Teachers changing their methods: allowing students to learn by doing

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EDUCATION
Teachers changing their methods: allowing students to learn by doing
Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation



'Greater pupil involvement has given students more confidence

BANGKOK: -- SOME TEACHERS have been changing the way they teach through their participation in project-based learning and its advanced versions.

"I have turned classrooms into spaces where my students and I live together. I've come to the class to learn with them," said Sanya Makarin, who works at the Ban Non Chai Municipal School in Khon Kaen.

He believes this fresh approach has added dynamic to his students' and his learning. Together, they have developed ties and learnt about various things from academic subjects to social issues.

For example, his students have tackled the garbage problem in their hometown and their collective voice was powerful enough to prompt the authorities to step in.

"And with the students' initiative, a public forum was even held to explore possible solutions," the teacher said proudly.

Renumas Pakdeeto, a teacher at Ban Khek Noi School in Phetchabun, was also proud to talk about how she has stopped being the only one who talked in class and tried to spoon-feed knowledge and her viewpoint to students.

"I changed when I realised that we need to have confidence in students. In fact, they can do much more than we think they are capable of," she said.

Just like Sanya, Renumas came to share her experience with fellow teachers at a recent forum. The event took place as part of the Samsung Smart Learning Centre initiative.

Their secondary schools participate in the initiative, which offers IT facilities, training and financial support for better educational opportunities for children.

Renumas, who has taught computer and independent study, said that when IT devices were available for students their confidence grew.

She said most students at Ban Khek Noi School were from the Hmong hill tribe, and because their Thai pronunciation was not perfect they were rather shy and lacked confidence when communicating with others.

But since the Samsung Smart Learning Centre initiative had come to the school, she has seen changes for the better in the |children.

"Their confidence has grown. It's because they have recognised their value and their potential. The new learning process has engaged them and let them know that they can be in charge," she said.

Coached by teachers, students are encouraged to look around their community, identify problems, and propose solutions.

"In the process, I have transformed myself too. I stopped trying to dictate to my students. I have been supervising their work without disrupting or upsetting their learning," she said.

"I've let them think and act. I have learnt to give my students opportunities to learn by doing. If they don't do their work right, let it be so, so they can learn from their mistakes."

Renumas said some teachers might get worried about letting Mathayom 1 students develop a project to solve a community problem on their own.

"But the bottom line is that we have to admit that learning the process to gain knowledge is more important than getting a ready answer from teachers," she explained.

Kanjana Aksorndit, who teaches at Thoengwittayakhom School in Chiang Rai, said she encouraged her students to choose a subject that interested them and conduct a study on it. She said the response from students was terrific.

"I don't have to force them to seek knowledge. It's they who came to me and suggested that they want to find out about this and that issue," she said.

It was a process that resulted in the students learning multiple skills, she said, adding that when students ran into obstacles they brainstormed and tried to solve the problems together.

"At my school, we have encouraged the older students who have already gone past this stage to serve as mentors and coaches too," Kanjana discloses.

Wichien Kleebjong, a teacher at Prommanusorn School in Phetchaburi said that using the project-based learning approach allowed her to prepare a real-life learning environment for her students.

"Such an approach makes it fun for children to learn and teachers are so happy with their job," she said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Teachers-changing-their-methods-allowing-students--30258296.html


-- The Nation 2015-04-20

[Squeegee]

Great news. Eventually the Thais will invent communicative language teaching and critical thinking.

[bra]

Confucius said it a long time ago "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand"

[zeichen]

"Great news. Eventually the Thais will invent communicative language teaching and critical thinking."

That is like when a woman tells you that your are handsome for your age and weight.

Talk about a back handed comment.

What do you actually know about education or Thai education specifically? (DELETED)

Student centered learning is nothing new but it is very hard to correctly adapt to the classroom and curriculum. Communicative approach to language teaching is so last year. Get with it. Those that are proponents of Communicative approach are those without degrees in education or ability to do anything but speak in the target language. There are so many other skills in language development than just communicating. If all you are doing is relying on that, then you must realize that the students need other teachers helping them with the other language skills.

This article is about a lot more than that. This touches on the role of the teacher, the role of the student. Realizing that collectively your students know more than you do. It is very difficult to show the same results that a standardized test can, so administration tends to think of it is not as essential. This method of education is also very time consuming. Lecturing is the most efficient way to get information out, it also can be the least effective. Balancing your teaching style to combine, task based learning with lecture and rote memorization is probably the most effective.

