Kyuden Group and SPOT TEACHER Complete Year-Long Co-Development of Inquiry-Based Energy Education Program, Launching School Workshops for Junior Highs in Kyushu

Kyoiku Palette Co., Ltd. (HQ: Fukuoka City, CEO: Yukari Matsushita), which operates the educational coordination service 'SPOT TEACHER,' has co-developed an in-school workshop program on energy education for junior high students in a year-long collaboration with the Kyuden Group.

This program is an 'inquiry-based' energy curriculum, completed after extensive hearings with teachers from public, private, and national junior high schools across Kyushu and trial lessons at five different schools.

Recruitment for schools to implement this program has now begun. It will be added to the Kyuden Group's roster of in-school workshops, where employees visit schools directly, and will be offered to junior high schools throughout Kyushu.

■ Background: As Times Change, So Do Lessons

The Kyuden Group has been involved in energy education through school workshops for over half a century.

This project was initiated to update their long-standing programs to meet the needs of the current era.

There is a growing demand in today's schools for 'inquiry-based learning,' where students pose their own questions and think through dialogue.

SPOT TEACHER served as an intermediary, bridging the different perspectives and cultures of the corporate and educational worlds to facilitate the development of this program.

■ Curriculum Design Starting from the Front Lines

The project began with interviews with teachers from public, private, and national junior high schools across Kyushu.

The feedback was clear:

- 'We want you to include group work.'
- 'If a company is visiting, we want elements of career education.'
- 'Instead of just facts you can look up, we want to hear about the company's struggles and values.'

The curriculum was designed by incorporating this real-world feedback piece by piece.

■ Theme: 'Designing the Energy of 2040'

Introduction: Understanding Japan's Energy Issues as One's Own

The class begins by organizing Japan's energy challenges and the systems and transitions that have supported it, focusing only on the essential parts. Facts like Japan's energy self-sufficiency rate (about 15%), which is among the lowest in the OECD, and the characteristic of electricity that it cannot be stored in large quantities—meaning 'what is used must be generated at that moment'—are presented in a way that students can relate to them personally. In the 100-minute class, students also conduct an experiment to understand the mechanism of thermal power generation.

Group Work: Thinking About the 2040 Energy Mix

The core of the class is group work where students tackle problems together.

The theme is 'Designing the Energy of 2040.'

Based on knowledge from the introduction and provided materials, each group considers how to combine renewable energy, thermal power, and nuclear power. The answers vary greatly depending on what each group values, be it economic efficiency or environmental impact. Students first think individually, then share and discuss their ideas within the group to deepen their understanding from multiple perspectives.

Presentations: Communicating in Their Own Words

After the group work, each group presents its ideas. Different groups arrive at completely different answers to the same theme. Listening to these differences and broadening their perspectives is one of the most memorable parts of the class. The program also touches on the work of people who support a stable energy supply and the dilemmas companies face, adding a career education aspect that deepens students' understanding of society and work.

■ Trial Classes Held at 5 Schools Across Kyushu—Verified in Public, Private, and National Settings

To finalize the curriculum, trial classes were held at five public, private, and national junior high schools across Kyushu.

[Trial Schools (in order of implementation)]
- Yoshidakita Junior High School (Kagoshima Pref./Public) 1st & 2nd graders
- Fukuoka Futaba Gakuen, Futaba Junior High School (Fukuoka Pref./Private) 2nd graders
- Tomeikan Gakuen, Tomeikan Junior High School (Saga Pref./Private) 2nd & 3rd graders
- Aya Town Aya Junior High School (Miyazaki Pref./Public) 3rd graders
- Fukuoka University of Education Affiliated Kokura Junior High School (Fukuoka Pref./National) 1st graders

By conducting the program with different grades, school types, and regions, the team confirmed the program's effectiveness and adaptability for each school's design.

■ Effects of the Class as Seen in Student and Teacher Surveys

A survey conducted after the trial classes at the five schools (valid responses