Education

This course examines the fundamentals of the methods used in science practice, how to construct and evaluate a scientific argument, and how processes of scientific investigation are applied across the diverse range of scientific disciplines. Students will also learn to communicate science effectively to different audiences, and how to evaluate reporting of science in the mainstream media. 

This course provides an overview of key concepts, models, and strategies for effective teaching and learning from contemporary psychological perspectives. Students are expected to identify and address relevant “Big Ideas in Education” for promoting effective teaching and learning in today’s educational scene in Japan and beyond.  It focuses on various issues in school education and the theoretical knowledge to solve them. Furthermore, the students examine specific case studies, learning the necessary ways of thinking in education and schools.  

This course examines geography education, past, present, and future. Geography in schools is the focus, with some other educational contexts considered. The course offers a space for students to reflect on their own geographical education, considering how and why geography education varies. Students are encouraged to think about the potential of geography in education, as the world changes.

This course introduces students to the principles of health professions education and its application to practice. It guides students through learning about key theories in health professions education and they gain key skills needed to effectively teach in formal and informal environments. The course explores the use of feedback in teaching and learning and peer-assisted learning. It focuses on reviewing educational research and how this can inform clinical practice as well as explore the design and delivery of assessment. The course focuses on putting the knowledge and skills learned into practice through teaching peers, colleagues, patients, and future generations.

The purpose of this course is to give students the tools/skills to use when working with parents using theoretically-guided and research based knowledge of parent-child relationships. Parenting practices are examined to gain an appreciation for and an understanding of the experiences parents have while child rearing. 

This course also provides an opportunity to examine personal beliefs, values, assumptions, and biases about parenting in order to recognize how these influences might impact work with parents. This course is to understand the historical and theoretical foundations of parenting research and practice; to summarize the cultural and contextual factors influencing parenthood, parent-child relationships, including topics such as parenting children with special needs and parenting in the various context; to evaluate changes in parenting styles and parenting strategies across developmental stages from pregnancy to adulthood, and to integrate research and evidence-based perspectives to demonstrate the importance of parent education. 

Educational big data analysis consolidates information to provide teachers and administrators with the big picture of trends and patterns that can be used to evaluate and streamline processes, create efficiencies, and improve the overall students’ experience. In this course, students learn:

a) learning theories and instructional design models for developing educational program;

b) the characteristics of educational data;

c) the basic programming language to operate big data analysis; 

d) some machine learning algorithms that allow computers to learn data and to predict unknown results; and,

e) the skills to embed the machine learning model into the real online educational program.

Processes of globalization, migration, marketization, and socioeconomic change have transformed the landscape of children’s educational and occupational trajectories across the world. This course explores how such broader macro-level changes have influenced micro-level experiences, interactions, and individual beliefs influencing learning and schooling. This course covers various topics from the home environment to structural and cultural factors shaping learning experiences through lectures and a discussion of readings. Students also have the unique opportunity throughout this course to pursue a project of their own interest relevant to the topics covered in the course. This course aims to familiarize students with key contextual factors shaping education and develop students’ ability to think in a cross-cultural and international perspective by introducing case studies across the world. This course aims to provide theoretical background to structural and cultural factors shaping learning experiences. This course aims to expose students to research by providing them with an opportunity to formulate their own projects. 

This course is designed to delve into the world of early childhood curriculum, exploring its definition, philosophical and theoretical foundations, and practical implementation. Throughout the semester, students develop knowledge and skills in planning and interpreting curriculum, observing classroom practices, and understanding teacher roles. In addition, students gain deeper understanding of various early childhood curriculum models as well as current trends in the field. The goal is to understand the concept of early childhood curriculum and its core components; to understand how philosophical and theoretical backgrounds are associated with early childhood curriculum; to develop skills in planning, developing, and implementing early childhood curriculum; and to analyze current trends and the future of early childhood curriculum.

Prerequisites: majoring in Child and Family Studies

This course focuses on the question of public policy in education. It examines what it means to evaluate educational public policies and studies the large international actors in educational politics.

A sustainable future requires to focus not only on the responsible use of natural resources but also on the social, economic, and cultural challenges we face as a global society. This course explores the role education plays in key global issues such as poverty, migration, conflict, human rights abuses, and climate change to better understand how it can contribute to a sustainable and equitable society.