Junten Junior High School / Senior High School

On Saturday, May 14th, there was an SGH workshop held to introduce the 1st Year Senior High School students to the Philippines and teach them about research projects. From this semester onwards, all the 1st Year Students have become SGH targeted students, so they listened to a presentation on the Philippines by Ms.Shieba Magno and a presentation on research projects by Mr. Kenta Fujii.

Ms.Magno opened with a Philippines Fact-Check Quiz. Then she went on to talk about the culture, life, languages, and religions of the Philippines. We learned that over 80% of the population are Catholic Christians. The beautiful oceans and nature attracts international tourists who enjoy marine sports and hiking around the islands. On the contrary to these positive aspects of the country, we learned that there are a lot of people who are struggling to get by due to a great gap between the rich and the poor and because of the lack of educational opportunities. In fact, one in four Filipinos is living in poverty.

However, Filipinos stay friendly, positive, and tough. They continue their daily routines, even during typhoons; couples will have a wedding ceremony during a typhoon, even when the wedding hall is flooded! According to Ms. Magno, the strength and positive attitudes of Filipinos stem from, and are supported by, their belief in Catholicism.

Ms.Magno closed her presentation with an encouraging message to the 1st Year students:

“Some of you will go on the Philippines field trip this year. Please learn about the Philippines as well as about Japan, and please learn from each other’s successes and mistakes. We cannot solve all problems, but there is something you can do to help each other.”

Following Ms.Magno’s presentation, Mr.Fujii gave a presentation on research projects. For the 1st Year Students, researching and writing a research paper is a new experience, yet all the SGH students will have to go through this process. Mr.Fujii explained what research is, then explained how to develop a research focus. The planning consists of several key steps, including identifying the purpose of the research. Mr.Fujii said that once the research purpose is decided, 90% of the research is completed. Building a research plan is important and necessary for writing a research paper that has academic and social significance.

There are different kinds of research. Field work is one method and literature review, critically and analytically reading existing research papers, is another method. There are only a few students who can do fieldwork in the Philippines this year, so the majority of the students will have to research in Japan. For these students, Mr.Fujii explained internet research is one approach, but he also encouraged students to use public libraries, such as Tokyo University’s library or the National Diet’s Library.

The 1st Year Students obtained basic knowledge about the Philippines and about research projects during the workshop. It will be very interesting to see their personal and intellectual growth through the Junten SGH program.