Achanee Boonchai is a classroom teacher in Bangplamaa ‘Soongsumaan Padungwit’ School in Supan Buri. She served as an ERIC manager in Chon Buri until she resigned that position to pursue a Masters degree in TEFL. She is now one of the top trainers, working with teachers of English from all regions of Thailand.
As a learner — a trainee — Acharn Achanee attended a workshop in course design led by a foreign educational expert. When wearing a learner’s hat, she says, "we go to receive new ideas, theories and principles." Then, she explains, "we put the ideas into practice in our classes. This is the second hat – the hat of a teacher. We also learn from our students at this stage. It’s real life-long learning."
Finally, "it’s time to think how we are going to transfer the tested methods and activities to teacher in the schools. This is when we put on the trainer’s hat."
Learning Post caught up with Acharn Achanee wearing that hat at a recent training session, one of the series of workshops on course design. The participants were teachers from Sriwikorn School in Bangkok teaching from pathom one (six-year-olds) to mathayom six (16-year-olds).
In preparation for a reading comprehension activity on food nutrition, A. Achanee had assembled real foods representing the five food groups. As a warm-up she asked the teachers – in the role of students – what they knew about food nutrition: How many food groups they could name, what foods were in each group.
Changing from those student hats to their roles as teachers, they reviewed techniques of oral reading and some principles of reading theory.
Then, switching hats again, the participants divided into five ‘student’ groups, based on the five food groups.
From the array of food items, participants picked out the items that belong to their food group.
Back in their groups, the participants read the handout together and checked that they have made the correct choices.
 First, the teachers at the workshop dive into the collection of foods Achanee has prepared – just as their students will do on another day in their classrooms. |
What the participants discovered, of course, was that some foods belonged to more than one group. That led to an active discussion and some switching of foods.
Finally, now wearing their teachers’ hats, they reflected on what they had done.
As she always does, A. Achanee reviewed the theory behind the lesson and the teachers reflected on how it applied not only to the present activity, but more broadly to other topics and to course design.
They talked about preparation for their own classes, management of their students at every phase of the lesson, and the teacher’s role as facilitator and guide through the activity.
Finally, this lesson and the understandings it is based on will go back to 15 classrooms – cascade training in action.
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Second, still working through the activity intended for students, the teachers read the text to check their comprehension and their selection of the foods. |
 Finally, as teachers, they reflect on the activity and the theory behind it so they can effectively carry out student-centred activities in their own classrooms. |
terryfrd@ksc15.th.com |