Experience the Thrill of Learning: Tokyo Education Show Brings Fun and Innovation to 3,000 Enthusiasts Under the Autumn Sky

The Tokyo Education Show (TES, executive committee chairperson) is an educational research festival where everyone from children to adults can experience the charm of education, with the goal of providing an opportunity for everyone, from children to adults, to feel that education is fun and cool! Mr. Tomonori Saki and Ms. Suzu Takahashi, student representative) held an opening ceremony on October 12th (Saturday) and October 13th (Sunday) at the National University Corporation Tokyo Gakugei University Koganei Campus (Koganei City, Tokyo) under clear autumn skies. It was written. This year was the second time the event was held, following last year, and a total of 2,933 people (including online participants) visited over the two days, including parents with children. The event is sponsored by the non-profit organization “Educational Circle” (Tokyo), and is run mainly by high school and university students from all over the country who aspire to pursue education. Events include “New Public Study Group” (classes given by attractive teachers and education creators from all over the country), “Education Summit” (talk session bringing together stakeholders in the education industry), and “Education Youth Conference” (determining the future of education). A variety of programs were held over the course of two days, with the main categories being youth-led projects and exchange sessions for change. At “Science Live: The World’s Most Fun Science Class,” which featured science artist Genki Ichikawa and others, the venue was filled with excitement as the children who participated erupted in loud cheers. On the other hand, the Education Summit “The Future of Teacher Training” was held by a total of five panelists, including the director and vice president of Tokyo Gakugei University, the director of the Educational Human Resources Policy Division of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and TES student representatives. They had a lively discussion and the audience listened attentively. ▽“We need a system to convey the attractiveness in a positive manner.” At the beginning of the talk event, Mr. Tazaki, chairman of the TES Executive Committee and the facilitator, introduced the “discourse that the attractiveness of education and the teaching profession has declined in recent years.” Specifically, he explained that there has been an increase in “reports of black scenes” in the educational field, a decline in the “teacher recruitment exam ratio,” and a decrease in “the number of students entering the faculty of education.” In response to these statements, Tazaki pointed out, “Isn’t there a need for a system to convey the reality and attractiveness of education and the teaching profession in a positive manner?” One way to do this is to communicate the appeal of education through events such as this TES. He is the leading role in creating things,” he said. Next, student representative Mr. Takahashi reported that he had held an “Education Youth Camp” with other students. Takahashi, a second-year student at Tokyo Gakugei University, joined the staff of TES2023 last year, and this year he will be the student representative. “I want to see more education in Japan,” he said, so he started an educational youth camp. They visited schools in three locations across the country (Hokkaido, Tokyo, and Kumamoto prefectures), observing classes and talking with teachers and children while staying overnight on-site. Mr. Takahashi participated in a camp at an elementary and junior high school in Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and said, “I realized that there is a huge gap between what we know about education and what it actually looks like in the field. Looking back, she said, “It gave me an opportunity to think seriously about what I needed to do in order to be able to teach that kind of class.” He said that this was the starting point for him wanting to learn. Next, Yukihisa Sasaki, director and vice president of Tokyo Gakugei University, gave a speech entitled “Issues to be solved in teacher training.” Vice President Sasaki pointed out four issues in teacher training, including “How to integrate pedagogical education (academic education) and teacher training (practical leadership).” “Universities merely provide materials for problem-solving, which students themselves deepen and develop through self-development,” and added, “Problem-solving is only possible when students take on the role of autonomy.” I think they will,” he concluded. From the perspective of autonomy, I evaluated the efforts of Mr. Takahashi et al.’s “Educational Youth Camp” mentioned earlier. ▽Diverse stakeholders surrounding education Naohiko Hinoda, co-representative of the Katsuiku Foundation, has experience such as being appointed as the youngest civilian principal at Minoh High School (Osaka Prefecture) in 2014. They cited three things as lacking: “ownership,” “dialogue and philosophy,” and “psychological safety.” Based on his own experience, Hinoda emphasized, “I think the job of a teacher is basically a black child.The students are the main characters, and we teachers are like stepping stones.” Lastly, Noriyoshi Goto, Director of the Educational Human Resources Policy Division at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, gave a speech entitled “To all those who aspire to be future teachers.” Director Goto explained that there are many stakeholders in school education. It has the characteristic that “it is not often seen in other fields, and it is easy to receive many opinions from a wide variety of stakeholders.” On the other hand, there are times when diverse opinions do not mesh with each other, and this is because, although educational reform must be undertaken at least 20 years into the future, “people involved in education today do not understand current values. Furthermore, my parents’ generation thinks based on the education they received more than 20 years ago,” he said, emphasizing the difference in timeline when forming their opinions. Under such circumstances, he pointed out that the ideal teacher to aim for is to “accept change positively and continue learning throughout the teaching profession.” He added, “In order to continue learning, the most important thing is to ignite a fire in your heart during your student days, and the story of the “Educational Youth Camp” that Mr. Takahashi et al. mentioned earlier is a very good initiative. ” he said emphatically. At the end of the event, Ms. Tazaki said, “I aspired to become a teacher because I admired my parents, who were both teachers.” After listening to many stories today, I realized that there are many things that I can share more about the appeal of education. Isn’t that the case?” he concluded. Non-profit organization “Educational Circle” A group of educational creators that develops various educational plans, promotions, and programs based on the concept of “bringing smiles to all children through education.” It is a diverse group of people involved in education, including teachers, educational YouTubers, science artists, students, producers, university professors, comedians, comedians, researchers, and musicians from all over Japan.