Edited April 20, 2015 by seedy
troll / flaming

[masuk]

"Great news. Eventually the Thais will invent communicative language teaching and critical thinking."

That is like when a woman tells you that your are handsome for your age and weight.

Talk about a back handed comment.

What do you actually know about education or Thai education specifically?

Student centered learning is nothing new but it is very hard to correctly adapt to the classroom and curriculum. Communicative approach to language teaching is so last year. Get with it. Those that are proponents of Communicative approach are those without degrees in education or ability to do anything but speak in the target language. There are so many other skills in language development than just communicating. If all you are doing is relying on that, then you must realize that the students need other teachers helping them with the other language skills.

This article is about a lot more than that. This touches on the role of the teacher, the role of the student. Realizing that collectively your students know more than you do. It is very difficult to show the same results that a standardized test can, so administration tends to think of it is not as essential. This method of education is also very time consuming. Lecturing is the most efficient way to get information out, it also can be the least effective. Balancing your teaching style to combine, task based learning with lecture and rote memorization is probably the most effective.

I think your reply is both condescending and just plain bitchy.

There are professionally trained teachers from their own countries teaching English here, and to lump everyone into the one basket and say their opinion is not worth asking, is a bit much.

The great majority of Thai English students need basic communicative skills, as the current level of English is so poor. It's not bottom of the ASEAN ladder for nothing.

EFL teachers can do a lot to raise the level. They don't need to be some high falutin' academic to achieve this.

[dragonfly94]

They need to actually get the kids in School, holidays are far too long. why do they need three months off a year?

[zeichen]

This article isn't about EFL teaching.

"There are professionally trained teachers from their own countries teaching English here"

Very few at that. Most either teach subject matter in EP, bilingual programs or teach at international schools.

My point is that EFL teachers only really know what is going on with a student from an English speaking perspective. They cannot really comment on the students' education as a whole because they are not involved with cross discipline teaching.

As this article is about Education as a whole and not EFL. You and the other poster seem to be sending this topic off course.

[diehard60]

i have seen thing like this is high schools here in thailand. But what really happens is the teacher has more time to go shopping or visit thoier boyfriends or what ever they want to do. They tend to turn the students loose and not pay attention to the students needs on what ever subject they happen to teach. I have seen this for now over 22 years here.

[Fullstop]

fresh approach

It was...40 odd years ago in the rest of the modern world.

[janpharma]

At the biggest school in Prakhon Chai, students who are completing high school and who are amongst the best, are correcting and evaluating other children's tests whilst the teacher is playing Facebook or Line on his tablet...Is this what they mean?

[Lupatria]

Great news. Eventually the Thais will invent communicative language teaching and critical thinking.

In a slow grown education system based on ethics on both ends, these things will come naturally. Here, first you will have to tear down an old system based solely on hierarchy which will not happen because it works conveniently for educators and those in the Thai society who benefit from the shut up and obey system. How many bosses in the corporate world do you know here that would allow and support critical thinking when it is contrary to the rules regarding losing face?

[ianf]

"Great news. Eventually the Thais will invent communicative language teaching and critical thinking."

That is like when a woman tells you that your are handsome for your age and weight.

Talk about a back handed comment.

What do you actually know about education or Thai education specifically?

Student centered learning is nothing new but it is very hard to correctly adapt to the classroom and curriculum. Communicative approach to language teaching is so last year. Get with it. Those that are proponents of Communicative approach are those without degrees in education or ability to do anything but speak in the target language. There are so many other skills in language development than just communicating. If all you are doing is relying on that, then you must realize that the students need other teachers helping them with the other language skills.

This article is about a lot more than that. This touches on the role of the teacher, the role of the student. Realizing that collectively your students know more than you do. It is very difficult to show the same results that a standardized test can, so administration tends to think of it is not as essential. This method of education is also very time consuming. Lecturing is the most efficient way to get information out, it also can be the least effective. Balancing your teaching style to combine, task based learning with lecture and rote memorization is probably the most effective.

It's about more than simply educational approaches.

It strikes at the heart of Thai culture, where those 'higher' than you cannot be questioned and this is what allows rampant corruption throughout every facet of Thai society.

