Joyful learning with a positive aspect
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thai schooling is becoming more violent and aggressive. Recent news items reported that female students got into fights at school and that a female student was raped by a male student. And a video clip was taken in order to blackmail the victim. What has happened to Thai children?
Meanwhile, a rise in the number of study hours in the week and the months in the year, bombarding students with information, is causing brain damage, a rise in school dropouts, mental illness and suicides.
It seems Thai children have suffered through the old education system and now they want a change for the better.
Dr Kiatiwan shared his bitter experience of the old education system, which has been teacher-centred.
When students made mistakes - for example, one of them was asked to spell the word apple and he did it wrong - they were punished by whipping.
Students were trained like robots in order to please teachers with the "right" answer.
"In my opinion, students don't deserve to be blamed and punished for the smallest errors. Blame and beating is not helpful. For me, when both parties are under stress and violence occurs, the response needs to be quickly changed, but not in a punitive way," Dr Kiatiwan said.
To offer a new way of learning for children, and help make them happier in their schooling, Dr Kiatiwan decided to establish Amatyakul School.
Through the use of neo-humanist education, his schooling method is radically different from others in Thailand.
What is neo-humanist education?
According to Dr Kiatiwan, neo-humanist education was pioneered by the Indian philosopher Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. This theory places great importance on the development of the full potential and self-development of children in all aspects of life, from physical to mental and from social to spiritual. Another highlight of this method is to teach students self-awareness and self-love.
"We believe the innate capacity of the human mind is truly wonderful, and every child born with this awesome brain-mind has the full potential to be a genius. As a result, it's our duty to help develop the highest human potential in our students," Dr Kiatiwan said.
Positive and negative perfection
The professor added that perfectionism can help drive people to achieve their goals and motivate them to overcome obstacles and challenges. There are two types of perfectionism - positive and negative.
In a negative way, it can be in the form of comparison, "Your brother is far superior to you", and the use of negative words such as stupid, fat, stubborn, greedy, weepy. Fear is also a negative, "Don't play alone in darkness, you will be haunted", and the use of violence - a strict upbringing, the idea of spare the rod, spoil the child.
Accelerated learning is also negative, such as increased hours of study, excessive homework and tutoring. Negative perfection can be very damaging.
"Children reared under strict instructions, high pressure and violence can be compared to animals that are trained in a circus. Imagine how a lion tamer trains a lion to do a circus act. Of course, he hits the tiger in order to make it do what he wants," Dr Kiatiwan said.
Positive perfectionism can build self-image, giving the child a sense of respect and accomplishment, through giving compliments, allowing a child to learn by doing and offering love and affection.
''You know, what we say has a very strong impact on children's emotions and feelings,'' Dr Kiatiwan said. ''We should give compliments _ cool, cute, brilliant, good, awesome, or saying such things as, ''I like when you smile, can you do it every day'', instead of laying blame. Doing this will help children develop self-confidence and feel good about themselves.''
The majority of schools in Thailand have employed negative perfectionism in their methods. Amatyakul School's system is considered positive perfectionism.
Curriculum highlights in neo-humanist education
- A unique schooling method
According to neo-humanist education, priority is placed on developing a love of learning. This new approach also focuses on ''learning by doing'' and ''hands-on'' activities which students can apply to real life.
Moreover, the teaching approach is guided by the students' natural hunger for knowledge. In other words, students can learn at their own pace through play, games and creativity.
A neo-humanist school provides students with a relaxing environment, with classrooms dotted with plants, creating an environmentally friendly atmosphere.
Students are also spoiled for choice in term of activities, from sports to art, and music to cooking. They can develop their ultimate physical and mental capabilities and expand their own interests and talents as well as polish their innate skills.
- Loving and caring teachers
Teachers are expected to be role models for students and therefore they should be disciplined and have high moral character.
With a loving and respectful relationship between teachers and students, they can exchange ideas freely, leading to optimal learning. Importantly, teachers must have strong interpersonal skills so they can communicate clearly when interacting with students.
''Our teachers have undergone a basic training session on neo-humanist education since they first joined the school. Also, they are occasionally sent to attend seminars such as, 'How to teach young children to be a genius and happy, in line with neo-humanist approach', and, 'How to create good energy and success using neo-humanist psychology', arranged by Thammasart University.
''These training sessions can help them fully comprehend this new educational method and they can apply it into their teaching,'' the professor said.
- Yoga and meditation
At the school, yoga and meditation are practised every day. Yoga can help enhance children's flexibility and promote overall health. Meanwhile, meditation can help them be calm and focused on their learning.
''Apart from yoga and meditation, we also provide students with soothing music at the beginning of the day. It can help increase Alpha brainwaves, leading to optimal learning,'' Dr Kiatiwan said.
- Eat and live in a healthy way
As we know, food affects mood, behaviour and brain function. For instance, a high sugar intake may cause hyperactivity in children.
''We always provide our students with healthy meals, which are low in sugar. Food high in refined sugars is often low in nutrients. We try to feed them natural foods and fresh vegetables. Students are also given a vegetarian meal every Friday,'' Dr Kiatiwan said.
- The development of a child's brain
Dr Kiatiwan said important emphasis is also placed on the development of children's brains. Scientists say that movement should begin early in children and be continued for optimal brain development. To this end, the school provides students with a wide variety of activities, such as gymnastics, running, swimming and dancing.
''If students are provided with an environment conducive to learning, taken care by attentive, friendly teachers, fed with natural foods, offered routine exercise, they tend to learn faster and more effectively,'' the professor concluded.
THE POWER OF LOVE
Dr Kiatiwan Amatyakul
Love is one of the most powerful emotions you can give to children. Many studies show that people who were given love and affection when they were young, tend to be responsible, confident, secure, optimistic and happy when they grew up.
Dr Kiatiwan has five basic ways that parents can give their children tender loving care.
Put a smile on your face Smiling is a simple act. Your smile can communicate warmth and sincerity to children.
Give compliments This verbal expression can help develop self-confidence in children and enhance a sense of achievement.
Make eye contact Eye contact is one of the most important signs of confidence and social communication. Parents and teachers can make eye contact with children in order to enhance their self-esteem
Give a hug Always say good morning with a hug to your children. At our school, very young children are given a warm hug daily in the morning.
Greet Wai to each other to show respect. When children give you a wai, always return it to them. This can be a great equaliser between both parties.
WHAT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HAVE TO SAY
Studying at Amatyakul School is a real pleasure. I’ve been studying at the school since kindergarten. What impresses me most is the teachers, who are attentive, friendly and easygoing. With their pleasing personalities, we find it comfortable to talk to them.
In addition, what I’ve learned from the school can be truly applied to real life. For example, I was taught to keep smiling at people.WhenI had the chance to study in America for a year, I smiled at people I met andmade a lot of friends. Myeasygoing nature mademepopular.
Chutimon Nimfuk,
a grade-12 student
Iam impressed by the school’s soothing environment, which is decorated with lush green spots scattered around the school. Sports facilities, such as a tennis court, basketball field and a wide range of sports equipment can keep us healthy and happy.
I would like to thank Dr Kiatiwan for making our schooling more pleasurable and bringing joy and learning into our lives. Big thanks to him.
Ninphan Kesjala,
a grade-6 student
Igot a surprise when I first joined the school. Neohumanist education is totally different from what I was taught. It took me a couple of months to adapt to the system. By offering several choices of activities, students can develop their abilities and skills. And music is a perfect option. Our school’s students have unique personalities, which are open, confident and relaxed.
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