Some Characteristics in Korean National Curriculum and its Revising Process

1
Some Characteristics in Korean National
Curriculum and its Revising Process

• Hee-chan Lew
• Korea National University of Education
• hclew_at_knue.ac.kr

2
Topics

• 7th National Curriculum
• Nature, Structure, Contents, Guide line for
  instruction and evaluation, College Entrance
  Examination (CSAT)
• Revising Process
• Revision Period, Revising Team, Influencing
  factors in determining mathematics curriculum
• Social Background of Korea
• Some lessons from TIMSS report

3
Social Background Parents Concern on Education

• Education The most important factor to
  understand Korean Society.
• Korean parents are willing to submit themselves
  to their childrens education.
• KEDI(2004) in 2000
• Governments expense for public education is 30
  billion US
• Parents expense for out-of-school programs 37
  billion US (10 of their total income)

4
Out-of-School Programs

• Status of out-of-school program in society
• 84.1 of students (Elementary 91.1, Junior High
  81.5, Senior High 70.2) go to extracurricular
  programs
• Their children must study harder than other
  students to enter better universities
• A better university is a shortcut to a better
  future
• Competition-Oriented Society
• Old tradition

5
Examination Tradition

• In 958 AD, Koryeo Kingdom (918-1392) accepted
  from China the formal examination system to
  select government officials, which was kept even
  during the next Chosun Kingdom (1392-1910) for
  950 years.
• Pass to the examination was the most honorable
  event of the person and his family

6
Education was our only hope

• The Poster of the Special Exhibition of
  Educational Materials for the 60th Anniversary of
  the restoration of independence 1945-2005
• Education was our only hope is a pregnant
  one-sentence to represent the 60 years of Korean
  Society

7
What is learned in out-of-school program?
Techniques vs. Abilities

• 70-90 of students study mathematics 1-2 hours
  almost every day at their out-of-school programs
• They learn technical skills and knowledge for
  eventually preparing for the college entrance
  examination rather than cultivating mathematical
  abilities
• They learn techniques to select correct answers
  in various objective tests.

8
International Test

• We worry that this kind of out-of-school studies
  seems to be one of the main reasons of Korean
  students high achievement in TIMSS, TIMSS-R and
  PISA
• Other presumed reasons
• Korean teachers teach systematically
• Korean math curriculum favors TIMSS
• Korea Scholastic Ability Test is similar to PISA
• Students study hard in their schools to enter
  better universities or for other purposes
• etc.

9
Math Education after TIMSS

• There were many changes after TIMSS
• 7th National Curriculum issued on December 1997
• Focusing on students problem solving abilities
• School Reform Movement in the late of 1990s
• Open Education
• Performance Assessment
• Computer use in classroom

10
Three factors for change

• Gradual change in mathematics education since
  1980 to support the economic development of 1970s
  and 1980s
• From theoretical mathematics to practical
  mathematics
• TIMSS report
• Reflection on the weak points of math classes
• Impact of foreign curricula such as of USA
  Great Britain

11
TIMSS report

• TIMSS provided an opportunity for Korean Society
  to reflect on the educational environment on the
  whole through a multivariate analysis with
  teachers, institutions as well as students.
• Korean mathematics education seems to have many
  serious weak points, despite of students' very
  proud achievement.

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Affective CharacteristicsLesson from TIMSS
Report

• Korean students' affective characteristics was
  not friendly to mathematics compared with other
  countries.
• In the case of the 8th grade, Korea was one of
  the lowest countries in the confidence and
  interest levels.
• This result is also being repeated in the current
  PISA test.

13
Achievement DifferenceLesson from TIMSS Report

• There is a significant difference in the
  achievement level between male and female, and
  city and rural area
• A serious problem with respect to an equal
  opportunity in mathematics education.
• Traditional custom guides girls not to go to the
  mathematical fields.
• Generally rural area, compared with city area,
  has an educationally inferior environment.

14
Teaching StyleLesson from TIMSS Report

• Whole class activities under teachers' control is
  the first consideration in the style of
  organizing classes
• 89 of students, the largest rate, thought that
  whole class lesson with teachers explanation is
  the most frequent style.
• Only 11, the lowest rate, of students thought
  that activities worked in pairs or small groups
  with assistance from teachers is the most
  frequent style.

