Published Works

AN IDEAL CLASSROOM IN AN IDEAL SCHOOL: VALUES, COMMUNITY, AND POSITIVE EDUCATION IN AN EARLY YEARS’ SCHOOL IN THAILAND

Written by: Riya Monga

Work place: Humming Bird International School, Khet Taling Chan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Thailand-101170.

Link: Innovative Peadagogy - Full(2).pdf

ABSTRACT

This article looks at the idea of an ideal classroom in the context of an ideal school, with a focus on principles, society, and good education in an early year’s school in Thailand. This article explains how important it is to teach ideals like kindness, respect, and cultural understanding in the school, based on the ideas of overall development. It shows how important it is to have a strong sense of community, where people can work together to learn and get along with each other, which creates a good learning environment. This article emphasizes the integration of positive education practices, focusing on the holistic wellbeing of students. The discussion focuses on how to use CHAPTER - 41 480 ISBN: 978-1-80433-935-0 mindfulness, moral education, and social and emotional learning methods that are specifically designed for Thailand’s culture. By making a space that values both academic and social-emotional growth, the ideal classroom helps to shape well-rounded children who are ready for the challenges that lie ahead. Keywords: Values, Community, Positive Education, Early Years Education INTRODUCTION In today’s environment, research has proven that a school with strong values and positive teaching may benefit students, staff, parents, and the community’s social, emotional, mental, and physical health and wellness. (Scotts College Adelaide 2014). This is essential for shaping my ideal school’s identity. The article will discuss my dream classroom at my ideal school and how I want to make it a reality by bringing together community, excellent education, and personal beliefs. In my first piece, I will explain why the principles that will be adopted in my dream school are important based on my previous experiences in educational environments. I will outline potential issues that may arise as a result of my principles and beliefs. I will also clarify any complications that may emerge as a result of the location in Thailand. The second section will consider how I will incorporate values into my school curriculum. I will explain the importance that positive education has in child development (Rosier and McDonald 2011). In addition, I will discuss the reason why it is important to involve parents and the community in my school curriculum. 481 Innovative Pedagogy and Learner Centric Approaches in Digital Era In the third section, I will look at how my school will utilize its indoor and outdoor space to make it student-friendly. The indoor learning environment will examine the use of learning areas and furniture placement. I will discuss how visual wall displays and information computer technology (ICT) can help student education and involve the school community. I will explain how the outdoor learning environment will assist teaching, assist students’ social-emotional development, promote gross motor skills and fine motor skills, and aid the local community. I will conclude by outlining how educators at my ideal school could benefit from the rewards of professional growth in the last part. I will discuss cultural variations among teachers, methods of evaluating classroom observation, and how this may be a powerful tool to foster a more global perspective at the school. VALUES Values are what we believe in. Values help us figure out what is right and wrong in a world where everyone has them. There are a lot of different ideas about what should be valued in schooling. Bottery (1990), named the “four codes of education” to show how different educational ideals work. These are cultural transmission, which uses society and culture to teach, child-centered approach, which focuses on each student’s unique needs, social reconstruction, which uses education to fix today’s broken society, and GNP code, which aims to create students who will work hard to make the economy grow. All four theories have good points when it comes to education, but the two that most closely match my own beliefs are the child-centered method and social rebuilding. 482 ISBN: 978-1-80433-935-0 It was suggested by Schiro (2013) that teachers who use the social rebuilding method want to make society better and grow it as well. I agree with the social rebuilding theory that says students shouldn’t just focus on learning, but also on growing through school, making the world a better place, and thinking critically. Through teaching in schools, both individuals and groups can make a difference in social change (Zacko-Smith 2012). Having foreign interests, accepting differences in faith and culture, working with the community, and supporting one another are some of the ways that my ideal international school would make the world a better place (Haywood 2007). As a teacher of preschoolers and kindergarteners, I have relied heavily on a child-centered approach. At my school, every student is valued for who they are and what skills they possess. Clapper (2009) states that in a child-centered classroom, students take the lead and the teacher plays a supporting role, assisting the students in developing practical life skills like social awareness and critical thinking. Figure showing the students group activities in the classroom. 483 Innovative Pedagogy and Learner Centric Approaches in Digital Era In the above photo, the students gather together to experiment on how to make bootblack. The Teacher acts as a facilitator while students try to figure out the correct amount of ingredients to add into the mixture. In the next part, I’ll write about how the lessons can support the beliefs of my dream school.

