Young children suffering due to being pushed too hard in school: psychiatrist

[webfact]

Young children suffering due to being pushed too hard in school: psychiatrist
By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM

THE NATION

 

 

BANGKOK: -- MANY young children suffer from being pushed too hard to study at school, a problem that could lead to improper development and behavioural issues, a child psychiatrist has warned.

 

Dr Benjaporn Tuntasood, who is based at Manarom Hospital and runs the child psychology fanpage “Kendekthai” on Facebook, said more children were now studying too early and too much. 

“I have observed that not only do many children enter school at very young ages, sometime only two years old, but they are also made to study very hard on difficult academic lessons. This is not good at all for the development of young children,” Benjaporn said.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30298257

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-10-24

[Chang_paarp]

Nothing to do with antiquated teaching methodology?

[seahorse]

“ The ability to play is one of the principal criteria of mental health .”

[NongKhaiKid]

Just what are they pushed too hard to learn as they never seem to benefit much as can be seen as they progress through the so called educational system ?

I'm sure the school syllabus will now be amended to include subjects linked to the current mood in Thailand but which will not be of much benefit in later life.

[MaxLee]

Surprised???? In a face and status savvy greedy society like Thailand,...

[alex8912]

I think this article is about Japanese or Chinese students. 

[Jools]

One of the worst school systems in the world.........but NOT because it's too hard.

[whatproblem]

Maybe in the start they push them to learn but not long it's copy copy copy ,look internet and print ,job done

[maewang99]

it's getting more and more difficult to do the 'stupid stuff'... as Chomsky refers to it... some of the same stupid stuff we had to do in the west... but only from time to time..... but now, here, has always been overwhelming and now even more so as the 'students' (which in Thailand means people of a certain age in uniforms because otherwise you would not be able to convince yourself "yeah... it's a 'school' and they are 'students'") have smartphones... example Tesla self driving cars.... example a SpaceX colony on Mars.....  to get glimpses of another world where copying and converting phonetic transcriptions into sounds no one else understands.... won't 'cut it'.... just won't cut it... it's not just disheartening to 'farlang' standing outside of it in horror....   example, actually reading a novel and thinking and asking questions... with the answers being not really important at all... not at all... that gives you a power packed cognitive experience of another person's perspectives (reading books) ..... which the globalized world rewards increasingly so because of AI and the net etc... and where human dexterity will no longer be so valuable... only the language 'gift' will be (reading lots and lots of books and periodicals and journals... endlessly...... just to survive).

Edited October 24, 2016 by maewang99

[gk10002000]

Hard school work has not been what I have observed in Thailand.  To me, I see more social pressures, religious beliefs, limited opportunities, disenfranchised families, lousy housing in general by almost any objective comparison methods.

[Keesters]

 

Dr Benjaporn Tuntasood has now had his 1 minute of fame. Moving on.

 

 

Edited October 24, 2016 by Keesters

[BlindMagician]

Adults are told what to think, so why bother with the kids.

Line of least resistance.

[grumbleweed]

From my experience, Thais have a "The more crap you throw at a wall, the more will stick" attitude. With quantity giving way to quality. If the Thai approach worked, with the amount of hours they study, Thailand would top the academic league.

 

Essentially the poor kids are caught in a pincer movement, between their ambitious parents and a morally bankrupt business sector who aren't exactly shy when it comes to exploiting a need

 

And all this before we begin with the failings of the education system itself

Edited October 24, 2016 by grumbleweed

[cardinalblue]

Thailand not used to a competitive school system....a proper school system is designed to weed out the ones who didn't earn on merit...

 

buying grades and placement alive and well in thailand...I flunked  numbers of medical school and nursing school students only to see them being passed along to the next year...

 

educational reform is badly needed but it starts with a different mindset that's currently lacking....

[LazySlipper]

Holy Horse Hockey!!! What a load of crap. These psychiatrists are probably of the Teflon generation, or they are Millenials. Both generations never had to be pushed to do anything... heck they can't even be pushed to get out of bed. 

 

Thai MOE every year announces reports that the IQ of the kids is going down and then they come up with a report like this.

