Do You Know the Nation's First 'Urban-Rural Connection Classroom'?… Pilot Operation at Andong Gangnam and Gilan Elementary Schools

"Breaking Down Educational Environment Barriers"

Rural Experience at Small Schools

Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on the 13th that it will pilot the ‘Gyeongbuk City (Do)-Rural (Nong) Connection Classroom,’ which conducts joint classes between large urban schools and small rural schools by utilizing the excellent spaces and environments of small schools in farming and fishing villages.

At 9:20 a.m. that day, 48 students from Andong Gangnam Elementary School?24 fourth graders and 24 fifth graders, with a total enrollment of over 750 students?visited Gil-an Elementary School, located 20 minutes away by bus, where all 27 students participated in a kimchi-making experience using napa cabbage they had prepared in advance. The students ate the kimchi they made for lunch and shared kimchi with people around them.

The students also collected river water from the nearby Gil-an Stream, measured its pollution level, and made pollution purifiers. A Gyeongbuk Office of Education official said, “Students from the large school in downtown Andong visited Gil-an Elementary School in the rural area, experienced ecology firsthand, and enjoyed riding bicycles along the Gil-an Stream riverside.”

On the 3rd, students from Andong Gangnam Elementary School also visited Gil-an Elementary School, harvested apples from the school garden, made apple pizza, conducted sweetness measurement experiments, and then returned home.

Gyeongbuk Superintendent of Education Im Jong-sik is visiting Gilan Elementary School, closely observing students as they make a 'river water purifier.'

Visiting Gil-an Elementary School that day and observing the students’ experience site, Superintendent Lim Jong-sik of Gyeongbuk Office of Education said, “This is an innovative attempt where the excellent environment of small rural schools is jointly utilized by large urban schools,” adding, “We will actively support breaking down barriers to using educational environments between schools so that these learning spaces can nurture students’ future competencies.”

The ‘Gyeongbuk City-Rural Connection Classroom,’ operated for the first time nationwide, is an educational activity that jointly utilizes the learning spaces of small rural schools and large urban schools. It was established to efficiently use educational environments and complement each other to realize learning connected to students’ lives.

Since October, Gyeongbuk Office of Education has been piloting this program targeting Gil-an Elementary School (including Gilsong Branch) in the rural area of Gil-an-myeon, Andong City, and one class of fourth and fifth graders from Andong Gangnam Elementary School in the urban area to explore applicability in school settings.

To this end, Gil-an Elementary School and Andong Gangnam Elementary School organized a curriculum council and jointly developed the City-Rural Connection Classroom curriculum.

The jointly developed City-Rural Connection Classroom program includes joint classes such as apple-related writing and apple picking programs (7 sessions) linked to the geographical characteristics of Gil-an, kimchi-making and sharing kimchi with marginalized neighbors program (8 sessions), and environmental conservation awareness, making river purifiers, and Gil-an Stream ecological experience programs (7 sessions).

For smooth class operation, when students move from Andong Gangnam Elementary School to Gil-an Elementary School for classes, they jointly use Gil-an Elementary School’s school buses and meal facilities.

Gil-an Elementary School is a small school with a total enrollment of 27 students. It is a rural school with excellent educational environment spaces such as a VR experience room, indoor golf course, playground facilities, and outstanding natural surroundings including Gil-an Stream Ecological Park and Gil-an Stream, enabling ecological transition education and various programs.

Gyeongbuk Office of Education expects this project to expand as an excellent case of revitalizing small rural schools by offering advantages such as ecological learning, which is difficult in large urban schools, and face-to-face classes in the nature-friendly environment of small rural schools away from the barren city.

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