able to gain the cooperation of NUMO, which made it possible for her to integrate
into the course lectures by experts and visits by students to relevant facilities. But
when such outside help cannot be obtained, alternatives must be considered.
To take debate on social issues beyond the walls of the university classroom, a
DVD of the 2013 students’ debate competition may be a valuable resource that
could be shown to the general public. In addition, there is a need for a more
conducive learning environment for the debating, which could perhaps be achieved
by creating scenarios for model debates and organizing workshops.
This course also pointed to the need for consumer education. It is important to not
only think about the short-term consequences of the things we use and their disposal,
but also to consider from a global perspective how our consumption will affect
future generations. In debate for education, it is important to tackle a range of social
issues from multiple points of view. In debating the issue of radioactive waste, in
particular, it must be conveyed to students that the issue is not one that is solved just
by shutting down nuclear reactors; whether or not we use nuclear energy in the
future, the waste has already been produced, a by-product of our consumption.
This chapter has focused on courses aimed at undergraduate students. If possible, in the future, the author would like to run similar debating courses with middleand high-school students and with adults, and then assess, as was done in this study,
the impact of debate as an educational activity.
25.6 Notes
1. Professor Daisuke Fujikawa, with the support of NUMO (as was had in this present
study), conceived this theme for a debate held in 2012 for undergraduate students
on a teacher-training course at Chiba University [3] (Fujikawa, D.2013:5).
2. Sugiyama Jogakuen University, the university to which the author is affiliated, is a
participant in a project supported financially by the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology. Called the “Project of Educational Reform and
Structural Improvement to Respond to the Needs of Industry,” it is composed of
23 universities (including junior colleges) in the central region of Japan. As part of
the project, each university engages in career education, and Sugiyama Jogakuen
University for its part has focused on active learning to raise its educational
performance. The “Fundamental Literacy for Members of Society Questionnaire”
was implemented as part of this effort to effectively utilize active learning. The
questionnaire consisted of the following 17 items, together with a short definition.
1. Independent (autonomous) learning: The capacity to engage in an activity on
one’s own volition.
2. Initiation ability: Appealing and encouraging others to become involved.
3. Seeing-things-through ability: The capacity to set a target and act to
achieve it.
4. Topic-finding ability: The capacity to analyze the situation and clarify aims
and issues.
25 Considering the Geological Disposal Program of High-Level Radioactive. . .
297
into the course lectures by experts and visits by students to relevant facilities. But
when such outside help cannot be obtained, alternatives must be considered.
To take debate on social issues beyond the walls of the university classroom, a
DVD of the 2013 students’ debate competition may be a valuable resource that
could be shown to the general public. In addition, there is a need for a more
conducive learning environment for the debating, which could perhaps be achieved
by creating scenarios for model debates and organizing workshops.
This course also pointed to the need for consumer education. It is important to not
only think about the short-term consequences of the things we use and their disposal,
but also to consider from a global perspective how our consumption will affect
future generations. In debate for education, it is important to tackle a range of social
issues from multiple points of view. In debating the issue of radioactive waste, in
particular, it must be conveyed to students that the issue is not one that is solved just
by shutting down nuclear reactors; whether or not we use nuclear energy in the
future, the waste has already been produced, a by-product of our consumption.
This chapter has focused on courses aimed at undergraduate students. If possible, in the future, the author would like to run similar debating courses with middleand high-school students and with adults, and then assess, as was done in this study,
the impact of debate as an educational activity.
25.6 Notes
1. Professor Daisuke Fujikawa, with the support of NUMO (as was had in this present
study), conceived this theme for a debate held in 2012 for undergraduate students
on a teacher-training course at Chiba University [3] (Fujikawa, D.2013:5).
2. Sugiyama Jogakuen University, the university to which the author is affiliated, is a
participant in a project supported financially by the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology. Called the “Project of Educational Reform and
Structural Improvement to Respond to the Needs of Industry,” it is composed of
23 universities (including junior colleges) in the central region of Japan. As part of
the project, each university engages in career education, and Sugiyama Jogakuen
University for its part has focused on active learning to raise its educational
performance. The “Fundamental Literacy for Members of Society Questionnaire”
was implemented as part of this effort to effectively utilize active learning. The
questionnaire consisted of the following 17 items, together with a short definition.
1. Independent (autonomous) learning: The capacity to engage in an activity on
one’s own volition.
2. Initiation ability: Appealing and encouraging others to become involved.
3. Seeing-things-through ability: The capacity to set a target and act to
achieve it.
4. Topic-finding ability: The capacity to analyze the situation and clarify aims
and issues.
25 Considering the Geological Disposal Program of High-Level Radioactive. . .
297