ISMTEC 2016 Preparing a Workforce for the Future October 19 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ISMTEC 2016 Preparing a Workforce for the Future October 19 – Bangkok, Thailand

• Mrs. Rebecca Petersen, Global PRiSE PhD Program

(Pragmatic Researchers in STEM Education) Texas Tech University, USA

• Mr. Amarin Apirakmas, Professor & STEM Ambassador

Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, THAILAND

Thailand’s STEM Ambassador Program:

Program Overview / Objective:

• Thailand’s initiative is modelled on the UK's STEM Ambassadors.
• By working with IPST through the Newton Fund, Thailand British

Council is helping to support knowledge exchange and partnership opportunities between UK and Thai institutions on STEM Ambassador approaches.

• The objective is to build human resource capacity in vital areas

for economic development and social well-being.

• IPST is aiming to recruit STEM Ambassadors each year –

professionals, either retired or still employed by universities, government organizations, or working as local experts.

• IPST first began training its Ambassadors in February 2015.

* This slide copied and/or paraphrased from: THIS WEBSITE

Thailand STEM Ambassadors Video

Video Link HERE

How It Started at our School:

• Teacher Becky is an American elementary teacher at a Thai

government school for the past 11 years. She is committed to making STEM Education pedagogy a reality in the local schools.

• With the approval of Director Sinchai Samphanphorn, Teacher

Becky started a Grade 1-6 STEM integrated curriculum model at Anubanchonburi School (District Mueang; Southeast Region) for its 18 English Program classrooms.

• Anubanchonburi School is now in its 5th Academic Year of its

dedicated STEM program.

• Teacher Becky met Frank Fearn (British Council STEM

trainer) and Amarin Apirakmas (Thai math professor/STEM ambassador) during this initial training. Lesson Learned: YOU should pull information and resources to you and your school….it usually will not make it’s way to you in a timely manner

• therwise…unless you have the patience of

an old monk.

Then I….

• Got real excited about the possibilities available to our

students

• Went to our regional STEM Center

(Chonradsadornumrung Secondary School) requesting a meeting with our 11 regional STEM schools and recently trained Ambassadors by IPST.

• Personally drove around in a truck with one of our Thai

teachers to go door-to-door inviting members and making phone calls.

• Hosted the meeting at our school on March 17, 2016.

And then I…

• Started a social media and Line group with the objective
• f sharing and communicating information among our

local schools wanting to utilize our regional Ambassadors.

• Continued to follow Thailand STEM news on IPST’s

WEBSITE

• Kept in contact with Fred Fearn, who shared his work-in-

progress with me, as well as provided me with ongoing mentorship.

• Invited UniThai Engineering (our local

Ambassador company) to present to three of our Grade 5 classrooms on June 15, 2016.

SEPSA FB Page can be found by clicking HERE which also contains the meeting PPT

And then ……

I awoke one morning and suddenly realized that nothing more seemed to be happening.

????????? ??????????

Lessons Learned:

• Being diligent is a noble characteristic, but

understanding and being respectful of local culture is prudent (although I had power-approval from the top, I did not have local buy-in, from sideways or below).

• I over-stepped my bounds; I was too impatient to wait

for initiatives from our Regional STEM Center (a pro in the short-term but a con in the long-term?)

• Programs are not sustainable without said buy-in. If

Director (power & control) goes…then what; will the torch be carried forward?

• In hindsight, a more

rigorous STEM marketing and training campaign for both local teachers and parents would have been beneficial.

Plan B: We adapted the underlying concepts of the Ambassador Program to

• ur local community members
• We had a strong parent community network that had

been growing over the past four years.

• Our social media presence was already proven to be

effective for communicating quickly and efficiently in getting needed resources for school projects.

• The Director allowed STEM teachers the academic

freedom to conduct parent meetings to plan and carry

• ut STEM Ambassador-type mentoring projects.
• We had a grass-root movement to not only recruit, but

to also train, the expert work force base of our students’ parents and relatives….using IPST’s guidelines.

• We had approximately 50 Ambassador projects

already in our first school term (5 months) of this year.

Our Ambassador Projects So Far This Academic Year:

