Bulletin Japan - Lego to the Rescue

by: Dr. Rob R. Moore




We have heard it before: The average Japanese student is doing as well in mathematics as the best US students. In test after test, the top 5% of US math students are matched by the top 50% of their Japanese counterparts.

Why should that be so? Surely US students compare well with Japanese learners in terms of intelligence, and potential.

Well, we know that schools stay open longer in Japan, an average two hours per day longer, than in the US. It has also been pointed out that in order to promote proper attention to classroom lessons each Japanese classroom period is followed by a recess aimed at allowing excess youthful energy to be discharged. Sadly, this is at a time when many US schools are being forced to abolish recesses altogether because of the threat of violence recesses pose.

Until recently, the one area in which US students continued to outperform their Japanese counterparts was that of creativity. That is, in tests measuring the ability of students to innovate, US learners seemed to be able to consistently rank higher than Japanese learners in their ability to formulate a number of solutions to any given problem.

However, beginning roughly in 2004, Japanese schools introduced a system of creativity training that seems to be opening doors for Japanese students. Today, Japanese students' performance on creativity evaluation instruments is at least as good as that of American students.

Surprisingly, the creativity training system being referred to here was developed by an American University (MIT), and is available to every American school and family. However, the system has not been utilized as in the US as hoped. The name of this magic system is Lego Mindstorms.

Dr. M. Csikszemtmihalyi, in his work entitled Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, emphasized the importance of providing a sense of freedom, a sense of educational flow to students if we wish them to be creative in mind and spirit.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi

Mindstorms provides unlimited opportunities for all students to practice free flow thinking as they create mechanical systems of various kinds. However, it is only the Japanese who have fully internalized this message.

Creative flow is, unfortunately, the one environmental element that formal accredited US school programs, especially at the middle and high school levels, find difficult to promote. This is no one individual's fault really. It is rather a logical result of an emphasis on strict adherence to administratively approved programs geared to satisfy state mandates, and the effect these programs have on creative flow, especially when accompanied by the bells and buzzers that John Dewey introduced into American education after his exposure to successful Prussian military training camps at the turn of the last century. See: http://www.sntp.net/education/school_state_3.htm

Lego Mindstorms creativity programs have, of course, been attempted in American schools, and occasionally one such program can still be found. Unfortunately though, Lego creativity programs have run into obstacles on American campuses as students, in the competitive atmosphere created by the reigning system, aggressively compete for Lego resources, sometimes resulting in violence. When this occurs, the subsequent threat of litigation posed by parents quickly forces school authorities to retreat from free flow programs toward fully restrictive, "in your seat" offerings. This situation then exacerbates the lack of "flow" necessary for promoting creativity among learners.

However, all is not lost.

Many parent groups are attempting to encourage public school districts throughout the United States to look closely at their delivery systems.

In addition, motivational scholarships are being offered by entities such as ToysPeriod in the form of Mindstorms scholarships to encourage free flow creativity in the schools.

Further, there are school models that continue to serve as models for how free flow can work in the US.

For example, Waldorf Schools present materials to students as they, the learners, are ready for them. The Waldorf system looks to each student and responds to each student's academic and physical need as it occurs. In other words, Waldorf never imposes subject matter on segmented age groups as if students were all the same. Waldorf's student-first philosophy then goes a long way toward motivating a student body to enjoy learning, and therefore to fully benefit from Lego Mindstorms offerings. In the online school community, Linda Christas Academy has promoted a similar philosophy.

A warning blast, however, has shaken California Waldorf Schools recently. As Waldorf begins to accept state money, the State educational bureaucracy is looking with some disfavor on the individualized educational concept for which Waldorf stands. Only time will tell if Waldorf is able to maintain its integrity in the face of such state challenges.

From the Lego Mindstorms perspective, beginning with the individual student and his or her learning needs is not rocket science, although with Mindstorms rockets are a definite option.


About The Author
Dr. Rob - Toy Tech writes for "Ask Toy Tech" - the ToysPeriod blog. ToysPeriod is a premier online vendor of classic Lego set toys and model trains. Dr. Rob also writes for ivi.tv.

Dr. Moore is the holder of two PhD's, one in mathematics, the other in physics.

Best Face Masks for the Flu

The best bet for protective masks are what are referred to as "N95 respirators," a commonly used term in Canada that refers to NIOSH-certified, disposable, particulate-filtering, half-facepiece respirators.

