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| Dec.26, 2008 |
| Dear Friends of Child Research Net (CRN)
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Noboru Kobayashi, M.D., Pediatrician,
Director, Child Research Net |
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Thank you for your generous support of CRN. As an internet-based research organization devoted to Child Science, we have valued your help. It has meant a lot to us in 2008 and as we now enter 2009.
This March, the CRN Japanese-language website was renewed. Building on 13 years of experience and know-how, the transformed site is now even easier for our users to navigate. And the renewal has clearly enriched content. Our website is becoming an exciting forum where not only specialists in medicine and education, but people from different fields, those busy raising children and those in Japan and abroad, share their views in papers and discussions on new topics. In particular, the "net generation," now a frequent news topic, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, a growing problem in Japan, are just two of the issues that the website took up early on. Another major achievement this year has been "Brain Science for Child Rearing," a series of articles on neuroscience from the perspective of pediatrics that offers practical insights for child caregivers all over the world.
This year has also been rich one in terms of academic exchange with overseas researchers. A personal friend of mine, Dr. Lewis P. Lipsitt, contributed "Human Behavior Needs Credible Explanation: Minds Don't Snap," an analysis of the mechanism of "snapping." This refers to a sudden, violent rage which is said to explain some recent brutal crimes. In May, when a devastating earthquake struck Sichuan Province in China, we immediately translated and posted articles on emotional and psychological care for child earthquake victims based on experiences in Japan, and Chinese specialists provided their analyses of the aftermath. We also began reprinting articles from a Chinese academic journal, (Preschool Education Research) and these gave us a vivid view of nursery schools in China and the latest research. As for myself, with the cooperation of Dr. Hirotaka Kataoka, an expert in neuroscience, I became involved in a new project close to my heart: introducing and commenting on articles on neuroscience published in the academic journal of The International Mind, Brain and Education Society (IMBES). I am looking forward to thinking about the progress of neuroscience and its relation to education with all of you.
Along with enriching our website, we have been developing our real-time activities, too. Last year, we launched the East Asia Child Science Exchange Program to promote academic exchange in East Asia, in particular, with China, and held two conferences this year, one in Tokyo and the other in Hangzhou, China. In April, the Second East Asia Child Science Conference was held at Ochanomizu University and researchers from Japan and China gave presentations and engaged in meaningful discussion on the theme "Approaches of Child Science to Child Growth and Development." In November, the Third East Asia Child Science Exchange Program, held in Zhejiang, China, focused on what adults can do to realize Child-Caring Design (CCD) and the lively discussion centered on cultural comparisons of Japanese and Chinese as well as adult and child perspectives. I am pleased to say that both events were highly successful and significant in furthering academic exchange on child-related research in primarily Japan and China.
I am happy to say that these efforts by CRN grounded in the interdisciplinary approach of Child Science are highly regarded overseas. In its newsletter, edutopia, the George Lucas Education Foundation introduced CRN as a "groundbreaking" website featuring innovative ideas and activities on child-development.
As we enter 2009, we will enhance website content and expand our exchange overseas while developing activities that support the East Asia Child Science Program and other real-time programs. Thank you for your continued support and guidance and best wishes for the New Year.
Let's Talk! |
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Child
Research Net is supported by Benesse Co., Ltd. |
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