Thread: Reduce Students' Workload

Bid aims to reduce pupils' workload
Less homework, fewer overlapping learning requirements

By Sirikul Bunnag

The Education Ministry will overhaul the curriculum in 2007 to reduce the workload for school children, starting with a 10% cut in overlapping learning requirements for students next year. Education Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng said a conclusion was reached at yesterday's ministerial meeting for primary and secondary schools nationwide to use as guideline to improve the 12-year basic curriculum starting next year by focussing on less homework for students. That's a sure way to get the kids to obtain a meaningful education. Better yet, why not get all schools to drop homework altogether so they can have more time chatting on MSN, playing Ranarok, and talking on their precious mobiles.

The ministry also set a goal to revamp the entire curriculum in 2007 by assigning the Basic Education Commission to establish a curriculum archive. The curriculum will also be improved and updated. The move followed complaints from students and parents that students have been more stressed since education reform and the curriculum, which promoted child-centred learning, has prompted teachers to assign more homework and research work for students. And they wonder why Thailand continues to score very low in academic achievement. They want the tools, they want the know-how, but the moment it becomes a challenge, they give up. It is really no wonder that Thailand has been unable to contribute anything useful, in terms of achievement or academics, to the world.

To lessen homework, the BEC will advise schools to require teachers for all subjects at the same level to work together and give students a single piece of homework which should allow them to practise every subject. That's a real winner! Let's combine all subjects into a lump sum and assign a single piece of homework and we know they will be able to understand and apply everything at once. Did these folks making these decisions ever take something called logic in school? I guess it will make my job easier since there will be less grading, if at all. No need to worry anymore if little Somchai is having difficulty with applications of any subject. He is working much to hard and it is so stressful for him to do a single piece of homework.

The ministry will also push for a 10% decrease in 160 learning standards and requirements for students, which had left no time for students to opt for analytical thinking and self-learning. Isn't that the purpose of research? To be able to analyze results and come to some sort of valid or reasonable conclusion? Makes sense. Reduce homework and research by 10% and their analytical thinking and self-learning skills will increase by 10%! Gotta love the logic in this.

All schools must ensure similar content for teaching students of the same level since students at the same level in different schools were being taught differently such as chemistry teaching began at the Mathayom 4 level in many schools but at the Mathayom 3 level in some schools.

To ease the shortage of about 84,000 teachers of all levels as stated in the national education council's research, the ministry would next year ask the government for permission to hire some 26,000 more teachers and to adopt several solutions before seeking more workforce for the long run.

These resolutions include introducing information technology and long-distance learning for schools in troubled areas, asking local intellectuals and those from the private sector to become volunteer teachers, and forming ``teacher pools'' for teachers to take turns to teach at schools facing staff shortage. "Goose morning student. Today I show yous about how to be rich fast. This class, Corruption 101...

Source: Bid aims to reduce pupils' workload

I think that many of you are missing the point entirely...

I have observed, at University at least, is that the Thai lecturers seem to push in a huge amount of lecture content - in fact, way too much for the learner to really absorb & digest in the time-frame allotted.

There seems to have been a previous mindset that pushing in a lot of information will better-prepare the learners. In fact, the learners go into information overload & simply become passive.

A scheme which allows the learner time to develop sound creative & analytical skills is sorely needed in Thailand. The learners also need to be encouraged to do 'individual' projects & rely less on 'group work'.

diaw...

Originally Posted by diaw

I think that many of you are missing the point entirely...

I have observed, at University at least, is that the Thai lecturers seem to push in a huge amount of lecture content - in fact, way too much for the learner to really absorb & digest in the time-frame allotted.

There seems to have been a previous mindset that pushing in a lot of information will better-prepare the learners. In fact, the learners go into information overload & simply become passive.

A scheme which allows the learner time to develop sound creative & analytical skills is sorely needed in Thailand. The learners also need to be encouraged to do 'individual' projects & rely less on 'group work'.

diaw...

