Blooming from the Challenges of Self-Directed Learning

Interview with Choi Yoon-hee, Head of Business at Visang Education

Combining Professional Psychological Counseling and Learning Coaching
Launching Digital Coaching 'Pienada'

"Focus on the Process Before Sitting at the Desk
Will Become a Blue Ocean with Changing Trends"

Choi Yoon-hee, Head of Peer-nada Project at Visang Education.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The method to excel in studying is surprisingly simple. It involves thoroughly reviewing and previewing subjects like Korean, English, and Mathematics. However, not many students consistently follow this routine because playing is much more enjoyable than studying. This is especially true for students in grades where college or employment prospects don't feel very immediate. But parents feel differently. When their children seem uninterested in studying, they become anxious. They try advanced learning through academies and private tutoring, but the effect lasts only temporarily. Children who are forced to finish classes rarely come home and sit at their desks because they haven't developed the habit of self-directed learning.

Is there a way to instill self-directed learning skills in children? After much consideration, the education company Visang Education launched a digital face-to-face specialized coaching service called ‘PIONADA’. It combines professional psychological counseling and one-on-one learning coaching to provide a customized coaching service that helps each student develop and implement their own learning strategies. Yoonhee Choi, head of the PIONADA project at Visang Education’s headquarters in Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, said, "Most existing education companies focus on entrance exams or subject education, which only apply once the child sits at the desk. PIONADA is the industry's first service that focuses on the process right before the child sits at the desk."

PIONADA is tailored for students from 4th grade in elementary school to 2nd grade in middle school, the optimal period to develop study habits. When students participate in PIONADA classes, they undergo a diagnostic test certified by the Korean Psychological Association for the first time in the education industry. This test analyzes students’ study habits and psychological factors to set the direction for learning coaching. The curriculum lasts one year. All instructors hold master's degrees or higher in education or psychology.

Visang Education has introduced 'Pienada,' a digital face-to-face education service that combines psychological counseling and one-on-one learning coaching.

Before launching PIONADA, Head Choi conducted a six-month pilot program with about 100 students. Except for one or two, almost all students completed the course, showing positive responses. Choi also enrolled her own child in the program. She said, "When I asked my child what their dream was, they said they wanted to become a wealthy unemployed person, showing little interest in studying. But through PIONADA, they learned how to study independently, improved their grades, and recently even expressed a desire to attend an English academy on their own." Fifth grader Yesuh Cho, who participated in the PIONADA pilot, said, "I liked learning the Mandarat method for setting goals, and after achieving my goals, I felt proud and accomplished, which made it fun. I also gained a lot of confidence by repeatedly giving presentations in front of other kids, which used to scare me."

The most popular curriculum was group classes held once a week for one hour, four times a month. Each group consists of up to eight students of the same grade or peers with about a one-year grade difference. Since the classes are online, students from all over the country, including metropolitan and provincial areas, and even those studying abroad in countries like Vietnam, participate. Head Choi explained, "In group classes, children share how they spend their time at school or after school, helping them understand their current position. This is much more effective than parents forcing them to study."

In fact, PIONADA is not an immediately profitable business for Visang Education. It is more advantageous to expand customers based on existing successful businesses like the elementary self-study book brand ‘Wanja’ or the smart learning system ‘OnlyOne’. From a parent's perspective, it is also difficult to spend more money on study habit and mental care classes like PIONADA when regular subject education is already demanding. Regarding this, Head Choi said, "Visang Education has long held the educational philosophy that services essential to children, like PIONADA, do not need to be profitable. In fact, although many have not yet recognized it, education like PIONADA is a blue ocean market emerging as the world’s trends change."

Head Choi emphasized that PIONADA is not an alternative that reduces study time for subjects like English and Mathematics but rather a complementary role that helps improve grades in these subjects. She said, "Children who develop a strong foundation of self-directed learning tend to perform better in subjects like English and Mathematics. Since we also conduct one-on-one consultations with students and parents, we can detect stress that children experience early on, which is another advantage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.