Mr. Kriangkrai Sungthong began teaching at Dipangkorn Wittayapat School five years ago. As a young teacher, he used the rote learning techniques that he had experienced growing up to educate his students. Despite his best effort, he struggled to engage his students and make them care about science.
Although he desperately wanted to find a way to engage and empower his students, there are few high-quality professional development programs available to teachers in Thailand. As such, rote memorization remains the most prevalent teaching method in Thailand. This approach prevents Thai students from learning the content knowledge and skills (critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration) they need to succeed in the 21st century.
In 2018, Mr. Kriangkrai joined Kenan’s professional development program, where he gained access to high-quality training and hands-on mentorship from Kenan’s experts and master teachers, as well as received all the equipment necessary to implement inquiry-based science activities in the classroom. Kenan provides comprehensive professional development to thousands of teachers in Thailand, with a focus on those teaching STEM subjects. Through this work, Kenan is changing the way Thai teachers are educating the next generation and opening up new, high-value career pathways for students nationwide.
The program transformed the way Mr. Kriangkrai taught and his students learned. “After I joined the program, I changed my teaching style,” says Mr. Kriangkrai. “I understand my students better. Some of my students didn’t understand when they learned from the textbook. But they do now because we use inquiry-based, hands-on learning in class.” To see how the program has changed the way his students are learning, watch this video about Sasiwan, an 8th grader in Mr. Kriangkrai’s science class.
Kenan now offers companies of all sizes the opportunity to support our work to deliver 21st-century learning across Thailand. If your company is interested in transforming the education of Thai students, fill out the form below to learn how you can sponsor a teacher.
