Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Mathematik und Informatik
Institut für Informatik, AG Informatik in Bildung und Gesellschaft

Project:

Students Teach Students in Japanese-German Distance-Learning

Klaus-D Graf

• German students (16)
• Japanese song
• Japanese students online, 6000 miles
• video conference, integrating two classrooms in Tokyo and Berlin

• intercultural distance learning courses
  class to class (teachers admitted)
  primary and secondary
  4-6 weeks
• courses on traditional subject matter (geometry, natural science, social science [environment])
• 2,3 or 4 video conferences integrated in each course, including demonstrations, teaching sequences, realtime questioning and answering

Pictures (width 100), Pictures (original size)

sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric
projectmanager: Prof Hisao Koizumi
(next contribution in this session)

why these exotic" intercultural courses?

initiated by Professor Kiyochi Yokochi, Jp

original interest:
improve mathematics education through distance-learning, profiting from the cultural distance

thesis:
different cultural environments have different problems, different problm solving strategies and different interest in application

cooperation of students from different cultural environments increases:

• mathematical creativity
• math abilities and techniques
• math application
• interaction (through competing, e.g.)
• recognition, acceptance and appreciationof cultural characteristics and differences
• tolerance and understanding

in general:

• growing independence of students in learning
• learning from peers and media

our distance learning courses:

• students want "to perform"
• explain their results
• teach about mathematical background
• learning by preparation of teaching
• learning by teaching (and feedback)
• teachers? they become advisors

warning:

• we provoke active and interactive learning (++)
• we lack professional experience and authority (--)