November 29 (NMG): Teachers Training for Burmese Teachers (TTBT) in exile has concluded six-month-long teachers' training in Chiang Mai and new teaching method, student-centered which prioritizing the student’s ability to analyze, was introduced as a break through from traditional by-heart learning techniques.

The teachers' training was attended by the total of 25 participants, nine teachers who were currently serving as teachers at border schools on Thai-Burma border and 16 who had completed their basic education.

Suitable teaching techniques "for all" by recognizing different abilities of students from various backgrounds were discussed in the training, Dr Thein Lwin who organized the training on new teaching techniques said.

In the graduation ceremony, Dr Thein Lwin, who got PhD from Newcastle, England, said “In Burma, if a student can memorize by-heart on the given lecture and good at Maths, he/she is entitle to good grade by tradition. Schools in Burma don't acknowledge other abilities of students and that’s why most of the students who have such kind of potentials could not enjoy their schools and finally they dropped out from schools. In this training, we encourage and train our teachers to acknowledge the abilities of students from different backgrounds and let them enjoy their schoolings.”

In the training, the participants were taught Burmese, English, Mathematics, Geography, History along with other compulsory subjects as such Basic Computer, Librarianship and Thesis Writing.

The participants were introduced the teacher’s role as to facilitate the learning process of students and accessing the ability of students by means of analyzing and practicing the facts that they have learnt while not only to get higher marks through by-heart learning.

Asking when the prospects of these new teaching techniques will be successful, one Karen teacher participated in the training Naw Dae Nyar Phaw said “I believe this new teaching technique will be successful. What I mean success is the students will have critical thinking when the teacher’s role is to facilitate and guide on their knowledge. And, they will have more idea and critical thinking.”

Dr Thein Lwin who completed his PhD in Education from Newcastle University along with four other Burmese professional teachers in Education was the trainer of this training.

Network Media Group