<Notes>A Study of the Meanings of "Community" in the New Courses of Study for Elementary Schools: Focusing on Moral Education, Integrated Studies and Special Activities

This paper aims at clarifying the meanings of "Community" in the new Courses of Study for Elementary Schools, focusing on three subjects: Moral Education, Integrated Studies and Special Activities. In March 2017, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) published the new Courses of Study for elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools, and they emphasize that students should have affection for their hometown and Japan. Under such situation, in this paper, it was investigated how this policy is expressed in "General Provisions, " "Moral Education, " "Integrated Studies" and "Special Activities" under the new Courses of Study for Elementary Schools. In the promotion of collaboration between schools and local communities, clarifying the state of "Community" in the new Courses of Study will be meaningful for thinking of the way for more effective collaborations. As a result, three aspects of "Community" were observed in the new Courses of Study for Elementary Schools: "Approaches from Schools to Community, " "Resources for Student's Learning" and "Promotion of Interaction between Students and Local Community Residents." In addition, fostering the attitudes and abilities for problem solving in local communities were found in the new Courses of Study. On the other hand, in terms of affection for hometown, though it is descripted in "Moral Education, " this policy is little connected with the activities in "Integrated Studies" and "Special Activities." Therefore, fostering affections for hometown through the activities and learning in local communities may be more important for regional development in the future