[Seminar for High School Teachers] Explaining How to Evolve Inquiry-Based Learning Through a Financial and Economic Approach

According to data published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the percentage of students entering university through comprehensive selection and school-recommended selection has been increasing year by year, and now accounts for more than half of all university entrants. In university entrance exams, options other than so-called 'general selection' are becoming less exceptional. On the other hand, while high schools recognize the importance of inquiry activities in comprehensive selection, there is also the issue that inquiry themes often remain at the level of 'research-based learning' and fail to delve into the economic structures, corporate activities, and financial mechanisms behind social issues. For students aiming for business and economics departments in particular, re-examining familiar interests and social issues from a financial and economic perspective is important for deepening their understanding of the department and increasing the persuasiveness of their application essays. Avalon Consulting Co., Ltd., which operates the comprehensive selection exam preparation school 'White Academy High School Division,' has organized teaching methods based on its track record to connect inquiry activities to application essays, interviews, and departmental understanding. With the aim of returning this knowledge to inquiry guidance and career guidance at school sites, the company will hold an online seminar for high school teachers on the theme of 'How to Evolve Inquiry-Based Learning Through a Financial and Economic Approach.' This seminar will explain the basics of inquiry in comprehensive selection and how to deepen it, as well as how to develop inquiry activities and connect them to application essays and career outcomes for business and economics departments using a 'financial and economic approach' that incorporates the perspective of a finance professional. Inquiry guidance through a financial and economic approach that does not end inquiry with 'research-based learning.' With the expansion of comprehensive selection and school-recommended selection, the importance of guidance that connects students' inquiry activities to application essays, interviews, and departmental understanding is increasing in high school career guidance. Especially for students aiming for business and economics departments, it is important not only to simply research social issues but also to think deeply about the economic structures, corporate activities, and financial mechanisms behind them to increase the persuasiveness of their inquiry content. On the other hand, in high schools, even if they can set inquiry themes and collect information, there are many cases where they feel challenges in providing guidance that goes a step further to delve into 'why that issue occurs,' 'what economic factors are related,' and 'how society and companies are involved.' As a result, the following challenges and needs are becoming apparent in the educational field: wanting to deepen the content of students' inquiries and application documents, wanting to increase the probability of passing highly competitive business and economics departments, wanting to learn how to set and deepen inquiry themes for students aiming for business and economics departments, wanting to know how to add an 'economic perspective' to inquiry activities, wanting to get hints for inquiry guidance that incorporates the perspective of a finance professional, wanting to connect students' inquiries to departmental understanding and application essays, and wanting to connect inquiries to career outcomes without ending with 'research-based learning.' Avalon Consulting Co., Ltd., which operates the comprehensive selection exam preparation school 'White Academy High School Division,' has organized teaching methods for connecting inquiry activities to application essays, interviews, and presentations that are evaluated in university entrance exams, based on its track record of 98% of students who completed the prescribed curriculum passing their desired schools through comprehensive selection and recommendation exams (*). This seminar will explain the basics of inquiry in comprehensive selection and how to deepen it, as well as how to develop inquiry activities through a financial and economic approach. It will provide practical perspectives for high school teachers to connect students' interests to the learning of business and economics departments and application essays in their daily inquiry and career guidance. These efforts and insights are also summarized in 'How to Make Children Who Hate Studying Pass Top-Level Difficult Universities' (Nikkei BP) written by the company's representative, Kento Takeuchi, and have received a certain level of recognition from educators as a way of thinking about university entrance exam guidance, including comprehensive selection. *Targeting students who have completed the prescribed curriculum. Best-selling book 'How to Make Children Who Hate Studying Pass Top-Level Difficult Universities' (Nikkei BP). Connecting inquiry activities to the learning of business and economics departments and application essays. Based on its track record and successful cases, this seminar will convey the following content about how to deepen inquiry activities in comprehensive selection and how to set themes and connect them to application documents by incorporating financial and economic perspectives: understanding the basic way of thinking about inquiry activities in comprehensive selection, gaining perspectives to deepen inquiry themes without ending with 'research-based learning,' organizing the way of thinking about setting inquiry themes suitable for students aiming for business and economics departments, understanding how to add an 'economic perspective' to inquiry activities, getting hints for inquiry guidance that incorporates the perspective of a finance professional, learning how to connect students' inquiry content to departmental understanding and application essays, and gaining perspectives to increase the persuasiveness of application documents for business and economics departments. By understanding these points, teachers can guide students so that their inquiry activities do not end with mere information gathering and research, but delve into the economic structures and financial mechanisms behind social issues, making their departmental understanding and application essays more persuasive. A detailed explanation of how to deepen inquiry and the financial and economic perspective will be given in two parts. Part 1: Basics of inquiry in comprehensive selection and how to deepen it. This part will organize how to design inquiry activities in comprehensive selection and deepen them into content that will be evaluated in application essays and interviews. It will explain ways of thinking that go beyond theme setting and information gathering to connect students' interests to departmental understanding and career choices. Part 2: How to evolve inquiry through a financial and economic approach. This part will explain how to structurally capture social and regional issues and deepen inquiry content by incorporating financial and economic perspectives. It will introduce practical perspectives that can be used for setting inquiry themes for students aiming for business and economics departments and connecting them to application essays, also incorporating the perspective of a finance professional. Tokyo University graduate and best-selling author Kento Takeuchi explains the basics of inquiry that will be evaluated. Kento Takeuchi. Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo. A professional in comprehensive selection guidance. Holds Eiken Grade 1 and Math Certification Grade 1. When he himself took exams, he passed the special selection exam for Tokyo Institute of Technology (with a competition rate of 35 times) and the general exam for the University of Tokyo, achieving a double pass at national universities. He has over 10 years of teaching experience, and all students who have completed the curriculum under his guidance have passed their desired schools in their current year. His specialties are correcting application documents, interview practice, and correcting essays. He can provide guidance for general exams, comprehensive selection, and recommendation exams, so he can also support students applying for both types of exams. As a former human resources strategy consultant at Deloitte, he had knowledge about corporate new graduate recruitment and job hunting, leading him to found the job hunting school White Academy 9 years ago. He established the High School Division 5 years ago and has been providing career education that connects high school and university. He also posts on YouTube daily, with monthly views exceeding 1 million during peak periods. He also had a three-way discussion with Principal Kudo of Yokohama Soei Junior and Senior High School. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@white_academy_highschoool. Mr. Mizutani of WellsPartners Co., Ltd. will introduce how to deepen inquiry from the perspective of financial practice. In the second part, Mr. Mizutani of WellsPartners Co., Ltd. will appear as a guest lecturer.