[aripengu]

Quite the opposite direction from where the Junta is heading.

[cmiuc]

Wow! such an innovative idea... who came up with that plan, or project?

of all the teachers in thailand that are foreigners... dont most of you teach this way? its been a jillion years since Foreigners have been coming here to teach...and today... they make a project to do what? "Monkey see, Monkey do way?

wow, someone just woke up...

oh... to add fuel to the fire... now what will happen to the loads and loads of homework that is given the students each day? now they have to think in class and do... still get a ton of homework?

whats that song? "where not going to take it anymore..." Twisted sister... hmm on the horizon? Thailand is a land of Protests... red, blue, yellow now students... it will be interesting to see this facebook population rise...

Edited April 20, 2015 by cmiuc

[Lone Ranger]

A glimmer of enlightenment......may it spread like a virus ........Prime Minister please take note !

[Squeegee]

fresh approach

It was...40 odd years ago in the rest of the modern world.

Precisely my point, which (DELETED) zeichen failed to get.

I'm very critical of communicative language teaching and have been so since my training. Also I can speak the L1 and use it in the classroom. Meanwhile, let's look at the utter garbage that this zeichen person says:

"What do you actually know about education or Thai education specifically?

This is a person who not only mindlessly disrespects teaching as a second language, he also claims people who are forced to work in the Thai school system in order to be legal don't actually know anything about that system. His is an intellect that thinks human beings work in systems they do not know, rather like crossing a road without understanding the nature of the road. Utterly absurd.

"Student centered learning is nothing new but it is very hard to correctly adapt to the classroom and curriculum."

And since he knows so much himself, but claims others don't, it's funny how he misses the fact in most ordinary schools in Thailand there is no attempt at adapting new methodologies into the classroom.

But then he belies his own ignorance:

"Communicative approach to language teaching is so last year."

When the reality is that this methodology out of the 60s and 70s, began to get real traction in the 80s and became - in my opinion - overbearing by the late 90s. During the 2000s it was seen as The Way on training courses, so thankfully those of us who got through went on to apply a little balance in their methodology, for example, knowing that a little use of the L1 can be beneficial.

So (DELETED) himself might want to "Get with it" instead of speaking in inane generalizations such as:

"Those that are proponents of Communicative approach are those without degrees in education or ability to do anything but speak in the target language."

This is an attitude of someone fixed in their (DELETED) world view, and it's shows what kind of a teacher zeichen would be himself that he has little reflexive ability.

Of course, he's not without insight:

"This article is about a lot more than that. This touches on the role of the teacher, the role of the student."

Even though it was he himself who brought EFL into the topic!

I am in agreement with a lot of what he says, but it's out of order for zeichen to post a wall of (DELETED) about myself and tar a whole industry with the same brush. As such, he gains no respect for his views in this topic and simply comes across like an (DELETED), stuck in his ways and incapable of seeing that not everyone is the same.

His is the attitude all Thais are scammers, all Western women are post-feminist nazis, all Brits are drunken louts or any other idiotic statement along the same lines.

Edited April 20, 2015 by seedy
troll / flaming

[cmiuc]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

fresh approach

It was...40 odd years ago in the rest of the modern world.

alt=blink.png>

Precisely my point, which zeichen failed to get.

I'm very critical of communicative language teaching and have been so since my training. Also I can speak the L1 and use it in the classroom. Meanwhile, let's look at the utter garbage that this zeichen person says:

"What do you actually know about education or Thai education specifically?

This is a person who not only mindlessly disrespects teaching as a second language, he also claims people who are forced to work in the Thai school system in order to be legal don't actually know anything about that system. His is an intellect that thinks human beings work in systems they do not know, rather like crossing a road without understanding the nature of the road. Utterly absurd.

"Student centered learning is nothing new but it is very hard to correctly adapt to the classroom and curriculum."

And since he knows so much himself, but claims others don't, it's funny how he misses the fact in most ordinary schools in Thailand there is no attempt at adapting new methodologies into the classroom.

But then he belies his own ignorance:

"Communicative approach to language teaching is so last year."

When the reality is that this methodology out of the 60s and 70s, began to get real traction in the 80s and became - in my opinion - overbearing by the late 90s. During the 2000s it was seen as The Way on training courses, so thankfully those of us who got through went on to apply a little balance in their methodology, for example, knowing that a little use of the L1 can be beneficial.

