GUIDELINE FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOREST TEACHER PROJECT

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) study the conditions and challenges of the curriculum and instructional management of the Forest Teacher Project, and 2) propose guidelines for developing instructional management for the project. The key informants consisted of teachers and administrators from eight schools across four regions. Data were collected through interviews and non-participatory observations and analyzed using content analysis. For the development of instructional management guidelines, a focus group discussion was conducted with 41 forest teachers and experts. Data were analyzed using content analysis and triangulation for validation. The findings revealed that (1) the Forest Teacher Project, implemented between 2021 to 2023 in 105 schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission and Border Patrol Police Schools, was designed by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to enhance environmental awareness and foster natural resource conservation among primary school students in the forest-adjacent schools. The curriculum consists of six lessons and eighteen learning activities integrating classroom instruction with outdoor experiential learning. Key challenges included the transition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and language barriers among students in remote areas. (2) The proposed guidelines for instructional development include organizing annual knowledge-sharing activities among forest teachers and integrating the Forest Teacher Project curriculum with the school curriculum to enhance student’s competencies in alignment with the Basic Education Core Curriculum B.E.2551 (A.D.2008). Moreover, sustainable teaching continuity requires collaboration among forest teachers, schools, and local communities from the planning stage onward to ensure shared understanding of objectives and contextual adaptation of teaching approaches to suit diverse learners, particularly those from various ethnic backgrounds.