Education 4.0: Make use of your own digital teacher
Re: “Let’s tap the Web to teach children English”, Editorial, February 25.
The Web is indeed a powerful tool for students, but tapping the benefits of educational apps and online tutorials isn’t as simple as it sounds. Without the right motivation and attitude, mastering a language is not possible.
In 2008 I began archiving articles on education in Thailand, published by the media, United Nations, Ministry of Education and others. I quickly noticed a recurring trend – an emphasis on what was missing, wrong or inadequate in Thai education.
Prominent on the list were rote learning, limited student engagement or discussion, the absence of hurdles to clear before passing to the next grade, and a lack of motivation.
Add Thai students’ poor results in global and regional ranking tables, and a picture emerges of a system seemingly tuned to produce mediocrity.
The crucial factor of motivation was highlighted in a 2013 study at King Mongkut University of Technology titled “Motivation and English Language Achievement of Thai Undergraduate Students”.
Without the prerequisite motivation, students using their smartphones to study single subjects through websites like www.khanacademy.org and www.ted.com (Ted Talks) are unlikely to maximise the benefits. I recently packed memory sticks with Ted videos, Thai transcripts of maths and English tutorials and some “Yes You Can” pages – and gave away three to local Mathayom students. Next week it’s time for the feedback.
But a better idea would be to increase the overall level of motivation for learning, using pedagogical instruments in combination with Buddha’s teaching of the Four Iddiphada (intention, will, consciousness and investigation). With this springboard, Thai students could maximise the significant educational potential of smartphones and the Web.
Dirk Sumter
