East Asia: Twenty-first Century Educational Practices and STEM Education
This complete module with links to all materials may be downloaded as a PDF here.
Maranda Wilkinson
Franklin County School District
Franklin County, Tennessee

Slide 6 from the “East Asia: Twenty-first Century Educational Practices and STEM Education.” Sources available on slide and in PowerPoint.
Overview:
East Asian countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore have excelled in the fields of Science and Math education. Technological advancements developed and produced in these countries have positioned them to be highly competitive in the global economy. These nations are highly interested in STEM education and systematically examine the strengths and weaknesses of their programs.
The major instructional component is a thirty-seven minute, thirty-second audiovisual PowerPoint presentation. It was first developed and field tested to serve as a resource for STEM educators and related stakeholders such as school administrators, board members, and parents.However, the module is also an excellent pedagogical resource for high school and even college-level instructors and students in a variety of courses.The module can be utilized in American high school STEM classes to provide students with an international context illustrating the importance of the mathematics, science, and technical subjects they are studying. Because of a focus upon human capital development and economic development, the module is applicable to high school economics courses or any course that includes content on contemporary East Asia including AP Human Geography, World History, and Comparative Politics.

Slide 3 from the “East Asia: Twenty-first Century Educational Practices and STEM Education.” Sources available on slide and in PowerPoint.
Estimated module length: Approximately one and half to three hours (including preparatory reading, presentation, and discussion).
Objectives:
Identify the relationship between Post World War II East Asian economic growth and educational policies and practices.
Understand East Asian STEM educational practices policies including teacher development, supplemental education, curricula, and testing and assessment tools.
Compare and contrast East Asian Science and Mathematics educational policies and practices with those of the U.S
Investigate policy alternatives that might include adoption or modification of East Asian STEM educational practices and policies that might improve STEM education in U.S. schools.
Prerequisite Knowledge:
Although prior knowledge about East Asia and in particular, Confucian traditional and contemporary impact on education is helpful, the module can be utilized for educators or students who do not have this background knowledge.
Module: Introductory Activity
Estimated time: including discussion, forty-five minutes to one hour.
Michael Lowry
McCallie School
Chattanooga, TN
Source: The Chattanoogan at https://tinyurl.com/yc5yd6sq. See story for details on Michaelâs 2015 Fulbright Award.
Either assign this interview with Michael Lowry as a preparatory reading for a workshop or class and have participants spend 20 to 30 minutes discussing the implications of the interview for US, STEM education, and economic and technological development.
Although workshop leaders or teachers can design alternative questions, the following is a suggested general question that is certain to stimulate discussion:
Singapore consistently ranks number one in the world in mathematics, science, and literacy in international testing. In the 2015 OECDâs Program For International Student Assessment (PISA), perhaps the most prestigious of all international assessments, globally, U.S. students ranked 40th, 25th, and 24th respectively, in these three categories. What portions of the interview with Michael Lowry appear to substantiate Singaporeâs high level performance? What portions of the interview possibly lead to questions about the accuracy of the above data?
The remainder of the module is a PowerPoint presentation Readers may also watch the PowerPoint below as video presentation with narration by the author of this module. The complete materials for this module are also compiled at the end.
The PowerPoint is accessible here.
Estimated time: thirty-seven minutes, thirty-seconds.
PowerPoint Module Outline:
East Asia: Educational Practices and STEM Education in the 21st Century
- World Leaders
- Economies and Technological Advancements
- China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore
- Economic rankings
- Education
- Science and Math rankings
- China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore
- Educational Approach
- East Asia
- Cultural view
- Cram programs
- Teacher education levels
- Pedagogical practices (Science and Math)
- Singapore, Japan, China, South Korea
- Future Skills Needed
- 21st Century Skills
- STEM Education
- Educational Models/Perspectives
- S. Educational Models of the Future
- Review
- Discussion Questions
- References
- East Asia
- Science and Math rankings
- China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore
- Economies and Technological Advancements
Video Presentation of âEast Asia: Twenty-first Century Educational Practices and STEM Educationâ
Please see below to skip to specific slides in the video:
Slide 3: Quote by James Brown, Executive Director of the STEM Coalition
Slide 5: Notable Asian Economies
Slide 6: âThe Four Industrial Revolutionsâ
Slide 7: âAsian Industry: Typesâ
Slide 8: âQuote by Dave Breitenstein, Audience/Metrics Analystâ
Slide 9: âEducation Rankings (Specifically in Science and Math According to 2015 PISA Scores)â
Slide 11: Educational Approach: Cultural View
Slide 12: Educational Approach: Cram Schools
Slide 13: Educational Approach: Teacher Education Levels
Slide 14: Educational Approach: Pedagogical Practices (Singapore)
Slide 15: Educational Approach: Pedagogical Practices (Japan)
Slide 16: Educational Approach: Pedagogical Practices (China)
Slide 17: Educational Approach: Pedagogical Practices (South Korea)
Slide 18: Future Skills Needed (1/3)
Slide 19: Future Skills Needed (2/3)
Slide 20: Future Skills Needed (3/3)
Slide 21: What is STEM Education?
