Education Forum "Walking Together with Slow Learners" Held on the 29th
District Mayor Lee Soon-hee: "The Community Must Show Interest and Make Efforts Together"
Public officials involved in the Gangbuk-gu education project for slow learners are participating in the "Emotional and Behavioral Crisis Students and Understanding Slow Learners Education" to explore support methods for slow learners. Provided by Gangbuk-gu.
"It breaks my heart to see them so listless. They don't even talk about what happened at school."
Due to three years of online schooling caused by COVID-19, the proportion of students at emotional and behavioral risk and slow learners in South Korea has increased, prompting a demand for support measures for these groups.
Gangbuk-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Lee Soon-hee) has been actively promoting the ‘Slow Learners’ Learning, Psychological, and Emotional Support Project’ since this year. On the 29th, to build social consensus for slow learners, the district will hold an educational forum titled ‘How to Walk Together with Slow Learners among Children and Adolescents in the Community’ at the district office auditorium.
The district recruited discussants through recommendations from local schools and the Seongbuk-Gangbuk Learning Support Center, as well as from participants in the Gangbuk Future Education Zone project who wished to join the discussion.
A total of 96 community members, including learning counseling volunteers, parents, teachers, Gangbuk village teachers, and slow learner companions, along with facilitators to lead group discussions, will participate in the forum. The discussions will be divided into eight groups, engaging in lively debates to derive customized support plans tailored to each developmental stage from kindergarten to high school.
To enhance the effectiveness of the discussions, the district shared materials and expert information about slow learners with the participants in advance. The district expects this forum to serve as an opportunity to raise awareness about slow learners, promote community cooperation systems, and lay the groundwork for eliminating educational welfare blind spots.
Slow Learner Companions Dispatched as Assistant Teachers in Elementary Schools
Theater Performances and Art Therapy Programs Scheduled from September to November This Year
Slow learners refer to individuals who, including those with borderline intelligence (IQ 71?84), lag behind their peers cognitively and emotionally, making it difficult for them to adapt to school or group life.
Early detection and provision of diverse experiences and appropriate education can enable a successful transition into adulthood. Difficulties experienced by slow learners include challenges in peer relationships, academic underachievement, difficulties in daily life tasks, and neglect due to lack of necessary care.
Since the start of the 8th local government term, District Mayor Lee Soon-hee has personally visited 20 elementary, middle, and high schools at the end and beginning of each year to hold meetings with staff and parents to hear about the difficulties faced by slow learners.
Accordingly, the district secured a budget of 100 million KRW from Seoul City through the ‘2024 Seoul City-Local Government Education Support Cooperation Project’ public contest to intensify the slow learners’ learning, psychological, and emotional support project.
Since last year, the project has been implemented in connection with programs such as ▲Special lectures on understanding slow learners and parent education (October?November 2023) ▲Training for officials to enhance expertise on emotional and behavioral risk students and slow learners (January 2024) ▲Cooperation meetings with local children’s center directors (February 2024) ▲Training for cultivating slow learner companions (April 2024).
In the second half of this year, slow learner companions trained by the district will be dispatched as assistant teachers in elementary schools to provide learning counseling and support psychological and emotional stability.
Additionally, from September to November, various theater performances and art therapy programs focusing on character education and school violence will be conducted for elementary schools. In particular, local artists and professional psychological counselors will collaborate to help slow learners form peer relationships and find emotional stability.
District Mayor Lee Soon-hee stated, “It is time for the community to come together with interest and effort for slow learners,” adding, “We will spare no attention and support until slow learners in educational welfare blind spots can grow into healthy members of society.”
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