Japan Symposium: International Symposium on CHAT and Change Laboratory in East Asia
The International Symposium on Cultural-historical Activity Theory and Change Laboratory in East Asia will be held at Kansai University in Osaka, Japan, on November 15 (Saturday)–16 (Sunday), 2025. Participation is free of charge.
The symposium is organised by the research group of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science’s Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) “Making an expansive school: Toward forming transformative agency” (PI: Katsuhiro Yamazumi, Project number: 22H00084)
For more detailed information or to register, please visit the following website:
https://pin-m3.sakura.ne.jp/CHATASIA/
We look forward to the participation of all those interested.
Program
Saturday, November 15, 2025
13:00 – 13:30
Viorel Ristea (Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Japan)
Formative interventions in language learning: From contradictions to transformative agency through visual elicitation
13:30 – 14:00
Megumi Asakura (Kansai University, Japan)
Co-resonating activity systems: The transformative potential of teachers’ and students’ inquiry-based learning for local communities
14:00 – 14:30
Tetsuhisa Shirasu (Showa Women’s University, Japan)
The Change Laboratory in an NPO for promoting science education by citizens: From the perspective of fourth-generation activity theory
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 – 15:30
Erika Ishida (Kansai University, Japan)
Knotworking provokes transformative agency in Japanese elementary school
15:30 – 16:00
Chen Yang (Kansai University, Japan)
Integrating lesson study into the Change Laboratory for school development: A case of a national elementary school in Japan
16:10 – 17:00 Plenary Discussion
Sunday, November 16, 2025
09:30 – 10:30 Keynote Speech
Katsuhiro Yamazumi (Kansai University, Japan)
Building coalitions for learning: A fourth-generation Change Laboratory intervention in Tamba City’s schools
10:40 – 12:10 Keynote Speech
Songge Ma (Shanghai Normal University, China)
The impact of willingness to chang on Change Laboratory design: An exploration via three cases
12:10 – 13:30 Lunch Break
13:30 – 14:30 Keynote Speech
Naoyuki Yamada (Kansai University, Japan)
New developments of activity theory in Japan: Implementing formative interventions
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 – 16:30 Keynote Speech
Ge Wei (Capital Normal University, China)
Forming a new concept of mentorship amidst contradictions: A Change Laboratory in initial teacher education
16:30 – 17:15 Plenary Discussion