‘영성’의 교육적 의미

The Educational Meaning of Spirituality

The educational reform, which is going on by the government leading, dashes into boundless competition according to neo-liberalism that evaluates the success or failure of education by the level of school records only. Although the education should be done in order to make the whole man, the government set the goal of education to reach knowledge-based-society through an internationalism and an information-oriented society. So, our educational system urges students to competition and efficiency only. We can’t expect to form upright persons under the present educational system. I’m sure that a well designed education can instruct knowledge and skill. But, It is more important for the education to comprehend the whole process of the life. What comprehends the life is awakening of ourselves. Therefore the essentials of education(life) is awakening of oneself, controling one’s mind, sharing one’s fate with neighbor and nature. We can apprehend the meaning of spirituality in these successive educational ideology and curriculum. These days, moreover, lots of people show value inversion due to be attracted materialism, mammonism. And they give absolute significance and value to the advance of science and technology. Therefore, the necessity that we should retrace social problems-which come from our life-is gathering strength. It is the time that our speculation system and our life itself must be changed through the critical and reflective thought. In these purpose the result of the study, namely, the educational meaning of spirituality is as follows. 1. The meaning of spirituality has been variously comprehended by an age, a religion, a culture. Spirituality ① inclines the spirituality of the general dimension which stresses on the balance between transcendence and immanence ② stresses on the individual maturity at rational, emotional, behavioral dimensions, ③ attaches importance to spiritual maturity in the life and to realizable spiritual development in the life cycle, ④ focuses spiritual inclusion or spiritual experiment that is expressed diversely. 2. Now, being faced to the crisis of civilization, we are situated at a turning point in the view the human history. This crisis can’t be solved by technological method only leaving the view of world, the view of human, the view of education which keep on modern culture until now. We should change the view point and the thinking method for human and education. We need a new educational ideology, a new direction of education. It is necessary for us to convert human relationship through the conversion of paradigm. 3. Until now, the training for teachers has been depended on only how they can teach their students? what kinds of knowledge and skill need for? But teacher’s spirituality is more important thing than any other teaching skill or any teaching knowledge. It is very important for instructors to have spirituality. So self-curriculum is essential to the teacher training curriculum at the college of education. When teacher’s spirituality is being prepared, he(or she) can overcome the knowledge initiator. 4. As any other instructions, if the moralㆍethic instruction may incline to knowledge education, the moral mind can’t be developed. We should recognize the big and small association around me-including myself and have to share our life with others. We have to seek the overcoming way for the flood-tide of egoism, materialism, etc. It is very important that we sacrifice ourselves for others and give a careful concern to them. Our life can be changed by volition, wisdom, choice for happiness, and strong will that desires to propelling his action. So we have to develop them. In these choice of life, we can find out the meaning of spirituality. In the result, even though the spiritual education has been an important part of the religious education, we can also see various meanings at the general school education nowadays.