Get past school uniforms, reframe the purpose of education

[webfact]

 

The conversation over whether school uniform and hair rules in Thailand should be repealed has come and gone many times. As the arguments and counterarguments are explained, we seem to forget to discuss the purpose and real goals of education. A teacher activist invites us to ask what kind of education we want for our children.

 

The rules vs the purpose of education

 

School rules have always been an integral part of formative education, but we should ask whether some of the controls they exert actually make children focus more on study. Classic examples, and perhaps the easiest to enforce, are the rules covering hair and the attire.

 

“But, are there any other choices? For example, instead of using authority to control or command children to be silent, the Humanist approach suggests that, if teachers see children’s worth, learn to listen to them, care about their feelings, trust them and give them space to think. This will motivate [children] to learn…” says Autthapon Prapasanobol, an education activist who has been involved in the Thai education system for almost 9 years. He is a former teacher in a public school, a member of the “Teachers Want to Teach” group and is now an MA student in Education in Taiwan himself.

 

#news

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/get-past-school-uniforms-reframe-the-purpose-of-education/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-07-03

 

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[scorecard]

I see 2 items:

1. Develop a much more realistic aim / objective for education.

 

2. Totally change the methods of education (pedagogy) used in Thailand at all levels to ensure kids learn to analyse and query, and want to know why, and are not frightened to ask questions, they are continuously encouraged to ask questions....and their teachers listen and show that they are listening.

 

Student centered learning / project based learning.

 

It works well in all countries which are recognised for their high quality of education, obvious nearby example - Singapore.

 

There will be much opposition but that opposition must be tackled and overcome and the new methods must be employed and must win. 

 

The attitudes of 'kids should not ask questions, it's not polite to their teachers' has to go, it must go, and it must go now.

 

[Gottfrid]

I guess they should stay thinking about the uniforms, and not touch subject they have no understanding of.

[brianthainess]

Flag, Religion, and that other one IS their education, nothing else is important. 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Gottfrid said:

I guess they should stay thinking about the uniforms, and not touch subject they have no understanding of.

So quickly/professionally identify the names of the subjects teachers don't understand and fix it:

 

a. Compulsory 'Reeducation' for the older teachers.

 

b. So that it immediately becomes a standard part of ongoing teacher education. 

 

And it applies to all. My Thai son and his wife are well educated and well recognized for their knowledge and capabilities. Son did HS in Singapore. They have spoken several times to the high school headmistress and the teachers of their 2 kids in the same high school. 

 

Instant pushback 'but the old teachers only have 10 years to go before retirement'. My son gets angry about all this, on one occasion he said to the head 'so that means all the students for next 10 years continue to get poor quality education becaue you don't want to push for improvements!'

 

Response from school head (expected) 'but we have to be polite to the old teachers'.

 

Son: 'What about my childrens education, that should have higher priority?'.  School head 'no I don't see that as a priority'.

 

 

[poyai111]

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

I see 2 items:

1. Develop a much more realistic aim / objective for education.

 

2. Totally change the methods of education (pedagogy) used in Thailand at all levels to ensure kids learn to analyse and query, and want to know why, and are not frightened to ask questions, they are continuously encouraged to ask questions....and their teachers listen and show that they are listening.

 

Student centered learning / project based learning.

 

It works well in all countries which are recognised for their high quality of education, obvious nearby example - Singapore.

 

There will be much opposition but that opposition must be tackled and overcome and the new methods must be employed and must win. 

 

The attitudes of 'kids should not ask questions, it's not polite to their teachers' has to go, it must go, and it must go now.

 

Questioning encourages curiosity which, in turn, stimulates the imagination and creativity encompassing all that education should provide. All teachers should nurture the resource which will ensure everyone's future. The young mind is like a fertile garden but unless the seeds are down it will remain devoid of growth

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

A teacher activist invites us to ask what kind of education we want for our children.

Exactly it's not about what you wear it's what you're taught, all this other stuff is just a distraction from the reality of poor education.

Last week I asked a student aged 16 if she could name the continents of the world, she asked me "what was a continent"?

[jcmj]

It seems that most teachers use the don’t ask, don’t tell theory. I used to get upset when my son came home with homework, but didn’t know how to do it. I asked him why he didn’t ask his teacher to explain it? He would just tell me that he couldn’t. I was very confused and upset about this and went to the school to ask the teacher. She just said he can ask a friend if he doesn’t know, because she was very busy getting ready for the next class. ??? Then my son got upset saying that she will be hard on him because I spoke to her, and she was. Another thing I learned, the hard way, is not to correct the teacher’s mistakes on their English homework assignments. Heaven forbid the teacher loses face for incorrectly correcting his homework. I’d cross out her x’s and rewrite the correct spelling, or phrase, so my son knew which was correct. I did look up the answers, just in case I was wrong, before correcting her mistake. Wowza. I was called into the school to discuss “proper behavior of a parent “. Well they got an earful from me and after listening to their BS. I then went to look at a few other schools, and speak to the principal and teachers about my situation and concerns, and promptly took my son out of that school and transferred him to a new one. I felt bad for my son, but I am spending good money on his education.   I didn’t want him feel that he has to accept ignorance, judgment and harassment for asking questions, or questioning the “correct answers”.  Q&A is one of the best ways to learn new things and improve your knowledge and skills.