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The first part of the paper briefly reviews the teaching of area studies within the last generation, noting that Chinese studies have markedly increased. The second part discusses forces operating on social studies teachers today which quite naturally relate to area studies. These include calls for teachers to change their technique from expository to inquiry teaching; the numerous arrays of kinds of materials from which teachers must choose; pressures to teach new content areas but lack of training to carry it out; and the number of complex societal changes now in progress. Specific problems facing classroom teachers as they attempt to teach Chinese studies are identified. The major portion of the paper provides ten alternatives to typical suggestions on how to improve teaching about China. These alternatives differ from the usual suggestions in that they emphasize supplementing and/or using existing resources rather than beginning anew, and make inservice and preservice training available locally. Alternatives focus on topics dealing with a survey of the field; exchanges and visits; developing a newsletter; resource centers; inservice and preservice training; activities at teachers meetings; evaluating teaching materials; preparing new teacher materials; and checking with teachers and students to verify what they wish to know about China. Appendices are included. ED 065 402 is a related document. (SJM)

The Occasional Paper is intended as a resource document and is designed to provide teachers of Asian studies with an authoritative study of education in the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1969 where educational effort focuses upon the needs of society rather than the individual. The first twenty years of the history of the People's Republic of China is categorized in terms of six distinct periods of educational reforms. Each of these six periods is analyzed by Dr. S. M. Hu according to its political emphases, educational policy and curriculum trends. The first period of 1949 to 1952 was a consolidation of the regime built, the second period of 1953 to 1957 concentrated on the Five-Year Plan with strong Soviet influence, the third period of 1958 to 1959 impressed the world with the movement of communes and the "Great Leap Forward," the fourth period of 1960 to 1963 proceeded cautiously with a "retrenchment" program, the fifth period of 1964 to 1965 marked by a sharp two-line Party struggle, and the sixth period of 1966 to 1969 alarmed the world with the "Great Cultural Revolution" which means to prepare a new breed of generation. (Author)

A model is used to provide a framework for secondary teachers of intercultural studies who wish to compare and contrast developing nations and, further, to identify characteristics of the nature of the society to determine the nations' modernity. Although C. E. Black's model is general, i.e. it applies to all countries, the author applies this model specifically to the countries of China and Japan. Black examines a society's entrance into a modern era by using categories of intellectual, political, economics, social, and psychological revolutions. Students can not only adapt this system of comparison, but can go further and investigate the leadership of a modernizing society, analyzing the thrust of such impact through examination of four steps: the challenge of modernity, the consolidation of modernizing leadership, economic and social transformation, and the integration of society. A brief description of Black's seven patterns of modernization conclude the paper. (SJM)

Two possible approaches for teaching Asian studies at the elementary level are provided in this teaching guide. Focus is upon presenting selected, crucial aspects of Indian and Chinese culture to students who then compare cultural differences and likenesses. Cognitive and affective objectives are incorporated into the curriculum and, moreover, a paradigm for measuring cognitive and emphatic understanding of significant elements of Chinese and Indian cultures provides the teacher with an index of the degree of success or failure of this approach. The unit on China employs case studies of Chinese communities through which students study the physical setting, real life, and the ideal life of a Chinese community. Students are introduced to the rural and urban subcontinent in the unit on India by planning a vicarious trip to India in which each student begins to investigate what he takes along the trip as an insight into his own culture. Each unit suggests appropriate concepts to be developed, an outline of content, and a variety of instructional activities. A bibliography is included describing available, multi media materials on China, India, and Asia. (SJM)