Renowned Thai school shifts to partial online teaching, 500+ fail test

[webfact]

 

Students at a renowned school in the Bangkok Asoke district are facing significant challenges after the school transitioned to a hybrid online teaching model, resulting in over 500 students in Grade 6 failing their exams.

 

This shift was intended to modernise the school's educational approach but has sparked widespread concern among students, parents, and teachers.

 

The school implemented the hybrid teaching system at the beginning of Term 1, blending online and in-person classes. Students were required to prepare for their exams through online resources, with the school aiming to enhance flexibility and self-directed learning. However, this new method quickly revealed its shortcomings.

 

Parents disclosed that students were not given video lectures but were instead required to submit assignments online, a system that many found ineffective. During exams, students had to sit for five subjects in a single day, with no days off beforehand. This intense schedule left them little to no time for adequate study and preparation, heightening stress levels and causing anxiety.

 

The school's grading system, which required students to score above 80% to receive a top grade, exacerbated the situation. The focus on exam performance, despite the lack of effective teaching methods, led to disappointing results in key subjects.

 

Here are the exam outcomes:

- **Thai Language**: 309 students failed, 335 passed.
- **Mathematics**: 264 students failed, 379 passed.
- **Science**: 505 students failed, 139 passed.
- **Social Studies**: 451 students failed, 194 passed.
- **English**: 315 students failed, 330 passed.

 

Parents and students have expressed significant dissatisfaction with the new system. Many students feel like they were used as test subjects and had their final year opportunities compromised.

 

In response, a group of parents and student representatives has submitted a petition demanding changes to the grading system and requesting financial assistance to cover additional home learning expenses, including water, electricity, and internet bills.

 

A spokesperson from the Grade 6 student council said, "We're not demanding to harm the school we love, but to preserve the rights of students who have all been affected." The school administration has yet to respond to these concerns, but the debate continues to gain momentum.

 

File photo courtesy:  boudewijnhuijgens

 

-- 2024-06-13

 

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[Pouatchee]

Half failing actually is quite representative of the thai students' abilities. No surprise here.

 

Once again thais wanting a free pass in education...

 

Surprised the school actually failed the kids. This must be a first in this country with its no fail policy and all....

[mfd101]

3 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

Half failing actually is quite representative of the thai students' abilities. No surprise here.

The question is: Would the results have been better if the traditional methods had been used? And, either way, what would this mean? - motivation? poor preparation before new methods introduced? psychology & sociology of education - face-to-face vs distance learning? ...

[Pouatchee]

1 minute ago, mfd101 said:

The question is: Would the results have been better if the traditional methods had been used? And, either way, what would this mean? - motivation? poor preparation before new methods introduced? psychology & sociology of education - face-to-face vs distance learning? ...

 

Having much experience in thai schools i can tell you that the numbers are pretty much spot on. Thai kids almost NEVER prepare for tests and the parents are too busy... cough... sputter... almost keel over... to help supervise their kids. Why would anyone care if they got a free pass before in their time

[JeffersLos]

21 minutes ago, webfact said:

The school's grading system, which required students to score above 80% to receive a top grade

 

So a student that scores 81% gets the same grade as a student that gets 100%?

[JoePai]

requesting financial assistance to cover additional home learning expenses, including water, electricity, and internet bills.

 

Ah money, of course   

[Tropicalevo]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

In response, a group of parents and student representatives has submitted a petition demanding changes to the grading system and requesting financial assistance to cover additional home learning expenses, including water, electricity, and internet bills.

Two standard responses when there is a problem with education here in Thailand.

1 Lower the standards = more passes

2 More money please.

 

As an aside, are the kids using phones or tablets/computers?

 

And no one investigates 'learning skills'. ie what is the best method for each of us to absorb and retain information. We are all different.

My personal method is to write things down. I do not retain information by just reading or listening.

[Celsius]

Does anyone know the name of this renowned school in Asoke? I think it is a university near Asoke Towers, cough

[alien365]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

In response, a group of parents and student representatives has submitted a petition demanding changes to the grading system and requesting financial assistance to cover additional home learning expenses, including water, electricity, and internet bills.

I'd have thought any minor additional expense like this would be offset by the savings made from not having to transport their kids to school.

[ChipButty]

I always thought in Thailand nobody fails

[ikke1959]

The percentage of passed is normal. Thai students don't like to study but like to copy. Probably now they have to do everything themselves and are being confronted with their laziness

[Gottfrid]

How in the world can they think it´s possible to leave responsibility of learning upon students that already have problem concentrating in the classroom and taking their lazy arses to school?

 

One reason might be, god forbid, that the people behind the school got the same half baked education as students.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Students at a renowned school in the Bangkok Asoke district are facing significant challenges after the school transitioned to a hybrid online teaching model, resulting in over 500 students in Grade 6 failing their exams.

Online teaching cannot replace class studies with a teacher.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The school's grading system, which required students to score above 80% to receive a top grade, exacerbated the situation. The focus on exam performance, despite the lack of effective teaching methods, led to disappointing results in key subjects.

 

Here are the exam outcomes:

- **Thai Language**: 309 students failed, 335 passed.
- **Mathematics**: 264 students failed, 379 passed.
- **Science**: 505 students failed, 139 passed.
- **Social Studies**: 451 students failed, 194 passed.
- **English**: 315 students failed, 330 passed.

80% for a top grade.. so lets say 50-60% for lower grades.. seems achievable if the children studied.

