Teacher Supanut Insiri, or known as Nook, brightens every class session with his warm smile. Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Nook initially had aspirations of becoming an engineer, never considering a career in teaching.
During his formative years, Nook attended a boarding school with the intention of pursuing a university education in engineering. However, his path took an unexpected turn when a compassionate teacher intervened during a challenging period. This educator’s unwavering support transformed Nook’s life, prompting him to alter his career trajectory. Instead of engineering, Nook made the heartfelt decision to pursue a bachelor’s degree in education, specializing in mathematics. Reflecting on the impact of his mentor, Nook became emotional while sitting for his teacher certification exam, acknowledging the profound inspiration this teacher had been in his life.
Today, Nook is an esteemed teacher at the Bankaodin School, located two hours from Bangkok. Although he found his previous teaching experiences to be somewhat lackluster, the collaboration between Boeing and Kenan Foundation Asia under the project of Boeing Technology Enhanced Learning Project proved to be a groundbreaking opportunity. Nook immediately noticed the program’s remarkable interactivity, offering a plethora of engaging activities and increased avenues for his active involvement. It breathed new life into his teaching, enabling him to explore innovative methods of captivating his students’ interests, fostering independent thinking, and facilitating comprehensive comprehension of concepts.
Kenan and its master trainers provided Nook with valuable skills, such as the Japanese style of organizational teaching, the 5P’s approach, and the think- pair- share concept. The Japanese style of organizational teaching named ‘ Bansho’ instructed him on how to structure and arrange the information on the chalk or whiteboard, employing a left- to- right method that eliminated the need for constant erasing. This technique allowed students to visualize the concept’s progression from start to finish while aiding Nook in identifying areas where students might be struggling. The 5P’ s method effectively broke down class time into anticipating, monitoring, selecting, sequencing, and connecting enhancing the flow and coherence of lessons. Lastly, the think- pair- share strategy fostered collaborative learning by encouraging students to think independently, share ideas with peers, and ultimately present their thoughts to the entire class.
Implementing these teaching approaches revolutionized Nook’s classroom, leading to a remarkable improvement in his students’ understanding of the subject matter. Previously, around 50% of his students were failing his 50-question exams, scoring below 25 out of 50. However, with the hands-on and interactive learning methods introduced by the program, over 50% of Nook’s students now achieve scores of 25 or above on these exams. The results speak for themselves—the method works! Nook himself has also seen a great improvement in his teaching style whereas prior to the project, he was lecturing his students and didn’t feel engaged with them. However, now he is able to see the direct impact of how interactive learning as made him a better teacher thus allowing his students to grasp a better understanding of the material.
With an unwavering commitment to teaching, Nook envisions dedicating his entire life to the profession. Nook’s aspiration is to continue inspiring students through interactive and experiential learning, igniting a passion within them that mirrors the impact his boarding school teacher had on his own life. Thanks to Boeing and their collaboration with the Kenan Foundation Asia, this impact can be parallel to teachers all across Thailand.
