How does a Nature School contribute to the lifelong learning of the community:A case study of Kakuma's Satoyama Nature School of in Japan

[[abstract]]This is a case study on the “Kakuma’s Satoyama Nature Schoo” in Kanazawa University, Japan, which promotes the key skills of lifelong learning of the “Mates of Satoyama,” the residents living in the community nearby. Through the study, I would like to probe for the achievement that the Nature School has reached to raising the key skills of lifelong learning of the mates, as well as the growth in the lifelong learning of each mate, after their participating the activities held by the Nature School. Participatory observation, field notes, in-depth interview and the literature analysis are taken as the methods in this research. The range of lifelong learning, however, is too broad to cover at one time, after further consideration and evaluation, I thus take “the key skills of lifelong learning” as the major criteria to assess the growth of each Mate of Satoyama, following with 4 sub-categorical indexes: cognition ability, learning how to learn, learning transfer, plus management of motives and emotion. The research has 6 major discoveries as following: 1. A nature center has not only the goal to promote the environmental awareness as well as the action abilities of teachers and students in campuses nearby, but also has the commitment to make contributions to the community, particularly the contribution to lift up the residents’ lifelong learning. Kakuma’s Satoyama Nature Schoo is the very establishment under this global trend. 2. Kakuma’s Satoyama Nature Schoo is the nature center of Kanazawa University as a social feedback to promote the lifelong learning of the community. The residents are empowered with leadership to plan and execute any activities concerning environmental education. Besides, through the whole process, the residents earn obvious growth in the key skills of lifelong learning. 3. In the facet of cognition, the Mates of Satoyama have gained noticeable progress in personal competence and abilities, contributing for people, as well as some other basic skills. 4. In the facet of learning how to learn, no matter the meta-cognition ability, merger of lifelong learning and personal ambition, discontent with the status quo, improving the operational procedure and process, thinking out of the status quo, as well as solving problems with creativity and imagination, the Mates of Satoyama have all made some progess. 5. In the facet of learning transfer, owing that the Nature School grants the mates with autonomy and freedom, while facing challenges, the mates would optimistically turn their abundant experiences out to be the dynamics to deal with the changing situation. 6. In the facet of management of motives and emotion, the mates are always open-minded to those brand-new knowledge or techniques, and are willing to share the latest knowledge. They also make an attempt on the project and approach of the activities concerned, moreover, they are more willing to help each other and express themselves while in discussion. Nonetheless, they generally have to improve communicating skills, which might be due to their elder age. Last, according to the findings and conclusions in the research, I have proposed some practical suggestions to Taiwan’s nature centers for promoting the key skills of lifelong learning of the community, as well as some advices for the following research in the future.