15
TechnologyLesson from TIMSS Report

• Korean math teachers were the most negative in
  using computer and calculator in their classes
  and problem solving process
• 93 of teachers and 96 of students never used
  computers and calculators in their math classes,
  which was the highest among TIMSS countries

16
Goals for learning mathematicsLesson from TIMSS
Report

• Many math teachers do not consider mathematical
  application and reasoning ability as important
  goals for students.
• Korea belongs to countries whose rate was very
  low.
• Teachers seem not to understand well the reason
  why problem solving should be emphasized in
  mathematics education

17
Evaluation MethodLesson from TIMSS Report

• Critics have been proposed that the objective
  items might give a better chance for Korean
  students to get higher scores than other nations
  students because Korean students were familiar
  with an objective test.

18
The 7th curriculum

• Issued in Dec 31 1997 to reflect
• Reform movement of mathematics education
  throughout the world, particularly of USA
• Reconsideration of learning methods and contents
  school mathematics has emphasized for a long
  time
• Lessons from TIMSS report
• National goals for the construction of an
  advanced civilized society
• Individual differences in abilities, needs, and
  interests of students

19
Nature practical mathematics

• The new curriculum emphasizes practical
  mathematics such as
• problem solving
• application and modeling of mathematics
• reasoning
• It contrasts sharply with the 3rd curriculum
  issued in 1973 which emphasized mathematical
  knowledge as theoretical aspect

20
Gradual change since 1980

• The change has been done gradually since the 4th
  curriculum issued in 1980
• 4th problem solving
• 5th problem solving
• 6th problem solving, technology
• 7th problem solving, reasoning, communication,
  technology, connection, modeling
• The influence of USA for Korean mathematics
  curriculum

21
Old Kingdom Period

• Korea has a long history of emphasizing
  theoretical mathematics for a selective
  examination
• In 958, the "Koryeo" Kingdom (918-1392)
  introduced mathematics into its examination
  system to select middle level technical
  government officials.
• They have to memorize many Chinese mathematical
  classics including Nine Chapters on Mathematical
  Art for 7-9 years in schools.

22
1st Curriculum

• 1st curriculum issued in 1955 professed to
  emphasize practical problem solving in real life
  under the influence of the American pragmatism
  and Dewey's educational philosophy.
• However, real situation was different because
  most of textbook authors were pure mathematicians
  and the college entrance examination were not
  practically oriented .

23
2nd 3rd Curriculum

• 2nd curriculum (1963) emphasized more formal and
  systematical mathematics.
• 3rd curriculum (1973) accepted the new
  mathematics movement totally, emphasizing set
  language, mathematical structures and logical
  rigorousness
• The theoretical mathematics reached to the
  highest points.

24
History of Korean Curriculum
25
Instruction under 7th curriculum

• The 7th curriculum emphasizes various types of
  instruction to improve efficiency and
  significance of students' mathematical learning.
• It recommends that students should be able to
  experience the joy of discovery and maintain
  their interest in mathematics in their classrooms

26
Evaluation under 7th curriculum

• Mathematical power should be evaluated by the
  following methods in their classrooms
• to focus on students' understanding of a problem
  and the problem-solving process as well as its
  results
• to focus on student's abilities to think and
  solve problems in a flexible, diverse and
  creative fashion

27
Schooling system Students number

• Korea has 6-3-3-4 educational system
• Elementary 6 years, Junior High 3 years, Senior
  High 3 years, College 4 years
• We have about 400,000 students in each grade
• Almost 100 students graduate Senior High
  schools
• At 11 grade, they choose one of the Liberal Arts
  track or Science track
• The ratio of students of Liberal Arts track and
  Science track is 21

28
Structure

• The 7th curriculum have two parts
• The compulsory core curriculum learned in the
  first 10 school years called people common
  educational period
• The elective curriculum learned in 11 and 12
  grades by choosing some among 6 subjects such as
  
• Real-World Math, Math I, Math II, Calculus,
  Statistics and Probability, and Discrete Math

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Structure

• The compulsory core curriculum is to teach same
  contents to all students
• The elective curriculum has two kinds of
  selective subject
• General-selective a subject to strengthen
  cultural literacy and connection to real world
• Real-World Mathematics
• Deep-selective 5 subjects related with college
  entrance examination
• Math I, Math II, Calculus, Statistics and
  Probability, and Discrete Math

30
Structure of the 7th Curriculum
31
Level Promotion

• The compulsory core curriculum has 20 levels.
  Students are promoted by a level-transfer test
  administered by schools at the end of semester.
• This system converts from the laissez-fair policy
  which guarantees automatic promotion to the
  controlling policy.
• Students who fail the level transfer test by
  scoring below 60 must take the extra- course
  offered by schools during the vacation of the
  semester.

32
Enrichment and Supplement Program

• To avoid unnecessary competition and a sense of
  incongruity among students and parents, skipping
  levels is not permitted
• For advanced students and low achievers, special
  enrichment and supplementary sections will be
  provided during the course at the teacher's
  discretion.

