in South Korean textbooks as the title of the emperor is problematic.

From the South Korean side, too, there was a frank opinion expressed that descriptions of World War II in South Korean textbooks are inadequate.

August will mark the centennial of the conclusion of the treaty of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula. There is a possibility that lively exchanges of opinion on issues including Japan's colonial rule of the peninsula will take place.

Naturally, it is not easy for Japan and South Korea to have common interpretations of their shared history.

It is undecided whether a new bilateral joint history study panel will be set up to continue this work, but we think the effort should be continued while respecting differences of perspective.


(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 24, 2010)

(Mar. 24, 2010)

Title: What should we do to have a good relationship with ROK?
質問については、後日お知らせします。