Graduate Studies for Convergence EducationAs the societal need for creative talent is increasing, there is a growing interest in convergence education that improves convergent thinking ability. The revision of the 2015 national curriculum in Korea emphasized basic literacy and core competencies for 'cultivating creativity and convergence talent'. In accordance with this demand, Korea National University of Education has established a graduate school to train teachers who can lead future-oriented convergence education. This is also in line with the direction of future-oriented curriculum at Korea National University of Education.
[한국교원대학교 교육과정 운영의 방향]
The visions of convergence education pursued in the convergence education specialization are as follows.
- The focus of convergence education is not on fostering people to be talented in all aspects, but on the ability to creatively connect different categories, areas, and fields by accepting different thoughts on one’s position.
- For this education, it is necessary to develop the viewpoints that enable learners to connect and compare a variety of knowledge by encountering with context and various preconditions of knowledge and by abandoning the teaching method that suggests the knowledge of teaching is 'the only truth'.
- It is in line with global academic research that accommodates the creative possibilities and potentials- Pluralism-required in the post-modern era to overcome the limitations of Monism, which has been emphasized for modernity. It is also a duty of education to solve the contradictions of the current society that only focuses on competition and efficiency and to build a future society that requires mutual coexistence and continuous development.
- The Pluralism which allows the coexistence of various theories with an understanding of situations and contexts is different from the Relativism that rejects value judgment on right, so it is unlikely that students will experience convergence after learning various areas of knowledge. Rather, students will be able to establish solid foundation for value judgment by understanding the context and condition in which diverse and substantive 'knowledge' is created instead of a unique knowledge system. In addition, unlike the so-called 'normal paradigm', Convergence Education enables students to explain and analyze a natural/social phenomenon without experiencing revolutionary changes in crisis situations because it has a tolerant attitude towards various knowledge and allows learners to be able to present a more comprehensive interpretation and solution.
- Therefore, convergence education does not aim at increasing the amount of final knowledge simply by accessing a multitude of knowledge at the same time. Convergence education, which is 'education to enhance the basic knowledge of liberal arts, social studies, science, and technology', is ultimately understood as a totality in which both society and nature and the world are organically connected. Thus, its educational context is the same as personality education.
- A 'convergence in education' and 'convergence in educators' are needed in addition to ‘convergence education’ in order to develop a 'curriculum for the balanced development of liberal arts, social studies, science, and technology'. To this end, education professionals in various fields must constantly communicate with each other and carry out ongoing collaborative research.
[융합교육전공 강좌의 비전과 방향]
