Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
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A Participatory Action Research Study to Develop GNH Pedagogy, MA and PhD degree programs in
Holistic Education, Baseline round report.
The Americas Association for the Care of Children
Naropa University
Deborah Young
June 2012
Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
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A Participatory Action Research Study to Develop GNH Pedagogy, MA and PhD degree programs in
Holistic Education
Prepared by Dr. Deborah Young (Primary Investigator)
With contributions from
Irina Karic (Research Associate)
and
Paro College of Education (PCE) Core Research Team: Jambay Lhamo (In-country Research
Team Leader, RTL)
PCE is the hub college of this research study.
Hari Maya
Ugyen Tshomo
Karma Wangchuk
Karma Nidup
Tashi Dema
PCE Assistant Research Team
Data collection
Kezang
Nima
LN Chetri
Writing Team
Amina Gurung
Dechen Tshomo
Lhaden
Research Team members at RUB Colleges
College of Natural Resources (CNR):
Sigye Dema
Tshering Dorji
L.M. Mishra (Non-RTM)
Yonten Dorji (RTL)
Dr. D.B. Gurung
Tshering Gyeltshen
Samtse College of Education (SCE):
Bojoy Hangmo Subba
Kezang Choden
Uygen Pem (RTL)
Pema Chopel
Institute of Language and Cultural Studies (ILCS): Tashi Dendup (RTL)
Tenzin Jamtsho
Chencho Tshering
Dechen Choney
Tshering Dema
Jygme Namgyel Polytechnic (JNP):
Namgay Dorji
Shabir Rai (RTL)
Sonam Keba
Sherubtse College: Sangay Dorji (RTL)
Sumjay Tshering
Pema Choden
Jamyang Choda
Sangay Tsecho
Dr. Rama Kanta Barman
Rashmi
College Science and Technology (CST): Kelzang Dorji (RTL)
Basant Pradham
Dechen Lhamo
Pema Choezom
Yowaraj Chhetri
Sonam Peden
Geddue College of Business Studies (GCBS): Dawala (RTL)
Richen Dorji
Akansha Shukla
Ashutosh Shukla
Dawa
Pran
Karma Yedzer
Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM): Dechen Choden (RTL)
Tendril Wangdi
Sherab Dorji
Pema Zangmo
Royal Institute of Health Sciences (RIHS):
Nidup Dorji
Sangay Phuntso
Kinga Pem (RTL)
Manikala Laygoi
Passang Lhamo
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Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
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Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 10
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 11
Development of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Education ............................................ 11
Study Method: Participatory Action Research Gap Analysis Study ...............................................................11
Identified Gaps ......................................................................................................................................................................13
Recommendations ...............................................................................................................................................................14
Gap Recommendations ......................................................................................................................................................15
Priority Recommendations: Short, Intermediate and Long Term ..................................................................19
Short‐Term Recommendations: ....................................................................................................................................19
Intermediate Recommendations...................................................................................................................................20
Long Term Recommendations .......................................................................................................................................21
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 23
Introduction................................................................................................................................... 29
Historical Context and Background ................................................................................................. 29
The Project ................................................................................................................................................ 29
Aims of the study: .................................................................................................................................................. 30
Central Research Questions.............................................................................................................................................30
The Significance of the Project ......................................................................................................................... 32
Relationship of Research to Existing Literature ....................................................................................... 32
New Knowledge Expected to Result from Research ............................................................................... 32
Classroom culture: ................................................................................................................................................. 33
Sampling and Data Collection .................................................................................................. 37
Sampling .................................................................................................................................................... 37
Data collection methods ....................................................................................................................... 46
Jumpstart ................................................................................................................................................................... 49
Pretest ......................................................................................................................................................................... 50
Onsite data collection ........................................................................................................................................... 50
Collection process .................................................................................................................................................. 52
Data analysis methods .......................................................................................................................... 52
Intro: What is data analysis? ............................................................................................................................. 52
Parts of data analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 53
Findings ........................................................................................................................................... 59
Quality of Education .............................................................................................................................. 60
Experiential Learning ........................................................................................................................................... 61
Relevant education for future/life .................................................................................................................. 62
Purpose of education ............................................................................................................................................ 63
Student centered learning .................................................................................................................................. 64
Feedback needed .................................................................................................................................................... 65
Body language ......................................................................................................................................................... 66
Teacher directed and centered learning ...................................................................................................... 66
Syllabus driven ........................................................................................................................................................ 67
Large class size ........................................................................................................................................................ 68
Content oriented..................................................................................................................................................... 68
Professional development .................................................................................................................................. 69
Experienced teachers ........................................................................................................................................... 69
Pedagogy is lacking ............................................................................................................................................... 69
Lecture: teacher directed.................................................................................................................................... 70
Holistic: physical health, social, emotional, spiritual.............................................................................. 71
Food Quality ............................................................................................................................................................. 71
Opportunities for students................................................................................................................................. 71
Creativity ................................................................................................................................................................... 72
English language ..................................................................................................................................................... 72
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Slow – boring ........................................................................................................................................................... 73
Number of teachers ............................................................................................................................................... 73
Joyful learning ......................................................................................................................................................... 74
Audibility ................................................................................................................................................................... 74
Book centered .......................................................................................................................................................... 74
Age of lecturer ......................................................................................................................................................... 75
Personal development ......................................................................................................................................... 75
Qualified teachers .................................................................................................................................................. 75
Expatriates have very little buy in to GNH .................................................................................................. 76
Teacher preparedness ......................................................................................................................................... 76
Academic pressure ................................................................................................................................................ 76
Curriculum revision .............................................................................................................................................. 77
Teaching Strategies ................................................................................................................................ 77
Interactive Strategies ........................................................................................................................................... 78
Variety ......................................................................................................................................................................... 79
More group discussions ...................................................................................................................................... 80
Visual aid: media, TV, doc, music, poetry, and art.................................................................................... 81
Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning (VAK) ..................................................................................... 81
Scaffolding knowledge ......................................................................................................................................... 81
Fun and Games ........................................................................................................................................................ 82
Humour ...................................................................................................................................................................... 82
Individual attention .............................................................................................................................................. 82
PowerPoint enhancement .................................................................................................................................. 82
Engage students in their learning ................................................................................................................... 82
Learning theory (shy, temperaments) .......................................................................................................... 83
Story telling............................................................................................................................................................... 83
Hands‐on activities ................................................................................................................................................ 83
Creating intentional classroom culture ........................................................................................................ 83
Experiences, practical implementation needed........................................................................................ 84
Hand‐outs (ineffective) ....................................................................................................................................... 84
Language: power, mindful speech, word selection ................................................................................. 84
Brainstorming.......................................................................................................................................................... 85
Field study sites ...................................................................................................................................................... 85
Repetition: call and response, drills ............................................................................................................... 85
Strategic questioning ............................................................................................................................................ 85
Service learning ...................................................................................................................................................... 86
Independent learning ........................................................................................................................................... 86
GNH Definition ......................................................................................................................................... 86
Vague ........................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Theory / Implementation concrete ................................................................................................................ 88
Curriculum ................................................................................................................................................................ 89
Alignment with Buddhist philosophy ........................................................................................................... 91
Fulfillment of desires, materialistic ............................................................................................................... 91
Interdependence .................................................................................................................................................... 92
Awareness, being awake ..................................................................................................................................... 93
Individual / collective .......................................................................................................................................... 93
Rhetorical jargon, negative attitude .............................................................................................................. 94
GNH standards and indicators ......................................................................................................................... 94
Too restrictive ......................................................................................................................................................... 94
Fulfillment of needs .............................................................................................................................................. 95
GNH tools for assessment ................................................................................................................................... 95
Sustainability ........................................................................................................................................................... 95
Relationships, social gatherings ...................................................................................................................... 95
Rubrics / Affective domain ................................................................................................................................ 95
Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
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Critical Pedagogy/ Banking................................................................................................................. 96
Lecture style ............................................................................................................................................................. 96
Relevant examples ................................................................................................................................................. 98
Critical Analysis ...................................................................................................................................................... 98
Yes / No style of questions ................................................................................................................................. 99
Probing questions .................................................................................................................................................. 99
Co‐creation of knowledge ................................................................................................................................ 100
Training and workshops .................................................................................................................................. 100
Strategic questions, action syllabus transformation ........................................................................... 101
Mindfulness ........................................................................................................................................... 101
Mind training, mind control ........................................................................................................................... 101
Benefits .................................................................................................................................................................... 102
Integration into classroom .............................................................................................................................. 104
Misconception, vague ........................................................................................................................................ 106
Frequency ............................................................................................................................................................... 108
Personal, hands‐ on practice .......................................................................................................................... 108
Time constraint .................................................................................................................................................... 109
Religious context / secular.............................................................................................................................. 109
Assessment ............................................................................................................................................ 110
Qualifications ........................................................................................................................................................ 110
Attendance ............................................................................................................................................................. 113
Methods ................................................................................................................................................................... 113
Exams: classrooms ............................................................................................................................................. 114
Multiple intelligences ........................................................................................................................................ 115
Academic driven .................................................................................................................................................. 115
Authentic................................................................................................................................................................. 115
Assignments – meaningful .............................................................................................................................. 116
Presentations ........................................................................................................................................................ 116
Student learning .................................................................................................................................................. 116
Tools for monitoring .......................................................................................................................................... 117
Accountability ....................................................................................................................................................... 117
Book centered ....................................................................................................................................................... 117
Subjective / objective ........................................................................................................................................ 117
Self – assessment ................................................................................................................................................. 118
Relationships ........................................................................................................................................ 118
Student teacher relationship .......................................................................................................................... 118
(Un) Friendly teachers ...................................................................................................................................... 119
Care ........................................................................................................................................................................... 120
Equality for students and lecturers ............................................................................................................. 120
Personal experiences shared ......................................................................................................................... 121
Shared positive emotions ................................................................................................................................ 121
Encouragement .................................................................................................................................................... 121
Respect .................................................................................................................................................................... 121
Greetings ................................................................................................................................................................. 122
Trust: lacking, support ...................................................................................................................................... 122
Socialization among staff and lecturers .................................................................................................... 122
Helping each other.............................................................................................................................................. 122
Need to cultivate positive peer pressure .................................................................................................. 123
Communication skills of teachers ................................................................................................................ 123
Cultural Preservation ......................................................................................................................... 123
National Dress ...................................................................................................................................................... 123
Language ................................................................................................................................................................. 124
Module and course development ................................................................................................................. 124
More Dzongkha in class .................................................................................................................................... 125
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Use of folklore, story telling ............................................................................................................................ 126
Extracurricular activities ................................................................................................................................. 126
Motivation .............................................................................................................................................. 126
Professional development opportunities ................................................................................................. 127
Attitude .................................................................................................................................................................... 127
Confident / Empowered................................................................................................................................... 128
Inspiration needed ............................................................................................................................................. 129
Career ladder (top down, nepotism) .......................................................................................................... 129
Assessment / exams .......................................................................................................................................... 129
Encouragement .................................................................................................................................................... 130
Coaching Groups .................................................................................................................................................. 130
Love of learning ................................................................................................................................................... 131
Recognition ............................................................................................................................................................ 131
Support from administration (resource distribution) ........................................................................ 131
Willingness to learn ........................................................................................................................................... 131
Attitude and ethics of lecturers – find plagiarism................................................................................. 132
Disinterest .............................................................................................................................................................. 132
Fear ........................................................................................................................................................................... 132
No choice in attending college ....................................................................................................................... 132
Perception of work ............................................................................................................................................. 132
