The "teacher who doesn’t speak"

Students at Khelangnakorn School in Lampang spend much time outdoors with "the teacher who can’t speak". Do you think this teacher is an effective one?

students studying flowers

Story and pictures by TERRY FREDRICKSON

The first thing I saw when I entered the Khelangnakorn School in Lampang were groups of students gathered around clumps of flowers. When I got closer, I could see that they were sketching the flowers in their notebooks and labeling the parts. Do you think they were learning anything? The first thing I saw when I entered the Khelangnakorn School in Lampang were groups of students gathered around clumps of flowers. When I got closer, I could see that they were sketching the flowers in their notebooks and labeling the parts. Do you think they were learning anything?

I wasn’t sure, so I asked them some questions. First of all, I found out they were M1 students. This was a science class and they had first studied about flowers in class. They also had reference books on the subject.

At first I thought the students were on their own – that their teacher had left them alone. That was not the case, however. In fact, she was going around to the various groups, making sure her students were not just looking at a single flower.

Later in the day, I saw many more students from other classes studying the many varieties of plants and trees found on the large – 251 rai – campus. The land used to be a forest and the school has done its best to preserve the original plant life. School director Archarn Juree Sroypett refers to the environment at her school as the "teacher who can’t speak".

Here are some questions for you to consider and discuss.

You can easily learn about the parts of flowers from a lecture by your teacher or from books. Do you think it is useful or necessary to work with actual flowers?
Why do you think the teacher wanted her students to look at different types of flowers?
Who or what is "the teacher who can’t speak"?
Do you think this teacher can be an effective one?
Many people believe that students at city schools in Thailand get a better education than students in rural schools. Do you think this is usually true? Is it always true? Do you think Khelangnakorn students might have an advantage over city students in some classes? If so, which classes?

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