At this month’s NHK Central Program Council meeting, we discussed “Parallel Tokyo” and “Active 10 Science.”
I saw “Active 10 Science” late at night on TV and became interested, so I watched the entire series online.The program simply presents material for viewers to think about, without providing the answers within the show itself. It’s a program that requires viewers to think for themselves.
In “The Door to Inquiry,” footage is shown that prompts viewers to discover their own questions—such as “That’s strange!” or “I wonder what that is?”—based on everyday phenomena, thereby igniting a spirit of inquiry.
In “The Key to Inquiry,” it presents clues to unravel those mysteries. Here, too, it simply shows footage of experimental results and numerical data, then asks, “What kind of pattern might there be?” and leaves it at that. Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to formulate hypotheses, and the program teaches viewers how to do so on their own.
In “Ways of Viewing and Thinking in Science,” we present multiple ways of looking at the world—such as quantity, quality, relationships, and commonalities—and encourage students to observe and verify things from various perspectives. For example, in this episode, the focus is on “comparison.” Here, too, we simply show footage of two things being compared and ask, “Don’t you find something curious when you compare them?” There is no specific explanation.
In “Explore Further,” students tackle even bigger mysteries by applying the rules they’ve discovered along the way. Here, too, the program limits itself to providing hints that can be inferred from previous discoveries, concluding with,
“What could this mean? Explore it further.” Methods for identifying problems, observation and experimental techniques, how to formulate hypotheses, and how to apply them. By focusing strictly on ways of thinking, the program fosters a scientific attitude toward inquiry based on everyday events and phenomena. It’s a wonderful structure.
At a time when inquiry-based STEM education is becoming increasingly important, I thought this was an excellent program that perfectly meets the need.