The School Curriculum of

1
The School Curriculum of the Republic of Korea
Soon-Kyung Park
2
Pertinent Laws and Policies Bearing on the
National Curriculum

• The national curriculum system is based on
  Education Law, which stipulates that
  MOEHRD(Ministry of Education Human Resources
  Development) is responsible for providing the
  basic framework of the school curricula.
• The national curriculum is produced in the form
  of MOEHRDs official document and it is mandatory
  for all schools from kindergarten to
  upper-secondary, including the private ones.
• The national curriculum of Korea has been revised
  regularly on five to ten year cycle since the
  first revision in 1954. Since then, MOEHRD has
  revised the national curriculum seven times.
  Korea is in the 7th national curriculum period
  which was made public on December 30, 1997. And
  it is expected to be revised in a few years to
  adjust to 5-day school system which is being
  partially introduced at all school level.

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Strengths of the National curriculum

• From grade 1 to 10, students take the National
  Common Courses based on national standards. From
  grades 11 to 12, they follow the Elective-Course
  Curriculum.
• The concept of differentiated curriculum and
  instruction is being introduced for Korean,
  English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. For
  the first to 10th grades, curriculum is
  differentiated on the basis of students' academic
  capability. For the 11th to 12th grades,
  curriculum is differentiated on the basis of
  students' aptitudes, interests and future career.
  
• The proportion of optional activities at school
  is being increased. It will be used mainly to
  encourage students' self-directed learning in
  schools. In addition, it will be useful to
  increase students' independent study skills or to
  do other creative activities within school.
• The concept of elective-course program is being
  introduced. For the 11th to 12th grades, students
  choose courses they want to take, and they
  prepare for their future.
• To reduce the amount of subject content which
  students have to cover every year. The total
  amount of curriculum content is reduced and
  updated by more relevant contents.
• Curriculum quality is controlled through
  systematic curriculum evaluation procedures and
  the establishment of performance standards.

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Process of 7th National CurriculumDevelopment
and Implementation

• 1995 Policy decision-making on the revision of
  the national curriculum
• 1996 RD Institute(KEDI Korea Educational
  Development Institute) was commissioned to
  develop the (7th) National Curriculum.
• 1) Basic research for curriculum revision
• Analysis of the relevance and effectiveness of
  the current curriculum
• Needs assessment of teachers, students, parents
  and citizens
• International comparative study of curriculum
• Study of how to improve the integrated subject
  curriculum and textbooks
• 2) Developing general school curriculum
  framework
• General curriculum framework for all elementary
  and secondary schools
• Curriculum differentiation on the basis of
  students academic capability
• Curriculum framework for vocational high school
• Curriculum framework for high schools with
  special purpose, such as science, sports, foreign
  language, and arts high schools

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• 1996-7 MOEHRD formed the Deliberation
  Committees for the (7th) National Curriculum
  proposal.
• 1996 MOEHRD finalized the framework of the
  (7th) National Curriculum and made it public.
• 1997 MOEHRD commissioned the RD Institute and
  several universities to develop subjects
  curricula.
• 1997 The RD Institute formed subject
  curriculum revision research teams and developed
  subject curricula.
• 1997 The RD Institute had done several
  follow-up studies of the national curriculum, and
  developed a detailed version of the (7th)
  National Curriculum Guidelines for MPEAS and
  Schools.
• 1997 MOEHRD announced the (7th) National
  Curriculum at the end of the year 1997.

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• 1998 - now The RD Institute(KICE Korea
  Institute Curriculum Evaluation)
• was commissioned to do RD work for the
  development/revision of
• textbook according to the 7th National
  Curriculum.

ltThe effective year of the 7th curriculumgt
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Three different levels of curriculum development
and implementation activities
ltHierarchical Structure of Curriculum Development
and Implementationgt
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Feedback Mechanism on the implementation of the
National Curriculum

• Institutional Supervision and Reporting System
  adopted by schools, Regional Bodies and National
  Ministry of Education
• Periodic national assessment of students
  achievements for monitoring the curriculum(Korean
  language, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics,
  English) undertaken by KICE
• External or Commissioned Reviews Regularly or
  Periodically Undertaken by Special Committees or
  Task-Forces on the Curriculum or the Education
  Sector
• Research-based Studies on the States and
  Effectiveness of Various Aspects of the National
  Curriculum and its Implementation

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The Underlying Philosophy and Rationale of the
7TH National Curriculum

• General Framework of the Curriculum
• To design the curriculum to help the students
  acquire basic abilities which will enable them to
  lead the trends of social change
• To introduce a system of a national common basic
  curriculum and elective-centered curriculum
• To optimize the volume and level of the content
  of learning and to introduce the differentiated
  curriculum so as to provide students with
  in-depth education
• To diversify the contents of the curriculum and
  methods of instruction in consideration of each
  student's ability, aptitude, and career choice
• To broaden the autonomy of individual schools in
  organizing and implementing their own curriculum
• To reinforce the quality control of education by
  establishing the curriculum evaluation system

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Vision of a Student Completing an
Elementary-level and a Secondary-level Education

• The Ideal Profile of Educated Person
• A person who seeks to develop his/her own
  individuality on the basis of well-rounded and
  wholesome development
• A person who demonstrates creative ability on the
  basis of a solid grounding in basic knowledge and
  skills
• A person who explores career paths on the basis
  of broad intellectual knowledge and skills in
  diverse academic disciplines
• A person who creates new values on the basis of
  an understanding of the national culture
• A person who contributes to the development of
  the community where he/she lives on the basis of
  democratic citizenship

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Major Goals and Objectives of Basic Education