CURRICULUM

Most Early Years schools around the world use the same program, which includes learning about math, reading, writing, the environment, and being creative. (Bertram and Pascal, 2002). Certain elements of the program at my ideal school are very important to me. The primary objective that my school will focus on is social and emotional growth by incorporating children’s hobbies, ideas, and issues into all the subject areas. My program has an extensive list of learning goals. To help students grow socially and emotionally, I will include positive education in my dream school’s lessons. “A positive education teaches both everyday skills and how to be happy.” (Seligman et al., 2009: 293). While I was a student, I saw and experienced unfair treatment based on race, gender, social class, and income. This is one reason why social rebuilding beliefs will be a part of my ideal school. “The main goal of Positive Education is to encourage mental health that is flourishing in the school community” (Norrish et al., 2013:148). There are three parts to the definition of flourishing: mental well-being, social well-being, and psychological well-being. It is suggested that programs supporting positive education start in the early years since events that happen in childhood can have both positive and 484 ISBN: 978-1-80433-935-0 negative effects during the adult stage of life. (Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth 2006). There should be a mix of activities led byadults and activities led by children in the school, both inside and outside. Using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for personal, social, and emotional development in my ideal classroom according to the Early Education (2012) guidance would help children work together to play, understand the need to share, express their feelings and emotions, try new things, be able to ask for help and adapt their behavior to different situations. These views and values are very important for students to learn at my ideal school, which has a program built on a good education that helps students enhance. When schools use positive teaching, some issues may arise. When the Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee looked at data about how to use social, emotional, and psychological health in Early Years schooling, they found several problems. One problem is that there isn’t a lot of proof that fragile students younger than 5 years enhance their development, especially when it comes to children from different racial groups or whose families have mental health issues. However, there is some evidence to suggest that EYFS can help enhance children with social, emotional, or psychological problems early on (NICE 2012). The students that have different first languages and backgrounds are important concerns for my ideal school to consider. Such as differences in society can cause students to act in different ways in the classroom. It is important for the students to feel welcome in the classroom. Even though English will be the main language used throughout the course, they will not be 485 Innovative Pedagogy and Learner Centric Approaches in Digital Era told they can’t use their home language to talk and write. (Spahiu 2013). When I teach at my school, I will project-based learning. One class could have an Early Years group making an African drum using provocations that can be recycled. The students will use their artistic skills to make the drum while also learning about different cultures and the value of taking care of the earth by recycling. Using the drum to dance and play music in class could help students improve their math skills, social skills, and physical health. (Australian Government, 2011).My dream school would use the community along with the lessons to teach various types of theme work all through the school year. Having taught Early Years with the idea of “community helpers,” I can say for sure that having parents and members of the public in the classroom adds good value. Parents will have the chance to teach their children about their jobs and lead school lessons. Figure showing the activity for developing Surviving skills 486 ISBN: 978-1-80433-935-0 In the above photo, an activity of theme based, “survival skills” was being conducted. Teacher and students got together to make camp fire and cooked some food. This is a collaboration of Math, Science, English and Physical Development subjects. During the school year, the school will go on field trips to the neighborhood hospital, fire station, police station, post office, and various other community helper’s places. (Gestwicki 2014). Along with giving the students a chance to learn in a new real-life setting. Students should learn about different national holidays and festivals. This will get parents and the community interested in education and also show appreciation. The students can learn about important practices and customs from the Thai people because the school is in Thailand. My ideal school will have students from various countries, so it’s important that everyone feels welcome. During the school year, all parents and students will have the chance to share their knowledge of their cultures and practices with other parents, students, teachers, and the community in the school. Getting parents and the community involved in my program and the ideals I want to teach through it can be difficult at times. Parents might not want to be involved in their child’s education for several reasons, such as having to work, not feeling welcome, or not thinking that working with the school will help their child. Parents should feel at ease in the classroom. Parents should be involved, and teachers should explain why the program is the way it is and how parents can help. Parents will feel welcome in the classroom by having social events planned all year long (Penn State Better Kid Care Distance Education Lesson 2010). I will talk about how my 487 Innovative Pedagogy and Learner Centric Approaches in Digital Era ideal school will look, how it supports my school’s values, and some health and safety issues in the next part.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

