Bradley Emerling, a research scientist at Pearson Research and Innovation Network, documents his observations of the K-12 education system in Japan. He notices early on that almost all teaching is done with a chalkboard, a tool that is rarely used in the US anymore after being surpassed by overhead projectors, PowerPoint presentations, and Smart Boards. The chalkboard is an integral aspect of the Japanese classroom, and Emerling’s findings point not only to a difference in tools, but also a difference in what is valued in American and Japanese pedagogy.