Praise ........................................................................................................................................................................ 132
Responsibility / Discipline ............................................................................................................... 133
External ................................................................................................................................................................... 133
Punctuality ............................................................................................................................................................. 133
Role modeling ....................................................................................................................................................... 134
Individual / collective ....................................................................................................................................... 134
Basic goodness ..................................................................................................................................................... 134
Cleanliness ............................................................................................................................................................. 134
Punishment ............................................................................................................................................................ 134
Scolding ................................................................................................................................................................... 135
Strictness ................................................................................................................................................................ 135
Distraction in classes ......................................................................................................................................... 135
Fear ........................................................................................................................................................................... 135
Modernization ...................................................................................................................................... 136
Stress ........................................................................................................................................................................ 136
Contradictions to Buddhism, Buddhist culture, and GNH ................................................................. 137
Success is wealth ................................................................................................................................................. 137
Urban and rural differences, resources ..................................................................................................... 138
Technology ............................................................................................................................................................. 138
Transition to autonomy.................................................................................................................................... 139
Rural to urban opportunities ......................................................................................................................... 140
Happiness of fulfillment of desires .............................................................................................................. 140
Media literacy ....................................................................................................................................................... 140
Corruption .............................................................................................................................................................. 140
Environmental Preservation ........................................................................................................... 140
Volunteer ................................................................................................................................................................ 141
Waste Management ............................................................................................................................................ 142
Green school .......................................................................................................................................................... 142
Experiential Learning ........................................................................................................................................ 143
Needs to be embedded into all modules ................................................................................................... 144
Health Connection .............................................................................................................................................. 144
Community Partnerships .................................................................................................................. 144
Community vitality ............................................................................................................................................. 144
Parent Partnerships ........................................................................................................................................... 145
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Volunteering: helping the community from the students ................................................................. 146
Elderly ...................................................................................................................................................................... 147
Guest speakers ..................................................................................................................................................... 147
Resources ............................................................................................................................................... 147
Limited ..................................................................................................................................................................... 147
Internet .................................................................................................................................................................... 148
Capacity building still needed........................................................................................................................ 148
Equitable distribution ....................................................................................................................................... 148
Internet courses for students, more skills learning ............................................................................. 148
Soft copies, books ................................................................................................................................................ 149
Structure ................................................................................................................................................. 149
Class size ................................................................................................................................................................. 149
Class duration, too short .................................................................................................................................. 150
Accommodation ................................................................................................................................................... 150
Classroom: seating arrangement, indoors, outdoors .......................................................................... 151
Facility shortage .................................................................................................................................................. 151
Number of modules ............................................................................................................................................ 152
Location of college (remote – Sherubtse) ................................................................................................. 152
Artificial lighting .................................................................................................................................................. 152
Sacred spaces ........................................................................................................................................................ 152
Schedule of classes ............................................................................................................................................. 152
Democracy ............................................................................................................................................. 152
Freedom of expression ..................................................................................................................................... 152
Freedom with responsibility .......................................................................................................................... 153
Gender ...................................................................................................................................................................... 153
Good governance ................................................................................................................................................. 154
Shared decision making ................................................................................................................................... 154
The collective good ............................................................................................................................................. 154
Decentralization .................................................................................................................................................. 155
Management, leadership ................................................................................................................... 155
Transparency needed ........................................................................................................................................ 155
Attitude .................................................................................................................................................................... 155
Change...................................................................................................................................................................... 155
Planning .................................................................................................................................................................. 155
Regional difference............................................................................................................................................. 156
Teacher – student marks ................................................................................................................................. 156
Time, not sufficient to lead with quality ................................................................................................... 157
Counseling .............................................................................................................................................. 157
Support for emotional state ............................................................................................................................ 157
Alcohol abuse is concern.................................................................................................................................. 158
Perceptions of substance abuse .................................................................................................................... 158
Stress – faculty support .................................................................................................................................... 158
Time ......................................................................................................................................................... 158
Time management .............................................................................................................................................. 158
Too much to study at one time ...................................................................................................................... 159
Efficiency................................................................................................................................................................. 159
Too many duties .................................................................................................................................................. 159
Workload too heavy ........................................................................................................................................... 159
Too much to prepare at one time ................................................................................................................. 159
Learning Centre .................................................................................................................................... 159
Extra Curricular Activities ................................................................................................................ 160
Recreational activities ....................................................................................................................................... 160
Sports – recreational and professional / girls to be expanded ....................................................... 160
Music ......................................................................................................................................................................... 161
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Double Degree ...................................................................................................................................... 161
DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................. 162
Quality of Education ........................................................................................................................... 162
Teaching Strategies ............................................................................................................................. 168
Interactive learning ............................................................................................................................................ 169
Service learning ................................................................................................................................................... 170
Critical Pedagogy ................................................................................................................................. 170
Mindfulness ........................................................................................................................................... 173
Assessment ............................................................................................................................................ 175
Relationships ........................................................................................................................................ 179
Cultural preservation ......................................................................................................................... 180
Motivation .............................................................................................................................................. 181
Responsibility and Self Discipline.................................................................................................. 182
Environmental preservation ........................................................................................................... 183
Community partnership .................................................................................................................... 186
Democracy ............................................................................................................................................. 188
Management and Leadership .......................................................................................................... 189
Learning Center .................................................................................................................................... 190
References ................................................................................................................................... 198
Appendix A (Operations Manual) ........................................................................................ 202
Appendix B (Glossary)............................................................................................................. 265
Appendix C (Jumpstart Notes: Day 1 and Day 10).......................................................... 277
Appendix D (Cycle I Interventions) .................................................................................... 288
Appendix E (The Research Writing Manual for PCE Research Team and The
Coaching Manual Draft) .......................................................................................................... 294
Appendix F (Schedule of Research Implementation) ................................................... 301
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Abstract
The purpose of this three-year participatory action research (PAR) gap analysis study is to develop
guidelines for all lecturers at the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) to use in the transformation of
current teaching practices intoholistic, Gross National Happiness (GNH) classroom practices and
pedagogies. In addition, the study will be used to develop a MA and PhD program in Holistic
Education at RUB aiding in the attainment of the ultimate goal of a holistic GNH based educational
paradigm for Bhutan.
At the onset of the study, topic guide questions, as part of the Operations Manual (OPM), and a
glossary were developed during a two-week Jumpstart workshop, which began with the examination
of the foundations of critical pedagogy, contemplative education, and the planning and design of the
PAR study.
Thereafter, the Research Team (62 RUB faculty and one consultant from Colorado, US, the Primary
Investigator) traveled to all 10 RUB colleges for data collection. Qualitative data collection methods
included focus group discussions (FG), key informant interviews (KI), class observations (OBS),
meeting notes and research diaries.
This Report details the Baseline Study including the collection and analysis of baseline data, the
identification of gaps between the current and targeted GNH classroom practices and pedagogies and
the development of recommendations to address these identified gaps through Interventions.
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Executive Summary
Development of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Education
In April of 2012, Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley issued a directive to the UN Council that
Gross National Happiness (GNH) was to be implemented by a government taskforce that would
develop andpropose recommendations generated by leaders in Bhutan. The Royal University of
Bhutan (RUB), as the leader in higher education in Bhutan and currently the only institution that
prepares teachers for the public school system, has been given the responsibility to transform current
lecturer teaching practices so that they align with the GNH framework.
This participatory action research gap analysis study is an attempt to inform RUB’s lecturers
and administrators on (a) how to develop GNH classroom practices and pedagogies; and (b) to
provide recommendations for the development of an action plan to transform current teaching
practices to holistic educational practices more aligned with the GNH framework; and (c) to develop a
MA and PhD degree program for those interested in pursuing graduate degrees in education. The
information from this research will inform the operationalization and implementation of RUB’s
institutional programs necessary for the attainment of the ultimate goal, holistic GNH based
educational paradigm for Bhutan.
Study Method: Participatory Action Research Gap Analysis Study
Participatory action research (PAR) is a systematic cyclical method of planning and design,
observation and data collection, actions/interventions, monitoring and evaluation, and critical
reflection and analysis (individual, among research team members, as well as through plenary
sessions) prior to the design and implementation of the next cycle. It is a collaborative method of
testing new ideas, implementing action for change, and learning from the consequences of change.
The ongoing process of the gap analysis in this study involves the identification of gaps
between current classroom practices and pedagogies and those that would foster holistic GNH
education. The purpose of the interventions of the PAR study is to address these identified gaps from
the baseline data.
This PAR study is a lecturer-led process throughout, fully utilizing the local knowledge and
skills of the key stake-holders at RUB (lecturers, students, administrators, and staff) and thereby
encouraging and cultivating local initiative and self-reliance. Participation by the RUB stake-holders
in every part of the study ensures the inclusion of diverse and heterogeneous local knowledge, skills
and resources in the investigation and development and of RUB’s classroom practices and pedagogy.
These contributions also increase the flexibility of the initiative, increase the responsiveness to local
conditions and reduce the chances of mistakes; indeed they often make the difference between the
success or failure of an intervention.
Although a PAR study is more time-consuming than traditional research methods and
development approaches, it leads to changes that are sustained over the long term. PAR is
collaborative: the research team members responsible for the intervention cycles are the ones making
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the changes to their classroom practices and pedagogies. The lecturers of RUB are the researchers
who initiate, implement, and drive the research. They are directly involved in the identification and
analysis of the problems that affect them and in the design of their potential solutions. Because they
have a direct interest in the success of the solutions, they are likely to remain motivated to sustain the
changes in the long run. Furthermore, within the PAR research method itself, principals and values of
GNH such as accountability, responsibility, community vitality, critical thinking and social or civic
action, equanimity, honesty and respect, humility, interdependence, mindfulness and sustainability are
broadly promoted.
At the onset of the study, the two-week Jumpstart workshop began with the examination of
the foundations of critical pedagogy, contemplative education, and the planning and design of the
PAR study. The participants engaged in experiential activities designed to strengthen their
development of the participatory tools and skills necessary for the implementation of the PAR study
and the integration of critical pedagogy and contemplative education in the classroom. The topic
guide questions as part of the Operations Manual (OPM)and a glossary were developed during the
Jumpstart workshop (See Appendix A for the OPM, Appendix B for the glossary and Appendix C for
sample Jumpstart notes). The OPM was used as a manual to guide and organize the study. The OPM
went through 14 different revisions. The revisions were made in response to the learning of the
research team members. The learning included discernment of research skills and terminology,
adjustments in the topic guide questions that led the data collection, and the in depth rigorous analysis
that was required of the data sets.
After the Jumpstart workshop had concluded, the 62 lecturers who formed the research teams
returned to their respective college.The Paro College of Education (PCE) research team, using the
OPM as a guide, practiced for one week (as a “pre-test”) developing their note taking, interview and
analysis skills that were introduced during the jumpstart workshop. The OPM and topic guide
questions significantly changed during the pretest week.
Thereafter, select members of the PCE research team consisting of 2 RUB faculty along
withthe primary investigator(PI) and associate research assistant traveled to all other RUB colleges for
data collection. When the traveling PCE research team arrived at the designated college, the research
team from that college joined together to collect data over a two to six day period, depending on the
size of the college. The remainder of the PCE research team continued to collect data at PCE during
the spring semester. Qualitative data collection methods included focus group discussions (FG), key
informant interviews (KI), class observations (OBS), meeting notes, and research diaries.
In May of 2012, the baseline data collection was completed, findings and extensive
discussions on the meaning and analysis of the data were held, six Cycle I interventions were
developed and implemented, the results of the Cycle I interventions were discussed and analyzed and
the research team members then developed the framework for Cycle II interventions to begin in the
Fall of 2012. In addition, drafts of Cycle III and IV interventions were also drafted.
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Participatory processes require investments of time and specific resources. Expert facilitation
and clear objectives are needed to avoid chaotic meetings and a general loss of direction for the
initiative. There were times when the necessary resources were not available or the relevant activities
were not foreseen in the original plan of the GNH PAR study. In this case, creativity and managerial
initiative were necessary.
The GNH PAR study required a continued commitment and actual results took a while to
appear. This process can tax the patience of administrators, managers, staff and lecturers alike and
may discourage people from undertaking the lengthy participatory processes. Time and resource
investments were and are still required to reach a good level of communication between the lecturers
and the RUB administration, also involved in the study. Some compromises were and may still need
to be made. For example, the research team leader will, in all likelihood, need greatly reduced
teaching loads to enable him/her to devote the necessary time for effective research study monitoring
and evaluation processes. These processes are of great importance to ensure quality and motivation
among lecturers at the Paro College of Education (PCE), the hub of the GNH PAR study. In addition,
research team members will need time to meet together regularly in order to increase their research
skills and knowledge, to generate innovative interventions that impact, and to implement the
interventions with consistency and intention to reduce the identified gaps in the baseline study.
Participation requires time, effort, additional resources, and sociopolitical sensitivity.
However, the rewards, in terms of the sustainability of project interventions, local empowerment and
promotion of GNH processes, more than compensate for the potential costs and potential frustrations
encountered.
Identified Gaps
The initial phase of the GNH PAR study began in February 2012 with the objective of
identifying gaps between current classroom practices and pedagogies and those that would foster
holistic GNH education. The outcome of this baseline research identified the following major gaps:
1.
There is no consistent definition of what constitutes a holistic GNH classroom practice and
pedagogy among lecturers, administrators, and students within and among RUB colleges.
2.
Current classroom practices align more with the traditional Euro-Indian methods of
education, which are teacher narrated, lecture based, and teacher directed. This is in
contrast to a holistic education classroom based upon participatory teaching strategies,
which are learner directed and include mindfulness practices and critical pedagogy.
3.
There is little consistency of what constitutes mindfulness practice for the classroom and
how mindfulness practice inculcates holistic educational paradigms. The research team
holds the assumption that mindfulness development is part of a GNH holistic education.
4.
The current assessment practices are primarily based upon competitive forms of exams and
quizzes rather than authentic assessment models, which align significantly more with a
GNH holistic education model.
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Lecturers within and among colleges teach and learn in isolation rather than as a
professional community of learners. The civic vitality and holistic foundation of RUB is
dependent upon the development of an intentional and collaborative community of lecturers
at the college level.
6.
There is a balance missing between lecturers’ concerns for their own semester plans and that
of the entire student journey. GNH education requires attention to the whole RUB four-year
journey and the development of the students’ human potential rather than focusing on each
module isolated from other modules and merely training students to become qualified for a
specific job.
7. The modules and semester plans are merely content based rather than including content, GNH
principles and values,and mindfulness or the development of awakening/awareness infused
together and taught holistically.
8. Cultural preservation is typically limited to national language, dress, song, and dance. A
GNH holistic educational paradigm would infuse the Bhutanese culture within the content
areas and individual module semester plans.
9. Environmental awareness and preservation efforts are based primarily upon a one-time
activity rather than as a paradigm for students and lecturers to teach through i.e.permeating
within the content areas, individual module semester plans, and the whole student journey.