Slide 22: STEM: Single-Discipline Reference and STEM as a Reference for Science and Math
Slide 25: STEM: Combining Two or Three Disciplines and STEM: Integrated Disciplines
Slide 26: STEM as a Transdisciplinary Course or Program
Slide 27: U.S. Educational Models of the Future
Slide 29â34: Discussion Questions
References and Resources
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/04/asian-students-carry-high-expectations-for-success/2615483/: Dave Breitensteinâs article âAsian Students Carry High Expectations for Successâ from USA Todayon August 4, 2013.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/329/5995/996:Rodger W. Bybeeâs article âWhat Is STEM Education?â from Science Magazine from August 27, 2010.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Cram_school&oldid=1008194:Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education challenges and opportunities. (pp. 29-30, 34-35, 40, 71, 74-78) Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cram_school: Entry on Cram schools by New World Encyclopedia.
https://ptolemy.berkeley.edu/projects/cps/: âCyber-Physical Systemsâ from the University of California at Berkeley Ptolemy Project
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/10/17/commentary/world-commentary/japanese-students-excel-mathematics/#.WoB91Z9MFnE:âWhy Japanese students excel at mathematicsâ from The Japan Times by Ward Gardner from October 17, 2016.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/worlds-biggest-economies-in-2017/: âThe world's 10 biggest economies in 2017â from We Forum by Alex Gray from March 9, 2017.
https://www.air.org/resource/report/what-united-states-can-learn-singapores-world-class-mathematics-system-exploratory: âWhat the United States can learn from Singapore's world-class mathematics system: An exploratory studyâ from the American Institutes for Research by Allan Ginsburg et al. from January 28, 2005.
https://theconversation.com/why-is-singapores-school-system-so-successful-and-is-it-a-model-for-the-west-22917: âWhy is Singapore's school system so successful, and is it a model for the West?â from The Conversation by David Hogan from February 11 ,2004.
http://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/37: âA comparative study of teacher preparation and qualifications in six Nationsâ by Richard Ingersoll by The Consortium for Policy Research in Educationfrom February 2007.
http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-worldwide-ranking-of-math-science-reading-skills-2016-12: âThe latest ranking of top countries in math, reading, and science is out - and the US didn't crack the top 10â from Business Insider by Abby Jackson and Andy Kiersz from December 6, 2016.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ljkelly/2017/09/20/forbes100-5-companies-that-have-shaped-asia-and-the-world/#1fc9a6572a7c: â5 Companies That Have Shaped Asia, And The Worldâ by Luke Kelly from Forbesfrom September 20, 2017.
http://statisticstimes.com/economy/countries-by-projected-gdp.php: âList of countries by projected GDPâ from Statistics Times from May 6, 2018.
âInterview with Michael Lowryâ from June 30, 2018.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/04/05/why-everyone-must-get-ready-for-4th-industrial-revolution/#305176173f90: âWhy Everyone Must Get Ready For The Fourth Industrial Revolutionâ by Bernard Marr from Forbesfrom April 5, 2016.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/11/23/issues/teaching-quality-lesson-quantity-may-key-japans-top-math-marks/#.W00VvdhKgk8: (2014, November 23) âTeaching quality, not lesson quantity, may be key to Japan's top math marksâ by The Japan Timesby J.J. O'Donoghue from November 23, 2014.
http://www.gsee-kyoto.kier.kyoto-u.ac.jp/GSEE_Kyoto%20Summit2013/Oct21/Yasushi%20Ogura%20(Kyoto20131021).pdf: âThe Science Education in Japan Its Strengths and Weaknessesâ by Yasushi Ogura from Saitama University at the GSEE/Kyoto Summit: Initiatives that Can Change Science Educationâ in Kyoto, October 21, 2013
http://blog.btrax.com/en/2017/10/18/top-10-largest-japanese-companies-in-the-world-2/: âTop 10 largest Japanese companies in the wordâ by PiPaticha from the Freshtraxblog on October 18, 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/05/world/asia/china-textbooks-britain.html: âBritain Turns to Chinese Textbooks to Improve Its Math Scoresâ by Amy Qin from The New York Times from August 5, 2017.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2094427,00.html: âTeacher, Leave Those Kids Aloneâ by Amanda Ripley from TIME Magazine from September 25, 2011.
https://www.asianstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/asias-role-in-the-four-industrial-revolutions.pdf: Mousumi Roy, âAsiaâs Role in the Four Industrial Revolutions,â from the Spring 2018 Education About Asia.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/03/21st-century-skills-future-jobs-students/: âWhat are the 21st-century skills every student needs?â by Jenny Soffel from We Forumfrom March 10, 2016
https://www.studyinternational.com/news/south-korean-teens-top-maths-science-lack-interest-report/: âSouth Korean teens top in maths and science, but lack interest â reportâ from Study International Newsfrom April 14, 2017.
http://www.human.tsukuba.ac.jp/~mathedu/2504.pdf: âCharacteristics of Japanese math lessonsâ by Akihiko Takahashi from Tsukuba Journal of Educational Studyin Mathematicsin 2006.
http://japan.stripes.com/news/exam-cram: âExam cramâ by Stripes JapanTakahiro Takiguchi from February 17, 2015.
https://nces.ed.gov/timss/timss15.asp#:~:text=The%20Trends%20in%20International%20Mathematics,comparative%20study%20of%20student%20achievement.&text=TIMSS%20is%20designed%20to%20align,participating%20countries%20and%20education%20systems. :Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2015
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/012216/worlds-top-10-semiconductor-companies-tsmintc.asp: âThe world's top 10 semiconductor companiesâ by Justin Walton from Investopediafrom December 11, 2017.
âScience Education in South Korea: Towards a Holistic Understanding of Science and Societyâ by S. T. Wichmanowski from The Fulbright Teacher Exchangein 2015.
http://www.worldstopexports.com/south-koreas-top-10-major-export-companies/: âSouth Korea's top 10 major export companiesâ by Worlds Top Exports from Daniel Workman from May 3, 2018.
âScience education in China: international experience and localizationâ by Qidi Wu from The Academy of Sciences, Malaysia from May 23, 2015.
