A theoretical study on the meaning of ‘education linked to lives’: -Based on Olsen’s life-centered education

This study aims to explore the meaning of ‘education connected to students' lives" from the perspective of Olsen's life-centered education. The concept of "education connected to students' lives," emphasized in the national curriculum, is understood in various ways, including student initiative, student autonomy, real-life connections, authentic learning, and real problem-based learning, leading to a lack of clarity in its meaning. Therefore, this study sought to examine Olsen's life-centered education, a pioneer of the community school movement that embodies life-centered education, through literature research. Olsen presented a direction for educational innovation that nurtures talent to improve "life" in the global community and in an era of survival crisis. He viewed "life" as universal rather than different for each student, and based on this, he constructed a consistent curriculum. He aimed to nurture talent who could contribute to the wider community by using the local-community as a laboratory for problem discovery and resolution. This study discussed the various meanings of "education connected to students' lives" by comparing and reviewing Olsen's life-centered education with learner-centered education, authentic learning, and community education. The research results indicate that Olsen's life-centered education can help understand "education connected to students' lives" in the context of contemporary crises, "improvement of life," and the relationship between school curriculum and the community. Therefore, this study argues that "education connected to students' lives" can be more clearly understood as a perspective that redesigns the relationship between curriculum, schools and the community in the direction of future education, beyond learning materials or practicality.