10. Self-initiated motivation of the lecturers to develop change and move towards a GNH
classroom practice and pedagogy is low.
Recommendations
Assumptions Derived from the Collected Data
Education can reflect the values and beliefs of society and individuals if done with attention,
intention and the right attitude. These three ingredients are critical and need to be at the forefront of
any attempt to bring about educational change. A GNH education offers opportunity for everyone to
achieve their full potential and develop moral, well-rounded individuals. Although school attendance
contributes to an individual education, the whole educational journey of an individual happens
collectively in school and at home and throughout society.
The lecturers are invariably at the forefront of any plans to implement educational change.
The baseline data analysis of current classroom practice and pedagogy suggests that lecturers deliver
information and content by depositing a body of knowledge and skills to their students. In contrast,
lecturers in a holistic GNH classroom will develop and use a wider set of professional qualities that
recognize the social and cultural lives of their students. Students bring with them important ideas,
experiences, interests and concerns that should provide the raw material for learning. The holistic
classroom works with the notion of student-centeredness. The baseline data suggests that currently in
RUB classrooms we find students sitting uneasily with the dominant notion that lecturers are there to
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guide students through a series of tasks and assessments. Although GNH knowledge, skills and
qualities are harder to test and measure, they should not be overlooked.
Education should be much more than preparation for national tests or a passing grade.
Holistic education develops (a) a range of collaborative skills such as teamwork and communication
skills; (b) qualities found in GNH values and principles such as resilience, self-discipline, and
empathy; (c) knowledge in literacy and numeracy; (d) the conscious of the learner and teacher; and (e)
abilities that young people will need for the future. College classrooms should be arranged to make
learning more relevant and engaging for young people, with students at the center of their own
learning, providing a mix of experiential, service, and theoretical learning. Therefore learning must
take place beyond the classroom setting engaging the student and lecturer in the wider community.
GNH holistic education highlights the importance of empowering young people to do good
within their communities and to learn how they can change society for the better. If RUB’s education
system can prepare young people in this way, the benefits to society, civic health, sustainable living,
and the psychological and over all well-being of the individual and their communities will be
considerable. By enhancing young people’s sense of agency and teaching them self-awareness and
compassion, the lecturers at RUB can help them to understand and tackle the problems they face in
today’s world. Young people today face many challenges: increasingly segmented communities,
disintegration of the extended family, a capitalistic world economy, and global climate change. By
teaching young people the value of compassion, collaboration, and informed action moving toward
social justice, the lecturers at RUB can encourage them to look both inward and outward to develop
relationships with people in the local, national and global community. An RUB education can support
the growth and development of a strong productive workforce steeped in dignity and integrity, a
generation that understands the importance of community life, and an education system based on
GNH values and principles that develop well-rounded, capable individuals cultivating the harmonious
and happy Bhutan one can envision.
Gap Recommendations
1. Identified Gap: There is no consistent definition of what a holistic GNH classroom practice and
pedagogy is among lecturers, administrators, and students within and between RUB colleges.
Recommendation: To develop a working definition of holistic GNH education, classroom practices,
and pedagogies for administrators, lecturers, and students to use as a guide developing a GNH
classroom. This will culminate in a GNH definition for RUB to use for years to come. A working
definition was developed during the Cycle I intervention. (See Appendix D for Cycle I interventions
report). The working definition states:
A GNH classroom embodies an intentional culture promoting holistic development and
righteous attitude. The co-creation of knowledge, a love of learning and curiosity through the
democratization of the student-teacher relationship is at the foundation of our classrooms.
Lecturers and students use a contemplative critical pedagogy upholding collective
responsibility and mindful action for learning, and for the protection of nature and culture.
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2. Identified Gap: Current classroom practices align more with the traditional Euro-Indian methods of
education which are teacher narrated, lecture based, and teacher directed. This is in contrast to a
holistic education classroom based upon participatory teaching strategies, which are learner directed
and include mindfulness practices and critical pedagogy.
Recommendation:To develop teaching strategies and pedagogies that align more with a holistic GNH
education system. This includes teaching strategies and pedagogies that are based upon participatory
teaching strategies, learner directed classrooms, mindfulness practice in the classrooms, and the
foundations of critical pedagogy infused in lecturer teaching. A teaching strategy handbook with 52
participatory teaching strategies, workshops on participatory teaching strategies for lecturers, and
professional development learning communities called coaching groups are three of key interventions
to address this gap.
3. Identified Gap: There is little consistency of what constitutes mindfulness practice for the
classroom and how mindfulness practice inculcates holistic educational paradigms. The research team
holds the assumption that mindfulness development is part of a GNH holistic education.
Recommendation: To develop a mindfulness manual that will support the lecturer to make use of
mindfulness practices in the classroom. To bring training to lecturers into each of the colleges that
supports the inculcation of mindfulness into the pedagogy of the classroom.
4. Identified Gap: The current assessment practices are primarily based upon competitive forms of
exams and quizzes rather than authentic assessment models which align more with a GNH holistic
education model.
Recommendation: To develop a variety of authentic assessment tools based upon the coaching
group’s, i.e., the professional development learning community’s data during the fall 2012 semester at
PCE. These coaching groups are focused on identifying and developing authentic tools to observe and
assess how students learn. Over the next three years RUB should shift the assessment of students from
a weight of 60% to 100% of the total student evaluation based upon exams and quizzes to a weight of
no more than 10% of the student total evaluation based upon exams and quizzes. It is recommended
that the winter session 2012 is dedicated to increase the knowledge and skills of authentic assessment
to the research team members at PCE and SCE as well as any other research team member interested
from the other eight RUB colleges. During the workshop an action plan for shifting assessment tools
will be developed and during the spring 2013 semester a shift in assessment should start at PCE and
SCE.
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5. Identified Gap: Lecturers within and among colleges teach in isolation rather than as a community
of learners. The civic vitality and holistic foundation of RUB is dependent upon the development of
an intentional and collaborative community of lecturers at the college level.
Recommendation: Lecturers within and among colleges set up a disciplined systematic collaboration
among lecturers by developing a lecturer community of learners as role models for their students.
This initiative is being addressed through college specific professional development initiatives (a)
coaching group(s); (b) lecturer retreats for the cultivation of a mindful learning institution; (c) and an
annual summit for lecturers to participate in Bhutan’s cultural uniqueness and general professional
development workshops. It is recommended that coaching groups for professional development are
started at PCE during the Fall 2012 semester and continue throughout the research. Additional
colleges are training by PCE lecturers on coaching groups during future intervention cycles. (See
Appendix E for the first draft of a coaching manual for lecturers).
6. Identified Gap: There is a balance missing between lecturers’ concerns for their own semester
plans and that of the entire student journey. GNH education requires attention to the whole and the
development of the students’ human potential rather than merely training students to become qualified
for a specific job.
Recommendation: The development of an overall structure and plan for each student entering a RUB
college, articulating how the student journey will support the growth and development of (a) the skills
and knowledge needed to be a person who studies, a serious and mindful student; (b) a strong
productive contributor to Bhutan steeped in dignity and integrity; (c) one who understands the
importance of community life; and (d) an educational journey based upon GNH values and principles
that will support the development of a well-rounded, capable individual cultivating the harmonious
and happiness of Bhutan. To do this it is recommended that a module or part of a first year module
includes skills such as goal setting, identifying learning styles, personal strength identification, and
other skills necessary for developing good student patterns of behavior. In addition,upon entering a
RUB college each student should develops a plan for the student journey that outlines (a) student
learning objectives and outcomes that align with RUB overall mission goals, degree sought, and GNH
values and principles; and (b) the assessment planto measure how the student met RUB overall
mission goals, degree sought, and GNH values and principles. Individual semester plans should
include participatory teaching strategies, strategic questions, and assessment tolls that are associated
with each daily class that informs the student journey.
In addition, the research team recommends and has developed a four year tiered plan to
emphasize the four pillars of GNH. For the first year all students in groups of 10-12 studentsin their
second semester will take a one-week cultural experiential journey and engage in a cultural historical
experience in Bhutan. For instance a group of student may live with a nomadic or semi-nomadic
family helping and serving the family in their daily lives and work. This supports the pillar of
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preservation and promotion of cultural and spiritual heritage providing students an authentic learning
experience about the value of nature-based communities and their contributions to the overall society.
In the second year second semester, a groups of students will go to the back-country or wilderness
areas of Bhutan learning the flora and fauna, how to leave no trace behind, and falling in love with
nature. This second year supports the conservation of the environment. The third year is a one-week
mindfulness retreat for students and lecturers in a local monastery nurturing the development of GNH
principles and values in support of a sustainable society. The final year students engage in local
leadership projects practicing good governance in real world projects applying their new knowledge
and skills with lecturers and community partnerships as their mentors and teachers.
7. Identified Gap: The modules and semester plans are merely content based rather than including
and integrating content, GNH principles and values,and mindfulness or the development of
awakening/awareness infused together and taught holistically.
Recommendation: Module development and semester plans will need to clearly address student
learning outcomes and assessments that align with GNH values and principles and content subject
outcomes so that both lecturers and students are aware of the expectations and work needed to
successfully complete the degree program. The research team recommends the knowledge and skills
of lecturer’s in the areas of critical pedagogy and contemplative education should be further
developed through hands on workshops and semester plan development. .
8. Identified Gap: Cultural preservation is typically limited to national language, dress, song, and
dance. A GNH holistic educational paradigm would infuse the values of the Bhutanese culture within
the content areas and individual module semester plans.
Recommendation:The cultural aspects of Bhutan needed to be embedded into curriculum rather than
be outside of the subject content held in co-curricular activities. Teams at each college should be
developed to help infuse cultural history into the subject content. In addition, the recommendation for
the first year students to visit and live with a nomadic or semi-nomadic family can be part of this
development. The students will learn the life style of the nature-based populations of Bhutan.
Currently the nomadic and semi-nomadic populations are decreasing as young people go away from
the family to attend school. Through the baseline data collection process the research team members
heard lecturers and students talk about the nomadic and semi-nomadic populations as a “lesser-than”
population; a population not knowing as much as those who are more integrated in the modern and
becoming dominate culture. Having students become aware of an ancient Bhutanese cultural way of
life through genuine first hand experiences can positively affect attitudes about the subject matter that
is being taught. Learning by experience is intrinsically motivating, is better remembered, and the
skills learned are retained longer than in a classroom setting.
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9. Identified Gap: Environmental awareness and conservation efforts are based primarily upon a onetime activity rather than as a paradigm for students and lecturers and infused within the content areas,
individual module semester plans, and the whole student journey.
Recommendation: To bring environmental practices as a daily practice to college campuses and
classroom practices RUB will need to include environmental awareness and practices into module
development, student learning outcomes, and assessments. Environmental practices such as
recycling, reducing, and reusing; leaving no trace behind; school campus gardens, regulations such as
no plastic bottled water on campus, the reduction of processed packaged food, reuse of text books and
classroom readings, environmental groups participating in current environmental issues of Bhutan as
part of the learning center expanding homework and curriculum collaboration, the expansion of
experiential learning in the outdoors,and alternative power sources for the college to function on are
recommended. Training to infuse environmental knowledge and awareness into module development
for lecturers is necessary as well as the increase of lecturer environmental knowledge and awareness.
International working groups such as National Outdoor Leadership School can help facilitate the
training for lectures and train RUB personal to guide students and lecturers in the wilderness of
Bhutan as part of the overall RUB journey.
10: Identified Gap: Self-initiated motivation of the lecturers to develop change and move towards a
GNH classroom practice and pedagogy is low.
Recommendation:The recognition of lecturer contribution to the college, student learning, and Bhutan
needs to be heightened and systematically developed. This involves website exposure of lecturers,
publishing and research opportunities, financial incentives, and weekly announcements on individual
college campuses –visual and auditory.
Priority Recommendations: Short, Intermediate and Long Term
Addressing the themes and patterns that were identified during the baseline study and keeping
in mind that RUB desires to develop a program unique for students and lecturers infused with GNH,
the following ideas have been developed as the key recommendations.
Short-Term Recommendations:
1. To implement interventions in the fall 2012 and spring 2013 semester with all lecturers at Paro
Teachers College. Bring in lecturers at Samtse Teachers College for some of the lecturer
development and training.
a. The assumption that there will be a minimum of one lecturer assigned as the research team
leader, currently Jambay Lhamo (RTL), a minimum of six additional research team members, and
the Dean of Research coordinating interventions with the primary investigator, collecting data on
an on-going basis, and attending to the interventions on a weekly basis. (Total of 8 core research
team members). The RTL will need release time to be able to give the necessary time to the
research and interventions to ensure quality change and sustainability.
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b. The RTL will need to be available between 24-26 hours a week to coordinate and lead the
research alongside collecting, analyzing, and developing further interventions.
c. The interventions include:
i. The development of professional learning communities - coaching groups - with all
lecturers focused on student learning, teaching strategies, and assessment tools.
ii. Semester plan transformation to include 10-15 participatory teaching strategies per
semester and a strategic questions for each class session focused on the content.
iii. Development of a Mindfulness Manual that all lecturers at all colleges can use as a
guide to infuse mindfulness practice into their daily classroom practices
iv. Development of a Teaching Strategy Handbook that includes at least 52 participatory
teaching strategies
v. Continued development of the Coaching Group Manual for professional
development.
vi. Survey data collection on Mindfulness practice at PCE and SCE
vii. Service-learning pilot at PCE with GNH Seed Schools in Paro (Agreement between
RUB and REC).
viii. Continued data collection through direct classroom observations, focus group
discussions, key informant interviews, and meeting notes throughout the semester
monitoring and evaluating the interventions listed above.
