倉吉東高校 商品開発を通じた探究学習プログラム

VUILD supports the year-long project from setting themes through product planning, prototyping, and sales. Rather than simply teaching how to use the machines, VUILD's role is to support students in setting their own themes and connecting their work to society.

Specialist instructors who know the ShopBot inside out handle everything from idea generation to machine operation and prototyping. By supporting the design and fabrication needed to bring students' ideas to life, they make it possible for students to turn what they imagine into real objects, even without specialized knowledge.

On the materials side, we coordinated classes using Tottori-grown timber in collaboration with the local Kume Sawmill. We also work with students from sales planning to choosing where to sell, building into the program opportunities to be evaluated by adults outside the school, such as selling at local markets.

Product development follows the flow of idea → research → prototyping → sales planning → design → final production → sales. Broadly, it consists of three stages: think → make → connect with society.

Think (ideas and research): Starting from local issues and resources, students decide for themselves what to make. Rather than setting themes at a desk, they come up with product ideas while engaging with real industry, such as the local sawmill and Tottori-grown timber, and refine them through research.

Make (prototyping, design, and final production): Using the ShopBot, students turn the ideas in their heads into real products. Going beyond small models, they give shape to furniture at a usable scale. Through repeated prototyping, they refine the design and move on to final production.

Connect with society (sales planning and sales): Making is not the end. Alongside prototyping, students develop sales plans and actually sell their finished products. The experience of seeing their ideas reach society turns making into genuine learning.

Over the past two years, the following products have come from the students' hands.

Fiscal 2024

Nice Chair (Naisu na Isu)
A chair shaped like the letters of the word "nice." Placed in spots with nice views of Kurayoshi, it helps liven up the area. It was exhibited at the Tottori Prefecture booth at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and drew attention on social media.

Camellia Plate
A wooden plate shaped like the camellia, the flower of Kurayoshi. Each petal can be used as a separate compartment.

Fiscal 2025

Flower Table & Butterfly Chair
A set of a flower-shaped table and a children's chair with butterfly wings as its backrest.

BigHandLuck
A wall-mounted rack in the shape of a large hand, for displaying favorite items such as hats and sneakers.

Bero desu.
A "yokai log desk" with lighting built into a log. It brightens dark entryways and can also be used as a chair or table.

Sutenaigozaurus
A dinosaur-shaped pencil holder. By inserting pencils that have grown short, children can keep a record of their hard work.

Not everything went smoothly. Students worked through moments of uncertainty, and some products did not sell. Even so, by actually giving shape to their ideas, taking them out into society, and accepting both the response and the lack of it for themselves, they gained an experience that cannot be had in the classroom alone. That is what this program has created.