Based on the comparison between Dosanseondang of Toe-gye and modern schools, especially from the aspect of educational space, this study seeks the theory appropriate to Korea's educational situation emphasizing humanism education. Sung Confucianism(性理 ...
Based on the comparison between Dosanseondang of Toe-gye and modern schools, especially from the aspect of educational space, this study seeks the theory appropriate to Korea's educational situation emphasizing humanism education. Sung Confucianism(性理學) places its theoretical basis on the fact that human nature is fundamentally good. However, many problems are currently being taken place in schools. So much attention should be paid to the problems. Human beings are influenced by both environment surrounding them and the places where they are. Students spend more than half a day in 'schools'. Not only do schools mean simple physical structures, but they are the places where students are all interconnected, share ideas, and give meanings to the life of each other. Since the introduction of modern education system, the Korean education system has sought the unified system emphasizing the egalitarian education and equal opportunities for everyone. Schools have also remained as simple structural buildings. Schools have positive and negative aspects. First, more emphasis is put on architectural aspects of schools rather than on educational aspects. Second, using educational spaces are more highlighted than teaching method. Third, affective aspects of schools are less emphasized than cognitive aspects. Fourth, Uniformity in education becomes a priority, leaving diversity behind. Finally, students' autonomy is ignored, and passivity and regulation are emphasized. To overcome the limitations mentioned above, this study focuses on the Dosansedang of Toe-gye and tries to draw out some solutions from it. The philosophy of Toe-gye underlies humanism education. In his philosophy, learning is not a means for his success, but for the cultivation of one's mind. Dosansedang for training young men is not a mere spatial architecture but a ideological one through which one can know Tae-gye's philosophy. The merits of Dosansedang related to the education of humanism are follows; First, it is in harmony with surrounding nature. Second, the educational space is classified not by meaningless numbers but by its educational purposes. Third, the arrangement for the educational space is made by ideological aspects, not by physical aspects. Fourth, the educational space is designed for students, not for teachers. Fifth, Dosansedang is the place for not only learning but also speculation and research. Sixth, its design has room for 'emptyness', which overcomes the limitation of 'filling'. Lastly, Dosansedang is the place for the reconstruction of knowledge as well as passing on the knowledge to students. All these considerations should be applied to the current educational space. Children have huge potentiality and are diverse in their abilities. It is sad that Korea educational system puts so much emphasis on the obligatory and egalitarian education that the education developing students' potentiality and diversity has been ignored. A new paradigm for the educational space should be made. First, designing and building the educational space is not a matter of a administrator or a architect. Rather, it should be a matter of students, parents, and teachers because they are the agents for the space. Second, The space for the internal, non-intentional activity would rather be designed than the one for the external, intentional activity(laboratory, track and field, etc. Third, the educational space should be designed for diversity of ideas and meanings, but it should not be a standardized space. Fourth, the space should be divided by an educational philosophy. Fifth, the space should be natural to the utmost. Sixth, the space should be distinguished by the age of students; that is, its design should be appropriate to the students receiving the education. Seventh, the design full of natural movement is one of key factors. Finally, the balance between convenience and comfort should be kept.