2. To work closely with research teams from other colleges during the winter and summer sessions of
January-February 2013 and July 2013 to increase lecturer capacity for research and to prepare for
educational interventions during the fall semester 2013.
a. The winter January – February 2013 session will focus on authentic assessment and
professional learning communities or coaching groups.
b. Research team leaders throughout the colleges will need to have release time to attend
workshops for success implementation.
Intermediate Recommendations
1. Change the weight of assessment tools inculcating each module with authentic assessment tools to
make up a minimum of 70% of the grade. This leaves no more than 30% of any grade based upon
texts or quizzes. Eventually moving the test and quiz percentage to 10% by the fall semester 2014.
2. Implement Service-learning as a teaching strategy and assessment tool in all 10 colleges. (Based
upon the results from the Fall 2012 pilot at PCE).
3. Continue to strengthen coaching groups as on-going professional development for all lecturers
throughout the 10 RUB colleges,
4. Design and implement a four-pillar student journey. Fall 2013 implement at Paro Teachers
College, Fall 2014 implement in all 10 colleges. The four-pillar journey is to include:
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a. First year second semester one-week stay with nomadic or semi-nomadic families learning
about their way of life and contribution to Bhutanese culture.
i. Each student stays for seven nights with a nomadic or semi-nomadic family learning
the daily patterns of behavior of the nomadic way of life, contributing through
service to the family, and learning about the nature based populations that have
inhabited Bhutan for centuries. (or an equivalent cultural week-long experience such
as with weaving cooperatives)
ii. Students are expected to infuse their learning into their writing and reflections
throughout the fall semester modules. Lecturers are expected to incorporate lessons
from the cultural experience into their subject content.
b. Second year second semester one-week environmental learning retreat. Students in the
second year second semester will trek, river run, backpack, or mountaineer in the back
country of Bhutan for seven overnights to learn how to:
i. Fall in love with the Bhutanese natural environment
ii. Identify flora and fauna
iii.Leave no trace behind ethics
iv. Learn the interdependence of their daily life’s actions and the ecosystem, which is
impacted
v. Balance development and the sacred space the natural environment provides for the
people to sustain
vi. Environmental sustainability – taking a look at the impact of development such as
the eco-tourism industry, hydro electric dams, commercial agriculture, and the
construction of tourist lodges on the environment and how to balance between
environmental harmony and development.
c. Third year second semester one-week mindfulness retreat.
i. Students in the third year travel together to a near-by monastery for a one-week
mindfulness retreat. Each day students engage in mindfulness practice, learn about the
benefits of mindful living as a student, as a citizen, and as a human being.
d. Fourth year students spend one week in leadership roles in their local communities.
i. Each student is placed in a group and take on a leadership role in the local
community. This is a creative process whereby the students are contributing to the
sustainability, innovations, and human relationships necessary to uphold a harmonious
Bhutanese culture. Examples include ideas such as the development of recycling
centers, local community radio programs, story hours for young children in the local
town, local library development, cultural visual and performing arts centres, lecture
series for the public, family weekend events based in the community.
Long Term Recommendations
Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
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22
In-coming lecturers at RUB will be mandated to take a foundational course in
contemplative critical pedagogy (If not already taken in their prior formal schooling) in their
first year of teaching;
Development of a first year student module that includes foundations of contemplative critical
pedagogy and the skills necessary to be a successful student;
2.
Increase the capacity of lecturers at RUB in research knowledge, skills, and opportunity.
3.
Increase the capacity of lecturers in professional learning communities – coaching groupsutilizing the immense intelligence the lecturers bring to the college;
4.
Transform the examination based system of qualifications for college entrance
5.
Develop a MA and PhD degree program in Holistic GNH Education providing a teacher
education program that aligns with GNH education for teachers within Bhutan as well as
teachers from the international educational community; and
6.
To develop a unique quality driven undergraduate student journey at RUB that students could
not access in other colleges around the world. This would mean that the unique elements of
Bhutan’s natural environment; spiritual essentials; cultural patterns of behavior; and the
harmonious interdependence between culture, development, modernization, and nature are
studied and lived for four years throughout all subject areas.
The GNH PAR study was grounded in an approach on dialogue, mutuality, reciprocity, and
respect for each other’s ideas, and openness to a dialectical challenge use the challenges that emerge
through the PAR process as central to knowledge creation. This participatory approach acknowledges
the ways in which our own life experiences have shaped the ideas that we share in this study, the
vignettes give insight into critical moments, which have influenced the researcher and the findings.
The process called for collective action for education change moving toward a sustainable model of
education infused with GNH values and principles.
“The human being is essentially a holistic being who lives in integrated totalities. When the
human being is forced to lead a fragmented life, he/she shrinks, is frustrated, diminished….”
(Skolimowski, 1994, p. 91). The GNH PAR study has brought the argument forward that in order to
change we have to change the way we think and the way we view that what we want to change. The
nature of our mind is the nature of our knowledge and therefore the nature of our reality. The way we
see the world impacts the way we act in it. This is the basis for our recommendations to develop and
create a GNH classroom practice and pedagogy. The way we want people to act in the world should
be the basis of the educational paradigm. Given this assumption, this study has attempted to gather
rooted values and principles of the lecturers, students, and administrators at RUB. Analyze them and
make recommendations for change to support the development of a GNH classroom practice and
pedagogy.
Throughout the colleges, lecturers, students, administrators have stated that Bhutan has not
been colonized. However if we critically examine the education system we see that the main
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language spoken is English, the system is set up as a Euro-Indian school system, there exists a lot of
competition within the system, and the fragmentation which comes from this system is different than
the Buddhist philosophy of interconnectedness and mutual reciprocity. (See Appendix F, Schedule of
Research Implementation).
Conclusion
Prime Minster Lyonpo Jigme Thinleyof Bhutan states, “Gross National Happiness is based on
the belief that the purpose of development and the role of the state is to create conditions within which
people can pursue and find what they aspire to most in life – happiness. It is a holistic development
paradigm to make human society resilient. It motivates an individual and society to consciously
balance material wants with spiritual growth wherein the needs of the body and those of the mind are
addressed in equal measure within a stable and sustainable environment” (April, 2012, speech at the
UN, NY).
The leaders of Bhutan clearly understand how schools and colleges impact society. A critical
understanding and engagement with the quality of society and its relationship to the reproduction
within schools and colleges is essential. This GNH PAR study has begun this path of critical
understanding and engagement by identifying the gaps between what currently happens in RUB
classrooms and what types of changes are needed to in order to support an intentional GNH culture. A
central element of a GNH holistic classroom is to become acquainted with life’s mysteries of learning,
to engage in the world of creativity and imagination, and to learn to serve self and others in the search
of meaning and purpose. Embracing the GNH principle of interdependence, holistic education seeks
to bring interconnectedness into the classroom supporting and teaching with the GNH values of
compassion and loving kindness. Holistic education seeks to provide opportunities so that students
can practice to be kinder to others, more loving and compassionate, and to grow up with more
universal responsibility. To teach for GNH is "…to teach so that the young may be awakened to the
joy of working for transformation in the smallest places, so that they may become healers and change
their worlds”(Greene, 1998, p. xlv).
Zen master, poet, and peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, (1998) spoke about
a man and a horse galloping quickly down the road when someone along the side of the road shouts
“Where are you going?” and the man on the horse replies, “I don’t know! Ask the horse!” Perhaps
the story can offer symbolism to RUB during the GNH PAR research journey. The story representing
the habitual patterns or habitual routines which RUB lecturers and management govern and the
journey is to awaken the rider. The GNH PAR study is an attempt to awaken the community at RUB
through inquiry, analysis, discussion, and action. The three-year time frame of the GNH PAR study
can be symbolically thought of as rites of passage with three steps. Van Gennep (1920) names these
three steps sequentially as separation, threshold experience, and incorporation. Separation is to move
away from the familiar landscape of the social territory we created and take part in the day to day
while delving into the unfamiliar. This step correlates to the data collection and the deep listening,
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contemplating, and awakening required of the research teams. The threshold experience is the time to
jump into the unknown. This time can be, and often is, a chaotic and transformative period. This step
refers to the intervention cycles, introducing new ways for lecturers to be and hold their classrooms.
Incorporationis a time of healing, shifting, and making whole again. This step refers to the last part of
the GNH PAR study where the final guideline document on GNH pedagogy and classroom practices
is completed, as well as the modules for the MA and PhD programs for a GNH holistic
education. The GNH PAR study was, and is, an opportunity for RUB to take a plunge, entering the
world of not knowing. In any growth this step is essential to break from the “factory bells” of routine.
A topic guide for investigation emerged for the GNH PAR study developed from the above
concepts. The research team began the investigation by asking students, lecturers, and administrators
throughout RUB, questions such as: What would a classroom and an education system really look like
that is steeped in GNH? What gifts, knowledge, and skills would you want the students to leave RUB
with? When people find out that a person has graduated from RUB, what is the first thought that you
would want to come to them? What does a RUB education mean? (Topic guide is part of the
Operations Manual Appendix A).
The GNH PAR study was grounded in an approach based on dialogue, mutuality, reciprocity,
respect for each other’s ideas, and openness to a dialectical challenge utilizing obstacles central to
knowledge creation. This participatory approach acknowledged ways in which our own life
experiences have shaped the ideas that we share in this study, as well as the vignettes that give insight
into critical moments that influenced the researcher and the findings.
PAR, the study’s methodology, is based on human inquiry, exploring and making sense of
human action, personal experience, and thought. This GNH PAR process was a way of building
knowledge through action on that understanding. One of the fundamental assumptions of the GNH
PAR study is the worth of everyone’s contribution and voice. Furthermore, a critique of one’s own
thinking and perceptions of the world is fundamental during the analysis process. Developing an
approach of inner inquiry to research stirs up the “taken-for-grantedness” of our everyday life and
routine. Attitudes that are common sense may no longer make sense; the research team began to see
below the surface level assumptions that often distract current classroom practices and
pedagogies. One such assumption heard throughout many of the colleges by all three of the
respondent categories was that Bhutan had not been colonized. During the focus group discussions
and interviews, lecturers and students dove deeper into the conversation and asked critical questions
such as: Why is English the language used in schools? Where and when did this start? How did the
Bhutanese formal school system start? How did the heavy influence from India on Bhutan’s education
system affect India’s school system and is this influence something to maintain and follow or to
transform into an intentional way of learning and teaching in Bhutan?
Concepts from Holistic educators, such as Krishnamurti, Pestazolli, Montessori, Thoreau,
Frobel, Friere, Thich Nhat Hanh, Dewey, Shinichi Hisamatsu, Toshihiko Izutsu and Illich; were
Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
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investigated and discussed, helping to articulate many of the patterns and themes that arose from the
data sets. When the research team critically examined the RUB education system, the research team
found that the dominant language is English, education system is set up as a Euro-Indian school
system, and the rigidness and fragmentation identified within RUB came from this system rather than
the Buddhist philosophy of interconnectedness and mutual reciprocity. “The human being is
essentially a holistic being who lives in integrated totalities. When the human being is forced to lead
a fragmented life, he/she shrinks, is frustrated, diminished….” (Skolimowski, 1994, p. 91).
The charge of this study is to develop a classroom practice and pedagogy for lecturers that
align with GNH values and principles. A RUB education is not worth a great deal if it teaches young
people how to make a living but not how to make a life. Therefore, the research team has tried to
develop interventions so that “the organization of human communities and the establishment of
freedom and peace are not only intellectual achievements but spiritual and moral achievements as
well, demanding a cherishing of the wholeness of the human personality”. (Illich, 1971).
During the baseline data collection round, it became clear to the research team that the
banking method of education was the most common method of pedagogy used in the classrooms
throughout RUB. A GNH holistic education pedagogy and classroom practice would require the
classroom pedagogy and practice to shift from a banking model, one where the lecturers are talking in
front of the class and the words are being deposited into the student to a more generative and/or
transformative model. The generative is a more hands-on approach to learning.The communication
between lecturer and student flows in several directions and thus many more questions arise and elicit
responses to the learning. Since the lecturer and learners learn more closely together, they generate or
co-create knowledge. It is still limited because the real work is outside the classroom window, out in
the world. The transformative model is where the learner and lecturer get out into the real world and
participate in existing issues and activities within the community, thus gaining a realistic picture and
experience to use as part of the learning process. In the transformative model the lecturer is a partner
in the learning process. This last pedagogical approach has education situated in solidifying the
values of solidarity, social responsibility and vitality, creativity, and self-discipline within the service
of the common good; critical spirit through contemplative self-reflection and informed action are
central.
The research team believes creating a positive classroom environment is one of the most effective
ways to improve behavior and learning for academics and for the psychological, social, and emotional
well-being of the students. From the data, the research team deduced that four essential qualities
should exist in the classroom:
•
Students need to feel included and appreciated by peers and lecturers.