Class(es) Date Special Activity EP5 Weeks 2 to 4 Skeleton Leaf Fossils and Photo Frames Engineering EP6 Weeks 2 to 4 Hydraulic Cloning Diagrams Engineering EP5 Week 2 Onwards Using Personal Devices (PDs) for learning during instruction EP4 Week 2 Water Transport in Plants Lab Experiments EP4 Weeks 2 to 5 Vascular Bundle 3D Models Engineering EP6 May 23-25 Sounds and Rhythm Show for Each Growth Stage EP6 Week 2 Pen Pals with American Students Collaboration EP6 May 30 - Jun 1 Digestion Simulation in the Lab Experiments EP 3 Jun 2 Stomata Microscope Observation in the Lab EP5 EP6 Jun 8 Internet Safety Guest Speaker; Hand-to-Hand Foundation EP6 Week 3 Cooking ASEAN Food in the Kitchen EP4 Week 3 Plant Transpiration Lab Experiments EP1 Jun 8 Pharmacist Guest Speaker; Mrs. Suneerat Kittikhun EP3 Weeks 3 to 5 ASEAN Zoo Models Engineering EP5 Jun 15 STEM Ambassador Guest Speakers; UniThai Engineering and Shipyard EP3 Week 4 Emotions and Feelings Jigsaw Engineering EP4 Week 4 Factors Affecting Plant Transpirations Lab Experiments EP2 Jun 16 Dentist Guest Speaker; Dr. Napaporn Wongphadungtham EP1 Jun 17 Basic School Skills Station Rotations EP1 Jun 28 Fish Dissection in the Lab EP6 Weeks 4 to 5 ASEAN Food Information Board Making EP6 Week 6 ASEAN Food Festival Recipe Writing EP6 Week 6 ASEAN Food Festival Fliers Making EP6 Jun 29 ASEN Food Festival Music Jingles Class(es) Date Special Activity ALL EP Jun 29 ASEAN Food Festival School Event EP1 Jun 22 Police Officer Guest Speaker; Mr. Anupong Wongchai EP4 Week 7 Skeleton Models Engineering EP4 Week 7 Photosynthesis in Leaves Lab Experiments EP4 Week 7 Making Fruit Juice Innovation Engineering EP6 Week 7 Healthy Heart Menus Making EP5 Weeks 7 to 8 Pollination 3D Illustration Engineering EP4 Week 8 Fruit Juice Making EP4 Week 8 Innovation: Fruit Juice Logos ALL EP Jul 22 Juice Jamboree School Event ALL EP Jul 28 Natural vs Unnatural Habitats Twitter Event: Pros and Cons of Zoos and Aquariums School Event EP3 Week 13 Happy Family Photo Albums Engineering EP6 Week 15 Family Conflicts Skits Presentations EP4 Aug 24 Field Trip to Mangrove Conservation Park EP3 Aug 24 Young Architects Bridge Engineering EP1 Aug 26 Stick Engineering Challenges EP5 Aug 26 Field Trip to Nam Bueng Chicken and Buffalo Farm EP4 Aug 31 Accountant Guest Speaker; Anusorn Scandanrun EP5 Sep-Oct Edible Lunar Vehicles USA Collaboration EP4 Sep 2 We Are Family Day Station Rotations and Shows EP2 Sep 8 Musical Madness Showcase and Presentations EP1 EP6 Sep 14 Authors Tea Party Event EP3 Sep 15 Bridges Exhibition & Voting School Event EP5 Sep-Nov Global Moon Project Collaboration EP5 Sep-Dec Digitween Global Collaboration

Preparing ASEAN Food Stick Engineering Challenges

Authors Tea Party Basic School Skills Stations

Internet Safety Workshop Young Architects Bridge Making

Chicken Farm Mini Field Trip ASEAN Festival

UniThai Ambassadors Dentist Guest Speaker

Innovative Juice Making Hydroponics Growing / Cooking

Lab Experiments We Are Family Day

Twitter School Event

Edible Lunar Vehicles (ELV) Engineering

ELV Global Collaboration with NASA

Musical Madness Showcase Global World Moon Project

Lessons Learned:

• Work with what you have but don’t reinvent the
• wheel. Many of the national initiatives can be

adapted on a school-level.

• You can’t do it alone. Having a strong home-

school connection is essential. Maximize the benefits of using social media (i.e. Facebook, Line, Edmodo, Twitter).

• Don’t be afraid to ask your community members

for support. It takes a village to raise a child. Costs can be shared.

• Plus, it’s more fun for both students and teachers!

Students are more engaged in learning when their local community members are part of their

• education. It fits the mold of making STEM

education meaningful and applicable to real life.

A brief overview

• f how

Thailand’s Ambassador program has been working in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region.

Amarin Apirakmas

S T E M

• Lecturer of Mathematics, Nakhon Pathom

Rajabhat University (University & University Demonstration School) A M B A S S A D O R

• STEM Ambassador in Western & Central

Regions

• STEM Local Trainer of Nakhon Pathom province
• Director of Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University

STEM Education Center

My STEM Ambassador Role

• I have been trained by IPST

National STEM Education Center and became Thailand’s official STEM Ambassador in March 2016

• Then I was invited by many schools

and universities in Thailand, mostly in the Bangkok metropolitan region

My STEM Ambassador Role

• Student Inspiration; introduce the

exciting world of STEM careers for all students (regardless of ethnicity, gender, social status, religion, disability)

• STEM Teacher Training; help

identify parts of the Core Curriculum to apply to problem based, hands-

• n learning activities

How can I work?

• On-site via direct contact or official

invite letters (if I’m not available, I

• ffer other Ambassadors in the

network)

• On-line via Line Group (STEM

Ambassadors 902), Facebook (STEM Ambassadors Thailand, STEMEdThailand.org, NPRU STEM)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is STEM?
• Why mathematics, science, Thai,

English, etc?

Where did I visit students?

• Elementary schools in Nakhon

Pathom province

• Elementary schools in Ratchaburi

province

• Secondary schools in Samut Sakhon

province

Where did I visit teachers and educators?

• Anubanchonburi Elementary School

in Chonburi province

• Institute for the Promotion of Teaching

Science and Technology in Bangkok

• Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University

in Kanchanaburi province

• Provincial STEM Hubs

Some Examples of Events

Mathematics Skills Development and Promotion Camp Wat Pai Lom Elementary School, Nakhon Pathom province March 2 – 3, 2016

Some Examples of Events

SEPSA Schools: Inaugural Meeting Anubanchonburi School, Chonburi province March 17, 2016

Some Examples of Events

Potential Development Camp by STEM Education Krathumbaen Wisetsamutakhun School Samut Sakhon province May 1 – 3, 2016

Some Examples of Events

Workshop on STEM Education Local Trainers in IPST University Network The Ambassador Hotel Bangkok May 19 – 22, 2016

Some Examples of Events

Conference on STEM Education for Educational Supervisors The Ambassador Hotel Bangkok June 20 – 21, 2016

Some Examples of Events

Workshop on STEM Education for Suphanburi Provincial STEM Hub Kanchanaphisek Witthayalai School, Suphanburi province September 26 – 27, 2016

STEM Local Trainers vs STEM Ambassadors

To construct vs To decorate

Rebecca Petersen Amarin Apirakmas

rebecca.petersen@ttu.edu aballa_thailand@hotmail.com