So zeichen himself might want to "Get with it" instead of speaking in inane generalizations such as:

"Those that are proponents of Communicative approach are those without degrees in education or ability to do anything but speak in the target language."

This is an attitude of someone fixed in their world view, and it's shows what kind of a teacher zeichen would be himself that he has little reflexive ability.

Of course, he's not without insight:

"This article is about a lot more than that. This touches on the role of the teacher, the role of the student."

Even though it was he himself who brought EFL into the topic!

I am in agreement with a lot of what he says, but it's out of order for zeichen to post a wall of about myself and tar a whole industry with the same brush. As such, he gains no respect for his views in this topic and simply comes across like an old man, stuck in his ways and incapable of seeing that not everyone is the same.

His is the attitude all Thais are scammers, all Western women are post-feminist nazis, all Brits are drunken louts or any other idiotic statement along the same lines.

You really said that well...and to add... how many really think Thai Teaching system really appreciate us as real contributors to their educational system... sure there are few questionable teachers out there...but by and large most of us have come to develop good skills in teaching. There wouldn't be any international prograrms, EP, MEP, IEP programs if it were for EFL teachers who have had to adapted to teaching other subjects in English... Its been a long road of challenges for Foreiegn teachers in ASIA... it seems were required more and more rules, really want to discourage us from being here to do this job, or so easily replace or get rid of you without thinking about your existence in life, and when will the day come when we are warmly accepted into the community of teachers and work together as contributors instead of "feared ....(however you want to end that phrase)." Then they wouldn't need 'enlightened articles' like this. while a bit off the center of this article... it just something why they need to talk like they just fell out of the clouds today..

Edited April 20, 2015 by seedy

[Traveling Sailor]

How refreshing. Obviously a win-win situation. Listen up dear leader, this is the way all schools should be run. Any teacher who does not allow students to ask questions should be fired.

[scorecard]

Nice report.

Let's hope the education superboard have seen this report and encourage this to expand.

However let's also hope that this becomes a structured approach to project based learning / student centered learning

By structured I don't mean a very detailed process which is nothing more than a rework of rote learning.

Education systems (by country) who use this approach allow and expect the teachers (for good reasons) to quickly analyze the situation and quickly construct what they do / say next to continuously encourage the student input / student discussion, etc.

My own experience. My Thai son went to a Thai bi-lingual school here in Thailand for many years (I admit it wasn't the best school, it had few western teachers with lots of turnover).

Then my Thai son went to Singapore for the last few years of high school where all schools use the project based / student centered learning methodology. He knew Singapore fairly well from numerous short visits and was very keen to go. I knew well the first few weeks, the transition, would be hard, but I was confident that he would cope and he did. His English capabilities, all skills, were already quite advanced.

He came home often for the week-end and quickly he was a new teenager, he anticipated things, he analyzed things, he asked his mother and me lots of in-depth mature and broad questions about life, civil society, and other very specific subjects, and he constructed good discussions in both Thai and English to give his summation of what he had observed and/or his thoughts and opinions. All from project based / student centered learning. He also become more focused on family, other people around him, and strongly reduced his previous strong focus on himself.

My son well realizes that his education in Singapore has given his new capabilities and greater opportunities, and when his kids started school (in Thailand) he did a lot of research to ensure they learn in the project based / student centered approach. And we can see the positive results.

Edited April 20, 2015 by scorecard

[cmiuc]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

How refreshing. Obviously a win-win situation. Listen up dear leader, this is the way all schools should be run. Any teacher who does not allow students to ask questions should be fired. alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24> alt=thumbsup.gif>

hehe it is usually us who are fired for doing this kind of method... Thais don't like to be showed up when someone breaks the shell..

[thhMan]

They have to get rid of the poison that their previous generations have festered on them....

Thats the hard part

[realenglish1]

This is a first good step in teaching people the skills for problem solving . Thinking out of the box should be rewarded

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

This article isn't about EFL teaching.

"There are professionally trained teachers from their own countries teaching English here"

Very few at that. Most either teach subject matter in EP, bilingual programs or teach at international schools.

My point is that EFL teachers only really know what is going on with a student from an English speaking perspective. They cannot really comment on the students' education as a whole because they are not involved with cross discipline teaching.

