The Challenge of Science Education in Thailand

Published in TC NewsMakers
7/7/2009

In an article published in the Bangkok Post on July 7, TC’s Thomas Corcoran outlines his views on the challenges in the teaching and learning of science in Thai secondary schools. Corcoran directs the College’s participation in the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), the oldest federally funded education policy center in the United States, of which TC President Susan Fuhrman is the founding director.

“The biggest problem that students face is time,” says Corcoran, a curriculum expert who has played a major role in TC’s work in Jordan. “The problem is, basically, at Thailand's lower-secondary level. Only 120 minutes a week are allocated to science. That's about half of what most of the rest of the world provides for that age group. A typical schedule would include 240 to 250 minutes a week for science.”

Corcoran led a project evaluation of the Inquiry Based Science and Technology Education Program (IN-STEP), a public-private science education initiative designed to improve teaching and learning in science in Thai lower secondary schools.

To read the full story, go to http://www.bangkokpost.com/life/education/19811/in-step-expert-more-time-needed-to-study-science.
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