 

I give up

[Briggsy]

A number of posters have accurately pointed out the apparent disjunction here of "children being pushed too hard academically" and the woeful academic results in Thailand.

 

One is led to the reasons connected to low standards in teaching, the odd syllabus, use of time in schools and the failure of the gearing of the system to attain, or even have, clearly stated goals.

[Wiggy]

Play is an essential part of learning. Big lack of it here.

[Dibbler]

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

I think this article is about Japanese or Chinese students. 

 

No this article is definitely about Thai students!  This happens at many government and private schools in Thailand, but especially the Thai schools where parents have a less complete understanding of child development and assume they must send their child for extra classes or tutoring (rian pee-saet) after normal school hours and on weekends.  Some teachers and owners of the tutoring businesses are partially to blame for this as they encourage parents that the child must keep up or be left behind.  Parents are therefore willing to part with their money when it might be better to let the child have more rest or play or extracurricular activity that doesn't involve sitting in a classroom. Of course some students may have learning difficulties and need special kinds of training from specially trained teachers which may not be available in most Thai schools.   

[worgeordie]

Pushed too hard......then kicked by the teacher while on the floor.

regards worgeordie

[bontang]

Re International Schools pushing Students to the limit or should i say very close to the Edge,

I can only speak for my daughter @ an International School in Chonburi district,

The School has high expectations & do over load the Students not with just simple subjects i.e Algbera Math, Sicience, Chemistary, Biology, plus many more high tech Subjects, My Daughter day starts @ 06.00am & she studies into the night up to 12 midnight,  As you know the International Schools are expensive I dont mind that so much but the Teachers handball 45% of their work to the Parents & the Students, Then they have their Social Events after School between 18.00 & 21.00 & expect to see all Students to attend,

All of those social events are all in the name of Money for the School, So are the School Management  realy thinking about the Students welfare,  Not really ,

 

[Deli]

Focussing on important knowledge would surely ease the time table.

[wvavin]

This educational system developes more stupid students than anywhere elses in the world.

[Bluespunk]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“I have observed that not only do many children enter school at very young ages, sometime only two years old, but they are also made to study very hard on difficult academic lessons. This is not good at all for the development of young children,” Benjaporn said.

 

Who on earth is stupid enough to push academic studies on 2 year olds.

 

Every early years unit/nursery/kindergarten I've ever seen focused on play based learning.

 

With an emphasis on play. 

[anon467367354]

Why not do as the best school system in the world does? The problem here is that  change is very difficult if not impossible and will remain that way until they can change their mindset that change may be a good thing.

Take it from the best school system in the world: http://www.smithsonianmag.com

 

Teachers in Finland spend fewer hours at school each day and spend less time in classrooms than American teachers. Teachers use the extra time to build curriculums and assess their students. Children spend far more time playing outside, even in the depths of winter. Homework is minimal. Compulsory schooling does not begin until age 7. “We have no hurry,” said Louhivuori. “Children learn better when they are ready. Why stress them out?”
 

[Bluespunk]

41 minutes ago, LazySlipper said:

Holy Horse Hockey!!! What a load of crap. These psychiatrists are probably of the Teflon generation, or they are Millenials. Both generations never had to be pushed to do anything... heck they can't even be pushed to get out of bed. 

 

Thai MOE every year announces reports that the IQ of the kids is going down and then they come up with a report like this.

 

I give up

With your attitude to the education of young children that's probably for the best. 

[cumgranosalum]

This is largely down to an attitude to education that prevails throughout Asia - especially the South and East.

 

Contrary to ALL scientific opinion and the data, asian school systems believe that the longer you study (as in more hours per day) the more you will learn - this is COMPLETE AND UTTER TRIPE!

Even countries like Korea which have on paper quite high academic and examination results hae a problem in that they are producing students who have no connection with real life or social skills and are next to useless in a practical workplace.

 

Thailand has a combination of this misguided philosophy, poor teachers and a very poor curriculum. (Japanese Industry has actually pointed out that the future of their businesses in Thailand is being threatened by a lack of properly trained graduates etc.

