They are often unfairly maligned, but I have personally seen many educators — administrators, lecturers and teachers — go to great lengths and show great passion for learning new things in the current less than perfect circumstances.
I admire how they have stood up and committed to going way beyond the usual to help the young people they are responsible for. They have found ways to work within and around the heavy bureaucracy. I think we should applaud and support them to empower their development and the future of the workforce.
As a parent and an educator, I have seen evidence of their progress. Thai educators have now learned the basics of education in a digital world. In 2022 their challenge will be to build on this. In 2022 they must go beyond just teaching in front of a screen and develop the digital skills needed to offer a complete and quality education. Educator development will demand that they familiarise themselves with the technology and learn newer techniques to reach students better.
But isn’t school open again? Yes, kind of, for now. But technology is here to stay.
I am optimistic. Thai educators have shown the willingness to do new things like generate discussions in a digital environment, reimagine student evaluation, and make the most of digital communication. They have survived the first steps out of the comfort zone of face-to-face classes and discovered new kinds of teaching and learning. This has immediate and long-term ramifications for how we train educators. This means new and innovative solutions have to be put in place immediately.
Accepting change
Thailand has traditionally spent a lot on education, and traditionally the results haven’t been great. That’s why enrichment centres and tutoring by star teachers are such lucrative businesses. But the last 12 months could overturn even that, with foreign competition more accessible than ever and new startup EdTech businesses making current offerings and approaches obsolete.
Students’ expectations and experience of education have been transformed. Like the proverbial Genie, they can’t be put back in the bottle. Teachers need to know that the normality of the past will not return. Everyone involved in education, especially front-line educators, have to confront the new reality and take responsibility for upskilling themselves. They must admit that updating the necessary digital skills and capabilities will make their work easier.
But technical skills represent only half the equation. The technical skills that teachers need — and that they also need to develop in their students — won’t work unless combined with the human skills that make them truly powerful.
For example, participants in a data analytics course that my company has been running with a famous Thai university have learned to understand that data is one thing. Being able to make the data tell stories is another. In another programme we ran with educators from universities nationwide, participants saw that they needed to create students with a lifelong learning mindset so that they would continue to learn outside the classroom. That meant they had to become this kind of person themselves.
In another example, experienced educators from leading institutions saw they had to empty their cup before they could refill it and go from good to great by adding new skills to improve student experiences.
Thai institutions and educators have discretionary budgets for self-development. I think that whatever their station, field or specialty, now is the time to plan and invest in what will make them better. Professionals in every field face this, but educators especially. So, where to start?
- First, educate yourself about what is available to help you. There is so much cool stuff being developed in education at home and abroad. A lot of it is free and requires no investment beyond your time and efforts
- Evaluate your options. Don’t invest your precious time without checking what people say about the experience and its effectiveness. Look for these firsthand stories, even reach out to these people, and see if it is really for you.
- Learn what the future requires. Things are changing so fast that it is a good time to get ahead of the curve. See which skills will be hot in the new future. Don’t be reactive but build the capabilities for your students and the next stage of your career.
- Throw out the old. Take time to unlearn and relearn. Identify old and ineffective practices that don’t fit the future.
It may seem overwhelming, but today is a great time to be an educator. Some may decline the challenge and step off, and that is okay. But with new concepts like the Metaverse threatening to completely reinvent educational possibilities and the capabilities to deliver them, standing still is the worst possible option.
Arinya Talerngsri is Chief Capability Officer and Managing Director at SEAC — Southeast Asia’s Lifelong Learning Center. She can be reached by email at arinya_t@seasiacenter.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/arinya-talerngsri-53b81aa. Talk to us about how SEAC can help your business during times of uncertainty at https://forms.gle/wf8upGdmwprxC6Ey9