PMEに参加して Part 2

　高阪さんがすでにPMEについて詳しく報告されているので、私は簡単に発表状況に触れたいと思います。

　私の発表したセッションはLearning Geometryで発表者は3名のところ2名だったので、発表10分質疑応答10分のところを多少の余裕をもってすすめることができました。参加者は15名~20名。大きな会場で「あなたの内容はファンヒーレの理論に位置づけるとどうなりますか？」「図形の認識というものは生まれつきもっているものなのか、それとも学習によるものなのか」など、いきなり難しい質問を受け、頭が真っ白状態となりました。あらかじめ予想される

質問に関しても対応を考えておくべきだったと反省しております。

　全く関係ありませんが、宿泊したホテルの近くになんと「HOROSHIMA PARK」がありました。最終日に訪れてみると、中央に噴水があり市民の憩いの場といった公園でした。残念なことに看板とモニュメント（写真）がアピール性の乏しい状態で、そこにたたずでおりました。

 

 

 

青年海外協力隊試験結果発表

昨日、青年海外協力隊の二次選考の結果発表がありました。

 

結果…合格することができました！

来年の１月からザンビアへ行くことが決まりほっとしました。

 

今回の協力隊の試験を受けるにあたって、一次選考の書類を見ていただくところから面接の練習までたくさんのサポートザンプロの先輩方を始めとして馬場研究室の先輩方、高松さん、同期の酒寄さんにたくさんのサポートをしていただきたました。

本当にありがとうございます。

感謝の気持ちを忘れずにこれからもがんばっていきます！

 

そして、今月の半ばにはUNZA(ザンビア大学)のワークショップに参加をします。

自分が来年ザンビアに赴いてから参加する行事でもあるので、会場の雰囲気やみて、現地にいらっしゃる先輩方と共に一緒にがんばってきます！

また、初めての途上国、アフリカに行くことになるので、ザンビアの地を自分の肌で思いっきり感じてきます。

 

帰国後には、引っ越しや手続きなどたくさんのことがありますが、ザンビアでの研究に向けて広島でできる準備を一生懸命に遣って行きたいと思います。

国際数学教育心理学会

ドイツのキール大学で開催された、国際数学教育心理学会(PME: International Group for Psychology of Mathematics Education)に参加してきました。

 

PMEは1977年から開催されている歴史ある学会で、

世界各国から約600名の実践者及び研究者が参加していました。

 

会議は1週間に渡り開催され、パネルディスカッションや招待講演、論文発表などのプログラムを通し、数学教育の質的向上に向け熱い議論が繰り広げられました。

 

今回馬場研からは3名が口頭発表を行いました。

国内の学会では、研究対象地域が開発途上国というだけで相手にされないことも多々ありますが、国際学会では地域が異なることが当たり前なので、中身に関する議論が行え良かったように思います。

 

 

最終日にはPME恒例のダンスパーティーも開催され、

異なった側面からも日本のプレゼンスを示してきました。

 

Sppech at RECSAM

     I have attended SEARS-MT workshop which has developed the standards for mathematics teachers in Southeast Asia. This is very interesting experience. The document itself is yet to be
finalized. I would like to share the vote of thanks and a picture.
      

     Director, Dr. Hj. Mohd Johan bin Zakaria, Deputy Director, Ms. Foo Lay Kuan, the coordinator, Dr. Cheah Ui Hock, international consultant professors, distinguished countries experts, colleagues in RECSAM, ladies and gentlemen,

     I feel honored to convey my words of appreciation by representing the team of national and international consultants. It was just a few days ago when we came here in this room to start greeting each other and imagining what is going to happen from now. These three and half days were very fulfilling. We spend the time very intensively here in this room and also outside this room.

     First of all, thank you very much, dear director, for your understanding of the importance of this workshop and support. I thank you for the RECSAM’s initiative to take a lead in this significant work of developing teachers’ standards in ASEAN countries of diversity at the critical time of pre-economic integration period.

     Dr. Cheah, your superb chairmanship has guided this difficult discussion efficiently so that it never deviates much from the due course, but at the same time ensure the participation of all members. Thank you very much for your dedicated work, and also even tourist guiding after the serious work.

     Country experts, your contribution is really valuable. Those comments and opinions make the professional discussion possible. Indeed the discussion has been very productive. Thank you very much for your contribution. And I am sure that after this workshop your contribution will be more valuable and you will be determined to play an important role to implement this. We are looking forward to seeing the development in each of your country.