33
Time Allotment

• Time allotted to Mathematics of 1-10 grades is
  131 class hours in average per year.
• It is the largest amount of time allotment second
  only to Korean, of which time allotment is 188
  hours in average per year.
• In Grades 11 12, the time allotment depends on
  the kinds of students track for College Entrance
  ExaminationScience and Liberal art

34
Time Allotment
1 class hour of Elementary, Junior High and
Senior High is 40, 45, 50 minutes respectively
1 year is 34 weeks
35
Contents of Grades 1-10

• The Compulsory mathematics curriculum consists of
  the six strands
• Number Operation, Geometry, Measuring,
  Probability Statistics, Letter Expression,
  and Pattern Function
• Unlike USA, Korea does not distinguish content
  strand and process strand.
• Only exception is problem solving but, it is in
  Letters and Expression strand.

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Class Hours classified by Strands
37
Class Hours classified by Strands and Grades
38
Number and Operation Class hours classified by
big ideas and grades

• Class Hours per year 1310 (1st grade, 102 9th
  grade, 120 others, 136)

39
Geometry Class hours classified by big ideas and
grades

• Class Hours per year 1310 (1st grade, 102 9th
  grade, 120 others, 136)

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Measuring Class hours classified by big ideas
and grades

• Class Hours per year 1310 (1st grade, 102 9th
  grade, 120 others, 136)

41
Probability and Statistics Class hours
classified by big ideas and grades

• Class Hours per year 1310 (1st grade, 102 9th
  grade, 120 others, 136)

42
Letter and ExpressionClass hours classified by
big ideas and grades

• Class Hours per year 1310 (1st grade, 102 9th
  grade, 120 others, 136)

43
Pattern and Function Class hours classified by
big ideas and grades

• Class Hours per year 1310 (1st grade, 102 9th
  grade, 120 others, 136)

44
College Entrance Examination and Mathematics
Curriculum
45
Revising Period of Curriculum

• 2nd - 4th curriculum 7-10 years
• 5th - 7th curriculum 5 years

46
Revising Team

• MOE names one person in a university or a
  research institute as the chief of the revising
  team and requests the chief to construct the
  revising team
• 7th one professor of SKK University
• The newly developed The director of Korea
  Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE)
• The chief has an important role in the selection
  process of other 6-7 members who are all
  professors or researchers

47
Activities of the Revising Team

• The team holds a conference to reflect various
  opinions from various individual or groups like
  academic circles or society and math teachers
  union or groups
• The team makes questionnaire and interview with
  teachers, researchers, parents, students,
  administrators to appreciate national or societal
  goals and to select contents and their sequence.

48
Consulting Team

• The team has the consulting team with teachers
  and professors to consult various problems in the
  process of revising the curriculum.
• Several meetings are held to respond to questions
  and some issues raised by the revising team

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Meetings to reflect various opinions

• The mathematics education society invites the
  chief of the team to introduce the draft of the
  curriculum at the annual meeting of the Society
  to provide some feedback to the team.
• The team holds seminars on the draft of the
  curriculum 5-6 times at the focal universities in
  the local areas to reflect some ideas of the
  local communities of mathematics education.

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Reviewing Committee

• MOE organizes the reviewing committee with
  professors and teachers to review the final draft
  corrected by the revising team based on the
  various opinions collected from various meetings.
• Reviewing Committee invites the revising team in
  the reviewing process to discuss or to debate
  some key issues.

51
Public Hearing

• After finishing the whole reviewing process, the
  revising team holds a public hearing to report
  the final draft to the public.

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Important Factors in Revising Curriculum

• Analysis of the previous curriculum executed in
  classrooms.
• Students understanding level
• Logical sequence of contents
• Foreign countries curriculum
• National and social needs
• Request of academic circle
• Relevance of amount of learning

53
Conclusion

• This has summarized the change of mathematics
  education and the process for the change made in
  Korea after TIMSS.
• The main focus is on the practical mathematics.
• The national strategy to construct a highly
  developed country in the near future.
• Practical Mathematics is tool for propelling the
  development of science and for solving
  quantitative and qualitative problems faced on
  people in their lives.

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Conclusion

• More students have to leave school absorbing
  mathematics and having confidence.
• Until now, school mathematics is considered as
  only a subject for college entrance examination.
• Many students think continual learning of
  mathematics is meaningless and elementary
  mathematics is enough.
• We have to stop this consideration from now.

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Conclusion

• Korea has a long history of examination oriented
  mathematics education.
• So, it is very difficult to change this kind of
  culture.
• But, many Korean mathematics teachers and
  educators are trying to re-model math classes
  though it is a rugged and very difficult way.