Abstract:

This research presents an approach to enhance integrated teaching skills using ICT for professional teachers in primary and secondary levels in schools in the education areas under the supervision of the Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education. The areas cover 8 provinces of the western region of Thailand. This approach benefits the schools in academy transformation, professional teacher development and supervision to ready the teachers for creative integrated teaching.

The data collection process includes surveying, group interviews, and discussions among the researcher team, experts, school administrators, teachers and educational supervisors, to find guidelines to develop the model to encourage integrated teaching skills using ICT for professional teachers in Thailand.

It was found that there are 4 important factors which are:
(1) Academy Transformation,
(2) Creative Environment Preparation,
(3) Professional Teacher Development and
(4) Creative Supervision.

Success from encouraging integrated teaching skills using ICT yields results in 4 aspects, namely Knowledge, Skills, Attitude and Creative Innovation.

The details are as follow: Knowledge (K) is the information technology combined with experience, interpretation and consideration ready to be used in making decisions and any actions which are consisted of knowledge from participating activities, curiosity, skill practice and acceptance of new approaches and methods about ICT and utilization of such knowledge. It also includes updating information about new advances in ICT. Academy’s personnel should therefore be encouraged to have international expertise, to have information literacy and to have positive attitude towards using ICT in daily life and in their career. Skills (S) are ability gained from practice and training which is fundamental to ICT and is concerned with creative integrated teaching using ICT. This includes Information Literacy, Media Literacy and ICT Literacy. Attitude (A) is mental states which concerns thinking, feeling, beliefs and trend to express. Attitude can be learned or managed by using experiences and processes. In order to push the desired behaviors in a directive way to achieve the objectives and goals that require that academy’s personnel to teach with ICT integration, their needs, expectation, experiences, knowledge and attitude must be clearly addressed. Then, those factors can be used as motives to show or change such behaviors. Creative Innovation (CI) starts with thinking creatively, which then leads to improvement and development of innovative works. Involvement and open-mindedness to different opinions or views, as well as understanding in new conditions concerning the application of various technologies in diversified environments can effectively help develop new ways of thinking. This positively affects the daily life and routine work. However, the lesson plans designed should be evaluated, leading them to the real practice and continual development of such works.

Keywords:

Integrated Teaching, Information and Communication Technology, Professional Teachers in Thailand.