When the writer was in high school, classes were generally based on copying what the teacher wrote on the board and listening to explanations.
Perhaps some of you have dozed off during class and been told off by a teacher.
In today’s educational settings, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is promoting a learning method called active learning. Classes are said to be changing from passive lessons where students listen to the teacher to participatory, active lessons.
The “Okayama-Style Project Based Learning Training,” held on Friday, November 22, is an event where participants put “PBL,” a form of active learning, into practice. High school teachers and local businesses discuss local issues and explore solutions, allowing participants to experience the full PBL process.
We spoke with the organizers about their hopes for holding the “Okayama-Style Project Based Learning Training.”
The information presented was accurate when this article was published in November 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the “Okayama-Style Project Based Learning Training”?
The “Okayama-Style Project Based Learning Training” is an exchange event for local businesses and school representatives, held on Friday, November 22, 2024.
It is hosted by Kurashiki City as part of the FY2024 Kurashiki City Career Education Instructor Development Program.
As the title suggests, “Project Based Learning” is known as problem-solving learning. Participants discuss discovered issues in groups and explore solutions, but finding the right answer is not the goal. A key feature of PBL is that participants gain knowledge and ideas through the process of considering solutions, while group discussions help develop collaboration and initiative.
In the “Okayama-Style Project Based Learning Training,” high school teachers and employees of local businesses put PBL into practice.
Taking as a reference an example from Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Kojoike High School, which won the top prize at the BeLive Presentation Event, participants discuss the same inquiry topic. The topic for the third session is said to be the food waste problem.
This training lets participants experience the entire PBL process and learn tips on how to think, as well as pointers for teaching PBL.
It seemed like a program we would recommend to teachers wondering how best to teach PBL, and schools hoping to work on PBL in collaboration with local businesses.
Interview with the organizers
We spoke with Okamoto Kana and Tanabe Kumiko of the Labor and Employment Policy Division, Kurashiki City, who were in charge of planning and running the event.
We also heard the participant’s perspective from Hongo Kenta, a third-year student at Okayama University who took part in the second PBL training session.
Could you tell us about the purpose and background behind planning this event?
Okamoto (honorifics omitted)
High schools across Japan have introduced a class called “Period for Integrated Inquiry-Based Study.” In this class, students identify and research local issues and social problems themselves, then present solutions.
Ideally, when students think, “I want to do a project like this” or “I want to solve this problem” through these classes, they would be able to work with a company that can support them. However, in reality, it is difficult to build connections between local businesses and schools.
That is why the Okayama-Style Project Based Learning Training was launched: to create an opportunity for local businesses and schoolteachers to connect.
The Okayama-Style Project Based Learning Training is one of the initiatives under the FY2024 Kurashiki City Career Education Instructor Development Program. The program aims to “support high school students’ independent learning and career education.” Kurashiki City also wants the whole community to support a system that makes it easier for high school students to take part in activities.
It sounds like you both took part in the second PBL training session. What did you think of it?
Hongo (honorifics omitted)
At the second PBL training session, we discussed a “plan to revitalize the community and revive its food culture by making use of black sea bream.”
Many of the ideas from my group struck me as the kind of ideas you would expect from working adults. Rather than finding commercial value in the black sea bream itself, they focused on things around it—for example, “using waste generated from black sea bream to produce electricity” or “using black sea bream as a tourism resource.”
There were participants from a variety of professions and industries, so it was interesting to hear ideas from all kinds of perspectives.
Tanabe (honorifics omitted)
Rather than coming up with ideas about the inquiry topic, my group discussed “what kind of guidance teachers should give so that high school students will take initiative.”
For example, some schools have younger students take over the same inquiry topic from their seniors.
I learned that, to help students take an active interest in an inquiry topic that has already been decided, it is also important for teachers to offer advice and guide them—for instance, by having them talk to people in the fishing industry or visit places where black sea bream is used.
We don’t work directly in education, but there was still a great deal to learn from the training. Personally, I also learned a lot about how to facilitate group work.
