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Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn arrives to cut the ribbon and inaugurate the ‘New Look, New Welcome’ at British Council in Siam Square.— PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRITISH COUNCIL |
November 8th was no ordinary day at the British Council. While classrooms were unusually empty, the corridors buzzed with activity. Teachers, caterers, and blue-uniformed soldiers busily went about their preparations. Outside on Siam Square the red carpet was unrolled. Arriving VIP’s and distinguished guests were cordially accompanied to their seats. The stage was set. After months of work it was time to unveil the British Council’s new initiatives!
The Council was deeply honoured that Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn had graciously agreed to preside over the Opening Ceremony. Anxiously sipping their cups of tea, senior teachers rehearsed speeches and practiced curtseys. Everything was checked and double-checked, from the computers to the sound systems.
As every teacher knows, preparation is the key to success, not only in the classroom but outside. All this flurry of planning and groundwork paid off. The inauguration festivities were a tremendous success, with the Council’s ‘New Look, New Welcome’ kicking off to a good start. But how do these changes affect the English language community in Thailand?
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Rod Pryde OBE, the Assistant Director from London (left), and Dr. Bashkar Chakravarti, Country Director for Thailand |
In a learning post exclusive, Rod Pryde OBE, the Assistant Director from London, and Dr Bashkar Chakravarti, Country Director for Thailand, took time out from the festivities to discuss the innovations.
Dr Bashkar begins, "We wanted to make a statement. This is who we are. Things are changing for the better."
"And," continues Mr. Pryde, "the British Council in Thailand is leading the way. The reforms introduced today are the first of their kind in any British Council worldwide. Hopefully the lessons learnt here will provide a role model for the rest of the globe."
Exciting stuff, but what exactly are these innovations? As it turns out they fall into three categories.
The Siam Square office
Upon entering the Council’s ground floor, some of the changes are apparent to the eye. A coat of white paint and newly installed computers combine for a high tech ambience.
 You can use the self-access area to find out information about the UK yourself. |
"The reception is now a self access centre where visitors can find out about the UK themselves.’ Dr Bashkar explains.
The jewel in the crown is waiting upstairs. Long time visitors to the Council fondly recall the British Council library, where once rich and poor had access to the English language. The good news is that the twenty-first century equivalent has now opened its doors.
 In the newly-redesigned library, "one-stop" services are provided about study in the UK, English language courses and examinations. |
The I-Zone may sound like a Silom Road disco, but in fact the ‘I’ stands for Interactive. Walking into this room visitors find themselves surrounded by computers, videos and CD’s. Died-in-the-wool technophobes will be pleased to hear there are still books on the shelves!
Dr Bashkar explains, "We spent a lot of time researching the needs of Thai learners of English. One thing that stood out was their need for support. It’s getting the balance between self-access and teacher support. That’s why the I-Zone is called Supported Open Learning or SOL. There are counselors on duty at all times. So students have all these resources at hand for self-learning at their own pace. But when required they can ask the staff for assistance and guidance."
 The I-zone is an upgraded information centre with support materials for English language students and teachers. |
Ms Thatavakorn, the Councils’ Project’s Officer adds that, "SOL aims at preparing individuals for lifelong learning by enabling them to organise and direct their own learning, to have a better understanding of both themselves as learners and the learning process through support from the counselors."
Continue on around the walkway and you come to the new Computer Assisted Learning or CALL room, where the very latest in technology waits to be switched on. Specially-designed software and word-processing programs allows students to learn English while using the Internet. The idea is to nurture learner autonomy, collaborate on realistic modern-day tasks, have fun and absorb computer skills through English. Students come to the CALL room both individually and for classes.
Online education
The second thrust of the British Council upgrades is not so much in the real world but in the virtual world of cyber space.
The Council’s web site has long established a reputation as one of the most useful for English learners in Thailand. This excellence has now been taken up to the next level.
One of the key improvements inaugurated by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn was the @ccessEnglish, an online e-group for teachers of English language in Thailand.
To officially open the e-group HRH Princess Sirindhorn kindly sent an email to all @ccessEnglish members.
It’s a free service providing materials, ideas and opportunities for networking among teachers anywhere in the Kingdom. The features of @ccessEnglish include downloads, monthly newsletters, chat sessions, an e-forum, links, calendar of events, archives, bilingual help, hot teaching tips and more! So any teacher in need of some inspiration or suggestions can log on and contact peers.
The second upgrade is to the Council’s web site itself. A major overhaul and facelift has resulted in a ‘one stop shop’ to all the Council’s educational and cultural services. At the click of a mouse virtual experiences are available, from virtual tours to video streaming.
There are links as well to useful British Council web sites. Internet Surfers can travel through the miracle of cyberspace to sites such as Education UK, Football Culture, Culture Lab-UK and Learn English, each site in itself "a provocative and innovative resource," to quote the Council.
Log onto http://www.britishcouncil.or.th to find out more.
Logo redesign
The third overhaul, and perhaps one of the most profound, is the Council’s abandoning of its historic logo. Traditionalists associate the Council with 49 dots in the pattern of the Union Jack (the UK’s national flag). No longer!
