Saturday March 23, 2024 – Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN (IRDTP) organized the 17th National Open Class. The event was honored to have Mr. Yuthaporn Pirunsarn, Vice Governor of Khon Kaen to preside over the opening session. Among distinguished attendants at the ceremony were: Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University; Assoc. Prof. Kittichai Triratanasirichai, Ph.D., Vice Chairman of the Lanna Raja Mangala University of Technology and a Former President of Khon Kaen University; Assoc. Prof. Maitree Inprasitha, Ph.D., Vice President for Education and Academic Service of Khon Kaen University and Acting Director of the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN; and Asst. Prof. Nattapat Anatateerakul, Assistant to the President for Education and Academic Service. Representatives from networks of the education sector also attended.
Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University mentioned in his guest-welcoming address that as an academic institution, Khon Kaen University sees it very important to support and cooperate with Khon Kaen Province to develop the city as a Smart City in many aspects, including development of Smart People. The National Open Class, as one part of this, demonstrates the educational quality development that goes deep down to school level, through the implementation of the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN of KKU and the Center for Mathematics Study Research with their various networks. The objectives are to develop education and research in real classrooms, connect the teacher preparation system with teachers on duty, and support the deployment of the whole system of school quality.
“I believe that the deployment of citizens through upgrading of educational quality, which involves instructional development that increases classroom quality, based on the TLSOA and the 17 years of National Open Class, will be the foundation for sustainable development and the base for collaboration with the province towards becoming Khon Kaen Model. Welcome all to the 17th National Open Class.”
Next, Assoc. Prof. Maitree Inprasitha, Ph.D., Vice President for Education and Academic Service of Khon Kaen University and Acting Director of the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN gave a reporting speech, mentioning that the 17th National Open Class was scheduled on March 23-24, 2024 in Hybrid Meeting Style. The event was under the collaboration of Khon Kaen University by the education and academic service section, the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN, the Center for Mathematics Study Research, the Excellence Center for Mathematics of Mahidol University, the Mathematics Study Association, the Foundation of Education for Development of Thinking Skill, the Buddharaksa Foundation and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF).
The words ‘Open Class’ in Thai is ‘Perd Chan Rian’. It is a process in instructional development to sustainably upgrade the classroom quality. At the beginning, the Lesson Study innovation, which was an innovation carried out with the APEC Lesson Study Project of Tsukuba University, Japan, and the economic network, was modified to suit the context of classrooms in Thailand. And that was how the Open Class emerged until it became the “Thailand Lesson Study Incorporated with Open Approach (TLSOA)”, which is an educational innovation broadly accepted internationally.
“The development of the whole system of school quality is a process in which not only the classroom teachers carry out, but also the school director, teachers from other subject groups and other grades, educational supervisors, or personnel from other institutions, who can also create the working culture in team. The learning of learners in the classroom is emphasized. Real classrooms are used and teachers and personnel of all levels learn together to understand and accept the concept of the students. Emphasis is also on continuous development using school as the developmental base, so that the classroom quality will be upgraded and finally resulting in preparation of ‘smart people’ who are the major foundation of a ‘Smart City”.
Mr. Yuthaporn Pirunsarn, Vice Governor of Khon Kaen said that as Khon Kaen has the policy to become a Smart City; the deployment in education with research and innovation is very important. He was pleased to see that the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN has carried out research work and instructional development to upgrade the quality of classrooms for a long time. He also sees that attempts that the Institute and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) have extended the TLSOA innovative model at the Khon Kaen Provincial Educational Service Center, and that there are 62 schools under the Offices of Primary Education Service Areas 1-5 regularly joining.
“The development of Khon Kaen as a smart city began from the fact that the growth of Khon Kaen City has been of a leaping style. Khon Kaen has become the center of the Northeast, with a lot of people knowing, interested and coming to Khon Kaen. In addition, there is Khon Kaen University where the educational System is of high quality. So it can be expected that if Khon Kaen Province joins with the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN, KKU and all educational institutions in Khon Kaen, we will be able to move forward towards becoming a Smart City, where quality of education is increased and sustainable.”
The administrators, lecturers and students of Khon Kaen University, directors of educational service offices, educational supervisors, directors of schools, teachers and interested public from everywhere in Thailand who attended the 17th National Open Class were able to meet experts in instructional Innovation development from all regions of Thailand, listen to special talks from experts in education in the country and abroad in the forums about Lesson Study, watch the 20-year documentary, the research and innovation route of TLSOA and see the exhibitions of schools that use the innovations from classroom development.
Teachers of Ban Nong Kung Wittayakan School, Muang District, Khon Kaen, that sent representatives to join in the Open Class activity said that they learned about the project from online public relation and so became interested and joined with the hope to be informed of the new classroom management. Their students would be able to develop their thinking process, more than when teachers lead the class and students receive the information. They said they were interested in applying Generate AI such as Chat GPT to assist in building more efficient classrooms. They felt happy that Khon Kaen University offers this opportunity for different institutions to learn together for the efficiency of Thai education.
For this 17th National Open Class, the organizers were aware of the Digital Disruption in using digital technology to upgrade the quality of educational and social services. Therefore, the pattern of the event was in Hybrid style, including both on-site at Khon Kaen University, and online at the Website: www.openclassthailand.com There were over 1,000 participants at this event.
News / Photos: Phanit Khatnak
