開催報告
7月のChat Salonは、守谷市国際交流員のシルヴィアさんをお迎えし、「ドイツと日本の教育システムの違い」についてのShort Speechが行われました。内容はとても興味深く、参加者からも多くの関心が寄せられました。
後半のディスカッションでは、2つの視点を対比するスタイルでグループごとに意見をまとめ、最後に自分自身の考えを共有するという形式で進行されました。異なる立場からの意見に触れることで、新たな気づきや視点を得られる時間となりました。
今回の内容についてのご意見や、今後取り上げてみたいテーマなどがあれば、ぜひお聞かせください！
今月の活動報告はShubamさんに担当していただきました！
MIFA Chat Salon – July Session
The
July Chat Salon took place on a hot and sunny day. Summer is definitely
here, and the temperature in Japan is rising quickly. Even with the
heat, many of us gathered for another fun and educational afternoon
together.
This month’s short speech was given by Sylvia Sochacki,
who is from Germany. She works as a Coordinator for International
Relations (CIR) in the Division for Citizen Cooperation at Moriya City
Hall. She introduced herself and talked a little about her work. As a
CIR, she communicates with Moriya’s sister cities, which are Mainburg in
Germany and Greeley, Colorado in the United States. She also helps with
translations, interpretations, and organizing exchange programs.
Her
presentation was titled “Differences Between the Education Systems in
Germany and Japan”, and it was full of surprises, comparisons, and
little quiz moments that kept us engaged from start to finish.
A Quick Comparison: Japan and Germany
To
begin, Sylvia gave us a short comparison between Japan and Germany in
terms of population, geography, and education structure. For example,
Japan has 47 prefectures and is mostly mountainous, while Germany has 16
federal states and much less mountain coverage. A fun quiz question she
asked was, “How many countries use German as an official language?” The
answer surprised many people, it’s six countries: Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
A Look at the German Education System
Germany’s education system is very different from Japan’s and also a bit more complicated!
Children
start with 4 years of primary school, and after that, they go down
different paths depending on their performance and interests. There’s
Hauptschule for practical careers, Realschule for a mix of academic and
job-focused learning, and Gymnasium for students who aim for university.
Some students go to Gesamtschule, which combines all three types in one
school. The good news is you can still switch between these paths
later.
To go to university, students must pass a big exam called
the Abitur. But not everyone goes that route. Many students choose
vocational schools, where they get hands-on job training and even get
paid while studying!
In the early grades, students learn basic
subjects like math, German, English, and science. From Grade 11, they
can choose specific subjects based on interest, like physics, history,
art, or politics. They must pick at least one subject from each category
to keep a balance, and continue with some mandatory subjects like Math
and German.
Another surprise? University in Germany is cheap
about 50,000 yen per year, and most people go to public universities.
Education is seen as a basic right, so it’s designed to be accessible
for all. There are private universities too, but they’re rare and
expensive.
One thing that makes the system tricky is that each of
Germany’s 16 states has its own education rules, which means kids who
move from one state to another may have to adjust to a whole new
curriculum.
Q&A Session
During the Q&A,
someone asked if there are private universities in Germany. Sylvia said
yes, but most people attend public ones because they’re much cheaper.
Another person asked about English-language education, and she told us
that English is taught in schools, and some universities offer full
programs in English.
It was a great session and we learned so much, and Sylvia made it all easy to understand.
Chat Session
For
this month’s activity, we had a debate-style discussion! Each table was
divided into two groups to argue on different sides of a topic.
In the first session, the debate topic was:
Online Media vs. Hardcopy Media
The
team supporting online media said that it’s more eco-friendly, cheaper,
and easier to access. They also said that with the internet, you can
get news updates almost instantly.
The other team supported hardcopy
media, saying it feels more real and personal to hold a book or
newspaper in your hands. Some also said they get tired reading from
screens and enjoy the smell and feel of paper!
In the second session, we debated:
Online Shopping vs. In-Store Shopping
People
supporting online shopping mentioned that it’s convenient and you can
shop anytime from home, even late at night. It’s also easy to compare
products and prices.
But the in-store shopping team said that it’s
better to touch and check the products in person. For clothes, you can
try them on and see how they fit. Also, for groceries and fresh foods,
in-store shopping is often better.
Both debates were very fun and
everyone was excited to share their ideas. It was a great way to
practice English while discussing real-life topics.
This month’s MIFA Chat Salon was both educational and interactive.
Thank you so much to Sylvia-san for the detailed talk on Germany’s education system. It was so educational and interesting.
And a big thank you to everyone who joined the debate sessions and it was great hearing so many ideas and opinions!
It’s getting hotter day by day, so please stay cool and drink lots of water.
See you all in the August Chat Salon!
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