[University-High School Collaboration] Kanda University of International Studies Implements "Summer Challenge Reflection Day" Utilizing Educational Expertise

Kanda University of International Studies (Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture / President: Shingo Ashizawa) will implement the "Summer Challenge Reflection Day" program on Sunday, August 30, 2026, for approximately 100 students from Ichikawa High School (Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture / Principal: Hideji Oikawa). This program, being implemented for the first time, utilizes the university's expertise in collaborative learning based on small-group, dialogue-based classes and reflection to verbalize and deepen learning, which has been cultivated through its educational practices. It is part of an initiative to give back its achievements to the community. The program aims to reconstruct each student's experience through dialogue and sharing, transforming "individual learning experiences into collaborative insights."

▲ Kanda University of International Studies ▲ Ichikawa High School

"Summer Challenge Reflection Day" ~Kanda University of International Studies' Educational Expertise to the Community~

Program Objectives and Features

This program, with the concept of "Transforming Summer Challenges into 'Value'," aims to verbalize and structure diverse learning (knowledge, skills, experiences) during the summer vacation and reconstruct them as a self-growth story.

For Ichikawa High School, the challenge has been how to connect the learning gained from training and courses to subsequent growth. Against this background, the university's cultivated educational expertise in collaborative learning and reflection, and Ichikawa High School's needs, aligned, leading to the implementation of this program.

At this university, we have practiced education where students deepen their thoughts through collaborative learning based on small-group, dialogue-based classes. We also aim to deepen learning through reflection, where students verbalize their experiences and thoughts and reinterpret them through dialogue with others.

This program is part of an initiative to return such educational expertise to the community by deploying it in high school education. Its characteristic is that it does not end individual experiences as mere events but transforms them into "insights" that can be shared with others.

Program Content

On the day, participating students will reflect on their experiences and organize their learning through specific workshops. First, they will work on creating a "Summer Challenge Map" to visualize their activities and the people involved, and a "Overcoming Difficulties Process Analysis Sheet" to organize their thoughts, feelings, and actions based on their most challenging experiences.

Next, through the creation of a "Learning Quantification Sheet," they will share impressive learning moments (A-HA Moments) and abstract them into generalizable lessons, thereby elevating individual experiences into insights that can be shared with others.

Furthermore, they will engage in "Learning Transfer Design" to connect the learning organized so far to future actions, specifically designing how each student will utilize the insights and lessons learned. This ensures that learning does not stop at reflection but transforms into "next actions."

At the end of the program, a closing ceremony will include the presentation of "My Action Declaration" and the awarding of certificates of completion, providing students with an opportunity to verbalize their growth and future goals. The learning gained through this series of processes will lead to concrete actions connected to their own future.

Learning Process Connecting from "Inquiry" to "Reflection"

The participating students of the "Summer Challenge Reflection Day" also include students from the "Global Issues Inquiry Program" co-hosted by this university and Ichikawa High School.

This program is designed for students to set their own questions on global social issues, conduct research and analysis, and then engage in research presentations in English. In the international environment of this university, students undergo preliminary learning centered on discussions and group work, progressively advancing from setting inquiry themes to research, consideration, and preparation for presentations. As a culmination, a 2-night, 3-day camp is held at "British Hills," an English training facility of the Kanda University Group in Fukushima Prefecture, where group presentations are given in English.

"Summer Challenge Reflection Day" is positioned as a post-training program for this series of inquiry activities, where students reflect on their past learning and organize the background of problem setting, thought processes, and the meaning of the learning gained. A characteristic of this program is that it clarifies how the diverse learning experiences undertaken by participating students during the summer vacation are organized through this reflection and connected to their next actions.

Main Points for Coverage

This program focuses not on the outcome of learning itself, but on the process of "how to give meaning to learning and elevate it into insights that can be shared with others." The following points are characteristic: