On November 7 the Middle Years Programme (MYP) students at Tokyo International School will be participating in a beach clean-up and data-gathering session near Enoshima, Kanagawa Prefecture. The school has entered into a partnership with the international not-for-profit organization Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
In 2004, Richard and Heidi Taylor set up the foundation to raise awareness of marine conservation initiatives and environmental concerns, and to participate in those initiatives where possible.
One of their largest programs is the “South West Marine Debris Project,” which gathers debris from beaches around the world, with a special emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region.
Groups are organized to clean a particular beach, but the effort is much more than a simple one-time cleaning session. A commitment is made to return to the same beach each year and gather debris again; the debris is sorted, classified, and weighed, with the data being sent to the foundation to use. The foundation traces the most commonly found items back to their source and then works with government agencies and industry leaders to enact design or usage modifications, resulting in less debris being released into the environment.
In addition to submitting the data to the foundation, the grade 6–8 students will be using the data themselves in science and mathematics units at school. The grade 6 students will be looking at ocean currents and debris as part of their unit on navigation. The grade 7 students will be using the debris classification as a formative learning experience, creating and using dichotomous keys to sort the debris on the beach while weighing and recording the resulting data. The grade 8 students will analyze the data using basic statistical measurements, express the data using notational formatting, and communicate the data through graphs. They will then draw connections between debris sources such as point of manufacture and usage, and destinations, drawing upon their experiences from their Cambodia residential trip, and looking at the Asia-Pacific region as a unified system. — PAUL FRADALE