     Fellow international experts are really helpful not only in guiding us professionally and language-wise but also showing us a professional model to emulate. Such a professional and compassionate stance is only possible if you have enough professional knowledge and deep understanding of this ASEAN context of diversity and culture. Thank you very much.

     Lastly but not least thank you very much for all RECSAM members. Without your tireless supports, this workshop never becomes such a smooth and productive one. We are able to stay here comfortably and concentrate on discussion without worrying about anything else.

     I think teachers are generally very deep thinkers. If you say them what to do, they won’t listen to you directly but think deeply what is implied. Especially currently in all countries they are under extreme pressure of accountability. They are always asked for the document and assessment. We have to understand the difficulty and sensitivity of their work. And with that understanding, I hope that you will lead and guide the mathematics education community in these teachers’ standards, which we have developed.

     I like the UNESCO report of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, Learning: the treasure within. I really think learning is the very important aspect of human being for us to be creative. And during this workshop, this learning was very notable. We have learned each other about the countries’ differences and common aspiration and problems to be overcome. When you apply these standards, we need your leadership in guiding the community and overcoming problems.

     Last night I was browsing the report. I found out many tensions to overcome in order to realize the ideals of the education. The very first tension among all was the following:

• The tension between the global and the local: people need gradually to become world citizens without losing their roots and while continuing to play an active part in the life of their nation and their local community.

     Here we need being local and being global at the same time. For this, we have a creative word “glocal”.

     Throughout this workshop, I have insisted on Professional communities. I think this workshop is a realization of such professional communities in the sense of glocal. We are always conscious about the cultural differences of each country and at the same time we have made the best efforts to come up with the common standards for ASEAN countries. Surprisingly, in Japan, we don’t have common standards. Maybe in future we shall import the idea of SEARS.

     I have to apologize one thing to you. I have tried to make arrangement with the Japanese textbook company (Keirinkan) to give one copy of translated versions of Japanese mathematics textbooks to each participant. The books arrived at the country on Monday already but due to some problems they have not arrived here. Dr. Cheah suggested helping me in giving you this even after the workshop. I hope that you will be able to receive the copy sooner or later.

     In this textbook, we tried to practice the glocal spirit. We translated the Japanese text into English but tried to retain and convey some Japanese context of mathematics education. One example is that our number system is based on four digit system of ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and mans, which mean ten thousands. And every four digit the number repeats unlike the English every three digits it repeats. We try to retain some of these characteristics as much as possible. You will see this in the translated textbooks.

     I am sure that SEARS (MT) document will play a guiding role in improving the quality of mathematics education from now on. Today is the very first step toward new era of such a new approach in the area of mathematics education.

     By saying “thank you” once again for all people concerned. Maybe one year later or so, let us meet again. Until then, I wish you the very best for everybody.

 

July 5^th, 2013

Takuya Baba, Hiroshima University

 

 

協力隊２次試験

　先日、青年海外協力隊の二次試験を受けるために東京へ行って来ました。

試験会場に集まった受験者の数に圧倒されました。

　人物面接と技術面接が分けて行われ、順番が2番目だったということもあり、お昼すぎには帰れるかなと密かに期待をしていました。

が、期待は見事に裏切られ夕方まで会場に残ることになりました。笑

空き時間がたくさんあったため、同じ列に座っていた受験生の方ともいろいろと面接についての意見交換や志望する職種についての話などたくさん話をすることができました。

 　肝心の面接のほうなのですが、人物面接ではIDECのことを主に聞かれ、技術面接では、応募した要請の中に物理と書いてあったこともあり物理について多く尋ねられました。技術面接に関しては答えられない部分もありましたが、一生懸命最後まで答えることができました。また、研究に関してもきちんと答えることができ、最後には「がんばって」と面接の先生に言われたことがとても印象的でした。

 　面接の後には、3月まで通っていた大学に行き後輩や大学院に通う同期と会い、近況を報告したり、お互いの研究の話をしてきました。分野は違えどとても参考になりました。色々な友人に会えたこともあっていい息抜きになりました。

 　今回の二次試験の結果発表は8月です。1月からのザンビア行きの切符を手に入れることを期待して待ちたいと思います！

 

The 38th Research Presentation Meeting of the JASME 2

     Another unique opportunity provided by attending to this conference was the one of eating the well-known Kagawa udon. On Sunday 23, we took lunch at a udon restaurant named “Udon Chikusei” (セルフうどんの店「竹清 （ちくせい）」), after having to wait in a long queue in order to enter the restaurant. We enjoyed a delicious udon there, with the shop owner preparing and cooking the udon in front of us. Moreover, the broth, the “chikuwa” (fish-paste sticks) and the tempurized eggs were also very tasty and delicious!

