Tamagawa hosted a Round Square International Conference, which was conducted mainly by its executive committee members. One workshop was titled, GAKKO Meets TAMAGAWA. GAKKO is run by college students from around the world and adopt a question of a learning attitude. Many Ivy League students belong to GAKKO.
The theme titled, “Question Learning” included about 50 participants, including 15 GAKKO members, who seemed to enjoy talking to each other in a relaxed mood before the workshop. This created a positive atmosphere in the hall.
First, to break the ice, the participants made six groups and played a gesture game with pictures. The entire communication was delivered in English, and the participants were able to freely and actively talk to each other.
In a very warm and congenial atmosphere the mission, “The Development of a Protector Against Drop Impact” was announced. Groups had 60 minutes and were given various items to protect their egg, such as sheets of paper, straws, pens and sheets of origami paper to explain their method of protecting their egg. Within each group its members formed two sub-groups called Public Relations Department and Development Department, and each group completed the work by sharing their ideas.
Each group`s Public Relations Department presented their “The Egg Protector Against Drop Impact” experiments at the Atrium. All of the six groups received cheers and applause from the audience, and all the participants enjoyed it very much.
Finally, the students reflected on what they learned, took a commemorative picture together, and the conference came to a close.
Junya Igarashi, a former executive committee chairperson of Tamagawa`s Round Square, is now a GAKKO staff member. He was heartily pleased that this conference was held, that it had improved from the previous the year, and was impressed by the increase in participants.
Taisei Kobayashi, this year’s executive committee chairperson, said, “Mr. Igarashi and I have been friends since elementary school, and he is a person who I respect. I am grateful for the fortune and chance of having this learning opportunity. My dream has come true. That is, the conference would be more improved over last year’s.”
Saki Nagao, who is an executive committee member, and Round Square member for three years, said with a smile “building on my experience in each Round Square’s activity, I’ve found myself being able to do a lot of things. And I already have a lot of ideas for the next year!”
The Round Square Tamagawa International Conference offers the chance for students to exercise their sensibility, expression skills and language skills. It is based on thoughts passed on from seniors to juniors and their passion for better learning. This all-hands activity will continue to improve.