Proposal for the tablet-based disaster response evacuation drill for elementary school children

Abstract

In elementary schools, disaster prevention education is provided during the integrated learning period or in school events. Evacuation drill is a subject in this category. In recent years, the move by the Central Council for Education to revise the curriculum to include disaster prevention in the subjects is fully in progress. However, specific policies and lesson plans have not yet been finalized. This research aims to work out how to use tablets in evacuation drills, which is a subject in disaster prevention education, in consideration of the class method to use the acquired knowledge of children, and the method to use mental map and ICT equipment. In order to consider how to use ICT equipment, two tablet-based learning methods, MAP learning (displaying a planar map) and StreetView learning are prepared. Then the effectiveness of these tablet-based disaster response evacuation drills for children is investigated. In the tablet-based evacuation drill, children were able to take different approaches to the same task. As a result, each child was able to make different discoveries. MAP learning is considered to be suitable for the learning to work out evacuation routes and evacuation sites, such as drills on disaster maps. StreetView learning is considered to be suitable for learning that can provide similar experiences to those in actual disasters, such as evacuation simulations. Through the learning that combines these two learning methods, the ability to carefully consider the disaster situation and select the best route with a bird’s-eye view could be developed.