The latest project in the Social Studies Section, begun in 2005, continues their ongoing work in the development of historically accurate and pedagogically sound instructional materials on Asia. The thematically based text for high school students focuses on Modern East Asia and, in particular, on the interrelationships among China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong), Japan, and South and North Korea. The goal in developing these curriculum materials is to help prepare students to meet the changing global demands of tomorrow by arming them with knowledge of one of the most economically and politically dynamic regions of the world.
Following the pattern established in CRDG’s previous history curricula, this text presents history as a living discipline through the use of primary documents, stories and poems, maps, timelines, and activities fostering critical thinking. As lessons are developed, they are tested in the Laboratory School and revised based on teacher and researcher observations and direct feedback from student evaluations. Additional invaluable feedback from Asian scholars regarding how to best organize these materials for student learning has come from presentations at scholarly conferences, including the Comparative International Education Society conference held in Honolulu in March 2006.