Invited Speaker: Prof. Dr. Yoshiyasu IDA
Title of the Speech: Transition of Description in Geography Textbooks as far Natural Disaster, Japan
Abstract of the Speech: Japan is a country with many natural disasters. Natural disasters were described in social studies and geography textbooks of elementary school, lower and upper high school. In geography textbooks of high schools, it had been described that there were many natural disasters as well as blessings such as many hot springs due to volcanoes and so, before 1995. That is, "Nature's grace and reverence". The Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 brought special attention to natural disasters and disaster preparedness in geography education and textbooks. It had been described that the damages were large due to earthquakes and so in geography textbooks. Furthermore, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake has added to the damage caused by the tsunami in addition to earthquakes, volcanoes and typhoons in geography textbooks. At the same time, it has indicated not only not only damages, but also disaster preparedness such as utilization of hazard map with detail. Natural disasters and disaster preparedness is developed as one of the central learnings of Japanese school education and geography. This is one reason why geography will be a compulsory subject in upper high school since 2022. Thus, in Japan, natural disaster and disaster preparedness education has been just located in important learning field of geography by experiencing a large natural disasters. Now disaster preparedness education in geography has been positioned in the national curriculum as well.
Biography of the Speaker:
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Professor, University of Tsukuba,
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Faculty of Human Sciences, Division of Education
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Vice- Dean of the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences
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President of the geographic education society of Japan,
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President of the Japanese association for the social studies
Specialty is Geography education and Social studies education. The research theme is theoretical and practical research of geography education through international comparison of geography curriculum.
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Undergraduate, Master's and Doctor’s degree from University of Tsukuba, Japan.
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Employment: 2006- Professor, 2001- University of Tsukuba, 1998-2001: academic staff of Joetsu University of Education.
Ida,Y.ed. 2017: ESD in Geography, History, Civics and Social Studies. Kokon Shoin (in Japanese with English abstract)
Ida,Y., Yuda, M., Shimura, T. Ike, S., Ohnishi, K. nad Oshima, H. eds. 2015: Geography education in Japan. International Perspectives in Geography AIJ Library 3, Springer
Ida,Y. 2014: Disaster preparedness in geography education in Japan. Journal of Geographical Research, No.61, pp.69-82.