Local Groups Giving Educators A Boost: Thailand

[webfact]

Local groups giving educators a boost

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Studies show benefits of outside help, networking

BANGKOK: -- People researching learning need to act more as coordinators to attract help from a wide sector of the community - to put their studies into practice and help their students, a discussion on education was told last week.

The cases of two researchers at two Rajabhat universities were presented to the gathering to show how coordinators work, and how they gained success in helping students.

The two researchers were Sumalee Pongtiyapaiboon, deputy dean of the Faculty of Education at Phetchaburi Rajabhat University and Asst Prof Rekha Arunwong, lecturer at the Faculty of Education at Kamphaeng Phet Rajabhat University.

The pair conducted research under the Local Learning Enrichment Network (LLEN) project supported by the Thailand Research Fund. They found that without participation and collaboration with local administrative organisations, residents and teachers, their research could not achieve anything students could recognise.

Sumalee's team decided the answer was to concentrate their studies in the hope of improving the learning by students at smaller schools. Schools with fewer than 120 students face problems such as a shortage of educational resources, low quality students and fewer enrolments - as more students in nearby communities opt to study at bigger schools in town.

"I pointed out the problems when I had a meeting with local administrative organisations, residents and teachers. Then we created a scheme for how we would develop the students together," she said.

They agreed to conserve valuable traditional crafts in Phetchaburi and have students from 24 schools learn about craft skills, along with mathematics, science, Thai and English language.

Local craftsmen experienced in eight crafts - such as carving the pith of a banana stalk, wood carving, gilded black lacquer and stucco moulding - were invited to work with teachers from the schools, to create lessons and help teach the students.

Tambon administrative organisations and municipalities provided buses to transfer Prathom 46 (Grade 46) students from their own schools to a central school where they could learn the crafts, integrated with the four subjects one day a week - a total of 16 weeks per semester.

"The students' behaviour has obviously changed. They enjoyed learning both the crafts and the subjects that involved them compared to normal lessons of the past, to which they did not pay much attention. Parents volunteered to cook food for lunch when we met on Saturdays," Sumalee said.

In a video presentation of this study, a teacher said that over the past two years of the project, Wat Phriang School, a small school in this network, had attracted more student enrolments, from 28 to 47, while other schools were likely to gain more students as well.

The problem of a shortage of teachers and resources was also solved as the schools had shared resources and knowledge.

In Kamphaeng Phet, Rekha's team discovered that the number of students in science had dropped continuously for years, especially in mediumsized and small schools.

So, Rekha has coordinated with science teachers from 20 schools in the province to form a teachers' network.

"We, the university, provided them with knowledge and teaching techniques. We acted as the teachers' mentor and also as the coordinator," she said.

These teachers hold meetings once a month on a Saturday. They share problems and techniques for teaching in class, after which her team discusses and helps them find ways to cope with these problems.

"We have them learn how to teach their students through practice, so the students can learn along with them," Rekha said.

One teacher in the network said in the video presentation that his teaching had been based on textbooks in the past. Now, after being part of the network, he found that objects around him could be used as instructional media. The schools in the network have also borrowed tools or instructional media from each other.

After two years of working together as a network, the teacher said the students' Ordinary National Education Test scores had increased. More students had applied to study a bachelor of education in science at Kamphaeng Phet Rajabhat University - a jump from only 12 in 2007 to 80 in 2011, according to the video.

Further, more students decided to study in other science fields, including electronic, industrial and construction technicians, the teacher said.

The Quality Learning Foundation (QLF) and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation jointly hosted the discussion on university roles and local learning.

QLF manager Supakorn Buasai said any schools interested in following either or both of the case studies could present them to local administrative organisations and residents to give them a boost.

-- The Nation 2012-03-19

[CosmicSurfer]

This is very good.... The only way the Thai education system will reform itself is from the bottom up, with community support.

Good luck to them.

CS

[sirchai]

Tambon administrative organisations and municipalities provided buses to transfer Prathom 46 (Grade 46) students from their own schools to a central school where they could learn the crafts, integrated with the four subjects one day a week - a total of 16 weeks per semester.

I'm in grade 58 and you?...........

[Bakeman]

Chok dee.