October 10-11, 2020 at Pote Sarasin Building, Khon Kaen University - The IRDTP for ASEAN organized a workshop for teachers regarding Lesson Study and Open Approach. The workshop was arranged under the Teacher and School Development Project to continuously upgrade education quality and was subsidized by the Education Equity Fund.

Assoc. Prof. Jumpon Rachwijit, Advisor to the Institute for Research and Development in Teaching Profession for ASEAN explained that this workshop was the first of its kind under the Teacher and School Development Project to continuously upgrade education quality. It was the second class of 2020 and had as its objectives to build a basic understanding of the Lesson Study and Open Approach innovation as well as of the project implementation approach. The participants would be the key people that helped the project to grow. They included school principals, academic teachers, and Grade 1-3 teachers, giving a total of 150 participants from 30 project schools, consisting of 29 schools are located at Khon Kaen province and one is located at Nakhon Sawan province.

Associate Professor Dr. Maitree Inprasitha as Vice President for Education and Academic Services and Acting Director of IRDTP for ASEAN announced that Khon Kaen University was ranked the first in Thailand, making two consecutive years in the top rank, as the university with the greatest impact on humanities according to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by April 2020. On top of that, Khon Kaen University scored highest in promotion of quality, equality, and life-long education as well as in the promotion of good health among all ages of citizens, reduction of income gaps both inside and outside the country, and integration of work with all sectors in the world for sustainable development.

In this line of reasoning, this workshop was aimed to continuously upgrading education quality by giving importance to the promotion of quality education and promoting the integration of work with all sectors in the world for sustainable development according to SDGs. Besides the activities in the workshop enable all the participants to acquire basic knowledge in the Lesson Study and Open Approach, which are the key innovations of the IRDTP for ASEAN. The participants will be able to observe the classroom where these innovations are being applied, see how the classroom builds the 21st Century skills for the students, and see what school principals and teachers should do to have such an innovative classroom, what are the lesson plans and implementation process should be taken.

The workshop was conducted in two days. On the first day, there was the offering of textbooks and instructional media to the project schools. This is followed by the sessions of introducing the project and the operational schedule of the project, which was run by the Acting Director and Advisors of the IRDTP for ASEAN. Besides Associate Professor Dr. Maitree Inprasitha presented a special lecture on the topic of “Lesson Study and Open Approach: The Innovation for Continuous Education Quality Upgrading”. On the 11th of October featured the Open Approach activity, integrated instruction management, world geography learning unit, ‘Knowing COVID-19” class for Grade 3 of Khukhampittayasan School, Khon Kaen taught by Khun Khru Pacharin Sata. Finally, there was an activity in planning a lesson using the Open Approach based on the Whole School Approach concept.