To enhance knowledge about Japan across schools in the Midwest, a cohort of twelve K-12 and community college educators examined several aspects of the history and culture through background investigations and experiential learning to create digital curriculum for dissemination in diverse classrooms. This group focused on the Tokaido Road, Origami, Temples and Shrines (TOTS) to develop the Virtual Japan Experience. The modules created in this project complement EASC’s successful “Take and Go” curriculum model that allows teachers to quickly incorporate materials in a menu style that can adapt to various classroom needs but will feature rich digital materials collected by the cohort (pictures, videos, sounds, etc.) to emphasize key aspects of Japan’s history and culture. Cohort members first built background knowledge through five online sessions with experts, focusing on key aspects of Japan. Next, experiential learning through a study tour in Japan built first-hand knowledge of Japanese culture and history through in-country activities, allowing for the compilation of a rich digital archive of images, videos, sounds, and other resources. Cohort members utilized phones and cameras to capture images and recordings to aid in the curricular materials they developed. These resources are available to other educators (free, and with no extra permission needed) to use in their classrooms. Finally, knowledge will be disseminated within each institution and broadly within the Midwest through Virtual Japan Experience modules, workshops open to educators, conference presentations, and an updated website available to instructors for ongoing impact in K-12 and community college institutions.
Cohort:
- Nicole Amole, St. Edmund’s Academy (PA)
- Alicia Booker, Lakota West High School (OH)
- Joseph Daniels, WestTown School (PA)
- Ann Marie Davis, The Ohio State University (OH): Lead Instructor
- Emma Doerfler, Carnegie Elementary
- Melissa Fisher-Rogers, McCord Middle School (OH)
- Sandra Gianella, Lincoln Elementary School (PA)
- Matthew Guion, Rise Up Performing Arts (OH)
- Anne Hooghart, Mott Community College (MI)
- Megan Kuns, Hull Prairie Intermediate School (OH)
- Shaun Marsh, Lorain County Community College (OH)
- Angie Miesle Stokes, Wayne Trace Jr/Sr High School (OH): Curriculum Connection
- Mandy Perret, Dutchtown High (LA)
- Janet Smith, The Ohio State University (OH): Project Coordinator
- Jennifer Smith, Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School (IL)
- Ciminy St. Clair, Norwin Middle School (PA)
TOTS Project includes:
- 12 educators from K-12 schools & community colleges in OH, IN, IL, PA, MI
- Instructors who teach a variety of subject areas and grade levels, at public and private schools with diverse socio-economic populations
- 3 groups focusing on creating curriculum / digital archive about the Tokaido Road, Origami, and Temples & Shrines
- In June 2025, spent 10 days gathering visual resources in Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto, Hakone, and Tokyo
Sponsors: University of Pittsburgh national coordinating site for the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA) Asian Studies Center, University Center for International Studies and a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant to the East Asian Studies Center at The Ohio State University.
This project is coordinated by the East Asian Studies Center at The Ohio State University.