•
Students are respected for their different abilities, cultures (family histories), gender, interests
and dreams.
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•
Students are actively involved in their own learning.
•
Students have positive expectations that have been articulated from the lecturers that they will
succeed. The lecturers are there to support their success as a learner.
For this to happen, agreements between lecturers and students need to be made at the onset of each
semester. Lecturers and students agree to attentively and actively listen to each other. Lecturers and
students agree to: (a) there will be no insults, (b) there is mutual respect between lecturers and
students, and (c) all students have the right to pass with honors and dignity.
These agreements require the development of collaborative skills where students help each
other with work on tasks, homework, and classroom learning. Throughout the semester students are
guided by the lecturers to learn how to set and monitor their goals. During the study the research
team found few students who were able to articulate any semester long goals other than to pass their
classes. Students are given support from lecturers to monitor and assess the progress of student goals
during class time. At the end of the semester there is a celebration of achievements in class.
With a generative and/or transformative learning system, self-responsible behavior is
embedded in the structure as lecturers use best teaching practice methods based upon braincompatible learning, multiple intelligences, cooperative learning and social development research.
The lecturers and administrators at RUB also work together in supportive groups, referred to as
coaching groups, so they too enjoy the participatory democratic process and creative collegiality.
Creating and developing an intentional school culture where the college environment provides
a sense of belonging, support, connection to others and to ideasand values that make young lives
meaningful and significant, is part of a GNH pedagogy. This is essential for a GNH holistic education.
Each classroom should be a complete community. A GNH holistic classroom has a shared vision,
realistic goals for achievement and development, and offers a caring way for students and lecturers to
be and learn together (Dewey, 1916; Shor, 1992).
RUB needs to shift from a deficit-focused system based upon the Euro-India educational
system. This means challenging those in the college to be strength-focused on students’ development
within their interests, ways of learning, gifts and humanity. Holistic GNH education recognizes that
the body, mind and brain operate in a dynamic unity (Pert, 1997; Wolfe, 2001). This means that no
longer can the body-mind-brain unity be ignored as a path to academic achievement for that of filling
students’ brains with concepts and information is not enough.
The research team has yet to find a piece of authentic research that proves filling students’
brains with concepts and information is how the human brain learns best. The research read by the
research team shows over and over again that cognitive information becomes meaningful and lifelong
when united with application and experience (Benard, 2004, Dewey, 1998). Not only has research
shown this, the data from significant numbers of students, lecturers and administrators at RUB, have
stated this.
The research team recommends that GNH classroom practices include cooperative learning
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methods, active group inquiry, problem posing, and participatory action research as methods for
learning. Perhaps more importantly than anything else for school reform is lecturers’ onsite
professional development. With their peers, lecturers learn in on-going professional learning
communities referred to as coaching groups. The coaching groups share information and skills about
cognitive theory, assessment of student learning, collaborative group structures, students’
developmental needs and how to create supportive socially competent classroom environments. Social
competence includes flexibility, empathy and compassion, self-efficacy, self-awareness, caring,
communication skills, and other GNH principle and values (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1995).
The research team believes it is the daily culture of the school is the primary factor that
supports students’ holistic development and academic learning. It is not the curriculum as curriculum
changes over time. RUB colleges’ classrooms as well as the other spaces on campus must establish a
caring strength-focused culture that nurtures resilience in all students and lecturers.
Caring relationships convey compassion, understanding and respect (Friere, 2004; Shor,
1992). They are grounded in active listening and establish basic trust. Positive high expectations
communicate the guidance, structure, challenge, and moreover a belief in the student’s ability.
Classroom learning should provide opportunities, inside and outside the physical classroom, for
meaningful participation, social competence, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving skills,
and contribution to the community (Capra, 1997, 2004). In this way, the students and lecturers can
support humanity’s basic needs for love and belonging, for respect, for involvement, power and
purpose. A sense of purpose includes the ability to set goals, educational aspirations, optimism in their
local and global community, meaning, and spiritual connectedness (Bruner, 1996; Miller, 1990).
RUB must be ambitious to fulfill its desire to become holistic and infuse GNH values and
principles. This ambition must be fulfilled systematically engaging the lectures, administrators, and
students to work together as a learning community;dedicated to the changes necessary to intentionally
develop a caring, supportive, participatory and positive learning environment. This report is an
attempt to develop the interventions that will help lead to the development of GNH classroom
practices and pedagogies, as well as MA and PhD graduate degree programs offered from RUB. If
successful, RUB will be unique in the world by offering a program that supports the overall GNH
national framework. The programs will serve to contribute to the attainment of Millennium
Development Goals by providing concrete teaching and learning practices for educational
transformation.
Currently RUB places the onus for failure to achieve academic credentials on the individual
rather than the system. There are mandates to teach certain subjects and have established standards
based on texts applicable to the subject. If RUB wants to be a GNH college, GNH pedagogy and
curriculum that facilitates and meets the GNH standards and indicators must be developed and
funded. Currently, rewards for those who perform well on high-stakes tests tend to be unequal.
Curriculum standards presuppose students’ possession of cultural capital, an acquisition that entails
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being reared in that genre. Education cannot forgo either authority or tradition, however authority
must be earned rather than assumed and the transmission of tradition needs to be critical and
experiential rather than blindly followed. Using student knowledge as the object of rigorous study can
bring a closer relationship between student, teacher and subject matter.
A GNH college goes beyond a career conduit. It will take some convincing and hard work to
understand holistic education is the best way for students to become compassionate, productive, and
contributing and responsible citizens. The forefront of a GNH holistic education is to offer a genuine
education enabling social change and widening students’ possibilities in life.Instruction should
include more than knowledge to be credentialed. Instruction should support the “intellectual exertion
and the development of a poetic and divine life” (Thoreau, 1849). Without the notion and idealism of
developing the impossible, there is little chance for transformation toward GNH education. For a
GNH holistic education to become fulfilled, this GNH PAR analysis and intervention is essential and
timely.
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Introduction
Historical Context and Background
In the 1972, the 4th King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck,developed an
approach to modernization, the objective of which he called “Gross National Happiness” (GNH). This
framework, based upon the premise that the happiness of the people should be a guiding principle in
the development of this formerly closed society, acknowledges that the spiritual and emotional
development of the people is as important to the country as the promotion and development of
material accumulation and modern comfort. The pursuit of GNH currently guides all economic and
social policies in Bhutan.
In 2009, the 5th King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, asked the government
and the people to address the need to reform the educational system. His goal was to transform the
current British-Indian based school structure into a more holistic educational system in line with the
principles of GNH. Holistic education, based upon the premise that each person finds identity,
meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, the natural world, and
humanitarian values such as compassion, interdependence, and trust aligns well with basic Bhutanese
principles.
The Project
The Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) has undertaken a participatory action research study
(PAR). The research team includes 62 lecturers from RUB and a primary investigator from Colorado,
US. This study seeks to identify the most deeply rooted values among the lecturers at RUB and the
disparity between these values and current educational practices. The GNH PART study aims to
identify foundational elements of a holistic education system dedicated to GNH, the gaps in current
classroom practice of RUB, as well as develop ways to bridge the identified gaps and thereby create a
holistic GNH educational classroom practice and pedagogy. The results of the investigation will
inform and guide the transformation of the Colleges of RUB, and will also inform the entire
Bhutanese public school system; RUB is responsible for training the teachers of Bhutan. From the
ideas and opinions of the stakeholders at RUB (including lecturers, students, and administrators)
elements, functions, flows, and characteristics, of a GNH holistic education system will be defined.
The nature of the PAR processes include the change that takes place with the researchers as
well as within their classroom practice. The lecturers, teachers and staff involved in the research as
respondents, also develop and organize a GNH educational culture within the PAR process. The study
will focus on populations of lecturers and staff at RUB; in-service teachers/ staff (those already
teaching and directing at schools); and pre-service teachers (those students attending college to
become a teacher). Some of the challenges include: utilizing the recommendations from the study as
support for institutional change for those organizations and agencies with decision making power,
capacity building, and developing nationwide training for teachers/staff/lecturers.
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Currently identified by the office of the Vice Chancellor, it is the responsibility of lecturers
and staff to embody and transmit the values and principles of GNH in their classroom and college
communities. It is the charge of the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the RUB colleges, to
assess and monitor the content and methods of the education curriculum and classroom practices.
Presently, the decision-making lies in the OVC and is mandated through various procedures and
programs that include training and workshops to help carry those mandated programs to fruition.
Aims of the study:
Central Research Questions
1.
How do the lecturers of RUB want to see GNH principles and values developed in
their schooling system?
2.
What are the perceptions on whose role it is to set and monitor the content and
methods of the education curriculum?
3.
What are the perceptions of decision-making roles relative to the education system
and what are the pedagogies to use?
4.
What aspects of the Western modern world are important to include, and how can
these be balanced with traditional culture and values as well as GNH? Benefit/risk
analysis. Both directions…. Transmission, adaptation.
5.
What are the perceptions of whose role it is to transmit these values?
6.
How long does something have to be in place to be considered traditional/modern?
7.
How widespread does something have to be in place to be considered
traditional/modern?
8.
What principles and values of GNH do the University faculty want to see developed
in the school system? How do they want to receive their professional development
in terms of GNH pedagogy?
9.
What does the faculty see as their role in defining, monitoring, mediating and
integrating values and cultural elements, in the education system?
10.
What skills and knowledge are necessary to develop in students in order to support
the principles and values of GNH? How will these be developed in the students?
11.
What is the best way to structure an educational system to support the principles of
GNH?
12.
What are the differences between mission/monastic schools and holistic GNH
education?
13.
What are the differences or gaps in values and pedagogies that are currently being
transmitted or modeled between the colleges?
i. How do any of these college-related values link with, or appear to,
influence GNH?
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ii. What criteria and evidence exists to support the increase of GNH
principles as outlined in the GNH framework as needed in schools?
iii. How can a system of assessment be developed to ensure the education
system does not get stuck in a fixed model system that already exists?
14.
What pedagogical instruction is necessary for the RUB Teachers College to ensure
that pre-service teachers are appropriately prepared? How can this instruction be
delivered?
15.
What will be the criteria or indicators that show lecturers ‘are appropriately
prepared’? How will they be assessed and hold accountable?
a. Change in classroom strategies, which include several from the Cycle 1 and
Cycle 2 interventions
i. The sharing of information from lecturers/staff who have been involved
in the PAR study to those lecturers/staff who were not involved so the
research team can observe the intervention practices in classes beyond
those lecturers/staff who have participated in the study.
16.
What will be the criteria or indicators that show students are learning content and
GNH values and principles? How will lecturers be accountable for assessment
using the indicators?
a. How will the learning and assessment of student learning include GNH values
and principles?
b. How will lecturers develop systems of assessment that align with GNH and be
held accountably to use them?
17.
How can RUB build systematic capacity rather than just train lecturers.
18.
What will the lecturers need to do to go beyond their training and develop an attitude
of holistic education? (Communities of practice, policy change, include career
paths, systems of support supervision, etc.)
19.
Are there classrooms are currently practicing pedagogy that aligns with GNH holistic
education: where, who, and what, are the circumstances and contributing factors.
i. Why here and not other places?
ii. Who is involved?
iii. Is this being supported – monitored, assessed?
20.
What kinds of college classrooms already show examples of some aspects of
positive/desirable forms of pedagogy?
a. What are the factors that support such changes?
b. What challenges are they meeting?
c. What shows that they ‘are working or not’ in terms of GNH desired educational
designs?
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The Significance of the Project
Although the vast majority of the population currently has access to the Bhutanese public
education system, there still exists an emphasis on an Anglo-Indian curriculum focusing on individual
achievement, competitiveness, and technical mastery of numeracy and literacy. To cultivate GNH, it
is essential that an attitude shift takes place among the lecturers, administration and students of RUB.
In addition, the development of several genres of education as foundational pillar needs to be
embedded in the daily classroom practice and curriculum of RUB. The foundational educational
paradigms that are outlined in the GNH framework include holistic education based on critical
pedagogy, contemplative or mindfulness practices, and values education.
This study will contribute to the development of the first nationwide college educational
system based upon holistic education principles. While there are currently individual schools that
take a holistic approach, to date, no country has attempted to use holistic education as the underlying
paradigm for the nation’s entire college education system. The small nation of Bhutan is attempting
to create something the world has never seen before. This study can provide a unique example to
inform other parts of the world about holistic education and can provide a model for the development
of graduate programs in holistic education at RUB for pre-service, in-service teachers and
administrators around the world.
Relationship of Research to Existing Literature
This study seeks to gather data that will inform the research team on how to bridge the
existing gap between theory of, and actual classroom practice and pedagogy, thereby advancing a
holistic based education. The study will expand the existing research and literature of holistic
education pedagogy.
