Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
1.2
In-service Training Programs for Geography Teachers
1.2.1
In-service Training Programs
There is a wide variety of in-service training programs for teachers in Japan.
All teachers, regardless of the subject matter, must undergo an initial inservice
training program after successful recruitment. Over a one-year period, teachers are
required to undertake both in-school (10 or more hours per week, 300 h per year)
and out-of-school (25 days per year) training, in addition to the regular teaching
load at their school.
After completing the initial in-service training, teachers continue their professional
development throughout their career. According to Murata and Yamaguchi (
2010
),
in-service training for teachers is essentially divided into three types: self-training,
in-school, and in-service training provided by various organizations. The latter is
training provided by educational administrative bodies and in-service training
provided by universities. Since this chapter concerns professional development for
geography teachers, we discuss the in-service training programs furnished by geog-
raphy-related academic societies, as well as those that form part of the teacher's
license renewal system. Since the implementation of the system in 2009, a teaching
license is renewable every 10 years.
1.2.2
In-service Training Programs Provided by
the Association of Japanese Geographers
The largest professional geographical society in Japan is the Association of Japanese
Geographers (AJG), with approximately 3,000 members. The Commission of
Geographical Education (CGE) is an AJG committee tasked with the mission to
disseminate geography education. The AJG-CGE provides in-service teacher train-
ing support to promote geography in the educational system which targets elemen-
tary and junior high school teachers, who in general are not especially well versed
in geography. These workshops are intended to improve teachers' general knowl-
edge of geography. Similar professional development opportunities are offered by
other geographic societies, such as the Human Geographical Society of Japan and
universities via citizen seminars.
In Japan, research associations exist for educators of different subjects, which
are supported by prefectural and municipal boards of education (government) and
national-level research associations for geography teachers. Each association con-
ducts activities centered on their own programs. Currently, there is a gap between
academic societies that primarily serve researchers and educational organizations
whose members are practitioners from elementary, junior high, and senior high
schools. The inherent differences in the purposes of these two groups set them apart.
Despite these differences, there have been efforts to work together, with examples