• The Goals of Elementary School Education
• To provide a variety of experiences for the
  balanced development of the mind and body
• To help students develop the basic abilities to
  recognize and solve problems in daily life and to
  provide them with rich experiences of expressing
  their own feelings and ideas in various manners
• To provide students with a wide range of learning
  experiences conducive to the understanding of the
  diverse world of work
• To develop attitudes for the understanding and
  appreciation of tradition and culture
• To develop basic life habits necessary for a
  daily life and to foster love for neighbors and
  country

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• The Goals of Middle School Education
• To promote the well-balanced development of the
  mind and body and to offer opportunities for the
  students to discover their potentials on their
  own
• To help students cultivate basic and
  problem-solving abilities necessary for learning
  and daily life and to provide them with
  experience of expressing their thoughts and
  feelings creatively
• To enable students to attain knowledge and skills
  in diverse fields so that they will be able to
  actively explore their own career paths
• To foster an attitude to take pride in and
  develop tradition and culture
• To cultivate the understanding of the basic value
  and principles of free democracy and the
  democratic way of life

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• The Goals of High School Education
• To help students develop a well-harmonized
  character along with a sound body and mind and a
  mature sense of self-identity
• To help students develop the abilities and
  attitudes of logical, critical, and creative
  thinking required for academic pursuits and daily
  life
• To enable students to attain knowledge and skills
  in diverse fields so that they will be able to
  carve out a career in accordance with their
  aptitudes and interests
• To encourage students to work to develop our
  traditions and culture in a way appropriate for
  the global setting
• To help students endeavor to build and develop
  the national community and to develop an
  awareness and attitude as global citizens

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ltThe National Common Basic Curriculum and Time
Allotment Standardsgt
Organization of the Curriculum
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• The above table shows the minimum numbers of
  total annual instructional hours by subject and
  grade level (grade 1 through grade 10) during the
  period of the national common basic education
  during 34 school weeks a year.
• For the Grade 1, the standard number of school
  weeks assigned to subject matters, optional and
  extracurricular activities is 30. The number of
  instructional hours allocated to 'We Are the
  First Graders' represents the number of
  instructional hours in March.
• In principle, one instructional hour covers 40
  minutes for elementary schools, 45 minutes for
  middle schools, and 50 minutes for high schools.
  However, the school is entitled to adjust the
  duration of each instructional hour depending on
  the weather and seasonal changes, individual
  school situations, the developmental level of the
  students, the nature of learning, and so forth.
• The numbers in the cells of extracurricular
  activities and the annual grand total rows for
  the Grade 11 and 12 columns represent the number
  of units to be completed for those two years.

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General High School Elective-Centered Curriculum
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• The figures in parentheses are the numbers of
  units to be completed, and one unit means the
  amount of school learning undertaken by a 50
  minute period of instruction per week for one
  semester (equivalent to 17 weeks).
• The number of units allocated to the national
  common basic courses and optional activities and
  4 units for extracurricular activities are to be
  completed in Grade 10.
• The in-depth programs of Physical Education,
  Music, and Fine Arts courses followed by an
  asterisk () should be selected from such
  specialized subjects as Physical Education and
  Arts in Table 3 below.
• If an in-depth elective program as a free
  optional is deemed necessary, the school may
  either select from the specialized subjects in
  Table 3 or create a new course in accordance with
  the MPOE(Metropolitan or Provincial Office of
  Education) operating guidelines.

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Visioning or Imaging the Growth and Development
of Students in the New Millennium as They Go
through the Various levels of Basic Education
Proposing a new framework for revising and
updating the curriculum in basic education

• The newly focused goals of elementary school
• learning basic skills for further learning and
  livings
• caring sound mind and healthy body
• respecting for neighbors
• keeping basic norms
• no bullying and discrimination
• awareness of the diversity and interdependence in
  our globe.

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• The newly focused goals of middle school
• learning organized knowledge(literacy, numeracy,
  and information technology)
• exploring the self and his/her aptitude and
  career
• keeping sound mind and healthy body through sex
  education
• understanding diverse races and cultural and
  natural environment
• learning basic communication skills through
  English
• respecting civil rights and freedom.
• The newly focused goals of high school
• gaining skills for learning
• the development of the highly ICT-informed
  citizen and global citizen
• keeping and preserving a sustainable environment
• specifying the self and his/her aptitude and
  career plan
• preparing for higher education or entering into
  job market
• health and harmony with nature
• unity in diversity
• education for peace, tolerance, and justice
• balance between national unity and global
  solidarity
• peaceful reunification in Korea

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Integrating the Principle of Learning Throughout
Life Into the Underlying Rationale and Philosophy
of Basic Education.

• Basic education should provide opportunities for
  all students to learn and achieve, regardless of
  abilities, sex, religion and so on.
• Basic education should equip students with the
  essential learning skills and life skills.
• Basic education should direct to learner-centered
  education.
• Basic education should develop all students' work
  based competencies.

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Integrating/incorporating the Four Pillars of
Learning Expounded in the Delors Report(Learning
to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Be and
Learning to Live Together) Into the Learning
Outcomes of the Basic Education Curriculum Along
With the Following.

• The knowledge and concepts to be learned/acquired
  by students(learning to know)
• The practical application skills and work-related
  experiences and competencies to be similarly
  development among students(learning to do)
• The mental(thinking, reasoning etc.) faculties,
  emotional skills and qualities, the
  creative/aesthetic sense, the spiritual
  well-being, or the self-knowledge, discovery and
  development to be encouraged among
  students(learning to be)
• The attitudes and values to be imparted to
  students with some emphasis placed on those
  supported of tolerance and peace, respect for
  others and social cohesion and harmony(learning
  to live together)