CS STEAM EDUCATION

Comprehensive Science STEAM Education

About CS STEAM

Our STEAM education program draws inspiration from the work of Prof. Hiroshi Kawakatu, who led educational initiatives at the Comprehensive Science Education Center at Meijo University, Japan, from 2007 to 2014. This page explores the ideas and articles of Prof. Hiroshi Kawakatsu.

What scientific literacy is essential for the 21st century?

Worldwide, there is an emphasis on foundational education and scientific literacy. But what does “literacy” mean in this context, and what are the core goals of science education?

21st-century education should re-emphasize fundamental understandings of the natural world.
Case studies should develop the ability to make informed judgments about real-world political and social issues.

Let’s consider the current state of science education in relation to these two goals.

Introduction

Today, people use the word literacy in many ways.

“First, we will organize these concepts and briefly introduce the historical context in which the word ‘literacy’ appeared and gained significance.”

Basic Education and Functional Literacy in a Modern Nation: “Basic Skills”

Functional literacy views literacy as a tool for development. This fundamental concept emphasizes basic education in reading, writing, and numeracy (rather than just the abacus). Every country striving to become a modern nation prioritizes comprehensive instruction in writing and mathematics within its primary education system. Japan, for example, is believed to have had a considerable level of literacy since the Edo period. This focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic skills was further intensified in elementary school education during the Meiji period, particularly as Japan sought to become an industrial nation.

2. Cultural Foundations of Modern Nations: “Cultural Literacy”

The concept of “cultural literacy” views literacy as the acquisition of culture. This idea drove the international literacy improvement movement spearheaded by UNESCO and others after World War II.

This movement to eliminate illiteracy went beyond teaching the mechanics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. It recognized literacy as an essential tool for individuals and nations to protect their human rights and become active participants in their societies. UNESCO viewed this movement as fundamentally connected to human rights education and the realization of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

3. Critical Basic Education in the Modern State: “Critical Literacy”

UNESCO has invested heavily in improving global literacy rates, yet these rates remain below 50% in many countries. The reasons for this are complex and long-debated. One notable success story is Paulo Freire’s Liberation Literacy Movement. What lessons can we draw from this movement?

As we study these movements, questions arise about literacy initiatives in developing countries. Does adopting the educational materials and culture of former colonial powers truly create a better future? In the pursuit of literacy, are we at risk of losing our own precious cultural values?

4. Fundamentals of 21st-Century Education: “Science Literacy”

UNESCO engaged in a lengthy internal debate regarding the direction of science education. During this period, the United States, citing concerns that UNESCO primarily served developing countries, withdrew membership for an extended time. Facing criticism, the US eventually rejoined. After approximately 20 years of discussion, UNESCO adopted the influential “Paris Resolution” in 1992.

This resolution championed “Science and Technology Literacy for All.”

That same year, at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit attended by over 100 world leaders, the principle of sustainable development was established as a core guiding policy for the 21st century. The goals of the Paris Resolution were closely aligned with this commitment.

Scientific study is a fundamental liberal arts education that empowers individuals to shape history as active participants in their societies and nations, all while preserving their cultural heritage. In this context, the term “science literacy” arises as a beacon of hope for the 21st century.

5.1 Making Science Literate

The Paris Resolution recognizes that in the 21st century, science literacy will become increasingly foundational to modern societies, alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic. But why this focus?

Debates within UNESCO included perspectives from developing countries and indigenous peoples, who challenged traditional notions of literacy. Aboriginal peoples expressed stories through sand paintings, the Ainu through Yukar, and Native Americans through their own rich traditions. These forms of expression and knowledge preceded written language.

Until now, literacy has largely been associated with written culture. However, oral cultures transmit knowledge through listening, expressing, and interpreting the signs of nature – clouds, animal tracks, winds, and the growth of trees. Isn’t this, too, a form of literacy? A 21st-century understanding of literacy should encompass the ability to hear and communicate with the natural world.

Expressing our understanding of nature through song and art is a form of basic scientific literacy. Why should cultures without written systems be deprived of the right to “read” and express nature’s messages?

Paulo Freire worked with communities to find words within their own lives and cultures, sparking reflection and leading to local movements and even revolutions. Additionally, some countries are successfully combining traditional and modern science to create a uniquely relevant scientific literacy that underpins nation-building.