Having never taught at university level, I can't comment on that. I do agree that information overload will result in a mental shutdown and result in passive learning. However, some schools at the Mathyom levels have implemented student based learning and have promoted individual learning as opposed to group learning. My science classes have two research projects per academic year, which they must complete on an individual basis. The results are extremely poor since it is the "norm" here to merely copy and paste from the internet or to have a friend rewrite their own paper for them. Either way, neither are acceptable in terms of learning anything.

The complaints I get are unreal from parents and students alike. "It's so hard." "Why can't they/we work with friends?", ad nauseum...The truth is that many kids are getting more than lecture these days and are getting application skills, analytical skills, and much more individualism than in the past. They just don't know what to do with it. Homework is an integral part of this process. First, I need to see that the students are progressing and are staying on the right course. Second, I need to ensure that the students can analyze their data, understand their data, and be able to present their results in a well thought out and logical way. Nothing worse than having a student present an "independent" research and have not a clue what they are talking about. Third, it helps me to identify problem areas as a whole and to either find other ways to help the students help themselves and to find a different approach to the solution. Basically, the homework is a monitor to how well they may or may not be progressing.

To put all subjects into a single piece of homework, to limit choices and ideas is inane to say the least. Honestly, I don't want to know how they are doing in their sewing class or their Thai language class. That's not my issue to deal with. Granted, giving a child 10 homework assignments per week just for a grade and nothing more is useless. That has no meaning or purpose whatsoever. Just in the Mathyam experience, it seems to me that parents and ministry officials lack insight into what is really happening in the schools. They expect magic potions that will make the the darlings a genius overnight. But, when the expectation is that the student must actually analyze and use critical thinking, it seems there is a cry of foul and excuses begin.

To put it in perspective a little bit, the material that is given to the students I teach is not easy, however, it is still below the age level as to where they should be. It does take time, but to suddenly state that all schools will begin giving a single piece of homework which contains all subject matter will really put the education system further back.

My experience limited though it might be has been similar to diaw's.
What i would consider an intermediate text for a 1 year course is often used for an introductory 1 semester course.
The students switch off. They do not buy the book as they can not read it and expect everything to be on a hand out with no extra work required. Their effort is then limited to memorising the handout at exam time
Work assignnments are often cut and paste jobs with no attempt to hide the source.
Some students can be challenged but it is a hard task with no immediate results and of course for little incentive

I agree that quality is much more important than quantity in education - giving students more and more to do does not necessarily make them smarter and smarter. It is, unfortunately, common throughout Asia that parents push their kids into extra classes to "improve" their education. When students are not keen on studying, giving them more work is like

What Asian schools & educational systems need to develop is critical thinking skills...

This is a problem throughout Asia - East of India funnily-enough... The Indians are so sharp a Westerner has to always be on his/her toes... I was ?lucky? to grow up in a country with a million Indians... I learned bitter lessons at a tender young age...

joke:

A man has a gun with only 2 bullets. He comes across a viper & an Indian blocking the path. what does he do?







Shoots the Indian twice...

there is no education here at all. ZERO. it's a joke. it's all lowest common denominator navel gazers who, when they exert any intellectual energy, merely copy what the flavor of the month is in japan.

a nation of copiers.

most of us teach english here and can count on one hand the number of students that acually seem interested in learning.

as unwell remarked the gaining of knowledge is difficult, takes time and the love of learning to do so.

most thais want instant gratification. they can't seem to understand that learning takes work. work is not fun. so...you have a country full of dullards who can tell you which shop is having a sale and how much a nokia costs, and nothing else. no wonder the chinese will turn this place into a sweatshop.

a nation of street sweepers and the ultra-rich that own them.

What Asian schools & educational systems need to develop is critical thinking skills...

i agree totally. but who can teach them these skills? certainly not the thai teachers that are products of the same disastrous system. and not foreigners because...hey!..."we're thai. this is our country. if you don't like it then get out. meanwhile can i buy the answers from you for next friday's test?"