Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. The parents' orientation handouts listed two hours a week for "Tsukuba Style Studies." My wife and I raised our eyebrows. What are 'style' studies and why would our son get two hours a week of it when he enters Yatabe Higashi Junior High School in April?
The handout page for Tsukuba Style Studies listed objective thinking, problem discovery, communications, cooperation, self-consciousness, independent correction, "information gathering, analysis and activism," regional and global citizenship, life and career design, creativity and innovation - all leading edge education areas.
Tsukuba Style Studies is a new curriculum that will be implemented in Tsukuba's elementary and middle schools starting this April. Under development since 2007, this curriculum is a product of Tsukuba's 3E Forum. Kicked off by Tsukuba's declaration that it will reduce CO2 emissions 50% by 2030, this curriculum seeks to introduce environmental and global education from the first grade.
The curriculum has seven parts: foreign language, next generation environmental education, next generation career education, international understanding, science & technology, history & culture, and emotional well-being. English will be introduced in the first grade with ten hours of instruction. Third year middle school students will devote 80 hours to Tsukuba Style Studies. (They get 140 hours of English instruction separately.)
Developed in cooperation with Intel Corporation, this curriculum is being implemented in tablet computers and other leading technology media.
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Sources:
http://www.sakura.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp/~eeeforum/5th3EF/5th3E_yamanaka+nemoto.pdf (accessed 11 February 2012)
http://ibarakinews.jp/news/news.php?f_jun=13233515834379 (accessed 11 February 2012)
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