Costa Rica provides an inspiring example. Once deeply unequal and dependent on large-scale ranching, political reforms led to a remarkable shift. Young people replaced armed struggle with education. The constitution renounces war, and a commitment to science followed. Today, Costa Rica is an ecotourism leader, protecting a rich biodiversity. Young people work as rainforest curators, restoring ecosystems and sharing their knowledge with other developing nations.

Is mimicking developed nations the only path to happiness? Financial aid alone won’t build strong, independent nations. Lasting change requires different approaches.

There’s growing recognition that the knowledge and values of our ancestors hold great importance. Balanced development includes industrialization, but it must also prioritize the unique assets of each country. By embracing science and technology while drawing on traditional strengths, nations can forge a more sustainable and fulfilling future. This broader view of scientific literacy is where new wisdom for human-nature coexistence will emerge.

5.2 Science Literacy in the 21st Century and Science Education in Japan

How will we shape the future of education in the 21st century? Europe and the United States are leading efforts to revitalize science education. In England, the National Curriculum guarantees science education for all students – a historic first for British education. Previously, individual school principals had autonomy over the extent of science education offered. Now, with an extended compulsory education period and standardized curriculum, middle schools place double emphasis on science, fostering the development of scientific thinking skills.

What are these curriculum standards emphasizing? They align with common European standards, promoted by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). The OECD’s PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) seeks to harmonize international educational benchmarks.

In 2006, at the University of York, I [Prof. H. Kawakatsu] had the opportunity to ask Robert Bibee, a leading American biologist and chairman of the PISA Scientific Literacy Research Panel, about his vision for 21st-century science education. His answer was clear: “I believe a crucial element is the cultivation of scientific perspective and judgment.” I was struck by his conviction that these two aspects of scientific literacy must become a focus of education for all students.

This underscores how international standards for science education are evolving to meet the needs of the 21st century. Knowledge alone is insufficient. Students must develop a deep understanding of scientific principles and the ability to independently evaluate complex issues raised by modern science and technology. This is the essence of scientific literacy.

The Science Council of Japan uses the term “Scientific Literacy” with this specific meaning, although the term “Scientific Literacy” is used more broadly in public discourse. The OECD’s PISA assessment also adheres to this definition when evaluating Scientific Literacy.

UP-DOWN Method

The UP-DOWN Teaching Method

Developed by Kazuaki Shoji

Origins

During the 1970s and 80s, science teachers in Japan, including H. Kawakatsu, began developing a method for creating concise, single-page lesson summaries. Their goals were to:

Design engaging lessons, even for teachers without extensive science backgrounds.
Enable teachers to develop more ambitious and effective learning experiences.
Incorporate best practices from diverse research approaches, such as hypothetical-experimental methods.
Maintain a strong connection between classroom practice and textbook content.

Collaboratively refining these single-page summaries improved teachers’ analytical and lesson design skills. Notably, this approach allowed high school teachers to gain deeper insights into elementary science curricula. Building on this success, teacher-training programs incorporated the “UP-DOWN table” methodology to foster lesson development and research skills.

Key Principles

Creating a lesson plan using the UP-DOWN method requires going beyond the limitations of the textbook. It involves two types of goals:

Overarching Goals: Learning should be fun, engaging, and align with scientific principles.
Directional Goals: Specific concepts and skills the lesson aims to impart.

The fundamental goal of science education is discovering patterns and principles. This is achieved through logical thinking (like induction and deduction) and evidence-based learning. Science lessons should be participatory and hands-on to maximize student engagement.

The UP-DOWN Analysis

To design an effective lesson, teachers must analyze and compare existing lesson plans, identifying strong examples. The focus of this analysis is three-fold:

Observations: What is directly observed or perceived?
Facts: What verifiable evidence is available?
Inferences: What conclusions can be drawn from the facts?

Lesson Design

Separate facts from observations. If necessary, supplement the lesson with additional sources to connect observations to facts.
Formulate questions to guide students organically towards the desired learning outcomes.
Outline a sequence of questions, incorporating student activities (experiments, observations, etc.) to help students move from basic to complex understanding. Arrows can be used to visualize this progression.
Anticipate diverse student responses and plan how to incorporate them into the discussion.

The UP-DOWN table serves as a roadmap for the lesson. Teachers should feel free to adapt based on student responses, always drawing from the core principles outlined in the table.

VSCP Principle and UP-DOWN Method

Science lessons are not just about teaching words. Also, it is not just about showing experimental facts and phenomena. The language of science is recreated into a language that children can predict. With this as a weapon, concrete facts and experiments are organized in the form of verification. And as much as possible, it is the process of making these words and rules more general, based on this fact, while emphasizing teaching materials that are unexpected at first glance.

