「深呼吸、世界の窓から」は、茨城大学の教職員や学生が体験した「海外」や「国際的なつながり」を、それぞれの言葉で語り、多様な経験を共有できる場です。読者がふと手をとめて“ほっと一息”できて、少し新しい世界に意識を向けるきっかけになるような、そんな温かい文章でつづる世界の情景をお楽しみください。（Please scroll down for the English version.）
・これまでの記事はこちらから深呼吸、世界の窓から
異国の雨の光景（中）
タイのプーケット、マイカオ村には2009年8月に初めて訪れた。学生の第1回海外実践演習に付き添うためである。この年、茨城大学では大学院サステイナビリティ学教育プログラムをスタートし、その目玉が「問題の現場で学ぶ」ことを掲げた海外実践演習だった。茨大からは12人の学生が参加し、現地のプーケット・ラチャパット大学の学生、教員と一緒に、マイカオ村の課題を調査し、解決策を探るのである。雨漏りのする村の集会場でテーマ毎にグループで作業し、夜は村民の家に分かれて泊まっていた。
私は、「ウミガメの保護」チームと一緒に行動した。村役場や野生動物保護事務所などでヒアリングし、現場の砂浜も調査した。広い砂浜を調べている最中に、突然、海上から黒い雨雲を伴って強雨が襲ってきた。これが熱帯のスコールか！海岸のヤシの木も役に立たず、激しい雨を浴びながら10数分間雨が過ぎるのを待った。学生はずぶぬれで、でも笑っていた。これで、もうどんな環境の調査も大丈夫だし、みんなで一緒にやれると実感させる強い雨だったのである。
海外実践演習は、最後に4チームが英語とタイ語でポスターを作り、数十人の村人の前で成果を発表した。最初は、タイの学生と話もできなかった学生が、調査し、討論し、成果をまとめて発表した。みんな村の人たちと笑顔で交流していた。学生が日々変わっていくのを目の当たりにして、実践演習の力を実感した。これほど学生が輝いていくプログラムを見たのは初めてだった。アクティブ・ラーニングやPBLはよく聞く言葉だったが、現場に触れることが重要なのだ。この経験は、その後の茨城大学の教育改革の大きなヒントになった。
文・写真：三村信男（名誉教授）
ーつづくー水戸周辺で雨の降る金曜日に掲載予定です
前回のコラムはこちら（異国の雨の光景（上）【深呼吸、世界の窓から #28】）
A Deep Breath at the Window to the World
Rainy Scenes in Foreign Countries（Part 2）
I first visited Mai Khao Village in Phuket, Thailand, in August 2009. The purpose of the visit was to accompany students participating in the first overseas field practice program. That year, Ibaraki University launched a Master Program in Sustainability Science, and one of its flagship courses was the Overseas Field Practice focused on “learning from real-world problem sites.” Twelve students from Ibaraki University joined the program and worked together with students and researchers from Phuket Rajabhat University to study the issues faced by Mai Khao Village and explore possible solutions. During the day, the students worked in groups according to their themes in the village meeting hall, whose roof leaked whenever it rained, and at night they stayed in the homes of local villagers.
I moved together with the group focusing on sea turtle conservation. We conducted interviews at the village office and the wildlife protection office, and carried out field surveys along the sandy beach. While we were examining the long beach, a dark cloud suddenly approached from over the sea, and heavy rain descended upon us. So this is a tropical squall! The palm trees along the shore offered little shelter, and we waited for more than ten minutes as the strong rain poured down. The students were completely soaked, yet they were laughing. It was the kind of rain that made us feel that we could conduct research under any conditions, and that we could work together.
At the end of the Overseas Field Practice, the students prepared posters in both English and Thai and presented their findings before many villagers. When they arrived here, the students had hesitated even to speak to the Thai students. Yet through field surveys, discussions, and collaborative work, they were able to organize their results and present them confidently. Everyone was happily interacting with the people in the village. Watching the striking changes of students day by day, I realized the true power of practical learning. It was the first experience in which I saw students grow and shine so remarkably. Terms such as active learning and project-based learning (PBL) are often heard, but what truly matters is their contents. This experience later provided important inspiration for educational reform at Ibaraki University.
Text and photo by Nobuo Mimura, Professor Emeritus
—To be continued—Scheduled to be delivered on a rainy Friday around Mito.
* The original essay was written in Japanese. The English translation was facilitated by AI. The Author later revised the contents for accuracy.
