Reformers Fight to Draw More Students Into Science

摘要

TOKYO--On a hot and muggy evening this summer, a classroom at Shotoku Gakuen High School began to fill up with people carrying wires, tubes, and chunks of metal. They each took turns demonstrating simple experiments and discussing how to work them into classroom activities. One illustrated the concept of phase change--and demonstrated basic metalworking techniques--by showing a new metal alloy that melts in hot water and can be cast into molds. Another showed a videotape of how a simple homemade acceler-ometer could measure the change in g forces experienced during amusement-park rides. "It's a way of studying while playing," the presenter said.