<実践報告>大学生によるカリキュラムデザイン : 教養教育科目の選択と有機的関連づけの支援

Abstract

In this paper, I suggest a way of teaching to help students integrate various knowledge or skills in the course of their general education in university. In many cases in this support, we implemented an omnibus course with various disciplines, or a course with a comprehensive themes not dealing with just one discipline, for example the environment, energy, or food problems. However, we have found it difficult to implement it in the similar situation of “general education, ” as introduced in Japan after World War II. Students do not integrate various knowledge or skills enough with various courses or comprehensive themes. They require other mediation to integrate them, i.e., identity or self-construction to think with reference to their own lives and experiences. This point of view is shown in constructivism or situated learning. The experimental course, “How to learn general education from Spring, ” which I opened at Yamagata University from last year, gives students time to think about the meaning of general education by looking at the history and social needs of “Kyoyoich they learn in various general education courses, and then to reflect on their own lives and learning. In this course, each student defines the significance of general education for him/herself and thinks about his/her life and learning as a university student. Each student then relates the knowledge or skills learned in this course with other courses, or with related knowledge or skills learned in other courses.