 

If you look at Finland which has a very successful education system, you will see that the starting age is relatively late, (7yrs old) there is little or no homework and few exams (there's only one national exam at age 16) and weekly school attendance is limited, smaller classes and longer breaks....teachers are highly qualified and teach a maximum of 4 hours per day. THey also have a grounding in psychology, eve in the UK there is a psychology component in teacher education - I see no evidence of this in Thailand at all.

 

What I do see is parents shoving children off to extra classes left right and centre - every high street has private tuition schools offering extra Math, science English etc - none of home seem to be able to deonstration any real understanding of education rather just a machine to improve exam scores.

Edited October 24, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[Bluespunk]

29 minutes ago, bontang said:

Re International Schools pushing Students to the limit or should i say very close to the Edge,

I can only speak for my daughter @ an International School in Chonburi district,

The School has high expectations & do over load the Students not with just simple subjects i.e Algbera Math, Sicience, Chemistary, Biology, plus many more high tech Subjects, My Daughter day starts @ 06.00am & she studies into the night up to 12 midnight,  As you know the International Schools are expensive I dont mind that so much but the Teachers handball 45% of their work to the Parents & the Students, Then they have their Social Events after School between 18.00 & 21.00 & expect to see all Students to attend,

All of those social events are all in the name of Money for the School, So are the School Management  realy thinking about the Students welfare,  Not really ,

 

Is this school accredited by CIS or any other international education body? If not I'd walk away from it...

[JAG]

21 minutes ago, bontang said:

Re International Schools pushing Students to the limit or should i say very close to the Edge,

I can only speak for my daughter @ an International School in Chonburi district,

The School has high expectations & do over load the Students not with just simple subjects i.e Algbera Math, Sicience, Chemistary, Biology, plus many more high tech Subjects, My Daughter day starts @ 06.00am & she studies into the night up to 12 midnight,  As you know the International Schools are expensive I dont mind that so much but the Teachers handball 45% of their work to the Parents & the Students, Then they have their Social Events after School between 18.00 & 21.00 & expect to see all Students to attend,

All of those social events are all in the name of Money for the School, So are the School Management  realy thinking about the Students welfare,  Not really ,

 

Blimey, if your daughter is still studying until midnight there is something seriously wrong. Those are punishing hours for an adult let alone a child.

 

If the hours are due to the volume of homework,  could I suggest that you check, and insist, that the homework is properly marked, (not just skimmed by someone wielding a red biro), and that your child is properly debriefed and mistakes corrected, and that correction confirmed, for every piece of work. That should curb the teachers enthusiasm for setting excessive work. Homework is only of any use if it is gone through, and the mistakes identified and put right with the child subsequently. 

 

If your daughter is having lots of extra lessons, I would seriously question why. You're already paying (a lot I assume ) for your child's school. Why is her normal school day insufficient? 

 

You're right - it's probably all about the money.

[cumgranosalum]

1 hour ago, whatproblem said:

Maybe in the start they push them to learn but not long it's copy copy copy ,look internet and print ,job done

Which is an incredibly hard way to learn!

[Bluespunk]

4 minutes ago, cumgranosalum said:

This is largely down to an attitude to education that prevails throughout Asia - especially the South and East.

 

Contrary to ALL scientific opinion and the data, asian school systems believe that the longer you study (as in more hours per day) the more you will learn - this is COMPLETE AND UTTER TRIPE!

Even countries like Korea which have on paper quite high academic and examination results hae a problem in that they are producing students who have no connection with real life or social skills and are next to useless in a practical workplace.

 

Thailand has a combination of this misguided philosophy, poor teachers and a very poor curriculum. (Japanese Industry has actually pointed out that the future of their businesses in Thailand is being threatened by a lack of properly trained graduates etc.

 

If you look at Finland which has a very successful education system, you will see that the starting age is relatively late, (7yrs old) there is little or no homework and few exams (there's only one national exam at age 16) and weekly school attendance is limited, smaller classes and longer breaks....teachers are highly qualified and teach a maximum of 4 hours per day.

Always liked Finland...