IDEC 2009 KOREA

IDEC 2009 KOREA is:
Managed by: IDEC 2009 KOREA Managerial Committee
Hosted by: People's Solidarity for Alternative Education, Korean Parents's Association for Alternative Education, Seoul Alternative Learning Community Network

Hosting Organizations:

PSAE (www.psae.or.kr)

PSAE stands for the People’s Solidarity for Alternative Education, an organization set up to pursue the value of democratic and alternative education in South Korea. It was in the mid-1990s that various attempts were made to problematize the state-driven approach that has put an exclusive emphasis on economic efficiency, and (in our minds) adversely affected the public school system. A movement towards democratic education can be seen as part of the broad orientation towards ‘alternatives’; in essence democratic education can inspire a society to seek alternative solutions (when applicable) to every issue they face. Those who seek out alternative approaches to learning began to find new forms of schooling, which formed the beginning of alternative schools in South Korea. In sharp contrast to existing conventional schools, whose first priority is achieving high success rates on university entrance examinations, democratic schools represent environments in which students can learn how to pursue their need for freedom, armed with the rights of self-determination and happiness.

It is worth noting that an attempt to pursue alternative ways of learning has not been confined to establishing alternative schools in a vacuum. From the early phase of forming alternative schooling, the practitioners who founded our alternative schools valued the body of experience that can be drawn from other social movements. For example, these pioneers aligned themselves with various groups committed to community-based activism, whether they were situated in a rural community or an urban one. Those who had worked on getting our schools started were open to various forms of alternative education, ranging from home-schooling to after-school programs to community-based learning activities.

There has been a growing consensus to creating an organization that can initiate an educational movement on the basis of sharing ideas about alternative teaching methods and promoting th ideals of democratic education. As a result, the PSAE was founded in October 2002.

At present, 48 networks of democratic schools and learning centers in South Korea comprise the PSAE. The primary focus of the PSAE is to provide a forum for the further exploration of new perspectives on alternative education through research and seminars. The PSAE is also dedicated to the networking of all forms of educational alternatives through delivering high quality courses and events both for teachers and parents. Moreover, an emphasis is put on creating a space in which the emancipative learning process itself can open up new insight into everyday life, encouraging students, teachers and parents to engage in current socio-political issues. The PSAE is a non-governmental organization, supported entirely by membership fees and donations.

The primary aims of PSAE are as follows:
1. Continue to seek out alternatives to one-size-fits-all approaches to education.
2. Inspire reform to anti-democratic, inhumane mainstream schooling in South Korea that is commonly described by teachers, parents, and students alike as ‘exam-hell’.
3. Focus on facilitating the sharing of ideas and practices related to education in general and alternative education in particular, in an attempt to build a more cohesive community of alternative schools across SouthKorea.
4. Empower teachers, students and parents – whether they belong to ‘alternative’ education or not, to be more open to possible forms of democratic processes and democratic education.




KPAAE (cafe.daum.net/mfcomm)

Founded in 2007, the Korean Parents Association for Alternative Education (KPAAE) is a non-profit non-governmental organization representing the parents of children who attend alternative schools in Korea.
 
Inaugurated in November of 2008, KPAAE has enabled its members to participate in the changing role of alternate education in Korea.
 
At present, the association currently consists of 7 smaller chapters representing about 5000 members from 2500 families and 40 alternative schools, as well as others involved in home-schooling and after-school programs.
 
KPAAE is organized as follows: the Executive Office, which oversees the activities of each chapter representative and its members, the Board of Education, the Treasury Board, Policy Board, and the Publicity Board.
 
 
What we do
 
1. For parents
 - Provide education for parents whose children attend alternative school, or who are interested in the alternative education.
 - Support local parents' meeting to share information and enhance friendship.
 - Provide a connection for parents through the member's network for mutual support.
 
2. For teachers
 -When required by teachers, we provide lectures and a field-trip program, using a pool of lecturers and mentors.
 - Offer opportunities for teachers to refresh and develop by providing places.
 