New Knowledge Expected to Result from Research
Innovative pedagogy and classroom practices supporting holistic education are the expected
outcomes of this study. The existing RUB colleges will be examined to find out what extent holistic
GNH pedagogy already exists and what pedagogy is not supportive of GNH. Collaborations with
those lecturers, staff, and students, who are teaching and learning in ways that support GNH will be
assessed and invited to participate in bringing more GNH pedagogy to their college community and
classrooms. From this GNH PAR study innovative new pedagogy can be developed. Observations by
the research team of those lecturers, staff and community members already engaged in GNH
pedagogy are documented and monitored. During Cycle II interventions, the research team is
working with lecturers at PCE to develop and share classroom practices and pedagogies more aligned
with GNH and to identify how they impact student learning. In this collaborative professional
development learning community (i.e. coaching groups, lecturers and staff) can shift the existing
attitude from a more additional top-down Euro-Indian classroom and education paradigm to an
expanded GNH classroom paradigm.
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At this time, the research team has infused innovative practices into the second and third
intervention cycles and developed recommended interventions for the second and third phases of the
research based upon the baseline data. Data is to be continually collected as to the effectiveness of
student learning and teaching of the lecturers during the fall 2012 semester as part of the Cycle II
intervention. As a participatory action research study, the second and third cycles phase of data
collection looks at processes and outcomes as the holistic education practices are being rolled out.
Training is developed and given to current lecturers/staff as support in order to implement new
practices developed from the findings of the baseline data. Data collected on what is working, as well
as what is not working, and the contributing factors to each, are identified and used to help further
develop the training for current lecturer/staff. At the end of the Cycle II intervention round Phase I
and II recommendations will be adjusted to reinforce the continued development of a GNH classroom
practice and pedagogy. At the end of the study in 2014, the research team will write a comprehensive
summary and an official guideline of GNH pedagogy and classroom practices. Lastly, RUB will use
the findings and recommendations to develop modules contributing to a MA and PhD degree program
in holistic education.
Classroom culture:
Classroom culture influences the way learning is valued, the way students look upon
themselves and others, and lays the foundation of lifelong habits of thought and action. VanBalkom &
Sherman (2010) elucidate the current situation regarding teacher preparation in the two colleges of
Education in Bhutan, suggesting that there is a general disconnect between theory and practice (p. 47).
The study notes that the colleges in Bhutan primarily use the lecture method as the predominant
teaching pedagogy, even with content about the use of different teaching methods. Our baseline data
strongly echoed VanBalkom & Sherman’s (2010) study. The GNH PAR study asserts that students
believe lecturers should practice what they teach and recommends that teachers model different
teaching strategies for pre-service teachers. MacInerney & MacInerney (1994) examine how students
learn best, and report concrete demonstrationsof key concepts facilitate effective learning (p. 568).
The baseline data confirmed MacInerney & MacInerney’s (1994) findings. Students from all colleges
state that concrete, experiential experiences are how they learn best. VanBalkom & Sherman (2010)
conclude: “Bhutanese schools will only improve if there is a shift to a culture of engagement in
classrooms” and that the college lecturers’ and school teachers’ pedagogy play a vital role in creating
such an intentional culture. The GNH PAR study baseline data substantiates this conclusion
throughout RUB colleges. A shift in attitude among lecturers, administrators, and students to develop
approaches more aligned within GNH values and principles than the current Euro-Indian form of
education currently prevailing in classrooms, is necessary to fulfill the expectations of a GNH
educational culture and pedagogy.
There are a variety of approaches to increase the effectiveness of lecturer pedagogy
supporting the GNH framework. Critical pedagogy and contemplative, or mindfulness education, are
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two paradigms steeped in GNH values and principles. Criticalpedagogy emerged as an alternative to
hegemonic educational practices, questioning the imbalance of power and marginalization perpetuated
by the status quo.Bourdieu explains: “The educational market is strictly dominated by the linguistic
products of the dominant class and tends to sanction the pre-existing differences in [symbolic,
material, and cultural] capital” (1982, p. 62). Externally imposed conceptions of education function to
maintain the social status quo of the external entity, in which some populations benefit, while others
do not. GNH calls for a holistic education whereby all learners benefit. Ayers (2001) states:
“Education is about opening doors, opening minds, opening possibilities. School is too often about
sorting and punishing, grading and raking and certifying. Education is unconditional—it asks nothing
in return. School routinely demands obedience and conformity as a precondition to attendance.” (p.
xxiii). A critical pedagogical foundation of education shifts classroom “focus to the active process of
learning [this shift] has never denied that texts, materials, lessons, tests, and classrooms are important;
they are just not the substance of curriculum or the purpose of education” (Slattery, 2006, p. 62).
Critical pedagogy is a way to develop consciousness. Freire argued for “…education as the
practice of freedom - as opposed to education as the practice of domination” (1998, p. 75). He urged
educators to base educational activities on issues that were immediately related to the learners’ lives.
Dialectical discourse leads to conscientization, or “the emergence of consciousness andcritical
intervention in reality” (Freire, 1998, p.75). The classroom transforms to a place where learners
become active participants in the world, rather than passive objects acted upon by circumstance.
Education becomes a dynamic process of reflective, empowerment for both lecturers and student.
Freire elaborates: “Teaching in schools and universities is not a preparation for a future life; it must
be, as Dewey (1998) wrote in Experience and Education, an experience of life itself” (p. xvi).
Education is an awakening to and exploration of one’s own life (Friere, 1998), and the concentric
circles of context in which we live.” (Ayers, 2001). Pedagogical classroom practice is used as a means
of challenging hegemonic systems, embodying “liberation[as] a praxis; the action and reflection of
men and women upon their world in order to transform it.” (Freire, 1998, p. 73).
The process of conscientization does not guarantee awareness. Greene (1998) warns that we
cannot assume everyone will be moved to open his or her heart and mind through the process of
conscientization. Teachers must model “…moving beyond self-interest to a consideration of
responsibility as members, as citizens, or (sometimes in the extreme) as contemporary… resistance
fighters.” (Greene, 1998, p. xxviii). Support is needed from the management in order for classrooms
to transform. Collective critical awareness is limited when it “…does not extend to needed structural
transformation" (Gottlieb & La Belle, 1990, p. 11), nor does it necessarily improve living conditions.
Despite these uncertainties, to teach for GNH is "…to teach so that the young may be awakened to the
joy of working for transformation in the smallest places, so that they may become healers and change
their worlds." (Greene, 1998, p. xlv).
Contemplative, or mindfulness education, is this: how we know is as important as what we
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know. Mindful education allies with rational empirical schooling. Traditional schooling methods
have focused on rational empirical knowing involving observation, calculation, analysis, evaluation,
measurement and explanation. Another way of knowing, through mindfulness practices, has been
utilized throughout time, culture, and in many disciplines, to pursue knowledge and wisdom. Mindful
education, or contemplative education, is absent in many of the classrooms and pedagogies
throughout Bhutan and the world. This gap impacts student performance, the development of
character, civic vitality, and conscience. The mindful mind is opened through various approaches
designed to quiet the chatter in one’s mind and cultivate a deeper awareness. Mindfulness is a quality
of human consciousness described as an accepting awareness of, and enhanced attention to, lived
experience. Being mindful increases engagement with the present moment and allows for a clearer
understanding of how thoughts and emotions can impact our health and quality of life. Using
mindfulness practice in the classroom enables the student to gain a way of knowing that supports and
complements rational and empirical ways of knowing.
The data from the baselines GNH PAR study shows that one of the largest contributing
factors blocking mindfulness practice in the classroom is the result of lecturers feeling that it is a
religious practice and should be kept out of the classroom. Hart (2004) states: “Opening the
contemplative mind in schools is not a religious issue but a practical epistemic question. It is about
how we know, not about what knowledge we are giving others. Inviting the contemplative simply
include the natural human capacity for knowing through silence, looking inward, pondering deeply,
beholding, witnessing the contents of our consciousness and so forth.” This way of opening and
allowing deeper understanding parallels critical pedagogy. Critical pedagogy uses praxis, a process of
naming, critical self-reflection, and informed action, to co-create knowledge with students and
lecturers. The critical self-reflection is best achieved when using contemplative practices.
A GNH classroom requires the classroom practice and pedagogy to include GNH values and
principles such as life tools of social life, emotional regulation, civility, and compassion. The
responsibility of RUB is to develop classroom practices and pedagogies to support GNH principles
and values as well as to encourage development of lecturers’ conscience through a deeper
understanding and application in their specific content area. The deeper understanding infers a higher
order understanding, creativity, problem solving and self-reflection that will ultimately transform the
lecturer and the student through the process of learning together.
Schonert-Reichl & Lawlor (2010) report children who participated in mindfulness practices,
as compared to those who did not, showed significant increases in optimism and socially competent
behaviors. In addition, there are an abundance of research studies showing the positive impact
mindfulness practices have on learning, health, reduction of stress, self-awareness, civility and
happiness. Research also shows students significantly:
•
Became more optimistic and thought more positively
•
Learned to make themselves happy
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•
Were more accepting of others perspectives
•
Tried to help others more often
•
Thought mindfulness practices positively influenced their social and emotional development
•
Declined appreciably in aggressive behaviors
•
Were significantly more attentive and emotionally regulated.
•
Increased empathy
•
Raised optimism
•
Increased emotional control
•
Improved focused attention
•
Worked more collaboratively with classmates
(Arguelles, McCraty, & Rees, 2003; Brown, & Ryan, (2003); Durlak, 2011; Given, 2002; Holzel,
Carmody, Vangel, Cogleton, Yerramsetti, Gard, Lazar, 2011; Kabat-Zinn, 2004. Murphy, Donovan,
& Taylor, 1997; Siegel, 2010. So & Orme-Johnson, 2001; Spolsky, 1993; Tiller, McCraty, &
Atkinson, 1996). Not only has it been shown that mindfulness practices positively impacts students,
research has also shown that teachers’ own presence and ability of teaching is cultivated. (Miller,
1994; Solloway, 2000). Throughout the baseline data round, the GNH PAR research team frequently
heard from lecturers that learning is not merely a matter of time on task but the quality of attention
brought to the task. In the discussion section of this report there will be several ideas of mindfulness
practice that can be infused into GNH classroom practice and pedagogy.
Preservation of culture is one of the four pillars of GNH. Some of the traditional Bhutanese
values include the extended family system, which historically functioned as the school where the elder
family members educated and prepared children for adult life. Families have functioned as a medium
of moral, civic, and intellectual education in non-literate societies. The integration of oral learning
transmission, experiential learning, and values education, are teaching tools necessary to use uphold
cultural preservation and GNH (Dorji Penjore, 2005). Values were acquired through direct
participation in the socio-cultural daily rituals of Bhutanese life. Bhutanese culture has been preserved
by each generation orally passing its history to the next. Maintaining and adapting these oral-learning
traditions is essential in bridging the gap between theory and practice in classroom that aligns with
GNH.
Values education is one of the most important objectives in the teaching of children. Dasho
Karma Ura (2009) states that it is imperative that the education system of Bhutan incorporate values
in its methodology. He notes that values education – also known as character education, civic
education, and moral education – has been overshadowed by an emphasis on individualism in western
education systems, with a de-emphasis on social responsibility, community consciousness, and
altruism (p. 10-11). He furthers notes: “…peaceful, human relations and helpfulness towards each
other are central factors in creating a contented society” a central objective in the GNH framework.
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Dasho Karma Ura points out in his review of current textbooks and pedagogy that values-based
education is lacking. A school system based on GNH would include values education in textbooks,
teacher preparation, classroom management and structure.
Happiness is at the center of GNH. McDonald’s (2005) work in Bhutan describes the
connection between development of values and happiness, which “…provides the intellectual
foundation for almost every system of sustainable social co-ordination.” (p. 25).
…this universal wisdom has however, been successively lost in the process of modernization to
be replaced by a less grounded understanding…First the abandonment of happiness as the
ultimate end to be sought…the denial of any need for an intentional morality….
(McDonald, p. 27)
Sampling and Data Collection
Sampling
The sampling used in most of the colleges was a mix of random sampling incorporating
probability and stratified random sampling, purposive, and convenience sampling. Attention was paid
to gender, year or level of study for students, years of teaching for lecturers, age, and the location of
students from Bhutan.
The GNH PAR study utilized probability sampling, as the research generalized from the
sample populations of RUB to the whole population of RUB. The estimates for selection were based
on the demographics of the total RUB population. This form of respondent selection was less biased
as it did not depend on personal judgment. A random selection process has independence because the
selection of one person does not have an effect on the selection of other individuals.
During the pretest round held in Paro, March 5 - 11, 2012, the stratified random sampling
method was used. Stratified random sampling assured greater statistical precision with less variance
because groups were more likely to be homogenous within a stratum than across the whole
population. In an attempt to ensure the sample was representative of the population, students at Paro
Teachers College were stratified into subgroups based on gender and their level of study: first, second,
third and fourth year. Then, respondents were sampled randomly within each stratum in an effort to
provide equal opportunities for different key subgroups of the student population. However, due to
research leader changes and organizational issues among the research team, one month into the data
collection the nature of randomization shifted. The research team members had very little prior
experience in research and sampling procedures. It was difficult for team members to follow the
randomization selection process and match with the schedule of the students and the lecturers. At the
beginning, the lecturers seemed to be fully occupied during the day, which led to timing challenges.
Lecturers were unable to show up at a specific time. They needed a more spontaneous schedule.
Therefore, a convenience sampling and scheduling procedure replaced the original randomized
selection process.