In my dream school, there would be both a classroom and an open place that connects to make a whole learning space. The classroom arrangement could be switched out to connect with the school year’s topics and learning goals (Vogel 2012). The students will learn mostly on the floor in the classroom, which will make it easier for them to move around and make the most of the space that chairs and tables take up. This will also make it easier for the teacher to work with each student directly or with a group (Baridige and Sega, 2004). In the classroom, there will need to be some tables and chairs that can be used for more than one purpose. For example, they could be used next to a study area or as a different area for small group activities. Learners would be able to see and interact with everything in the classroom, including the chairs, learning tools, windows, and doors (Inan, 2009). The displays in the classroom will be related to the lessons and will be mostly made with supplies and help from the students. To keep the young children interested in the displays, the work on the bulletin boards will be changed often to match the lessons. If you need to review that subject again, you can use pictures of old displays (Severs 2013). Parents and members of the community can also see the students’ work and get information about the program on school bulletin boards and visual displays. Parents and other people in the community can see the students’ work when they come to the school. This makes the students feel very proud when they show their friends and family their work. 488 ISBN: 978-1-80433-935-0 Technology will be used in the classroom to help students learn and let parents know what is going on in the class. There will be interactive whiteboards in the classroom to get kids interested in and using ICT from a young age. Also, it will make the best use of the area as the tech hub of the classroom. Images, videos, and sounds of children’s past work can be shown on a dynamic wall. This will be used to show parents what their child has accomplished. An interactive whiteboard can also be used as a way to test students and keep track of what they see (Bell, 2002).Technology can also bring the community and the school closer together.Videoconferencing could be used with an interactive wall to help parents who are busy or live abroad stay in touch with the teacher in the classroom. The students will also have the chance to connect with people from around the world and share their stories with their families in a school setting (NAEYC 2012). Many advantagesof using interactive whiteboards in the classroom are outweighed by some negative effects. Every student in my ideal school should be able to access technology and teachers should be properly trained to use it. Play is an important part of school, and technology should help with that. It shouldn’t be used to replace or neglect social or physical activities (Wardle 2012). In my ideal school, the outdoor learning space will be just as important as the classroom. Exploring outdoors and living things will also help students build their social and mental skills. Playgrounds, wet and dry learning sites, and paths are all examples of things that can be found outside (NAAEE 2010). The students will help the school and neighborhood by building a healthy yard outside. This will be home to plants, 489 Innovative Pedagogy and Learner Centric Approaches in Digital Era animals, fruits, and veggies. The garden will be a part of the students’ lessons about nature, good living, and growth. People from the neighborhood and parents will also be able to use and take care of the school garden’s food to cook with the students and help with healthy eating lessons. The fruits and vegetables grown in the yard will be used at school and given to people in need in the area. In my ideal school setting, some problems may arise when working with Early Years students. It would be most important to think about the student’s health and safety. Inside, students would not be able to get to certain things and amenities, like electricity outlets, first aid kits, and other things that are not proper for children (The Supreme Education Council, 2007). It is very important to teach students about dangers, like what they can and cannot touch, before letting them play outside. Students will learn how important it is to keep animals, plants, and bugs safe while doing this (Moore 2014).

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The staff at my ideal school needs to take part in professional growth. This can be done by learning, getting official training, and getting to know your coworkers (Miller et al. 2005). My ideal school will hire professionals from a range of ethnic groups. The staff can learn about other cultures, share information, and make connections when needed when they work together (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2011). Observing teachers in the classroom is an important way to help them grow in their careers. One way to access observation in the classroom is to use multimodal semiotic analysis. A study by Kress et al. (2005) shows that when you watch a classroom to learn, you 490 ISBN: 978-1-80433-935-0 can use several different ways of multimodal semiotic analysis. This includes how the classroom is setup, how the teacher moves, what is shown visually, how people talk, look, gesture, and embody, as well as the sound of their voices and how they stand. Multimodal semiotic analysis is good in several ways. As an example, the watcher can find problems in the classroom that the teacher might not be aware of. The viewer can use the different modes to figure out where the problems are and where there may be patterns and differences. For instance, a teacher’s classroom plan might make it look like there is a lot of movement, but when seen in different ways, the teacher doesn’t use the area as well as they could (Diadori & Peppoloni, 2013). That way, the teacher can see how they can grow and figure out what mode needs to be changed to stop the classroom from being a mess. I have found that multimodal semiotic analysis helps me figure out how important things are happening in the classroom not just through words but also through several other modes. When conducting classroom observation, certain rules need to be followed. It’s not always clear what the observation goals are, and people with different social or cultural views might get the wrong conception. As an example, a teacher’s hand motions might be insulting to a student or spectator from a different society without meaning to be (Ting-Toomey 1999). When you work with people from around the world, you should discuss this and share new cultures and ideas. Observing someone in the classroom can also be seen as a threat. To make sure that professional growth is occuring, it’s important to explain why observations are made and give comments and helpful criticism (Scott 2011). 491 Innovative Pedagogy and Learner Centric

Approaches in Digital Era CONCLUSION In this article, I have described the way I plan to make my ideal school a place of principles, community, and good education. Personal, social, and mental growth is the key to my ideal school’s growth and success, as I’ve learned from past events and studies. This whole article has shown how important principles, good education, and children and the community perform well. That being said, the curriculum in this article is mostly about adding positive education to a current curriculum, but it could easily be used as a foundation for a whole new course of study. Parents and other stakeholders should feel like they are part of the school, especially if it is an international school. My ideal school will be a hub where teachers,students, parents, and people in the community can learn from and enjoy each other’s cultures and values. This school is located in Thailand, but I think the same idea could be used in other countries as well. By looking at the learning environment we talked about in this article, I think this is the best way to make school suitable for my ideal core values. I think that my ideal school could become a great place for foreign learning if the staff, students, parents, and community all worked together and shared personal observations from their cultural points of view.

REFERENCES

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