Incentivar el desarrollo de tecnologías de proceso y de productos

It is important to consider both the negative and positive aspects of globalization on the Thai education system. Globalization has a significant impact on the education in Thailand in areas including curriculum and educational management. Chaleyo noted this as follows:

Globalization has become very much involved with the educational management process. In the past, learning depended on knowledgeable teachers and [then] teachers had to impart their knowledge to their students. Nowadays, it is a must for teachers to change their method of teaching. That is, they have to teach how to search for [build] knowledge.

This can be interpreted as a call for new pedagogies that are different to long established (traditional teaching methods). Chaleyo further emphasized the need for curricula change in order to support the productive use of globalization and accordingly new processes for teaching and learning. This may involve encouraging more activity-based skills and creative thinking in classrooms. There needs to be more open discussion and debate in order for students to develop themselves as independent learners and problem solvers. New ways of learning such as these will assist students to acquire the ability to create new knowledge and tackle pressing problems that they face in their lives, communities and society. Chaleyo, Ruenrung and others are saying that unless such changes occur, students will not be equipped to deal adequately with the (positive and negative) effects of globalization. Education systems around the world have been responding to the same challenge with new curricula and revised principles for learning and teaching. An example

is the New Basics curriculum and Productive Pedagogies in Australia (Hayes et al., 2006). Ministry of Education policy maker Dr. Ruenrung stressed the point this way:

It is difficult to organize an effective education system in the world of globalization. Society has changed drastically but in the past, the world was not so complex and chaotic. It was not difficult for teachers to teach but now, when they teach their kids what things should be like, the reality is that things are different in the outside world.

She observed that the process of developing an education system today is more complicated due to rapid changes as a consequence of globalization. It is my contention that if new curricula and ways of delivering education are to assist people to become familiar with globalization and understand how global factors affect their lives, then these changes in education much address the need for new social imaginaries.

Preecha Jitsing made a similar comment on the effects of globalization on education when highlighting the influences of communication technologies:

Globalization has had a great impact on the education system. With the arrival of globalization, the communication system has become speedy and direct. For example, information can be accessed very quickly. The good point is that it contributes to our ability to learn more quickly. We are able to catch-up in the international arena in terms of knowledge acquisition.

He believes that in promoting the use of technology globalization has presented (even demanded) new methods of learning, including use of the Internet, which allows students to access new information, ideas and knowledge rather than relying only on text books, teachers and traditional teaching. Globalization, further, impacts not only on education systems but also affects teachers’ visions and perspectives. The effects of globalization have had the most influence on younger teachers at this stage; but this will change and all teachers, even the resistant, will respond and deal with those effects. Of course, from an educational perspective, there is always a need to ensure appropriate quality control when introducing new technologies into the classroom. The situation, further, is not one where young teachers have all of the solutions and older teachers have to ‘catch-up’ for, as.

Preecha observed, there are adverse effects associated with globalization that need to be taken into account:

The impacts of globalization have recently caused problems in the teacher development sector. We have to introduce a new way of thinking in our development system. Teachers of the older generation have to be developed so as to be able to accept or dampen their ill feeling against change and teachers of the new generation, especially those who have graduated from abroad, have also to accept that this is Thai society. It is unarguable that they are advanced in academic matters but in terms of the culture of the organization, the new generation should not ignore Thai culture and our country’s independence. There must be a point where the two generations can come closer to each other. We have to look for and find this compromising ground. Therefore, teachers of the older generation have to develop in accordance with change. We have organized training for the leaders of change – those at the administrative level. We have put much effort into this. Thus, combining skills from both sectors will prove beneficial. Implementing seminars will be important for these two groups to work together and to train them to adapt to a globalized society.

It is clear from comments such as these that globalization impacts differently on teachers. Preecha’s remarks again highlight the problem of old versus new ways of teaching and learning. This helpes to clarify the research question posed in Chapter 1; namely, ‘What are the differences and similarities between the old and new ways of teaching and learning in Thailand?’

As with many other countries, globalization has encroached on Thai society naturally through technology such as the internet and the global media (McChesney, 2000). There is no doubt, as Sinlarat (2005) has stated, that “the growth of globalization and the development of the Internet has made the transfer of knowledge seemingly limitless, countless, and timeless, and learning occurs instantly and everywhere” (p.266) and it is basic argument of this thesis that the positive benefits of globalization must be reflected in educational curricula and in teaching and learning methods.

A challenge for Thai education is to introduce such technology into schools so that students have access to knowledge ‘instantly’, thus providing them with a richness of material beyond what text books alone offer. The challenge for teachers and school systems is to ensure that students can take advantage of the benefits of this technology without, at the same time, discarding what is still useful in other educational media; in other words, the challenge is to integrate multiple sources of knowledge. The introduction of technology also means that the role of a teacher cannot remain the same. It was noted earlier in Chaleyo’s remarks that the teacher’s role must change from being information- centred to that of a facilitator who monitors students’ independent learning while guiding them in the process. At the same time, the teacher has responsibility for exercising quality control over information for students to ensure that it is useful and not harmful.

The communication system in the globalized world is able to greatly enhance the Thai education system. However, we have to pay attention to the management of the learning system. That is, teachers must develop new teaching methods and they must be able to differentiate between teaching media – understanding which should or should not be deemed as appropriate for consumption – instead of focusing on imparting knowledge to students. This enables students to acquire knowledge by themselves but their teachers still play a vital role in suggesting the right approach to media consumption. (Chaleyo)

Chaleyo acknowledges that globalization and the education system are mutually connected. Similar ideas to his on the management of the learning system have been expressed by Ampra and Thaithae (1998), who suggested that “teachers should be focusing on: integrating content from daily life; making greater use of activities, rather than textbooks; using different learning materials in a variety of ways; making students the centre of learning activities; and reducing explanation and helping students construct knowledge from various sources” (p.130). In discussing these new roles for teachers, the school principal Paitoon argued that this about effective planning:

Teachers must have teaching plans – what to teach and what media to use, what instruments will help students to learn and what they will learn. Teachers have to set objectives. In order to achieve the greatest benefit, they may have

to discuss with students what they are going to learn. Students should take part in planning to encourage their interest.

This latter point could be extended to argue that just as students should become partners in change within schools, so too should the opinions of the broader community be considered with regard to the introduction of social policy affecting Thai society. Unfortunately, a criticism sometimes leveled at politicians in Thailand is that they pay scant regard for public opinion and this makes that process difficult and risky.

While globalization in the form of technology influences Thai society in providing new ways of learning, the society as a whole has a responsibility to recognise that not everything that comes from the new technologies is of benefit (Castells, 2001). As Ruenrung said:

New ways of learning from globalization are needed in the Thai education system, but these have to be implemented with care and everything needs to be considered with an understanding of its advantages and disadvantages.

In providing new ways of teaching and learning, and in assisting students to become independent learners and have greater control over their sources of knowledge, students will have the opportunity to develop more confidence and this, it is argued will contribute to the development of a social imaginary, where young people play a more active role in the development of their society. The above commentaries therefore provide strong confirmation that globalization introduces new ways of learning into society through technology and is able to create knowledge that can lead to the development of social imaginaries. These ideas are further presented in the discussion in Chapter 6.