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The key aspect of the convenience method, as its name indicates, was based upon the
participants’ availability. This method was inexpensive and straightforward, and although it is widely
used in qualitative research (for it represents actual characteristic of the population), it may be linked
to limited credibility because of the ease of data gathering and a possible systematic bias. The latter
implies the sample may not be an accurate representative of the entire population, which may result in
obtaining irrelevant, skewed results and low external validity of the research. The research team made
every attempt to line up the sampling population with the total population. When the research team
used convenience sampling, research team members selected the individuals based on gender balance
and year of study to obtain more balanced opinions in their target population. The lecturers were
selected based upon gender, years of teaching, and the department in which they taught. Inclusion of
the administrators and support staff into the research study required use of the purposive sampling
method. Administrators were chosen deliberately, mainly based upon the position they held and who
was at the college during the data collection period. Purposive sampling can be a useful nonprobability type of sampling method in situations where sampling for proportionality is not the main
concern. The strategy is typically used when a particular subset of the population is targeted, such was
the population of the administrators of each college. Primary criticism of a purposive sample is the
likelihood to overweight subgroups in a population that are more readily accessible and therefore
rejecting those who do not suit the method. Homogenous sampling of the purposive sampling
technique was used to address specific questions characteristic of the group being studied. The
research team selected the directors at each college to interview, as well as academic deans. The
director was not available for an interview from one college.
It is important to note that although PCE research team members, who spoke the
respondents’ local language(s), were always present, wording questions and language barriers while
conducting focus group discussions and key informant interviews in English may have presented
some error or bias in the respondents’ ability to answer and/or understand the language. English is an
official language and used in the colleges, however it is rarely a first language of the respondents.
In this study, 630 adults, 17 years and older, were sampled, which represents 9.3% of the
entire RUB population, including students, lecturers, and administrators. The total sample included:
●
366 students, or 6.1% of the entire student population,
●
203 lecturers, including the research team members, or 42% of the entire lecturer population,
●
28 administrators, which represents 10.44% of the administration population;
●
33 respondents who were involved and/or who participated in the writing of field notes,
meeting notes, and research team diaries. Those sets are labeled as “notes.”
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The research team members were required to keep a research diary to document their personal
growth throughout the research and their journal entries were utilized to provide an additional
perspective from RUB’s lecturers on their self-reflective journey through PAR. Out of
approximately 70 data sets between meeting notes, field notes, and research diaries collected, 27
sets we used in our analysis. The results of this study report come from an analysis of 218
collected data sets.
After the pretest round held in Paro, March 5-11, 2012, four members of the PCE research
team visited CNR, in Lobesa, on March 11-14, 2012. Of the total population of 321, of which 58 are
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female and 263 male, there are 249 students enrolled in either diploma, or degree programs, of which
37 are female and 212 are male between 21 or 42 years of age. At present, CNR employs 30 lecturers,
6 female and 24 male, whose age ranges between 21 and 54 years old. In addition, there are 42
administrators, including support staff, of which 15 are female and 27 are male and the age range is
from 27 to 53-years-old. To document current classroom practices, individual scope, and
stakeholders’ needs.Together, CNR and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered thirteen sets of data, which included a total of 34 respondents: 8 female and 26
male.
●
Three classroom observations that were selected at random, all male lecturers.
●
Five focus group discussions, which included lecturers, teachers and students, and
●
Four key informant interviews with administrators, teachers, lecturers, and students.
●
One additional data set was derived from notes and it involved 1 male respondent.
Further sampling using the probability method, for field data gathering in local schools in Lobesa,
was facilitated in consultation with CNR RT members.
In Trongsa, the team visited ILCS on March 15-17, 2012. Total population at ILCS numbers 561
of which 255 are female and 306 are male. The Student population totals 501, including 241 female
and 260 male students between 21 and 26-years-old. There are 26 lecturers, 4 female and 22 male,
whose ages range between 24 and 48 years old. In addition, there are 34 administrators including
support staff, of which 10 are female and 24 are male and their ages range from 21 to 55-years-old.
Together, ILCS and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered nineteen sets of data that included a total of 53 respondents, 19 female and 34 male.
●
Five classroom observations randomly selected with all male lecturers,
●
Four focus group discussions, which included lecturers and students, and
●
Six key informant interviews with 3 male administrators, lecturers, and students.
●
Four additional data sets were collected from the notes included 6 respondents.
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To ensure other PCE data collection team members received concrete hands-on data
collection experience, in addition to having to uphold their pre-established teaching duties at PCE,
two research team members returned to Paro, and two different PCE research team members
embarked on a new data collection journey. This team visited GCBS in Gaeddu, on March 18-20,
2012. Total population at GCBS numbers 1148 of which 476 are female and 672 are male. The
student population totals 1066, including 460 are female and 606 are male between 18 and 35-yearsold. Currently, there are 72 lecturers appointed at GCBS, 12 female and 60 male, whose ages range
between 23 and 66-years-old. Additionally, there are 10 administrators including support staff, of
which 4 are female and 6 are male, and their ages range from 24 to 49-years-old. Together, GCBS and
PCE RT members:
●
Gathered twenty two sets of data that included a total of 54 respondents, 16 female and 38
male.
●
Seven classroom observations, randomly selected, including all male lecturers,
●
Eight focus group discussions which included 6 male lecturers, 28 students, of which 12 were
female and 16 male, and
●
Five key informant interviews with 1 male administrator, 1 male lecturer, and 4 students, 2
female and 2 male.
●
Two additional sets derived from the notes of meeting notes included 7 respondents.
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After visiting GCBS, PCE team collected data at CST located in Rinchending, Phuntsoling,
between March 21 and 23, 2012. Total population at CST numbers 568 of which 143 are female and
425 are male. The student population totals 521, of which 132 are female and 389 male, between 18
and 29 years of age. CST employs 34 administrators and 43 lecturers, of which 9 are female and 34
male, whose ages range between 25 and 55-years-old. To note, during research, 4 lecturers, including
1 female and 3 male, were on leave. Together, CST and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered twenty-two sets of data that involved 60 respondents, 22 female and 38 male.
●
Seven classroom observations with both, female and male lecturers, and
●
Seven focus groups with lecturers and students, and 5 key informant interviews with
lecturers, students, and administrators.
Between March 24 and 29, 2012, PCE RT visited SCE, in Samtse. Total population at SCE
numbers 981 of which 439 are female and 542 are male. Currently, SCE has student population that
totals 899 full-time students, including 411 female and 488 male students, whose ages range from 17
to 34-years-old. There are 156 students pursuing PgDE, 68 female and 88 male, whose ages range
from 20 to 34-years-old. Students enrolled in B.Ed. compose a total of 743 students, 343 female and
400 male students, between 17 and 32-years-old. Total number of faculty members at SCE is 54
lecturers, 15 female and 39 male, between 23 and 58 years old. Administrative staff includes library,
instructors, technical, and administrative staff of 28 members, 13 female and 15 male, between 21 and
54-years-old. Together, SCE and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered twenty-six data sets that engaged 86 respondents, 38 female ad 48 male.
●
Seven class observations with both, female and male lecturers,
●
Nine focus groups with students, lecturers, and administrators, and
●
Seven key informant interviews with students and lecturers.
●
An additional three sets gathered from notes involved 3 respondents.
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While at SCE, teams gathered an additional 12 data sets using the probability method in local primary
and secondary schools.
At this time in the semester, PCE RT was experiencing challenges with research data
collection team’s itinerary and coordination between colleges. Shortly thereafter, one of the two PCE
RT leaders resigned from the team leader position and the traveling members of the PCE research
team returned to Paro on March 31, 2012.
PCE research team’s subsequent visit to Sherubtse College, in Kanglung, on April 04-09,
2012, produced 27 data sets, thereby involving 62 respondents in the study. Total population at
Sherubtse numbers 1291 of which 496 are female and 795 are male. The student population totals
1101, of which 456 female and 645 male, between 19 and 22 years of age. Faculty at Sherubtse
includes 114 lecturers, 26 female and 88 male lecturers, whose ages range from 25 to 55-years-old.
There are 72 administrators, of which 14 are female and 62 are male, from 25 to 44-yearsold.Together, Sherubtse and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered thirty six data sets, involved 102 respondents, 33 female and 69 male.
●
Seventeen class observations with female and male lecturers,
●
Seven focus groups with lecturers and students, and
●
Four key informant interviews with lecturers, students, and administrators.
●
An additional eight sets included 8 respondents.
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On April 10-11, 2012, PCE team resumed their data collection at JNP, in Dewathang. Total
population at JNP numbers 408 of which 91 are female and 317 are male. The student population
totals 341, 77 female and 264 male, aging from 18 to 30-years-old. Civil Engineering diploma
students total 181, of which 38 are female and 143 are male students. There are 111 Electrical
Engineering students pursuing a diploma, 24 female and 88 male. Additionally, students enrolled in a
Mechanical Engineering diploma program total 49, 16 female and 33 male students. JNP employs 41
lecturers, 4 female and 37 male, from 24 to 57-years-old. To note, 7 male lecturers are pursuing
studies. There are 26 administrators from 22 to 40-years-old, 10 female and 16 male, of which 3 are
away on studies. Together, JNP and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered thirteen sets of data involving 38 respondents, 11 female and 27 male.
●
Two class observations with male lecturers,
●
Four focus groups with lecturers and students, and
●
Six key informant interviews with students, lecturers, and administrators.
●
One additional set was gathered from the notes with 1 male respondent.
On April 23, 26, and 30, 2012, PCE research team visited RIHS in Thimphu. Those research
team members, who did not previously have a chance to travel far to visit other colleges, alternated
the data collection process at said college. Total population at RIHS numbers 395 of which 201 are
female and 194 are male. The student body totals 335, of which 169 are female and 166 are male
students. There are 23 students seeking a degree at RIHS, 17 female and 6 male students, while 152
are enrolled in a diploma program, of which 74 are female and 78 are male. Students seeking a
certificate total 160, with 78 female and 82 male students. RIHS employs 32 lecturers, of which 18
are female and 14 are male, whose ages range from 26 to 60-years-old, as well as 28 administrators,
14 female and 14 male, from 24 to 50-years-old. Together, RIHS and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered seventeen sets of data that engaged 60 respondents, 29 female ad 31 male.
●
Five class observations, and
●
Five focus groups and
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Seven key informant interviews.
To note, all focus group and key informant interview participants were pre-selected.
On their next visit to Thimphu, on May 07, 2012, PCE RT members went to NITM. Total
population at NITM numbers 88 of which 35 are female and 53 are male. The student body at NITM
numbers 60 students enrolled full time, 23 female and 37 male, from 20 to 29-years-old. Students
seeking Doctor’s degree, Drungthso, amount to a total of 31, with 9 female and 22 male students,
while those enrolled in a diploma program total 29, of which 14 are female and 15 are male. The
Institute employs 11 lecturers, 3 female and 8 male, 24 to 58-years-old and also 17 administrators, 9
female and 8 male, from 23 to 44-years-old. Together, NITM and PCE RT members:
●
Gathered six data sets that involved 33 participants, 13 female and 20 male.
●
Two classroom observations, with 2 male lecturers,
●
Three focus groups with students and lecturers, and
●
One key informant interview with 1 male administrator.
Total population at PCE numbers 1008 of which 427 are female and 581 are male. The
student population totals 943, including 409 are female and 534 are male between 19 to 39-years-old.
Currently, there are 62 lecturers appointed at PCE, 17 female and 45 male, whose ages range between
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26 to 53-years-old. Additionally, there are 3 administrators including support staff, of which 1 are
female and 2 are male, and their ages range from 30 and 53- years-old. PCE RT gathered 47 data sets
that involved 110 respondents, including actively participating research team members. Together,
During the pretest week PCE RT members:
●
Gathered sixteen data sets engaging 57 respondents, 24 female and 33 male.
●
Seven focus groups with 21 female and 21 male students, 2 female and 4 male lecturers.
●
Two class observations with 2 male lecturers, and
●
Seven key informant interviews with 1 female and 2 male students, 3 male lecturers, and 1
male administrator.
During the Baseline round, the PCE team gathered 31 data sets that involved 53 respondents,
including 14 participating research team members. PCE RT collected data through class observations
that included couching group observations, thereby collecting:
●
Fifteen data sets, with 6 female and 9 male lecturers.
●
Team also participated in two focus groups with 3 female and 2 male students, 2 female and 4
male lecturers and
●
Six key informant interviews with 1 female lecturer and 2 male lecturers, 1 male
administrator, and 2 students, 1 female and 1 male.
●
An additional eight sets, gathered through use of field notes, meeting notes, and research team
diary entries, involved 8 respondents, 3 female and 5 male.
●
Furthermore, PCE RT visited 3 local schools and gathered an additional 8 data sets, involving
18 participants. The school data was not used in the report.
Data collection methods
Qualitative methods of data collection are ways of gathering information yielding results that
can’t easily be measured by, or translated into, numbers. They are often used when you need the
subtleties behind the numbers, such as the feelings, small actions, or pieces of community history
affecting the current situation. The methods acknowledge the fact that experience is subjective and it
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is filtered through the perceptions and personal views of the people undergoing the research.
Qualitative researchers believe it’s important to understand those perceptions and personal views.
