World Heritage, the cultural heritage reflecting uniqueness and identity with eminent universality, can be used as a good teaching material for history education. In the field of education, however, cases using the World Heritage are insufficient. Oth...
World Heritage, the cultural heritage reflecting uniqueness and identity with eminent universality, can be used as a good teaching material for history education. In the field of education, however, cases using the World Heritage are insufficient. Other than history class, of course, many subjects such as science or art class employ World Heritage as their material for teaching. Most of them use the World Heritage as a simple matter in order to convey the contents of the courses. It's hard to find out some studies looking for some ways to utilize the World Heritage in the full extent by examining sufficient material value contained in the heritage in various perspectives. This paper, therefore, seeks necessary perspectives to use the World Heritage in history education, and suggests detailed teaching plan reflecting those perspectives.
First of all, the paper analyzes World Heritage in Young Hands, a teacher's companion for world heritage education published by UNESCO, in order to derive a new perspective for making the World Heritage a teaching material. As a result, it proves that the guidebook is based on ESD(Education for Sustainable Development) perspective. In addition, the companion presents understanding the cultural heritage through learning a certain period, understanding historical facts related to the historic sites, historic changes of the sites, and historic understanding of the World Heritage concerning peace. As some ways of learning, it suggests visit to the sites, study on the ages, experience through role-playing game, introduction to historic facts of the heritage sites, discussion on some ways of conservation of the heritage, and debate on the heritage sites related to peace.
Then, the paper reaches the core contents of ESD teaching by analyzing Teacher's Guidebook For Education for Sustainable Development, published by Korean National Commission for UNESCO, and examines how those core contents are reflected in World Heritage in Young Hands. As a result, the paper recognizes that ‘attainment’, ‘international responsibility’, ‘cultural diversity’, ‘environmental issues’, ‘peace’ and ‘human rights’ are the core elements which can be conducted in history education based on the ESD perspective,
Next, by analyzing the history curriculum amended in 2007, the paper explains about the kinds of the World Heritages in Korea that can be taught in Korean History class; the explanation includes when, where, and how to teach them. Also, it examines on core elements which can be learned when using Korea's World Heritage as a teaching material in ESD perspective.
Finally, the actual teaching plan on Changdeok Palace, reflecting ESD perspective is framed. The plan is to teach cultural diversity and environmental problems among core elements derived in the ESD perspective; it utilizes interpretation of picture and reading materials, discussion and creative expression activity.
The implications gained through the study can be summarized as following:
First, it can be pointed out that the perspective of ESD is useful for improving the World Heritage education. The ESD view provides not only educational purpose of World Heritage's sustainable development, but also specific core learning contents which can be treated according to the purpose. In aspects of methodology, it shows that a learner's independent experience activity is more important than providing or cramming knowledge about the World Heritage.
Secondly, it is indicated that all core elements of the ESD perspective cannot be learned through one World Heritage. Therefore, it's suggested that more than one World Heritages should be used as teaching materials which deal with different core element, in order to reflect the perspective of ESD substantially.
Thirdly, it is pointed out that all aspects of World Heritage can't be taught only through the ESD perspective. It is true that the view of ESD is one of the ways to solve problems contained in traditional education of World Heritage.
Besides the ESD perspective, however, the development of various views concerning understanding the World Heritage itself and using it as a source in many other subjects; the World Heritage has so sufficient and so material value that it cannot be taught in one kind of perspective only.
Lastly, based on the discussion above, the paper suggests for the further study that various teaching plans reflecting the ESD view should be developed in many forms. Also, it's required to attempt to apply the ESD perspective to other cultural assets other than the World Heritage. Along with that, a search for a new perspective for effective education of the World Heritage besides ESD is needed. This perspective should suggest a new direction about the purpose, learning contents and methods of education of World Heritage.