No student gets left behind
The motto may sound like it was ripped from the playbook of the US Navy Seals but this groundbreaking approach to early education is taking Thailand by storm, writes Kamolwat Praprutitum
Child-centred learning, touted as one of the chief goals in reforming Thailand’s problem-plagued education system, traces its roots to the “trinity of education pillars” and then back to the Kasetsart University Laboratory School Center for Educational Research and Development in Bangkok.
But the paradigm was honed by Ubon Reangsuwan, the visionary who founded the centre, popularly known as the Sathit Kaset School, and served as its director.
To the late professor’s credit, child-centred learning has since become something of a mantra among those responsible for early education in the country.
On Nov 9 the school held an exhibition honouring what would have been Ubon’s 100th birthday. She was the first Asian to be inducted into the board of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).
The approach is based on the premise that no student gets left behind when it comes to their education. No young boy or girl is excluded even if they are unruly or academically under-perform, said Pakamas Natajeewarawat, the school’s director.
“We don’t expel students on account of their behaviour. We take care of everyone. This is at the heart of our child-centred learning programme.”
TRINITY OF PILLARS
The goal involves teaching kids, and adults, to cooperate more, as symbolised by the coming together of the aforementioned “trinity” — school, students and parents — through the programmes the school has put into place.
One of these is the annual Sapda Sonthana Sit Look event, also known as Dear Student Dialogue Week. This creates a more homely environment in class and helps to forge a closer bond between the school, parents and students from Prathom Suksa 1 (grade 1) to Mathayom Suksa 6 (grade 12).
Before dialogue week begins, the school invites experts including psychologists to discuss with parents how productive and happy forms of learning can go hand in hand. The parents, too, can be educated.
Appointments are arranged where parents are taken on a tour of classrooms to see first-hand how classes are conducted and immerse themselves in the general atmosphere. They also talk to various teachers.
The parents are free to voice queries they may have about the school and its teaching methods. The school, in turn, advises parents on ways of being more perceptive about their child’s needs to help foster a home environment more conducive to studying.
Many parents chip in to develop students’ learning potential but they all have to be singing from the same hymn sheet to make the programme a success, the school director said.
Developing a child’s potential should not conform to a pre-set pattern, especially if the child has special needs or otherwise experiences learning difficulties. They need tailored approaches to learning, for which special teachers are assigned.
Certain features of the curriculum are finetuned in their formative years, which progressively improve their academic performances.
Some alumni with learning difficulties have embarked on careers they never thought possible and have seen their careers soar to previously unimaginable heights, the school said.
“That was possible because we made sure they never got left behind,” Ms Pakamas said.
“If the students struggle in class, we first need to ask ourselves if we’ve done our job well enough in teaching them,” she said.
If the answer is yes, the next step is to help students cope with whatever problems they are facing. The school employs more councillors than most of its peers nationwide.
It enrolls 3,000 students from grade 1-12 and has a faculty of 300 teachers. That 1:10 ratio is a far cry from the national average.
TEACHERS MENTORED
Teachers can make or break the success of the child-centred formula and that is the reason the school likes to keep them on their toes.
Ms Pakamas said there is no reason teachers should be exempt from proficiency tests, so as not to let standards slip.
Junior teachers are mentored by their seniors, who sit at the back of the class monitoring them.
But teachers at all levels regularly attend seminars to learn about suggested improvements and share new techniques that have met with positive results.
Ms Pakamas said teachers must constantly enrich themselves by overcoming challenges in their daily teaching tasks.
“The teachers don’t just hear; they must really ‘listen’ to their students,” she said.
Many educationalists agree that while the child-learning approach has been introduced as a standard part of the national curriculum, the outcome has been disappointing so far.
