Is there a flawless way of education?

Written by Team Managing Researcher Siwoo Jung

Seoul, August 2020

Education is an Art of Appreciating Life

Education is an unperceived form of art. Art is defined by human activities creating artifacts, which expresses the author’s ideas. It is basically the same as education: creating civilized members of the society who are striving in accordance with their values, which are based on the ways they have been educated.

The Pursuit and Significane of Education

Prior to identifying the most effective ways of education, it is pivotal to undergo the process of understanding the true goal and

significance of education. The ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) has determined the main purpose of the American school is to ‘provide for the fullest possible development of each learner for living morally, creatively, and productively in a democratic society’. As the definition informs, education not only covers the study of knowledge, but it also covers the acquisition of features such as creativity, morality, and sociality. In addition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an eminent human rights activist during the 20th century once spoke ‘Intelligence plus character that is the true goal of education’. As he had

spoken, education is not just about accumulating knowledge. Education consists the process of developing one’s characteristics. To organize, education is about developing oneself and adjusting oneself to the society, not just about gaining knowledge.

Education also has a signifcant influence. Ban Kimoon, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, also spoke whenever he was asked what was Korea’s secret in developing rapidly in just one generation after the devastating Korean War, he would always give the same answer: Education. Korea was able to industrialize rapidly thanks to the power of education Ban Kimoon had emphasized, and that is one persuasive basis for why international organizations have supported developing countries with resources for education at all times. A way a person has been educated can change his or her lives, and when the numbers accumulate, it can lead to an immense change in the global society.

Instruction VS Communication

Since we have reviewed the purpose and indispensability of education, let’s move on to understanding the currently practiced methods of education. These methods can be briefly divided into two. Primarily, the pervasive instructional method. The educational manner of direct institution is more pervasive in the East than the West. Countries such as the Republic of Korea utilize the method, which mostly leads to decent grades. This instructional education method also may lead to a higher intellect. As a matter of fact, the Republic of Korea is ranked 3rd in the ranking of countries by IQ in 2020 and moreover, all 5 nations of the highest rank are East Asian countries. Nevertheless, a high IQ does not mean the success of the person. Actually, the instructional way of education has a lethal weakness that most people tend to forget a considerable part of their learning after the exam they have studied for finishes. To consider the fact that Korea has not produced any Nobel Prize winners in Science or Mathematics compared to their absolute advantage in those fields, it can be reasonably inferred that an instructional model is not effective in developing creativity. Subsequently, there is a more student-centered way of education: the method employing communication. The Western Hemisphere utilizes this method more than the East and this method has shown positive effects. It may be slow in acquiring knowledge, but it has an absolute advantage in increasing creativity. Schools of Silicon Valley (a region in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology, innovation, and social media) are frontrunners of this method, making high use of discussions and inquiries to enlarge their point of view. Education via communication has an undeniable disadvantage of a slower acquisition of knowledge, but it has its own merit of growing creativity and broadening one’s perspective.