Crossing
Cultures, Motivating Minds
Educating
Korea’s Leaders
A vital bond has developed between the College of Education
and the Republic of Korea for the education of their
national educational leaders.
“When the South Korean overnment wants to send
people to study in the United States,” says University
of Iowa Dean of Continuing Education
Chet Rzonca, “Iowa is at the
top of their list.” During the last decade, dozens
of Koreans have traveled to Iowa City to learn about
American educational policy, administration, and teaching
techniques. Rzonca says at Iowa they find a quality
education, faculty members who are receptive to teaching
international students, and a safe environment in which
to live. Most Korean scholars are already experienced
professional educators. The country’s Ministry
of Education, for instance, has sent nine of its 25
director generals to earn graduate degrees under the
direction of Professor Walter Foley.
The Korean students conduct omparative studies and take
home with them novel approaches to problems engendered
by their centralized, heavily test-based educational
system. But Rzonca says the learning experience is hardly
a one-way street. “American students and faculty
members also learn about the Korean system of education,”
he said. “Korean students are extremely dedicated
and hardworking." |
As one of the top educational administrators in the Republic
of Korea, Wha-Jin Kim (PhD ’97) works to incorporate
the best of American education into his country’s already superb
educational system. He discovered the American approach while studying
higher education policy and human resources development at The University
of Iowa.
“We are trying to adopt many educational ideas from
the United States model,” says Kim, who is a director general of
the Ministry of Education and Human Resources in charge of the Seoul Metropolitan
Office of Education. “But because of cultural differences, not everything
has been an easy ‘fit.’ My goal is to try to help my country
incorporate certain concepts like merit-based teaching at the university
level and a reformed college entrance exam system.”
Kim’s doctoral training in Iowa helped shape his
notions of how to strengthen the Korean system of higher education. He
is a staunch supporter of educational systems that reward teachers for
excellence in teaching, research, and publication.
“Such
an incentive and tenure-track system works to encourage faculty
members to be productive,” Kim said. “Competition
among faculty members can be a good thing and makes the studying
environment better for students because they have teachers
who are actively engaged in their disciplines.
Faculty members work harder, and the quality
of their work is better than in systems where a single salary
system is imposed by the government and professors’
salaries are determined solely on the basis of how long they
have been teaching.”
Kim adds
that other aspects of the American educational system also can serve as
excellent models for Asian countries. The college entrance exam system
in Korea, for instance, is extremely difficult and begins to eliminate
or “track” students long before they enter college. The result,
Kim says, is a system that engenders high stress levels among students
and parents who pay for expensive private tutoring to ensure their children
attend “prestige” schools. The irony, however, is that while
school is extremely challenging at the high school level, university training
is comparatively relaxed.
 On
the other hand, Kim says Americans can also learn from the
Korean education model. Koreans are consistently ranked among
the best-educated people in the world—a statistic that
finds its genesis in the home.
“Koreans
consider education the greatest privilege,” Kim said, “and
our parents sacrifice greatly to make sure their children learn. Korean
children have the highest motivation to learn. In this, Americans can
learn from us.”
Kim likely
will be appointed director general in charge of higher education in Korea,
a position that will enable him to propose and implement his own educational
policies and reshape the higher education system of his country. –by
Jean Florman
 
|