[new2here]

I think the hybrid model of education for high schools IS very workable … BUT… and it’s a big “but” …. it requires 1) a significant commitment by the parents to support it, 2) relies on the assumption there is adequate tech build out (ie access to reasonable speedy wifi and related tech) and 3) a student body that has the necessary self-motivation and discipline to study in a larger hands-off environment.

 

I think there are schools where these elements are present and as such, I’d guess hybrid learning is workable..  but… i suspect the vast majority of schools (speaking for public lower level prathom and even upper matthyom level) schools) this just isn’t reality … and that to me outs hybrid learning into a risky scenario. 

[new2here]

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Online teaching cannot replace class studies with a teacher.

I agree.. I DO think online can SUPPLEMENT a physical presence teacher, but for lower education kids (call me middle school to even high school age) I think they really need that physical “contact” between teachers and students. 

[Purdey]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

- **Thai Language**: 309 students failed, 335 passed.
- **English**: 315 students failed, 330 passed.

Wonder why Thai language is so poor?

[hotchilli]

3 minutes ago, new2here said:

I agree.. I DO think online can SUPPLEMENT a physical presence teacher, but for lower education kids (call me middle school to even high school age) I think they really need that physical “contact” between teachers and students. 

Agreed... 

[Will B Good]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

This shift was intended to modernise the school's educational approach

No it wasn't...it was to reduce costs and maximise profits.

[patman30]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I always thought in Thailand nobody fails

it is like that, a close friend who was teaching here told me
they just have to pass everyone regardless
if they do not pass everyone the schools funding is reduced.

 

10 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Online teaching cannot replace class studies with a teacher.

exactly, no teacher to just give everyone a pass regardless.

[Snackbar]

Those results reflect the effort put in

[koolbreez]

This doesn't really mean anything concerning online learning unless the past pass fail rates are also shown for comparison. Public schools weren't known for high teaching numbers concerning pass fail before. Then again, as a phycological study, you could argue that this reenforces B.F. Skinner's continuation of Pavlov's dogs model, that if the reinforcement is taken away that was used in the behavior modification then after a short period of time the subject will revert to old habits, but without past data it is meaningless.

[Sandboxer]

2 hours ago, new2here said:

but for lower education kids (call me middle school to even high school age) I think they really need that physical “contact” between teachers and students. 

 

Do you work for the Vatican by any chance?

[BangkokReady]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The school implemented the hybrid teaching system at the beginning of Term 1, blending online and in-person classes. Students were required to prepare for their exams through online resources, with the school aiming to enhance flexibility and self-directed learning. However, this new method quickly revealed its shortcomings.

 

I think this would fail in most Western schools, let alone Thailand.

 

Study online during covid was just a long holiday for most Thai students.  Long in to get the attendance then back to sleep.

 

Crazy that they didn't learn from that and instead tried this.

[BangkokReady]

3 hours ago, Purdey said:

Wonder why Thai language is so poor?

 

I get the impression that Thai is actually quite hard even for Thais to learn fully.  They have to learn it not unlike learning a foreign language, even at high school.

 

I think I remember hearing there is kind of regular conversational Thai, then Thai for formal speaking and writing.  I guess like how legalese works.

[new2here]

6 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

I get the impression that Thai is actually quite hard even for Thais to learn fully.  They have to learn it not unlike learning a foreign language, even at high school.

 

I think I remember hearing there is kind of regular conversational Thai, then Thai for formal speaking and writing.  I guess like how legalese works.

I have heard the same.. as i understand it, it’s the formal/classic that evidentially is quite different than that’s modern version that is the hard part.. often my kids say thai class is by far harder than math, sci, bio and all the other usual “it’s hard” subjects 

[jts-khorat]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

- **Mathematics**: 264 students failed, 379 passed.

- **Science**: 505 students failed, 139 passed.

 

Just looking at these two stats would show to my mind, that the system has indeed shortcomings, but works well at least in some subjects.

 

Self-learning math can be difficult, still the system has produced good results. One would think, that Science would fare similarly, but it did not, so here I would want to understand what has been the issue here.

 

Very interesting, that failure rates in Thai and English have been similar where I would have expected a large disparity. This again shows to me, that vocabulary learning must have worked fine (or there would not have so many successes in a foreign language), while grammatics (the obvious thing for native speakers to fail if they are not well prepared) seems to have not led to good results.

 

In any case, the suspicion of the parents that here a system was tested which has serious issues seems validated just form this alone.

[digger70]

8 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

 

So a student that scores 81% gets the same grade as a student that gets 100%?

Yes ,They Pass that's all what matters.

[paulikens]

2 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

 

So a student that scores 81% gets the same grade as a student that gets 100%?

A student who gets 0% will get the same grade as a student who gets 100%.  The absurdity that is Thai Education and the ridiculous notion that failing an exam is losing face  (in their very warped sense of losing face) So, they can't have anyone failing otherwise that would mean students losing face.   Great way to teach kids about life..... You won't fail at anything.

[Pouatchee]

5 hours ago, patman30 said:

if they do not pass everyone the schools funding is reduced.

 

no fail policy has been here forever... nothing new. your friend doesnt know what he is talking about. it is a cultural face thing here and not about funding and all the kids and parents here take it for granted. also, most thai and foreign teachers rather than wasting time retesting over and over just fix the books and give the nemrods 50% passing grade