The’Black Box’,a self-directed learning kit, ensures education continues uninterrupted.
“Children who have experimented with the Black Box have tackled problems, developed a foundation of knowledge, and gone beyond the lessons contained within the learning kits,”
said Banchob Tetharat , Director of Ban Oa Taling Chan School, Sa Khut, Chumphon Buri District, Surin Province.
In situations where students cannot attend school or learn on-site, and with online learning facing many obstacles,
how will schools address this issue?
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, various educational entities have shifted their focus towards tools and innovations enabling children to learn independently when separated from their teachers. The same attention is directed towards the Continuous Quality Learning Project (TSQP), overseen by the Equitable Education Fund (EEF). The project staff aims to devise tools that enable children to learn on their own, supervised by their “family,” to ensure that learning is continuous and systematic.
The ‘Black Box’: Knowledge Paired with Fun
The first step for the TSQP team in creating Self-Directed Learning (SDL) kits was to understand the learning needs of students within the TSQP. The crucial challenge was to “address basic learning needs” and “be accessible to all children without extra costs to the family.”
After designing and tailoring tools to fit the content for different grade levels, the outcome was the ‘Black Box’, or Black Box—a fundamental learning skill enhancement tool covering four main subject groups using the Active Learning concept. This concept promotes learning through hands-on activities, delivering educational opportunities to children in remote areas with tools that do not rely mainly on online technology and can be used at home in conjunction with family.
Lessons Learned Everywhere
The Story Inside the ‘Black Box’ Though the ‘Black Box’ might seem mysterious by name, the contents are suitable for all children.
When kids and their guardians open the Black Box, they discover materials explaining learning topics for elementary students, crafted by the TSQP coaching team and teachers nationwide. The design team emphasizes learning through ‘stories’ and ‘environmental’ context, supplying tools for each learning topic, such as seeds, pots, and utensils for craft-related topics, or essential scientific items like litmus paper and magnifying glasses for young experimenters.
Each Black Box contains specific activities, like the ‘Who Am I’ activity, where children explore their heritage through family communication, or ‘The Joyful Vegetable Garden’ which allows them to experience growing a small garden at home—laying the foundation for creating a local food source during crises when external food orders aren’t possible.
The Black Box: Expanding the Boundaries of Learning
A study of student learning outcomes using the ‘Black Box’ revealed that it could improve self-learning skills by up to 80% in the TSQP pilot schools.
Banchob Tetrarat, Director of Ban Oa Taling Chan School in Surin province, a participant in the TSQP network, noted that since receiving the Black Box in mid-November 2020 and distributing it to fifth and sixth graders for independent study, the students have shown increased interest and advancement in self-learning. The progress is measured by the students’ ability to integrate various subjects and create works with understanding, which they can explain to their teachers.
“From the core content in topics like Who Am I, The Joyful Vegetable Garden, and Local Herbs, we’ve seen children narrate their stories, cultivate home gardens, and improve their English essay writing. We estimate that 80% of students who used the box could effectively engage with the lessons and tools provided,”
said Director Banchob.
Strengthening Bonds Between Students, Teachers, and Guardians
Director Banchob explained that the school closely monitors the outcomes of learning through the Black Box and has set up a Line group for students to share knowledge, discuss their work with teachers and peers, and receive learning schedules and lesson guidance from TSQP coaches.
For learning through the Black Box, guardians play a vital role as teacher aides, as they must guide and learn alongside the children, engaging them in the lessons and simultaneously fostering closer familial ties.
“Even though we are just beginning, what we see is that children are improving in communication skills, able to articulate their work and creative thoughts that build upon lesson content, as well as enhancing other life skills,” said Director Banchob. These skills range from helping with household chores to watering plants and maintaining a kitchen garden, which the Black Box has helped to encourage in the children, making them eager to apply these skills in their home environments. For example, the cultivation of vegetables sparks ideas about creating alternative food sources to cope with the ongoing COVID-19 situation.”
A Foundation for Long-Term Self-Directed Learning
The projects created by the students offer a glimpse of the Black Box’s initial success. As an educational leader, Director Banchob believes that if children have more time to understand consistently and receive knowledge that builds upon existing content, it will support continued learning, even during school closures due to COVID-19.
“We can affirm that children who have experimented with self-learning from the Black Box are able to solve problems, have a foundation of knowledge that has improved, and can extend far beyond the lessons provided in the learning kit. Many pieces of work we received show a level of creative design beyond their age. If the need for school closures persists, the Black Box will facilitate the further development of self-learning skills and creativity, adapted from their surrounding context. However, it is crucial to have guided instruction and follow-up by teachers and coaches to ensure structured learning, appropriately framed subjects, and integration of relatable stories into the lessons,” stated the TSQP team.
The TSQP team and the school staff see the potential to develop tools for self-learning that are more effective and sustainable in the long term. The positive outcomes from using the Black Box over the past year are promising signs for TSQP and EEF in improving the quality of education outside the classroom and in real efforts to reduce educational disparities in the future.
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- เอื้อการย์ โรจนจิรไพศาล (มะแม้ว)
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