The 75th annual conference of the Japan Society for Science Teaching brought actors in science education from all over the world to Toyama, Japan, on August 23–24, 2025. LabXchange was there! Kenneth Huff, LabXchange Teacher-in-Residence, attended the conference and presented on PIER Investigations developed for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Huff reports that science educators in Japan are very interested in how to implement the vision of the NGSS in K–12 classrooms.
During the conference keynote symposium entitled Expectations for The Next Curriculum Guidelines, four panelists—including three teachers (one each from the elementary, middle, and high school levels) and one government official (from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)—shared perspectives around three points: 1. How students learn, 2. What should students study, and 3. What science educators can do to support students’ learning.
The ministry of education official stated that, while inquiry is taking place in most K–12 classrooms in Japan, how it is best implemented remains nebulous. He went on to state that evidence is important for students to grapple with as they learn science, however, how evidence should be used varies in instruction. More research needs to be done in this area. All four panelists developed consensus around the point that the future for students should be not just science, but through science all their academic studies.
Huff’s presentation, entitled Science Instruction Consistent with the NGSS: How to Use PIER Investigations with Middle School Students, was part of a panel moderated by Manabu Sumida, Ph.D., current president of the Japan Society for Science Education. During his presentation, Huff emphasized the design principles of PIER Investigations, including how they are a research-based instructional sequence to implement the vision of the NGSS with fidelity. PIER Investigations integrate the three-dimensional nature of the NGSS and enable students to meet performance expectations at the middle level. With this contemporary approach, students make sense of phenomena or design solutions to problems that are relevant to their daily lives, families, and community.
Conference participants also engaged in the PIER Investigation Cranky Energy for the NGSS standard MS PS2-3. The preservice teachers, in-service teachers, science education researchers, and professors engaged in three-dimensional science performances in this investigation as they moved through the instructional sequence. This investigation prompted several questions from the audience, with many wondering about the role of phenomena in an investigation. Many participants were not aware that phenomena are observations that one can use with empirical evidence to explain causality.
Additional questions centered around engineering and how the design process is carried out in the context of an NGSS-developed investigation. Participants came to a deeper understanding of how when students are engaged in an engineering design problem, they construct, analyze, and interpret graphical displays of data to provide evidence for design solutions. The result is a solution to a problem. Huff concluded his presentation by informing participants of the LabXchange Teacher Ambassador Program and the wonderful opportunities that await educators in this program.
During the conference’s presidential reception, Society of Japan Science Teaching president Yoshihiko Kubota, Ph.D, shared his current research efforts. He stated that he is interested in the nature of science (NOS) and appendix H in the NGSS. Kubota went on to state how he is impressed with NGSS-developed lessons—such as PIER Investigations—and how they incorporate NOS instruction in various contexts. In this regard, from his perspective Japan is lagging behind. He looks forward to collaborating with LabXchange in the future.
Speaking of the future, in 2026, LabXchange’s presence has been requested at the 50th anniversary conference of the Japan Society for Science Education to be held next September in Tokyo. In the meantime, we are excited to work more closely with science educators in Japan!
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