August 1, 2000
Chalk and walk Jungle fowl conservation was the original inspiration for a group of teachers in Southern Thailand to reform their teaching methods. Innovative schools in Songkhla province are finding that taking kids out of the classroom brings a variety of benefits. Children learn to be more appreciative of local wisdom and more inquisitive about their surroundings-and what they can do to improve them Story By Chompoo Trakullertsathien Pictures by SOMKID CHAIJITVANIT When the residents of Sadao district in Songkhla province gave up hunting jungle fowl, they helped to not only save the rare birds from extinction, they also stumbled across a new approach to education. Here's how it began: Over a decade ago, the southern forests of Sadao were teeming with a wide variety of flora and fauna, including jungle fowl. But the birds had almost died out because of severe deforestation. In response, a group of hunters decided to rescue the once-abundant jungle fowl by giving up hunting. They also set up the Jungle Fowl Conservation Club in 1990 to persuade more residents to help. Members came from all walks of life and included teachers, police, monks, village headmen, and community leaders. The "Save the Jungle Fowl Campaign" quickly expanded and eventually covered the whole of Sadao district. After some success, they decided to go one step further by setting up a breeding centre to increase the jungle fowl population. Ban Lum in tambon Samnak Taew in Songkhla was chosen to be the site of the breeding centre. Full-grown fowl were captured from the wild and bred and, in time, several hundred chicks were born. "When they were big enough, we released them back to nature. We chose places where they could live and reproduce safely," explained club leader Supot Saengchan. In 1992, some members of the club in various villages became interested in breeding the species by themselves and then releasing them into the jungle. A three-year breeding programme yielded stunning results. While the hunting declined, the number of jungle fowl rose. Jungle fowl have become a familiar sight at many households-it's not unusual to see the creatures foraging for food in orchards and on rubber plantations. Word of the Sadao villagers' conservation success spread far and wide. Countless local organisations invited members of the Jungle Fowl Conservation Club to talk about their experience. Stimulating exchanges with other communities on the changes in their way of life prompted Sadao residents to analyse their society, environment, education, and culture. Learning is not limited to the classroom, as students of the Ban Nam Hua School in Song Khla province happily found out. To cope with the rapid change swamping their communities, Sadao residents agreed that their children needed a new learning system. They called it pratchaya gaansuksa baeb kaituen, meaning the "jungle fowl educational philosophy". Supot explained: "We call the old educational system the 'farm poultry' method. Chicken farmers bring food and water for the animals to eat, causing them to lose their ability to find food on their own. "While chickens are passive, jungle fowl are dynamic, adaptive and self-reliant because they have learned to find food for themselves." Supot compared farmed chickens to students who are spoon-fed by their teachers. Rote-learning weakens their analytical and independent thinking skills. It's the big failure of our education system," he said. A Bangkok-centred education system, he added, has destroyed the children's love and pride in their own communities. "They're not interested in their ancestors' wisdom and see no value in the elderly. Most of them feel ashamed of following their ancestors' footsteps and doing agricultural work." In 1994, the Ban Nam Hua school was the first to replace the old teaching method with the "jungle fowl" philosophy. In charge were three teachers who belonged to the conservation club: Supot Saengchan, Suchart Suriyangyong, and Supab Kaewdaipan. An additional five schools joined shortly afterward. At Ban Nam Hua, the children learn through direct experience and research. "We take them out to see real things, and learn from real people," Supot said. The teachers include villagers, monks, and nature. There has been no problem finding teachers as there are many villagers knowledgeable in their own field of work, said Suchart. "Knowledge can be found in real life, the community, and nature. Teachers only give guidance to the children," he added. "Consequently, pupils are reconnected with their community." One of his Prathom 6 pupils said, "Studying textbooks in the classroom is boring. It makes me sleepy. I love studying real things outside the classroom. "When I have questions, the teachers will help answer them and if I want to know more I can do my own research and report on what I have found to my friends. This way, I learn more and it's a lot more fun." As part of the new educational programme, the teachers take students to visit village elders to learn from them about their roots and the community's history. "If we want to go firmly into the future, we need to know about ourselves, our history and be appreciative of our ancestors' wisdom," Supot said. The "jungle fowl" educational approach does not divide subjects into different academic fields, but integrates them into one holistic, interconnected topic. If students want to study the community's water resources, for example, they can study them from the point of view of mathematics, science, art, English, social studies, or even music. From a social studies angle, the students can research the lives of those who live near water resources. For maths, they can study water quantity. For English, they can learn the vocabulary of water. The topics they study are endless and the outdoor classrooms can be just about anywhere in their community. The students become interested in community problems and how to solve them. During their first year with the new educational approach, students explored the natural world, learning how they relate to the natural environment and how their behaviour can harm it. The three pioneering teachers from the Ban Nam Hua School, who believe self-teaching is the best way to strengthen a child's creativity and thirst for knowledge. The next year, 1997, the scope of studies was narrowed. In the "New Generation Pays Attention to Rubbish" project, students learned to analyse the garbage problem in their community and to find a solution. "The students went to a garbage heap and learned where it came from and how to properly get rid of it. They also learned of its usefulness and harmfulness," Suchart said. In 1998, the Jungle Fowl Conservation Club launched a campaign called "Water Lovers Community", focusing on the conservation of water resources. The members of the club visited other villages, exchanging their ideas with villagers about water conservation. This campaign spread to other communities. As a result, 29 schools joined in. During the campaign, students collected information on all aspects of their water resources, including history and legends about the birth of rivers and the species of fishes there. They also evaluated the quality of the water resources and identified problems. The fruit of their labour was a 500-page document that now serves as a reference on water resources. Another main goal of the "jungle fowl" study philosophy is to promote appreciation of local wisdom among the youngsters. From this came a project among 45 schools to study Songkhla's traditional crafts, foods, herbs and traditional medicines. Again, the villagers, particularly the elders, were the students' sources of information. This helped boost their respect for the long-neglected wisdom of their ancestors-and bolster their elders' pride. Forty-one schools in Sadao district have adopted the new approach. The three teachers expect 20 more to join their reform within the next year. "We won't abandon textbook studies. But our main goal is to encourage students to see things from all points of view and to learn how they are interconnected," Supot said. The new learning process has helped sharpen the students' minds and their observations about the things that surround them. In addition to helping them learn, the process has also helped them gain an appreciation of the wisdom and skills of others, as well as to boost their interpersonal and sharing skills, and their empathy-all of which helps build character. "That," Supot said, "is true learning." Info for donations: - Contact person: Supot Saengchan - Address: Ban Nam Hua School, Sadao district, Songkhla province, 90120 - Bank account name: Chomrom Anurak Kaituen (The Jungle Fowl Conservation Club) - Bank account number: 586-2-10236-5 - Bank: Thai Commercial Bank, Padang branch - Bank account type: saving account - "We care" is a fortnightly series honouring people who believe in giving. In addition to supporting these causes, you can let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts. Fax "We care" on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net. 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