 

     Attending this research presentation meeting was a chance for all of us to improve our current researches by receiving constructive comments and feedback from Japanese specialists. I hope that the next year, during the 39th Research Presentation Meeting of the JASME, which will take place at Hiroshima University, the Baba-lab delegation would have more members making presentations and exposing the good work we do here at Hiroshima University for the sake of mathematics education.

The 38th Research Presentation Meeting of the JASME

     During the past weekend (June 22-23, 2013), it was held the 38th Research Presentation Meeting of the Japan Academic Society of Mathematics Education (JASME) at Kagawa University, Saiwai-cho Campus, in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. This conference was a great opportunity for all the participants to give and attend presentations and lectures about current teaching and learning issues on mathematics education; to meet with old friends and colleagues, as well as with renowned Japanese researchers and mathematics educators; and to eat the delicious udon, the food product because of which Kagawa Prefecture is famous country-wide. Despite the aforementioned reasons to emphasize the importance of this conference, I think that the greatest highlight for all the participants was a sad one: this meeting was the last one with Dr. Hideki Iwasaki serving as President of JASME. Dr. Iwasaki announced his retirement as acting president during the Opening Ceremony of this Research Presentation Meeting, with a very emotional speech. Immediately afterwards, the election of the new president of JASME occurred, resulting in the election of Professor Atsumi Ueda, from Hiroshima University. In his first speech as President of JASME, Professor Ueda expressed his heartfelt appreciation and deep gratitude for all the many significant accomplishments achieved for JASME during Dr. Iwasaki’s eight-year tenure as JASME president and leader. Moreover, Dr. Iwasaki was in charge of the plenary lecture at the closing ceremony, which was entitled “The Future of Mathematics Education Research” (これからの数学教育研究).

 



     Our academic supervisor, Professor Takuya Baba, and seven of our current lab members, attended to the 38th Research Presentation Meeting of the JASME, with five of the lab members making presentations this time. On Saturday 22, Mitsue Arai made a presentation entitled “Concepts of Geometrical Figures and Difficulties held by Lower Primary School Students in the Philippines” (フィリピンにおける低中学年児童がもつ図形概念と困難性); Masato Kosaka made a presentation entitled “Research on Functional Thinking in Science and Mathematics” (理科と数学における関数的考え方について); Koji Watanabe made a presentation entitled “Research on the relation between Mathematics and Reading Achievement in  Southeastern African Countries: Through a Secondary Analysis of SACMEQ Ⅱ and Ⅲ” (東南部アフリカ諸国における数学と読解力の関連性について: SACMEQ Ⅱ・Ⅲの二次分析を通じて); Gabriel Mwanza made a presentation entitled “Analysis of the Upper Primary Level Mathematics in Zambia from the Perspective of Alignment”; and Orlando González made a presentation entitled “A Framework for Assessing Statistical Knowledge for Teaching held by Middle and High School Mathematics Teachers (III): Focusing on Variability-related Concepts” (中等数学科教員の「教えるための統計的知識」に関する評価枠組み（III）：「ばらつき」に関連した概念に焦点を当てて). Our lab delegation in this Research Presentation Meeting was completed by Akira Sakayori and Tatsuya Higashi.

 

     In addition, we also had the chance to meet during the weekend with former members of our lab, such as Chikara Kinone (now a professor at Miyazaki University), Toyomi Uchida (now a professor at Kagoshima Women's College), and Nagisa Nakawa (née Shibuya, now a professor at Tokyo Future University, who also made a presentation entitled “Characteristics of ‘The Little Book of Numbers’ for Pre-school Education (1):  Focusing on the Study of Cards” - 就学前教育のための『小さな数の本（Das Kleine Zahlenbuch）』の特徴（１）:カードに焦点を当てた考察).

     As I mentioned before, participating in this meeting offered to all of us a series of unique opportunities. One of them was to meet the very kind, active and energetic group of students from the Faculty of Education of Kagawa University, who served as supporting staff during all the conference. They were always willing to help and very supportive. Thanks to them, as well as to the hard work of Professors Kimie Kazama and Junichi Hasegawa, the 38th Research Presentation Meeting of the JASME was a great success.