Quake seen as 'teachable moment' in U.S.

[AsahinaKimi]

Yuji Yoshikata and Taro Nishijima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondents

Earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear power technology have become trending topics in middle and high school classrooms in the United States in the wake of the March 11 disaster in Japan.

Teachers are actively exchanging ideas online for lesson plans, showing great interest in teaching students about the natural disasters and the situations being experienced by survivors.

During a third-year high school class at the East-West School of International Studies in New York's Queens borough, students asked this reporter, "How long will it take Japan to recover completely?" and "Why did they build nuclear power plants where earthquakes were expected to occur?"

Rather than a place of one-sided instruction, the classroom was filled with lively discussion.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/world/T110419004251.htm