평생학습의 새 패러다임과 학교교육

Abstract

산업경제 패러다임에서 지식경제 패러다임으로의 전환에 상응하는 학교교육 패러다임 전환이 활발하게 모색되고 있다. 경제와 교육은 대응 관계에 있기 때문에 하부 구조인 경제의 변화가 일어나면, 상부 구조인 교육의 변화를 모색하는 것은 불가피하다. 다른 무엇보다 자원과 노동에 기초한 경제에서 지식이 생산의 절대적인 요소가 되는 지식기반경제로 전환함에 따라 지식을 생산·분배·소비하는 지식산업으로서의 학교의 역할과 변화는 더욱 더 중요해진다. 사회가 변하면 그 사회를 견인해 가는 사회관, 세계관, 지적 구조 자체가 변한다. 이것이 곧 패러다임의 변화이다. 사회의 변화는 교육의 변화를 요구한다. 사회의 변화를 교육이 따라가지 못할 때 위기는 발생한다. 교육 패러다임 변환의 일차적 배경은 지식기반경제의 도래로 모아지고 있다는 점에서 이를 중심으로 몇 가지 배경과 교육적 시사점을 정리하는 것으로부터 논의를 출발한다.

The emergence of ‘knowledge-based economy (KBE)' has had a substantial impact on the filed of education. Since the advent of KBE, many assert: 1) traditional education per se would become a knowledge business; 2) learning is more likely a part of work rather than being separated. In addition, in KBE, creativity is vital to sustaining competitive edge of a state as well as an individual. As the life cycle of knowledge is shortened, education becomes aquintessential source for creation and innovation of knowledge. Furthermore, the premise that knowledge is characterized as ‘flow', no longer ‘stock', indicates that school has to foster and nurture a ‘knowledge explorer'. Over the past decades, the efforts to imbue a paradigm shift in schooling have been made to accompany with KBE. International organizations such as World Back and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have laid out and launched a series of policies and projects that cultivate and allocate human resources and social capital. We have grown up with the understanding, as seen in the early activities of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that the ideal of lifelong education goes beyond curriculum development, class system, and so on. Rather, lifelong education aims at recognizing the active, clientele-oriented perspective of learning, cutting the traditional, provider-oriented perspective. As their world changes, higher education institutions(HEs) are under increasing pressure to change their existing system and to embrace the new notion of KBE. HEs in principle are at the forefront of KBE. The ideal type of HE should provide models for KBE to emulate and elaborate such as learning organization. However, some criticize that there are many societal and organizational obstacles that prohibit HEs to adapt to and pro-act systemically in the ever changing environment. This study draws attention to the changing roles, functions, and utilities of HEs. Based upon literature review and case studies, in order to further lifelong education, this study presents guidelines as follow: 1) HEs value diversity, openness, and accessibility, 2) HEs extend and diffuse the notion of 'learning organization', 3) HEs embrace entrepreneurship and encourage collaborative connection of School-to-Work, 4) HEs shift their educational perspectives from pedagogy to andragogy. In order to successfully implement the aforementioned guidelines, this study suggests as follow: 1) introducing ‘weekend class' for adult learners, 2) facilitating 'neighbor campus that HEs provide its educational services based on local needs and demands, 3) extending financial aid for adult learners, 4) connecting training and development programs at workplace with license/diploma, 5) promoting ‘family support' programs at workplace, 6) adapting the idea of lifelong education to traditional schooling.