Not all high-quality masks are labeled N95. Health Canada said masks should offer protection equivalent to N95 to be considered effective. Such masks should:

• Filter particles one micron in size or smaller.
• Have a 95 per cent filter efficiency.
• Provide a tight facial seal (less than 10% leak).

CBC News Marketplace tested three types of N95 masks in the wake of the SARS outbreak in 2003. Each filtered out between 97 per cent and 99.7 per cent of all the virus-like particles.

--CBC News

World Laughter Day Yoga in Tokyo

Sunday, May 3rd, 11AM -2 PM Yoyogi Park
Laughter Yoga started in India in 1995 and has since then been spreading like wildfire around the globe. It is a unique form of exercise developed by a medical doctor, Madan Kataria. It incorporates breathing techniques from yoga but is fun and easy for anyone to do regardless of physical or other limitations. A sense of humor is not required. Laughter begins with exercises but soon becomes contagious, and the result is prolonged and hearty unconditional laughter. Laughter Yoga, providing tremendous physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual benefits, is a complete well being workout.

World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of unity and friendship through laughter. Please join us for the Japan celebration of this very special annual event!

We'll meet before 11AM on the far side of the fountains (middle of Yoyogi Park) if you are coming from Harajuku Station.
You can also meet us at 10:30AM at Harajuku Station, Omotesando Exit, where someone will be holding up a sign.
In case you get lost that day, please call Linda: 090-9373-7652 or Susie: 090-4265-8502.

If it rains:
the celebration will still be held but at Saginomiya Taiikukan http://tinyurl.com/3xoshn (4 minute walk from Saginomiya Station on Seibu Shinjuku Line; 10 min from Shinjuku; 8 min from Takadanobaba). You can go directly if it's raining hard, or we can take you there from Harajuku Station. In case the weather is iffy, we'll decide where to hold the celebration by 10:30 at the latest. Please call Linda: 090-9373-7652 or Susie: 090-4265-8502. (Note: We start around 12 but there won't be any of us at Saginomiya Taiikukan before 11:30)

What to bring:
Comfortable clothes, water, lunch and a picnic mat to sit on.
There are drink machines in the park, but food is hard to come by, so it's best to bring something from home.

Schedule: 11am –12 noon Laughter exercises 12 noon – 1pm Lunch and Laughter games

The World Laughter Day celebration is free. Donations are welcome.

Reservations are not absolutely necessary but would be very helpful to the event planners.
If possible, please email Akira: dmt@apost.plala.or.jp

For more information:
World Laughter Day in Tokyo: http://laughteryogaleaders.net
Laughter Yoga International: http://www.laughteryoga.org/

dmt@apost.plala.or.jp Akira Sugiura

Japan Living is Now at Facebook

Pictured: Sunset at Enoshima, looking towards Mount Fuji
in the distance.

JL is also available at Facebook if you prefer that format for forum
posts etc. A good place to make friends in Japan as well, or make
friends interested in Japan.

Check it out here.

Tengu Natural Foods, Organic food sent right to your door in Japan!

Tengu Natural Foods sells a huge variety of natural foods (organic food).
You can visit their shop in Saitama or have it delivered right to your door,
which is what I do.

Visit Tengu`s Website

More from Tengu:

You can now take part in the various services we have to offer you. Some of these services include:

Permanent Cart - Any products added to your online cart remain there until you remove them, or check them out.

Address Book - We can now deliver your products to another address other than yours! This is perfect to send birthday gifts direct to the birthday-person themselves.

Order History - View your history of purchases that you have made with us.

Products Reviews - Share your opinions on products with our other customers.

For help with any of our online services, please email the store-owner: tengu@alishan.jp.

Sanno Hospital in Tokyo

Sanno Hospital in Tokyo has English speaking doctors and interpreters
available. It also has an informative website in English:

Visit Sanno Hospital

Budget Night Bus to and from Tokyo to Various Places in Japan

Pictured: Kyoto


Their prices are very cheap!
Their homepage is: http://hisexperience.jp
Tel: 03-5322-8988


Tokyo to:


Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe: \3,900
Hiroshima: \7,200
Kokura, Hakata (Kyushu): \8,000
Sendai: \3,200
Aomori: \5,000
Kanazawa: \4,300