3. For children
 - Support and help children to find their own way after graduation.
 - Offer a camping program during school vacations, providing places and activities.
 
4. For alternative education field
 - Support new education fields to facilitate their prompt and efficient establishment.
 - Share parental experiences of education, finance, publicity, etc; KPAAE takes joint steps to address common challenges. 
 
5. To aid and strengthen the establishment of alternative education
    - KPAAE works to further alternative education movement in its goal to be recognized by the government and public.
 
6. Publicity
    - KPAAE works to educate the public about alternative education.
    - KPAAE works to bring together teachers and parents from the public education system with the parents and teachers form the alternative system to create a united front to guarantee a proper education for all children.




SALCN (Seoul Alternative Learning Community Network http://www.activelearning.or.kr/)

The ability to sustain this era of 'growth without employment'
doesn't come from learning how to win competition.
It comes from realizing the joy of learning
and from learning how to live together in creative commons
and to co-create with this world.
Young people can learn better and prepare to live
their own decades with caring atmosphere and self-directed learning
instead of competition and cramming education.

SALCN(Seoul Alternative Learning Community Network) is
an institution for youth-based learning
which has supported small schools with less than 100 students in Seoul area
and with mutual caring and learning,
which Yonsei Univ. has run entrusted by the City of Seoul.

At present, as of 2008, SALCN is networking and supporting 19 schools,
and is willing to help citizens create more various alternative learning spaces
in partnership with organizations for teens, churches, temples and NPOs.

SALCN has been working in the next three spheres:
· networking and supporting small schools in Seoul
· developing and proliferating creative alternative learning programs
· cultivating and operating human studies for teachers

Networked Schools in the map of the City of Seoul

Space Mindle www.flyingmindle.or.kr 82-2-322-1318
an alternative cultural space for both teens' and adults' learning together
number of students: 50 deschooling teens and 20 homeschoolers

The Small School In City (Gwangjin branch) www.do-dream.or.kr 82-2-2201-8190
an alternative school for deschooling teens' basic studies and various projects
number of students: 20 students aged from 13 to 16

DREAM SCHOOL www.dreamwe.org 82-2-855-2529
an alternative school for deschooling teens' basic studies and stepping stone program and focused on sharing trips with the minorities in our society
number of students: 25 students aged from 14 to 19

Dreamleap www.dreamleap.org 82-2-404-3077
an alternative boarding school for deschooling teens without proper caring from parents
number of students: 12 students aged from 13 to 17

GGUMTLE SCHOOL www.imyschool.com 82-2-743-1319
an alternative school for deschooling teens' internship and specialized job planning
number of students: 20 students aged from 16 to 19

NAN-NA SCHOOL www.nannaschool.org 82-2-998-3755
an alternative school for public junior high school students entrusted by the Education Board of Seoul; located in a youth community center
number of students: 20 students aged from 14 to 16

School Handeul http://www.youth1318.or.kr 82-2-449-0500
an alternative school for deschooling teens; located in a youth community center
number of students: 12 students aged from 14 to 18

Lincoln School http://www.lincoln.or.kr 82-2-491-0358
an alternative school for public high school students entrusted by the Education Board of Seoul
number of students: 40 students aged from 17 to 19

SARAM SARANG NANUM SCHOOL http://nanumhaekgyo.org 02-2-986-7472
an alternative school for the disabled teens entrusted by the Education Board of Seoul
number of students: 40 students aged from 14 to 18

SARANG SCHOOL http://hbyac.or.kr 82-2-404-3618
an alternative school for deschooling teens without proper caring from parents founded and supported by a church in Seoul
number of students: 15 students aged from 14 to 18

Small School In City http://www.bigschool.or.kr 82-2-334-0080
an alternative school both for deschooling teens and for public high school students running entrusted by the Education Board of Seoul; located in a youth community center
number of students: 20 students aged from 13 to 19

Sungmisan School http://www.sungmisan.net 82-2-3141-0507
an alternative K12 school established by the local community
number of students: 140 students aged from 7 to 18

