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Kids rock on with Songkran fun
Suchada Tupchai
As part of the Songkran festivities, Hard Rock Hotel
Pattaya hosted 40 children from Pattaya School No 7 for a day of fun filled
activities under the Kids Wanna Rock Project IV. Hard Rock general manager
Andrew Khoo, hotel staff and honoured guest Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhaya, TAT
Central Region 3 director, welcomed the children to the hotel on April 13.
Ready,
go!
The youngsters were unleashed upon the hotel’s giant
pool for a morning of games including boat and tyre races and windsurfing,
where they worked up an appetite under the watchful eye of lifeguards.
 Fun
on the banana boats.
Everyone moved onto a great lunch before the
afternoon’s activities got underway, with the kids showing no signs of
tiring. The afternoon fun also included the grown-ups - hotel guests - with
a special “Papa Somtam” race to see who could make the fastest spicy
papaya salad in the east.
Andrew Khoo said that it is part of Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya’s policy to
be actively involved in community development.
Songkran
fun at the Hard Rock.
Stunning first year culminates in graduation
REPS school celebrated the end of its first year with a week of
wonderful activities. Children enjoyed outings to Khao Kheow Open Zoo, and
Eastern Star’s beach pool as well as cooking and art activities.
The
highlight of the week was the K3 graduation ceremony.
The highlight of the week was the K3 graduation ceremony
on March 17. Students and parents enjoyed a variety of dance and musical
performances before cheering their K3 friends as they accepted their
certificates and graduation presents.
Head Teacher Lucy Howett said, “I am so proud of this class. They have
worked hard and played hard and their standard in Thai and English is very
high. They have especially excelled at reading and conversation and it’s
wonderful to hear them switching languages in the playground. We would like
to thank everyone who has been so supportive of our school in its first
year; we are delighted with this success.”
ADVERTORIAL: M. Ed. in TESL at Burapha University
International Graduate Studies Programs, Faculty of
Education, Burapha University is now offering a Masters Degree in Education
in Teaching English as a Second Language (M. Ed. in TESL).
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chalong Tubsree, dean of Faculty of
Education, told Pattaya Mail that Burapha University realized the
significance of the role of teaching English in Thailand, especially in the
Eastern Region where the communities have greater opportunities to be
exposed to and communicate with foreigners. At present, the trend of
teaching English in a bilingual or a multilingual school in Thailand is
still in great demand for parents and their children. It is consequently
necessary to prepare high-quality teachers of English to serve the needs of
the communities.
Apart from the M. Ed. in TESL, the Faculty of Education
also offers a Certificate and a Diploma in TESL for those who would like to
become qualified English teachers, or those who would like to enhance their
teaching career in English.
Both Certificate and Diploma levels are parts of the M.
Ed curriculum, and all courses can be transferred to the Masters program.
Courses are taught by qualified and experienced
lecturers. Trainees and students will be fully equipped with knowledge and
understanding of theories, techniques and practice for teaching English as a
second language.
Interested persons can apply now and throughout the
academic year. Apply or ask for more information at the Office of
International Graduate Studies Programs, Burapha University, Queen Sirikit
Building 1, 169 Long Haad Bangsaen Rd., Tambon Saensuk, Amphoe Mueng,
Chonburi 20131, Tel. 0-3839-3252, 0-3839-3499, fax: 0-3839-3498,
0-3839-1043, http://inter.buu.ac.th e-mail: [email protected]
PM speaks of urgent need for curriculum reform
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has announced an urgent need to reform
the Thai school curriculum, saying that it is imperative to strengthen the
minds of young people and enable them to understand the advances of human
thinking.
In a wide-ranging speech on his weekly radio address to
the nation, the prime minister pledged that over the next four years his
government will adjust the architecture of the Thai education system to
better reflect the development of the human brain at each age.
Comparing education to house construction, he said that
if the techniques used were wrong the house would remain weak, but that if
the techniques used were correct, the house would be strong enough to
withstand further extensions in the future.
“The brain is the same. If we organize a good design
for knowledge, or a good curriculum, if we look after children from birth
to ensure the development of their brains and learning which accords with
this, it will be like creating a house with strong foundations. When the
brain of a child is strong, they can continue learning throughout life,”
he said.
With educational reform near the top of its political
agenda, the government has promised to distribute gift packages to all
newborn children from July 28 onwards, with the contents of the packages
designed to allow parents to help in their infants’ development. (TNA)
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