Educational Innovations for Learning through Research – Based Projects

Phophanpunya Research Project : Educational Innovations for Learning through Research – Based Projects

Institute for Innovative Learning, Mahidol University

Title :

Educational Innovations for Learning through Research – Based Projects

Researchers :

Asst.Prof.Dr.Piyachat Jittam
Asst.Prof.Dr.Namkang Sriwattanarothai
Asst.Prof.Dr.Watcharee Ketpichainarong

The Thailand Research Fund and Kasikorn Bank PCL. have supported Phophanpunya coaching and mentoring center at the Institute for Innovative Learning, Mahidol University, in action research aiming to promote “systematic thinking” and “self-constructing knowledge” in teachers of 10 schools located in Samut Songkhram, Samut Sakhon, Nakhon Pathom, and Bangkok. To achieve this objective, the researchers in this project coach teachers who subsequently coach students to improve critical and creative thinking skills during research-based project (RBP) design. There are 4 sets of activities for enhancing teachers’ skills in teaching RBP including (1) Contemplative education activity to help teachers to understand oneself and the spirit of the teacher. This activity helps teachers set the classroom up as a safe learning space and have horizontal relationship with students. Students would feel comfortable, be assertive, and have the will to learn; (2) A set of activities to develop thinking process skill called “Cause and Effect”. This set of activities could help teachers to design the lesson. Under the concept of backward design thinking, teachers will analyze students’ responses and use these responses to generate a new set of questions instead of providing the answer. These questions will stimulate students to think more and to link their own prior knowledge or experiences to a higher-level knowledge in an aha moment; 3) Research-based learning in which students conduct research projects related to their own school context; and 4) Professional learning community or PLC via both face-to-face and social media which provides good opportunities for teachers, for example, to share their own intrinsic knowledge, or to find better ways of solving some problems. In this community, the processes of writing reflection, providing constructive feedback, and conducting After Action Review (AAR) are facilitated by the researchers. The roles of the researchers are to encourage the teachers to be better teachers, be more creative, and think positively within their individual contexts.

Applied Research Project to Usage :
1.) Teachers and students who join the research project will be able to think scientifically, i.e. cause and effect, develop learning skills as well as know the way to construct knowledge, which are the major components for human development in the 21st century.
2.) Research-based learning provides concrete learning experiences for students to develop 21st century skills.
3.) At least three schools have adopted the RBL process schoolwide under the supervision of the researchers.

Award Grant related to the Project :
TRF Outstanding Award 2014 from Thailand Research Found on May 21, 2015.

Publishing :
• ปิยะฉัตร จิตต์ธรรม (2558). “เพาะพันธุ์ปัญญา…เรียนรู้และเติบโตอย่างช้าๆ กว่าต้นกล้าจะผลิใบ” ใน สุธีระ ประเสริฐสรรพ์ และคณะ (บรรณาธิการ) “สะท้อนคิดคือเรียน: ความรู้สึกในความงามที่ผลิบาน โครงการเพาะพันธุ์ปัญญาปี 2”. สงขลา: บริษัทนำสินโฆษณาจำกัด. หน้า 21-45.
• ปิยะฉัตร จิตต์ธรรม (2557). “พี่เลี้ยง…การเรียนรู้จากประสบการณ์นอกตำรา” ใน สุธีระ ประเสริฐสรรพ์ และคณะ (บรรณาธิการ) “รอยจารึก บนเส้นทางเพาะพันธุ์ปัญญา”. กรุงเทพ: สำนักงานกองทุนสนับสนุนการวิจัย. หน้า 407-416.
• ศูนย์พี่เลี้ยงโครงการเพาะพันธุ์ปัญญา มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล (2559). “ก้าวข้ามสู่ความเปลี่ยนแปลง ของครูเพาะพันธุ์ปัญญา” 65 หน้า.

/Key Contact Person :
Asst.Prof.Dr.Piyachat Jittam
Institute for Innovative Learning, Mahidol University
pjittam@gmail.com