This report presents topics addressed at the December 2000 seminar on Capacity-Building for Curriculum Specialists from East and South-East Asia. Part 1, "Rethinking the Framework and the Capacities Needed for Curriculum Reform," gives some perspectives on trends and issues in curriculum change for the 21st century, both internationally…

Focuses on ideas for teaching about Japan which elementary school classroom teachers can use to supplement a textbook unit on Japan. Suggestions are intended to allow for reflection by students on their own culture, as well as the culture of Japan. Topics are children's perceptions of Japan and the Japanese, developing a geographical perspective,…

Discusses features of the "Basic Science" course in Japan; reasons why few students selected basic science; the development of Science I and Science II (results of the curriculum revision); and the relationship between Basic Science, Science I, and Science II. Science I and II objectives are provided in the appendices. (JN)

Overviews a section in the same "Educational Leadership" issue on improving teaching productivity. Highlights Harold Stevenson's article comparing mathematics education in the U.S., China, and Japan and Bruce Joyce's summary and analysis of the research literature on effective instructional strategies. (MLH)

Offers an update on global education programs from around the world, in the hope that American educators will seek dialogue with their international peers. (Author/MLF)

Criticizes reports on educational reform for possessing an ideological climate in which inquiry and dissent are quieted, and vocationalism (packaged as academic courses) is rampant. The reports compromise between influence and insight and neglect fundamental problems such as inability of schools to provide students with critical abilities needed…

Lists some of the citations in the ERIC database dealing with teaching global studies in elementary school. Includes teaching methods, works on individual countries, curriculum suggestions, and student activities. Suggests that students need a foundation for a consciousness and acceptance of multicultural realities. (DK)

This speech bemoans the deplorable state of geography education in the United States. American students' geographical knowledge is far inferior to that of European, Russian, Japanese, Canadian, or Australian students. This nation's young people literally do not know where they are, what other cultures are like, or how things fit together. A recent…

Describes Project Marco Polo in which students, teachers, and staff from "National Geographic" and the U.S. Navy traveled to Japan. Reports that they studied Japanese culture, oceanography, and natural science while on the trip. Includes excerpts from field journals kept by the participants, photographs of the trip, and a map. (DK)

This ERIC Digest discusses how, by studying Japan, the larger context of the Asia-Pacific region can be explored and students can be introduced to current realities. The top 5 competitive countries for 1994 were the United States, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and Germany. Because of the increasing interdependence between the United States and…

This volume contains the papers and comments from the Workshop on Mathematics Education, a special session of the 15th Conference on Stochastic Processes and Their Applications, held in Nagoya, Japan, July 2-5, 1985. Topics covered include: (1) probability; (2) statistics; (3) deviation; (4) Japanese mathematics curriculum; (5) statistical…

Discusses using the changing conditions of life within the United States as the starting point for developing global perspectives in social studies teaching and curriculum transformation. Suggests that the Pacific Century will require people of the United States to function in a multicultural world. Examines the history of Asians in the United…

The origins and design of a framework for Japanese second language instruction and curriculum development, created for use in international schools in Japan, are described. The effort was part of a Japanese Language Project undertaken by the Japanese Council for International Schools and funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education. The guiding…

A discussion on content-based second/foreign language instruction reviews recent literature, extracts elements of content-based instruction (CBI) felt to be critical, looks at those elements from the perspective of Japanese university instruction, and poses some questions that CBI program developers might ask before proceeding. Various kinds of…

Background material on the history, geography, culture, government, educational system, and everyday life of the Japanese people is presented in this curriculum guide, which is intended as a source book for teachers and administrators who would like to improve their curricular offerings and understandings regarding Japan. Lesson plans at the…