School Star http://schoolstar.net 82-2-888-8069
an alternative school for teens with emotional hurt from public school experience or with relational difficulties
number of students: 40 students aged from 13 to 18

Set Net School http://www.34school.net 82-2-2636-2890
an alternative school for teens or twenties from North Korea; specialized in cultural education and internship
number of students: 30 students aged from 14 to 26

SSRO.NET Midia School http://www.mediaschool.co.kr 82-2-795-8000
an alternative school specialized in media learning; located in a youth community center
number of students: 20 students aged from 16 to 18

YeoMyeong School http://ymschool.org 82-2-888-1673
an alternative school for teens or twenties from North Korea
number of students: 50 students aged from 16 to 25

SEED SCHOOL http://www.seedschool.net 82-2-384-3518
an alternative school for deschooling teens
number of students: 20 students aged from 13 to 15

Hanul-kum School 82-2-407-9620
an alternative boarding school for teens or twenties from North Korea
number of students: 30 students aged from 14 to 26

Haja Production School http://school.haja.net 82-2-2677-9200
creative commons for deschooling teens to become cultural activists and lifelong self-directed learners
number of students: 60 students aged from 16 to 19

The Backgrounds:
Why and How We Have Created Alternative Schools in the City of Seoul

In the year of 1999, Korean society had to face a large scale of bankruptcy and unemployment followed by the Asian financial crisis in the late 90s. A lot of families were broken up in this period. On the other hand, a new generation of teens symbolized with their maxim, "Do whatever you want to do!", started to escape from the monolithic, factory-style school system. And that number marked 80,000 that year raising 'the dissolution of classroom' as a new social issue.

Focusing on these periodic conditions, some concerned professors, teachers and cultural activists with the help of Yonsei Univ. and the City of Seoul started to establish alternative learning spaces in Seoul (unauthorized by the Education Board of Seoul, though) for deschooling teens living in Seoul. In Korea, the Ministry of Education and Science has the authority for accrediting schools, and its accrediting conditions are very strict; especially in qualification for teachers and limitation in the usage of certified texts including limiting the outer conditions like the size of the space of a school. Thus, SALCN approached its work from a more productive angle of welfare for teens (instead of focusing on establishing ideal educational model). And it has worked on incubating, modeling and networking alternative schools proper for the deschooling teens with the conditions of the big city, Seoul and internet-based postmodern society.

From its establishment on, SALCN fostered to implant alternative learning programs in public youth community centers located in Seoul. And also suggested those programs to 'evening school' voluntary teachers and activists who had long worked for the minorities. These efforts resulted in opening 4 alternative schools located in public community centers, 3 schools with 'evening school' tradition, and 1 networking & learning space for homeschoolers. As of 2008, SALCN is networking and supporting 19 different schools, and the number of the teens reaches 563. They show wide range of characteristics: those with difficulty in learning or in emotional relation; those who are slow or are not motivated; those who do have clear motivation, thus deschooled voluntarily out of cramming education; young people who defected North Korea and need supports to live on South Korea; and those without financial and emotional care from parents or family. The schools networked to SALCN are helping these different teens to open and develop their own learning abilities, which are also vital to the sustainable growth of our society. belows are the characteristics of our schools:

· local community schools:
Our schools are run by 'the advisors' corresponding to the teachers. They advise teens to find their own interest and ability to learn and introduce various kinds of interships in nearby community centers, galleries, flower shops, bakeries, fire departments, and hospitals etc. networking their local community as their learning spaces.
· networked schools:
Our schools are small, but become a big school when networked. Most schools hold 20-30 teens while over 300 teens and guides gather together in events like network field day, various network trips home and abroad, and in fall cultural fest.
· caring schools:
Schools with care before learning. Instead of trying to teach, we try to begin from teens' different physical, mental and emotional conditions, and to help them grow their own ability to care and learn by themselves.
· stepping stone schools:
Schools bridging between public schools and society. Here, teens can rest, and come across someone who might later change their lives. They also can learn from different resources they get interested in, and later, can decide whether to come back to the public school system or to develop to go on their new path they have found in stepping stone programs.