Okamoto
Experiencing PBL for the first time, I was shocked to see how advanced the work high school students are doing today is. When I imagine that people receiving today’s education will enter the workforce in a few years, it makes me feel positive and reminds me that we adults need to work even harder.
It sounds like a high-level training session. What was the atmosphere like?
Tanabe
The previous session was small, so it was easy for participants to talk to one another and exchange opinions. There were only a few people in each group, so I think we were able to discuss things while getting a general sense of one another’s strengths and personalities.
The teachers and instructors facilitating the session also offered support, which made it very easy to talk.
Okamoto
It didn’t feel like everyone had to come up with an idea one by one, so I listened to everyone’s opinions. Even when I couldn’t think of anything myself, just hearing the ideas that came up taught me that “there are ideas like that.”
What are the benefits of taking part?
Tanabe
For teachers who are unsure how to run PBL classes, I think this is an opportunity to learn how other schools approach and think about PBL.
At the second training session, someone mentioned that “teachers need techniques for guiding students toward ideas and solutions.” I hope that by experiencing PBL firsthand, participants will make new discoveries and learn useful techniques.
What kind of impact would you like this event to have on Kurashiki City and the Takahashi River Basin?
Okamoto
I would be happy if connecting schools with local businesses gave high school students a chance to learn about the appeal of local businesses.
These days, more and more young people are moving to big cities, but I hope that PBL classes will give high school students another option: “working in the area where I was born and raised.”
Tanabe
I think inquiry-based activities like PBL help people think of their community’s issues as their own.
It’s common for young people from rural areas to go to university in a big city and then stay there to work. Of course, that’s a perfectly valid option, but I think it’s a little unfortunate when they leave without really knowing their hometown.
So I would be happy if, at least while they are still living in their hometown, PBL gave them more opportunities to take an interest in their community.
Who would you recommend this to?
Okamoto
I especially hope that teachers who are unsure how to run PBL or interested in building networks with local businesses will take part. I would also like people from local businesses who want to support those teachers to join us.
I think people from local businesses may also make connections that could prove useful in the future, such as for recruitment.
Tanabe
I would also recommend it to people interested in local issues. Even members of the general public who are not directly involved in education can gain new perspectives here.
Also, teachers at Kojoike High School, the venue for this event, will find it easy to attend, so we hope any teachers who are available will take this opportunity to join us.
Hongo
I think this would also be a valuable opportunity for students in education faculties.
There aren’t many opportunities to discuss solutions to problems with people you’ve just met in a short amount of time, so this was a valuable chance to encounter a range of perspectives.
You take in someone else’s idea and then propose an even better solution. It’s difficult to put your thoughts into words on the spot, but I think it’s a great learning opportunity.
Do you have a message for our readers?
Okamoto
I feel that schools are extremely busy environments. In addition to their daily classes, they also have to implement new forms of education such as PBL based on manuals, so I imagine there are times when they face difficulties.
We want to support education across the entire community so that we can ease teachers’ burdens and concerns, even just a little.
This can also be a place to seek advice and connect with others, so if you’re interested, please come along.
Tanabe
I think that when solving a problem, solutions can emerge from connections between people and within the community.
You may make an unexpected connection that proves useful in the future, so if you’d like to build connections with people in the community, please come along.
From the Writer
I’m embarrassed to admit that until I covered this story, I didn’t know much about the details of PBL.
I had imagined that the Okayama Project Based Learning Training would involve high-level discussions, but since there are no right answers, it seemed that participants could freely share whatever ideas came to mind. It sounds like an interesting opportunity to learn through active participation.
People from a variety of industries and professions participate, not just those involved in education, so I think it would be educational just to hear ideas from a range of perspectives.
If you’re a local business hoping to support high school students’ learning by connecting with schools, please come along.
I hope the Okayama Project Based Learning Training will give teachers even a little inspiration for their classes.
Okayama Project Based Learning Training Information
| Name | Okayama Project Based Learning Training |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, November 22, 2024 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ※Registration opens at 4:00 p.m. |
| Location | 116-1 Koshinden, Fukuda-cho, Kurashiki City |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Kurashiki City Labor and Employment Policy Division |
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