Busara Aeampee
Satit Pattana School, Thailand
busara@satitpattana.ac.th
Background and Problem:
Self confidence is a main component of life skills and personality which has to be form and developed since early childhood. Therefore, self confidence is an important learning outcome of kindergarten 3 students. To develop self confidence, a kindergarten teacher had to set up friendly, supportive and positive learning environment. At the same time, creating opportunities to share values and good practices and to learn in various ways to serve a learning community as well as self-reliance and adjustment were required. This year, Satit Pattana School a large private school in a suburb of Bangkok, Thailand, expanded the collaborative 5-step learning process into kindergarten levels. To support teachers’ learning and professional practice, kindergarten teachers had to redesign the lessons collaboratively through Lesson Study (LS) with Professional Learning Community to develop our students’ self confidence
The study objectives were to analyze:
1) To analyze important aspects of the redesign of the lesson plans to support self confidence development of kindergarten 3 students.
2) the changes in self confidence of the students.
3 teachers’ professional learning and practice development through Lesson Study (LS) and Professional Learning Community PLC.
Target Group:
23 Kindergarten 3 students of Satit Pattana School.
Study Instruments:
1) A Self Confidence Development Assessment Form,
2) 3 redesigned plans, and
3) A Teacher Log Book
4) A Self – Evaluation of Planning Form
5) A Self – Evaluationof Lesson Plan Implementation Form
The findings were as follows:
1) Each of the 3 redesigned lesson plans was structured by 5-step learning process (questioning, searching, constructing, communicating and servicing) with collaborative learning in a small group of 4 diversified ability students. The learning concepts were “teacher” and “peer”.
2) Totally, the 23 students lead gain scores on the Self Confidence Development Assessment. Of the 5 key behaviors of self confidence, 3 key behaviors shown high development. They were confidence in “speaking” “participating” and “cooperating”. There were 3 students did not show any development in “gesture” and “eye contact”.
3) Our school PLC members composing of a model teacher, a buddy, mentor, administrators, supervisors and experts. The Lesson Study Approach in our school consisting of 5 activities in a learning cycle. They were “analyzing the learning indicators and standards, planning lesson plans, doing learning management and seeing student learning together with PLC members, reflecting students’ learning by PLC members and redesigning learning activities and classroom management from PLC reflections and classroom action research”. Working collaboratively with buddy teachers and PLC members in LS cycles and PLC meeting supported me to better understand each of my students’difficulty and needs which were essentially regarded as important bases for improvement of my supports to the children self confidence development.