Dr Bashkar says, "The full introduction of the our new British Council logo is an identity appropriate to our digital age."
Those 49 dots have been pared down to a simple four dots arrangement. The shapes and numbers are deeply symbolic. Four represents not only the four nations of the UK, but also the Council’s philosophy of bringing people together from differing cultures and giving equal weight to varying points of view. In the troubled times of the early twenty-first century this is an inspiration for all of us!
Language purists please note the ‘the’ has also been given the boot. From henceforth it’s British Council and not The British Council!
There’s more
If these three innovations were not enough, this creative surge has borne other fruits. One of the most significant unveiled in November is the Thai-UK Teen Network. This has been set up for any Thai teenager studying the (UK) English system and links them up with teens in the UK. The idea is to strengthen English language skills through interaction with native-speaking teens. By putting together teens from both nations, Thai teenagers can learn about the UK in ways relevant to their age group.
Tied in with the ‘New Look New Welcome’, is the launch of the British Council’s new, free quarterly, available from all Council premises. Members of the British community in Bangkok may shed a nostalgic tear to hear deceased icons of UK comedy, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, inspired the quarterly’s name. Their famous catchphrase ‘Not Only But Also’ is its title!
The everyday stuff
With this wealth of new initiatives, you could easily forget the Council has been serving Thailand for over sixty years. As well as on-site classes, so many exciting offshoots have evolved that there’s not enough space on this page to describe them.
Even so, Simon Hunt, Director of English Language Services, kindly brought the learning post up to speed.
"The British Council is not just a language school," is a key point he’s keen to get across. It’s also closely involved with good governance, the arts and creative education. The modern-day Council is in partnership with Thailand, a relationship that takes it down the corridors of government, academia and business. Concepts like fairness, equality, quality assurance, and learner autonomy underpin the Council’s grand scheme of things. Key areas of work can be summed up as follows.
● The Council is very involved with the Ministry of Education, particularly helping to implement the new curriculum in Thailand’s secondary schools.
● Working in cooperation with other English language schools in the Kingdom, the Council is building an association of private institutes. As many students have found out, the teaching of English in the private sector in Thailand is fairly unregulated. Standards can vary greatly. The aim for this new affiliation is to work towards a shared baseline of standards. A pooling of expertise, training and responsibilities is the long-term goal.
"We’re evolving a framework to guarantee the best practice for students and teachers." Simon explains.
● On and offsite teaching: young learners, junior learners, business courses, conversation classes, a ‘pick and mix’ menu for all English student needs.
● Teacher training: both foreign and local teachers can find opportunities at the Council, for their classrooms and their careers. Everything from RSA certificates to the nitty-gritty of classroom management, syllabus design and pronunciation are available.
● Exams: the full range of English exams can be studied for and taken, IELTS, PET, BULATS and more.
● UK Placements: the Council works with TIECA to assist them in placing students in the UK.
● Intellectual property rights and child welfare are two issues the Council has been supporting in Thailand, with hands-on training programmes.
The teacher’s perspective
The British Council in Thailand offers a career path for qualified and suitably experienced teachers. In theory you can arrive in the Kingdom, take an appropriate TEFL certificate and diploma, notch up those classroom hours and start the ladder to senior management. But make no mistake, every teacher on the premises is qualified and highly trained. This is in sharp contrast to some other outlets of language education where any Western face gets on the payroll.
Not that it’s all hard slog and lesson plans.
"Teachers have a great social life here," Simon says. "The Council is a sharing and nurturing workplace. There are even chances for our teachers NOT to teach.
"Individual teachers can develop professional interests. One example of that would be our outreach work with local curators, introducing more fun to the museum experience."
Summing up
When asked ‘why the British Council,’ Simon is quick to respond.
"We aim for the best possible teachers, with the best possible materials using the best possible methodologies. Because Thailand’s British Council is part of a global network we can make available to students the best in resources and teaching practice. Oh, and yes, the British Council is fun!"
Simon is asked for examples.
"Thailand’s Council is one of only four in the world piloting the interactive whiteboard."
The interactive whiteboard? This kind of digital wizardry sounds more at home at Hogwarts than Siam Square. Wired up to a laptop computer and a data projector this invention turns the whiteboard into a computer screen. All this when some of our halls of learning are still in the Stone Age of chalk and slate!
Party on
Finally the ribbons had been cut and the bubbly uncorked. The British Council’s big day was winding down to the evening. With a guest list ranging from ambassadors to captains of industry, some kind of grand finale was in order. The ground floor had transformed into a party zone, with a buffet and complimentary wine. Wall to wall TV screens linked to the new web site, enabling a computerised virtual presenter to interface with the audience.
This cheeky computer character exchanged jokes with Dr Bashkar before kicking off the festivities with a virtual tour of the new services.
Any lingering images of the British Council representing Thailand’s past were by now well and truly dispelled. The Council is becoming a byword for all that’s modern and cutting edge. Thanks to the inspiration and perspiration of the Bangkok team, the next sixty years at the British Council will be as excellent as the last!
terryfrd@ksc15.th.com |