Absolutely! Since you’d like to keep the sentence structure, I’ll focus on improving word choice and minor adjustments for clarity. Here’s a slightly revised version:

Summarize the principles of lesson planning. As far as possible for the students, the most pervasive concepts and laws of science should be (1) recast as predictable. This is a creative task that only a teacher can do for them. (2) Verify this with concrete facts (3). (4) As much as possible, verify this with unexpected teaching materials that do not seem so at first glance and make predictions. In other words, students will be able to convince themselves of the generality of the law only when they can say that it holds true, even if it seems unlikely at first glance. Let’s call these four conditions the VSCP principle: V (Verifiability), S (Surprise), C (Concreteness), and P (Predictability). The class process, in which the conceptual rules are gradually deepened according to this principle, is when the student’s awareness rises and falls between the concrete and the abstract, enriching the concrete and deepening the abstract. This law of predictability is specifically emphasized as much as it is unexpected. And this process of verifying this is called ‘the UP-DOWN of recognition’ because of the student’s recognition rising and falling.

VCSP Principle is called KIGY-no-Gensoku in Japan. K(Kensho-sei), I(Igai-sei),G(Gutai-sei),Y(Yosokukanou-sei)
Originator is Prof. H. Kawakatsu

This “UP-DOWN” is, after all, a reproduction of the process by which scientists discover the truth. Therefore, it may be said that a science class is a real science class. However, to do that, science must be from the children’s perspective, so teachers need to recreate science, research, and ingenuity to make it science for children. If you give a real science class, you don’t have to be conscious of the teaching guidelines, such as scientific methods, experiments, teaching principles, and teaching social meaning. Everyone naturally comes together in an indivisible form. The point is to recreate and teach laws in the form of predictable knowledge.

Classes in which predictable knowledge is obtained and verified are more enjoyable than anything else. It’s fun, above all, because it makes you richer. We want science to belong to all people. But why is it national? This is because the basic principles of a democratic society will collapse if all citizens do not have the ability to seek truth, judge, examine, and discern.

“I have the power to examine and judge the truth. I have the power to understand.”
Studying cultivates predictive power, and I think it is very important that students who can possess this power nurture their own splendor throughout the class.

“I’m wonderful. I gained the confidence to study. Instead of feeling superior to others, I’m great. I want to cultivate it through a sense of fulfillment that broadens my horizons and makes me wiser.”
The lack of verification of “Is this true? Then how about this?” makes science so uninteresting.

We think this splendor and self-confidence can be born from a fun class. We want to reconsider the real nature of science, which is hidden in fun and has been lost in the lessons up to now.

Lively Experiment

Research on teaching materials for experiments

Recently, under the influence of teaching methods based on Physics Education Research (PER), conducting demonstration experiments during lectures in Japanese universities is becoming more common. Initially, “fun experiments” developed mainly by elementary, middle, and high school teachers have been actively carried out in Japan. It is no exaggeration to say that these activities are being re-evaluated.

Experiments are essential to science. Scientific research progresses by observing objects, inferring what regularities exist, formulating hypotheses, and testing whether those inferences are correct in experiments. The same is true for science education, and it is important to conduct good experiments in line with what is being taught.

Our policy of good science education experiments is as follows.

(1) Experiments close to the principles of science

(2) Beautiful and fun experiments that interest children

(3) A simple experiment that teachers around the world can use in their classes

We aim to develop, excavate, and disseminate such experiments.

To disseminate these good experiments, we hold lectures at lifelong learning centers in each ward of Nagoya City and at the Nagoya Science Literacy Forum. Furthermore, We have presented at workshops at international conferences such as ICPE (International Conference for Physics Education) with Stray Cats and Lady Cats.

Stray Cats and Lady Cats are promoting the Lively Experiment in the world.

The website of Stray Cats.

For the workshops at international conferences, we have selected experiments that we have used in classes and events in Japan, and that have been well received by the children. If these teaching materials for experiments are popular in various countries, they have some value in science education.

It is difficult to judge what brought about the educational effect of each teaching material. Incorporating these teaching materials into classes by professional teachers in each country will be one of the indicators of educational effectiveness. If a certain teaching material spreads beyond the country, human rights, age, and gender, it is considered valuable in science education.

To help with this, a recent workshop asked participants to fill out questionnaires. In the questionnaire, we asked which experimental materials impressed me and whether I would like to use them in my classes. We also ask them to write down their contact information, so we aim to conduct a follow-up survey after a certain time.