As this article is about Education as a whole and not EFL. You and the other poster seem to be sending this topic off course.

So what you are saying is that English speaking teachers in Thailand can't evaluate the whole education system because they are only involved in English education ? Unfortunately your argument is flawed as is shown by the international evaluations of students, where the Thai students don't perform well in maths, science, English and even home language skills. There are also Thai educational activists that has been criticising the education system in the same areas as the English speaking teachers. These problem areas are the curriculum, teaching methods, training of student teachers at universities are not inline with training given in countries with sucessful education systems, seniority determining promotion, political interference in education, admission to schools and grades being bought, lack of parent participation and the general lack of will to achieve by the students.

[kaorop]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

How refreshing. Obviously a win-win situation. Listen up dear leader, this is the way all schools should be run. Any teacher who does not allow students to ask questions should be fired. alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24> alt=thumbsup.gif>

hehe it is usually us who are fired for doing this kind of method... Thais don't like to be showed up when someone breaks the shell..

aint that the truth, i've seen it in so many facets of life, when a farang does something much better than them.

they dont react with "oh how did you do that?" or the like, you often just see petty jealousy,

btw "shown up" is better usage

Edited April 20, 2015 by kaorop

[SheungWan]

This is a well-known and established method of teaching called the F.O.F.O. method.

EffOff and Find Out. Any time you hear an educator refer to teachers as facilitators, you now know what is just around the corner.

[mikiea]

"Great news. Eventually the Thais will invent communicative language teaching and critical thinking."

That is like when a woman tells you that your are handsome for your age and weight.

Talk about a back handed comment.

What do you actually know about education or Thai education specifically? (DELETED)

Student centered learning is nothing new but it is very hard to correctly adapt to the classroom and curriculum. Communicative approach to language teaching is so last year. Get with it. Those that are proponents of Communicative approach are those without degrees in education or ability to do anything but speak in the target language. There are so many other skills in language development than just communicating. If all you are doing is relying on that, then you must realize that the students need other teachers helping them with the other language skills.

This article is about a lot more than that. This touches on the role of the teacher, the role of the student. Realizing that collectively your students know more than you do. It is very difficult to show the same results that a standardized test can, so administration tends to think of it is not as essential. This method of education is also very time consuming. Lecturing is the most efficient way to get information out, it also can be the least effective. Balancing your teaching style to combine, task based learning with lecture and rote memorization is probably the most effective.

"teacching without degrees?" is that not a problem the gov should address? lecturing is the most efficient way to get info out, huh.... for the teach or student asleep in row 6 ? you sound like a old hack trying to preserve your way of life .... , just saying that is what you come across as, if i am wrong please show me some stats that rote teaching in mass is the best education out there , i will accept it if you can provide it :-)

[Lupatria]

[lostinisaan]

"I've let them think and act. I have learnt to give my students opportunities to learn by doing. If they don't do their work right, let it be so, so they can learn from their mistakes."

Oh god. please help me. Is that the speech of a seven year old?

[DavisH]

It's a shame. Didn't any Thai ever bother to translate any teaching pedagogy textbook from the last 40 years into english? It this Thais 'figuring things out on their own' and not paying attention to what is happening in the rest of the world? Or is it one educators 15 minutes of fame? The world has moved on, Thailand. Get with it! Just the fact kids in government high schools and those doing entrance exams, can't use calculators, tells a lot about the education system here. Nothing will change until the top-down transmission of knowledge culture changes. I've never seen a country so OBSESSED with tests. Yet school graduates can barely muster 30-40% on a multi-choice test. Something is badly messed up with this system.

[thelegend]

Seems to be spleen letting time.......My beef with Thai Education concerns the multiplicity of 'schools' teaching English, I was called to an interview at one such school for the purpose of commiting to an expensive long term contract for them to teach my stepdaughter English.Foolishly they had the alleged teacher present at the interview, [a very pretty young lady, hard to say no to ], in fact almost impossible to say anything to as she hardly had any English skill at all. Finally as we upped stumps and made our farewells she sat there quite unsure of what ever had happened. i do hope someone had explained it to her .

Oh! Yes we did find an excellent English teacher in the person of a young English Backpacker, and i am well informed that the two [daughter & teacher] became firm friends. Sadly teacher has moved on to Aus NZ etc but if you know of another similar in SURIN, Please let me know.