Teaching groups or classes are generally organised by age, regardless of ability. 16 With the introduction of the Seventh National Curriculum however, see section 5.2, ability groupings began to be introduced in some subjects.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) encourages elementary schools to provide students with problems which can be solved by group process, and with learning opportunities to solve problems through small group activities (rather than relying solely on whole-class teaching). All schools are also urged to encourage the active participation of students in such activities as practical science experiments, observations, surveys, data collection, handicrafts, discussions and field trips, the increased use of information technology, and to provide opportunities for individualised learning.46
Schools are also encouraged to "break with the emphasis on rote memorisation for fragmentary information and shift towards fostering creativity". 58
Open classroom education/Open Education
Open classroom education was originally introduced on an experimental basis to two independent/private primary schools in Seoul. Many elementary schools in Korea now use some form of this type of teaching, adapting it either extensively or partially. Open classroom education is differentiated from traditional education typically with respect to the individualisation of classroom activities by increasing individual and small group activities and reducing direct instruction, such as lectures.61
Unlike most other reform movements for school practice, the open classroom education movement of Korea was initiated by individual schools not the Government. When the success of open classroom education in the initial experimental schools was publicised by media sources, many educators became motivated to adopt the new approach. Many provincial or city boards of education now have designated experimental schools for open classroom education. Local education offices publish teachers' resource books and organise in-service training sessions on open education theory and practice.61
Although many elementary schools are beginning to modify the national curriculum by integrating the contents of various subjects into topic work-based instructional plans, along the lines of open education schools, this practice is used little in lower or upper secondary education, as schools are then beginning to concern themselves with preparing students for the public examination system for university entrance.24
The compulsory elementary school is not divided into different cycles. Generally, most students progress automatically to the next Grade/Year level, regardless of their results in continuous assessment or national tests.16
An accelerated Grade advancement system is also in place. This allows talented children to skip a Grade; they would progress, for example, from Grade 2 to Grade 4. Accelerated advancement is, however, only permitted twice during an individual's elementary school and middle school years (ages 6-15). 80
The heavy concentration of the school population in urban areas has meant that classes have been overcrowded and oversized in schools in many cities. The Government, of the opinion that this could be a hindrance to the overall quality of education, created an education tax in 1982, the aim of which was to 'secure financial resources for a better educational environment and to improve teachers' socio-economic status'. As a result of the tax, the number of students per class has continued to decrease and, in elementary school classes, the average number of students per teacher in 1998 was 27. The average class size in the same year was around 35; reduced from 65 in 1965. Oversized schools have also been divided into smaller ones and the double shift system of classes which once existed has now been discontinued.43,27
In 2005, the average class size in public elementary schools in Korea was 32, and the average child:teacher ratio was 28:1. See: Education at a Glance 2007 (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/4/55/39313286.pdf).
Generally, in elementary school, one 'self-contained' teacher takes charge of a class for all subjects. Recently, however, some schools have begun to involve specialist teachers in subjects such as music, fine arts, PE, science, practical arts and extracurricular activities at the elementary school level.16 (Elementary school teachers usually complete four-year courses of study at teacher training colleges.)15 In some schools, particularly at the elementary school level, parents are involved in classroom instruction as voluntary helpers. Some also support extra-curricular and after-school programmes as instructors.24
In Korea, all teachers have the status of civil servants.