정(情)에 관한 교육과 정적(情的) 교육: 유아도덕교육의 새로운 이해

Abstract

본 연구는 유아도덕교육에 대한 새로운 이해의 한 시도이다. 최근 일고 있는 ‘정(care)’ 이론의 대표적 학자인 Noddings를 중심으로 ‘정’의 도덕과 그 교육이론을 유아도덕교육과 관련하여 비판적으로 검토해 봄으로써 ‘정’의 교육이 나아가야 할 방향을 제시하였다. 우선 Noddings의 ‘정’의 이론을 분석해 보았으며 둘째, 그녀의 ‘정’에 관한 직접적 도덕교육이론이 가지는 한계, 특히 유아도덕교육적 측면에서 가지는 한계를 지적하였다. 마지막으로 직접적 ‘정’에 관한 도덕교육과는 대조되는 간접적 ‘정’적 도덕교육의 조건과 그 메커니즘에 관한 논의를 함으로써 유아도덕교육의 대안적 방안으로서 ‘정’적 도덕교육의 정당성을 확보하고자 하였다.

This article discusses the nature and methodology of teaching the virtue of caring through exploring the argument summarized briefly here. Caring as a character trait or virtue and caring as a relationship with others may not be so different from one another, contrary to Noddings’. There may be no way caring as a virtue can be identified as such except as it is revealed in relation to other people. Yet caring as relation may be a basis, it is not the ultimate one. Other moral virtues such as honesty and courage, what McIntyrecalls the “internal goods” of a practice, or the immersion in those goods, to be more precise, may pave the ultimate way to moral virtues including that of relational care. Without securing the base structure of interest in the “internal goods” of learning activities, therefore, direct teaching of relational care through modeling, dialogue, practice, and confirmation may prove to be far less than successful. This is what Dewey stresses in his book Moral principles in education, and this observation is particularly relevant to early childhood education, a period foundational to subsequent education. What is important in morals education is not so much teaching about caring or morality as it is about being immersed in a caring or moral education, that is to say, being immersed in the “internal goods” of the learning activity itself, whatever the kind. Education aimed at teaching caring or morality will be effective only when young students are immersed in the “internal goods” of learning activities that open the pathto actually caring and to other virtuous relationships.