Studying to be a Teacher at CWNU

Being a teacher is one of the most common jobs that people dream about since childhood. CWNU does not have a College of Education, but there are other educational departments in the College of Humanities, such as the Early Childhood Education Program and the Special Education Program. So how can you study to be a teacher in CWNU? A lot of students assume that only graduates from a teacher's college or university of education can become teachers. But CWNU offers teaching qualifications through the ‘Curriculum of Teaching Professions’. Many students in the general department develop their dreams of becoming a teacher through this curriculum.

The Curriculum of Teaching Professions refers to a curriculum that opts for some students from departments outside of a teacher’s college to train students to become qualified as teachers. The purpose of this curriculum is to select students who have completed the required curriculums from those that have been approved by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. Then the curriculum sets up a teaching course, and grants a certificate of qualification to those who have met all the requirements.

Currently, the Curriculum of Teaching Professions at CWNU offers courses from a total of 20 departments such as Korean Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, Business Administration, Accounting, Advanced Materials Engineering, and more. To apply for the Curriculum of Teaching Professions, there are some eligibility requirements. First of all, students who have finished all the required credits for their first year are eligible to apply, and students who have completed two to three semesters can apply. Transfer students cannot apply to the program. The application period is different every semester, so students are advised to check the university homepage, CWNU Wagle. Also, please be advised that starting in the first term of 2020, students who failed to apply to the curriculum won't be allowed to join the curriculum anymore.

To learn more about this curriculum, we conducted an interview with a student who is in the Curriculum of Teaching Professions.

Q1: Please give us a brief introduction.

A1: Hello, I am Jeong Chae Hwan from the Department of English Language and Literature.

Q2: How did you get into the Curriculum of Teaching Professions?

A2: I've dreamt of becoming a teacher for a long time. Yet, I wouldn’t have been able to go to a teacher's college or university of education even if I wanted to. However, I found out that there is now a Curriculum of Teaching Professions in our department, so I applied for it when I entered my second year.

Q3: What do you learn in the Curriculum of Teaching Professions?

A3: Students will learn education-related subjects along with their major’s subjects. Students have to take Education Psychology, Introduction to Pedagogy, Philosophy of Education, and more. The students will be required to do 60 hours of regular voluntary service and education related voluntary service hours separately.

Q4: What are the advantages and disadvantages of this curriculum?

A4: There are several advantages. One is that there are more career options available to me. Also, I think it gives me an edge when I go to an interview for a part-time job because I can show that I have experience doing hard work. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that things are uncertain when you make your schedule for school classes. Classes in the education program would be two hours long. So, education classes can overlap with the classes in my major that I want to attend as well. This results in a schedule with no breaks in between classes.

Q5: What do you want to say to the college students who are dreaming of becoming a teacher?

A5: You can aim to become a teacher if you work hard in your first year. But you don't have to feel too pressured, if you just stick to your abilities then you can do it. Never give up or lose hope. Fighting!

By Lee Jae-seon, cub reporter

By Lee Jae-seon, cub reporter julialee8530@naver.com

트윗하기