Crustal movement and plate motion as observed by GPS baseline ranging - trial to make teaching materials for middle- and high-school earth science education by teachers

Japanese government established the system for renewing educational personnel certificates in 2007 and mandated the adoption of it in April 2009 (cf. “2007 White Paper on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology”, available at http://www.mext.go.jp/english/). The new system shows that the valid period for each regular certificate after the renewal system adoption (April 1, 2009) is until the end of the fiscal year after ten years from satisfying the qualifications required for the certificate. Only persons who have attended over 30 hours and passed the examination in the certificate renewal courses before the expiration of the valid period can renew their certificate which is valid for next ten years. The purpose of this system is for teachers to acquire the latest knowledge and skills. Certificate renewal courses authorized by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan are offered by universities. Attendees will choose based on their specialty and awareness of issues from the various courses with education curriculums and. To renew their certificates, they should include (1) items regarding the latest trends and issues in education (12 hours) and (2) items regarding their speciality and other educational enhancement (three 6-hours course: total 18 hours). In 2008, before the adoption, provisional certificate renewal courses were offered for trial by more than 100 universities. The author offered a 6-hour course titled by “Development of teaching materials for school pupils to make understand the dynamic motion of the earth - utilising the results of the GPS ranging”. This course was targeted mainly for science teachers of middle- and high-schools. The goal of this course was for the attendees to understand the role of GPS ranging for the direct observation of the crustal movement and plate motion, and to produce the teaching materials possibly used in the classrooms. The offering of this course is aiming finally at contribution for the schoolchildren to experience “the method of science”: the process of data acquisition, processing, analysis, discussion based on the results, and modelling. The advantage of offering the course in Okinawa is that the Ryukyu Trench, a convergent boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, is located within the territory of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. GPS ranging observation by Geographic Survey Institute of Japan (GSI) shows that the baseline length between Okinawa Island (on the Eurasian Plate) and Daito Islands (on the Philippine Sea Plate) decreases by about 9-10 cm/year. Basic data of GPS observation used in the course were downloaded from the site of GSI. These data with relevant documentations were supplied to the attendees. Schedule of the course was: (1) Lecture on basics of GPS, ranging by GPS observation and its application to monitoring of the plate motion (1 hour); (2) Making teaching materials (2 hours); (3) Trial lecture by use of the teaching materials made by each attendee, discussion by all (2 hours); (4) Finalising the teaching materials and submission (1 hour).