Curriculum Development
National Curriculum
In Chiang Mai, Junior High School (grades seven through nine) is also included with the following additional subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Physical Education (replacing Health Education). With regard to the different religious affiliations of the children, respective classes (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam) and comparative religion classes are to be offered.
Sixty percent of the national curriculum is imposed while an additional forty percent is open to individual curriculum development. The obligatory 60% that are imposed already exist and do not require any further development. A framework exists for the Kindergarten. However, it is flexible enough to leave room for independent development based on the principles of the Situational Approach.
The Situational Approach
The curriculum is structured according to learning areas that are termed ‘Centers of Excellence’. Curriculum modules are developed for these areas based on key real-life problems and children are motivated to address and solve these problems. That implies the creation of such situations and their surrounding conditions. A ‘spirit of entrepreneurship’ shall shape every Center of Excellence and Entrepreneurship Education is paired with the education towards intelligent modesty.
General goals
The goal of the Situational Approach is to support youth and children in their development of autonomous and competent addressing of present and future problems with respect to their communities (solidarity).
Autonomy refers to self-determination, individual initiative, and independence. Competence implies knowledge and skill to act properly in complex situations. Competence is conveyed in comprehensive social settings, which is why the Situational Approach differs from a conventional conveyance of knowledge that focuses only on individual ‘pieces of a pie’.
Solidarity means a sense of community and an awareness of sharing the world. This includes protecting the weak, not discriminating others, being equitable, peaceful, and striving towards conciliation, not power over others.
Connecting the national curriculum to the Centers of Excellence
The more modules are being developed within the Centers of Excellence, the more subjects of the imposed part of the curriculum will be translated into the new structure. Since the development of modules requires additional knowledge not covered in conventional subjects, other sources of knowledge such as the Internet, books, experienced experts, and interns have to be accessed.
The national curriculum is not eliminated but its elements are being partially adapted and re-structured. Knowledge from conventional subjects and other sources is being focused on and applied to the projects of the Centers of Excellence.
Cooperation between teachers and the curriculum developers
Teachers and curriculum developers work together closely. The curriculum developers give their input and then the teachers come up with a model of ‘best practice’. The curriculum developers observe and report on this.
Report on developments
Every model is developed, evaluated, and documented (in print, audio-visual media, and internet forums). Documentation shall be conducted in such a way that it can be used with pleasure. It should read like a newspaper rather than an educational book. The following could be examples of documentary forms:
• Report on reason for and progress of project
• Interviews with participating children and adults
• Factual information on the project
• Pictures and movies
As a result, a growing number of documented modules are created for each Center of Excellence. Those modules then combine to form the new curriculum.
Trauma Therapy
With help of experts from Innot GmbH (Munich) and Step Foundation (Freiburg) an integrated trauma therapy concept could be organized and implemented through in-service training programs for teachers and other staff of the School for Life. It is intended to establish linkages between internationally recognized therapy approaches with local healing methods. The new knowledge deriving from this linkage should also be integrated into the curriculum development process.
Teacher Training
The ongoing teacher training contains the following conceptual features: an anthropology with the child being the author of its own development, important teaching and learning methods such as discovery learning, learning in projects, social entrepreneurship education, community education, situational approach, trauma therapy and curriculum-development.
The teacher training is also supposed to form the basis for the development of a Teacher Training Curriculum which will be used for external in-service teacher training outside the School for Life, and eventually it is designed to become a part of the operational manual.