This study investigates the characteristics of Japanese primary school mathematics lessons that adopt a problem-solving approach. We argue that these characteristics are reflected in three key aspects: collective teaching and learning, the lesson as a "drama" (i.e., its structured flow), and the focus on mathematical knowledge. In this…

The use of virtual teachers (VTs) in environmental education is an important but little-studied issue. The advantage of VTs over robot teachers is that they have more freedom in designing their appearance and can change it immediately. Therefore, this paper hypothesizes that 'VTs with animal ears are better suited to teach environmental issues…

While various innovative pedagogical methods have been proven effective in facilitating the development of students' English language skills in different contexts, this study explores the implementation of several innovative methods in one EMI course, which includes collaborative online international learning (COIL), content language integrated…

This study examines whether ten weeks of direct instruction of affixes with online systems can improve learners' knowledge of affixes by using Affix Master 10 (AM10), a collection of online self-study materials developed by the current researchers. The aim of AM10 is to let students comprehensively learn 30 prefixes and 31 suffixes. The two…

Active learning has emerged as a means of developing generic employability skills that enable students to prepare for an uncertain future. In this context, many universities have encouraged their instructors to practice active learning. While some scholars indicate challenges with adopting this approach, few empirical studies have examined…

The constructive feedback on the author's article has helped him to expand his knowledge on the topic. He would like to clarify here that the purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of extensive reading on the development of Japanese high school learners' linguistic knowledge and reading abilities. The findings revealed that the…

This paper presents an outline of our project, in which we develop an observation framework for integrating lecture and contextual learning in the field of crop cultivation. Specifically, we will use multi sensing of learners' activities in classrooms, and contextual learning in fieldwork, farm planting, and farming environments. The motivation…

This article examines how students' subject knowledge acquired in short-term international courses (SICs) developed while engaging in university studies in the year following their SICs. It also explores factors associated with their engagement and disengagement. Two interviews with a 1-year interval with 25 students revealed their transformations…

Over the past decade, Japan's rich tradition of environmental education-related policy has shifted to encompass international discourse concerning global competition and education for sustainable development. In view of this shift, this article explores environmental education-related policy enactment from the perspective of high school teachers.…

Purpose: Japanese school teachers are facing challenges under the new curricula reform, and there is still a lack of preparation to guide them to a successful implementation. Dilemmas related to teaching English language in primary schools were seen among participant teachers in a program of professional learning. This study aims (1) to identify a…

Observation training of home dental practice is easily influenced by the site and time, and differences in learning content are likely to occur among students. The aim of the present study is to prototype virtual reality (VR) teaching material for home dental practice to provide dental students with the chance to observe patients receiving home…

Understanding the structure of energy literacy is of importance to provide an effective energy education. This article reports the difference in attributes of energy literacy by applying the energy literacy structural model proposed in our previous study through lower secondary school students in Thailand (N = 635) and Japan (N = 1070). Results…

To examine the appropriate information disclosure method of noise as the final goal, we firstly set the goal to grasp the degree of understanding of the dB values of the sound sources among people other than acoustic experts. In this paper, first, in order to measure the degree of understanding of the dB in university students without expert…

The present study was motivated by theoretical considerations in cognitive linguistics associated with the concept projection as well as by theories in cognitive science related to self-directed learning on computers, to apply them in developing Japanese learners' knowledge of the different degrees of sureness attached to CERTAIN, PROBABLE, and…

The purpose of this study is twofold: to assess the acceptance and usefulness of Nagoya University Small Private Online Courses, which is an online end-of-life care educational program through popular social media designed to supplement traditional end-of-life care education among healthcare professionals and to get constructive feedback with the…