Ms Pakamas said teachers should not be the first to say what they expect of their
‘‘ We take care of every student. This is at the heart of our child-centred learning programme. PAKAMAS NATAJEEWARAWAT DIRECTOR OF KASETSART UNIVERSITY LABORATORY SCHOOL CENTRE FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (SATHIT KASET SCHOOL)
It’s all about making sure the students understand their role and how they fit into society. SOMNIDA BHATRANAND PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING AND ALUMNI OF SATHIT KASET SCHOOL
Teachers assign the students in-class activities, which lets them get the hang of what it takes to attain knowledge from the ground up. PARTORN PHONGPAIJIT SCIENCE TEACHER
Having an open debate is more fun than just reading from textbooks. It increases your self-motivation and selfimprovement. CHAKRIT WANWANAAMORN MATHAYOM SUKSA 6 STUDENT (12TH GRADER)
students. That would be imposing their thoughts on them, which would limit their ability to think, create and innovate, she added.
The school director said students are taught how far their newfound self-confidence should take them so they don’t go overboard and exhibit arrogant or inconsiderate behaviour.
ALL HANDS ON DECK
In class, a hands-on, participatory approach comes in, well, handy.
“In many subjects, the teachers assign the students in-class activities, which lets them get the hang of what it takes to attain knowledge from the ground up,” said Partorn Phongpaijit, a science teacher.
He said that when studying ecology, for example, the kids have to build a model that displays the interdependence of living components in nature.
But before any model or project can take off, students must work in groups and plan ahead.
First, they are advised to fetch facts to flesh out the details of the projects, with group members all delegated different tasks. The information they gather is analysed and the results form a key element to help them answer the core question underlying the project.
Mr Partorn said they are encouraged to present their project in a new and creative way to their fellow students while also making sure it is easily understood. The students are graded on the accuracy of their information, creativity and their ability to meet the project deadline.
The teacher said he devotes 70% of his science class to practical studies and 30% to theoretical learning.
“If we want to put the children at the centre of how the curriculum is designed, we need plenty of time to make it work. It can’t be rushed,” he said.
NO SPOON-FEEDING
Twelfth grader Chakrit Wanwanaamorn said the students contribute to building up the general body of knowledge rather than sit around idly waiting for teachers to spoon-feed them. He described this as academically rewarding but also fun.
In some subjects, the students are asked to write their expectations of the course, and the class is conducted around that input. In this respect, the contents of their studies are not duplicated.
Chakrit, who is in KUS Class 44, said he and some of his other friends routinely engage in the debates, where the whole class has a chance to critique the points their rivals raise. In one project, an environmental issue was put forth for discussion but the students’ knowledge of the subject was found to be lacking
“Having an open debate is more fun than just reading from textbooks. It increases your self-motivation and self-improvement,” he said.
He said students who are free to express themselves would also discover their own “niche” later. For a group project to succeed, different sets of skills must complement each other to ensure the job is executed well.
But that kind of debate can’t be applied to subjects like math where students need to be walked through it mentally, he added.
Chakrit will be competing for a seat in the coveted international relations programme at Chulalongkorn University (CU) soon.
He said the learning system he is familiar with from the school should be adaptable to the university, where students have to rely on themselves to get their studies done.
BREEDING LEADERS
As far as parents are concerned, the bond between the school, students and themselves is a recipe for success.
The daughter of businesswoman Waraporn Thammaporn used to attend Sathit School and is now a freshman at CU’s Faculty of Communication Arts.
Ms Waraporn said the school helped her understand what her daughter was going through, both academically and in other areas of her life as she was growing up. The older lady praised the Dialogue Week concept.
During this period, students write about topical issues related to their studies and pin ideas on a black (or white) board to provoke discussions. The teachers and parents then brainstorm possible solutions.
Meanwhile, Somnida Bhatranand, a professor of engineering at Mahidol University who is also an alumni of Sathit School, said children who are the product of a more open and inclusive learning programmes tend to be expressive and possess more leadership qualities.
That shines through in the students she teaches now at the university, she said.
The students, having been exposed to routine discussions during their primary and high school years, develop a stronger ability to think critically.
“It’s all about making sure the students understand their role and how they fit into society,” Ms Somnida said.