Qualitative data collection methods connect directly with the population under study. In assessment,
the best sources of information are those closest to what’s being assessed. In this study the lecturers,
students, and administrators, experience the situation more than anyone else. The qualitative methods
used were directed to the lecturers, students, and administrators at all ten RUB colleges. The topic
guide questions developed, used more complex questions than quantitative methods would have
allowed. The qualitative methods selected enabled the revelation of certain underlying realities of the
situation that quantitative methods would not have been able to uncover, such as perceptionsabout the
education at RUBand in general the educational system of Bhutan. The questions allowedthe
researchers to follow promising directions by the responsive use of probing questions such as:
1.1
What does a RUB education mean?
Probes
• When people find out that a person has graduated from RUB, what is the first thought that
you would want to come to them?
• What symbolism do you want associated with someone who has graduated from RUB?
• What is unique about RUB from other colleges?
• How does RUB prepare young people to contribute to Bhutan, in a GNH way?
o How does RUB prepare young people to be good neighbours? Good parents?
Good friends? Protectors of the environment? Engage in culture? Righteous
leaders?
This type of question and response led to the discovery of important information that
quantitative results would nothave revealed to the team. The methods chosen allowed for the human
factor. While the information obtained through qualitative methods may have been subjective, it was
identified as such, and was analyzed accordingly. The data collection methods used for this study
included focus group discussions, key informant interviews, observations, research diaries, meeting
notes and plenary sessions. Focus group discussions in this study refered to a session about 1-1½
hours in length, conducted by a facilitator which was the PI and/or research team member (RUB
faculty) along with a note taker, which was also the PI and/or research team member (RUB faculty).
The focus group discussion was conducted with a relatively homogeneous group of 6-12 participants,
done in a comfortable setting where there were relatively few interruptions, during which one, or
more, participatory exercises wereused with the group to link theprobing questions and discussions.
These sessions generated various kinds of verbal and visual products, plus field notes, that were then
subjected to acombined and comparative analysis.
For this study, a key informant interview referred to open-ended sessions conducted by the PI
and/or research team member as interviewer/facilitator, and a note taker again the PI and/or research
team member. The interview was conducted with individuals that have special knowledge about the
key issues under investigation. Interviews often lasted about 1 hour, used a relatively limited set of
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open-ended topic guide questions as a reference and at times combined probing questionswith
participatory tools to enhance participation and reflection.
Observations in this study referred to direct observations in RUB classrooms during the
spring 2012 semester conducted by the PI and/or research team member as the observer. The
observation lasted one class period, approximately 50 minutes, and included written detailed notes of
classroom practices and interactions. The observations were about pedagogy and classroom practices
rather than content. Observations continued as an on-going weekly activity within each RUB College
during the spring 2012 semester.
A research diary was a record of the researcher’s involvement in the project. While the
contents of the diary weresometimes used as data, they were different from the information of the
observations, interviews, discussions or other data that were collected because the diary contained
information about the researcher:what the researcher did during the research process and their
development of research skills and knowledge throughout the baseline round. The research diary
complements the data yielded by the other forms of data collection.
The main reasons for keeping a research diary were to:
•
Generate a history of the project, as well as the researcher’sthinking and the research process
•
Provide material for reflection
•
Offer data on the research process
•
Record the development of the researcher’sresearch skills
Keeping a diary was, therefore, a useful means to:
•
Explore individual researcher practices
•
Get practice and gain confidence in recording research and writing
•
Empower oneself as researcher through sharing experience with peers
•
Engage in supportive but critical interaction between peers and participants
What went in the research diary?
•
Summary of what happened each day the researcher worked on the project
•
Stories of conversations, discussion, interviews, planning sessions, etc.
•
Questions and topics for further study or investigation
•
Guesses, hunches, and ideas
•
Diagrams, drawings, and mind-maps
•
Observations
•
Reflections on observations
•
Plans for future action or research
The research diarieswere written up in field notes, progress reports, and/or other documents. There
were no rules about style, language, or spelling. Research diaries, from research team members,were
collected twice through the baseline round, spring semester 2012. Documenting the process of
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research team members was important to inform the cyclical process of PAR and the interventions
developed.
For qualitative fieldwork, taking good notes and keeping them well-organized were critical
skills for successful data collection. Meeting notes were important as theydrew on many opinions and
knowledge at one time, and uncovered disagreements or differences that were discussed. These
disagreements were not always evident during focus group discussions or key informant interviews.
The field research team met several times daily during data collection to talk about situations that
were unclear and to troubleshoot any problems. We also made use of a variety of peer-debriefing
techniques.
Plenary discussionswere large group feedback sessions held on the last day of the fieldwork
in each college, with the exception of CST which held its plenary during morning hour the following
week after data collection. This was due to a visit by the Ministry of Health on the college campus
during our last day of research analysis. The plenaries focused on the analysis of the data sets by the
research team and included interactive, participatory exercises with lecturers from the college. All
lecturers, and at times students, were invited. The plenary sessions were led by the individual research
team from that college, as well as the travel PCE research team members, and recorded by a note
taker, typically the research associate. In addition, at times notes were taken on flip charts and idea
cards, which were then recorded as data at a later date.
Jumpstart
The Jumpstart workshop was a two-week workshop held at PCE at the onset of the research,
February 15-29, 2012, so all research team members could develop the OPM and research skills
together. In addition, foundations of critical pedagogy and contemplative education were presented
and practiced. During the Jumpstart workshop research team members learned, practiced and
developed their skills in how to: (a) ask strategic and probing questions; (b) hold focus groups
discussions, key informant interviews and direct obbservations; (c) note take; (d) coding data; (e)
analyze data; (f) write up findings and summaries; (g) and make recommendations to develop GNH
classroom practices and pedagogies. The majority of research team members stated that note taking
was considerably more difficult than anticipated and developing probing questions was a skill they
needed to practice. The research team members continued to develop their skills and expand their
knowledge in data collection and analysis throughout the entire baseline round.
During the sessions where foundations of holistic education were introduced through
contemplative education and critical pedagogy, research team members and other PCE lecturers and
RUB staff and administrators identified and prioritized GNH values and principles, clarified the
challenges and questions about the research, and completed the design and organization of the
upcoming data collection process. Most of the ten colleges sent research team leaders to the entire
Jumpstart workshop. There were two colleges that joined after the first 4-6 days.
Subsequently,missing the foundational preparation and team building aspects of the workshop led to
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extra work and confusion in the data collection process when visiting those colleges. The
recommendations emanating from the research team leaders strongly suggested that directors of the
colleges should also have attended the workshop along with all research team members from the
colleges, not just research team leaders or representatives. According to feedback over 80% of
participants who attended the entire workshop stated they were convinced of the importance, design,
and implementation of the study and methodology; however, they were also very concerned with
thepossible inability to relay and convince other lecturers back at their home colleges. Almost all
research team leaders expressed this as a potential limitation of the effectiveness of the study. The
largest contributing factors to this concern was the fear that lecturers would believe there was not
sufficient time to carry out such a research study, it was too much work, and the lecturers would not
voluntarily participate because the benefits were not immediate nor the outcome clearly defined. In a
PAR study the outcomes emerge rather than being defined at the onset of the study. The Vice
Chancellor attended throughout the entire Jumpstart as did the RUB’s Dean of Research Dr. Dorji
Thinley. Their response was positive and their leadership model and guidance to lecturers
exceptional, supportive, and quite uncommon for people in their positions.
Pretest
After the conclusion of the Jumpstart workshop, the topic guide questions were administered
during a pretest in Paro by the PCE research team both at PCE and at several school sites in Paro.
Pre-test data at PCE and in Paro schools provided insight to research team members as to topic guide
question adjustments, and where additional training was needed to move forward with PAR. For
instance, during the focus group discussions research team members recognized their challenges to
hold focus group discussions, the importance of asking probing questions, the value of having
informal conversations, and the consequence of talking too much and leading the group in contrast to
listening and letting the respondents offer information. Skills in developing probing questions,
pausing during conversation, and note taking were identified and further practiced. During the pretest, a variety of checklists were also developed to ensure clear organization and collect accurate
documentation of data; including specifying sources of information and data collection methods.
Methods to clearly identify therespondents by gender, degree/diploma, as well as the composition of
each college’s research team, locations for data collection, development of a specific sampling plan,
and a form to capture pedagogical issues which were to emerge during the data collection process. As
the research team moved forward with the study, the OPM containing the protocols,topic
guidequestions, and the glossary for the study remained a living, content-malleable guide to which
research team members continued to contribute by adding culturally appropriate terms and relevant
guiding questions. There were fourteen major adjustments, i.e. drafts over the baseline study period
from February 2012 – April 2012.
Onsite data collection
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March 12, 2012 the research team started their visit to RUB’s ten colleges. The respondent
population for the GNH PAR study included students, lecturers, administrators, and staff from RUB
colleges and schools in the surrounding areas. Dispersed across Bhutan, RUB’s colleges included:
Paro College of Education (PCE) in Paro, College of Natural Resources (CNR) in Lobesa, College of
Science and Technology (CST) in Rinchending, Gaeddu College of Business Studies (GCBS) in
Gedu, Chukha, Institute of Language and Culture Studies (ILCS) in Trongsa, Jigme Namgyel
Polytechnic (JNP) in Dewathang, National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM) in Kawajangsa,
Thimphu, Royal Institute of Health Sciences (RIHS), Thimphu, Samtse College of Education (SCE),
Samtse, and Sherubtse College (SC) in Kanglung, Tashigang. Since RUB is also responsible for the
instructing teachers in Bhutan, a small secondary sample of schoolteachers, students, and
administrators in several of the communities where the colleges reside were also part of the
respondent population.
The original schedule for visits was changed after visits to the first two colleges. During the
visit to ILCS, the PCE traveling research team members received messages from home-based PCE
research team members of the challenges they were encountering. To address these challenges, the
PCE traveling research team thought it best to return to PCE and work with the home-based PCE
research team members supporting their development in data collection and analysis skills. Due to this
need the time scheduled for visits to other colleges shifted as well as the overall timeline for the
baseline round and first two cycles of interventions. Originally the baseline round and first cycles of
interventions were to take place during the spring semester 2012. The adjusted time line moved the
first cycle of interventions to the month of May and the second cycle of interventions to the fall
semester of 2012 where the PCE research team will lead the interventions with support from the PI
via email. The PI left Bhutan at the beginning of June to return to her teaching at Naropa University
in Boulder, CO, USA. In addition, the original PCE research team leaders who were appointed
resigned and two other research team members volunteered to resume the leadership position. One of
the second group of leaders left RUB, and hence the research team, at the end of the spring semester
and the other is still the current research team leader, Jambay Lhamo. It is interesting to note that the
appointed leaders resigned and the volunteer leader is still in the position of research team leader.
The research team stated that the time commitments, roles, duties, and expectations of the
research leader were not clear during the baseline round and they were not given sufficient time to
give to the research to ensure the stated and hoped for quality commitment. For the first research team
leader, the limits on time to put into the research was mainly due to the assigned 20-hour teaching
load he was given for the spring 2012 semester. For the second research team leader, the limits on
time were mainly due to the 8-hour teaching load and home commitments. During the study review
meeting on May 25, all attending agreed to reduce the teaching load of Jambay Lhamo during the fall
2012 semester and other semesters she will lead the research in, to support the success and quality of
the research; hoping to be given no more than an 8 hour teaching load.
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Collection process
Note taking was the priority method of recording data; some video and audio recordings were
also used. The research members grouped into pairs when collecting data. One person asked the
questions and facilitated discussion, while the other person wrote the notes attempting to catch the
conversation verbatim. The note taker did enter the conversation at times supporting the facilitator.
The initial notes taken during the conversation were referred to as short notes. Immediately following
a focus group discussion, key informant interview, observation, or meeting, the research team pair sat
together and reviewed their short notes. Through their review, the short notes were expanded into
long notes by adding pieces of information they remembered but did not have time to record.
Clarification of the researchers’ interpretation of responses was also deliberated. In addition,
comments from the thoughts and opinions of the research team members were integrated into the
notes and were annotated in brackets.
During the collection of data at each of the ten colleges, which took between three and seven
days, the research team members from PCE and the home college analyzed the data by:(a) coding the
data into patterns; (b) identifying patterns that would define and align to a holistic GNH classroom
practice and pedagogy; (c) identifying gaps between current practice and that of a holistic GNH
classroom and pedagogy; (d) proposing recommendations for the development of GNH classroom
practices and pedagogies; and (e) conducting a plenary for final feedback from respondents. All
evaluation steps were completed in a participatory manner. During the plenary session, the findings
and recommendations from the data collected at the colleges were shared and one last round of
feedback from respondents was collected to deepen clarification. Ultimately, an agreement on the
analysis of the data was obtained. Lastly, the agreed upon analysis and recommendations were used to
plan, design, and recommend interventions for future rounds of the research.
Data analysis methods
Intro: What is data analysis?
Data analysis is the most crucial aspect of qualitative research. Analysis is a process of
breaking up, separating, and disassembling research data and materials into pieces, parts, elements,
and/or units. With evidences broken down into manageable pieces, the research team then sorted and
sifted through the data sets, searching for patterns, sequences, processes, and aggregates. The aim of
the analysis process was to assemble or reconstruct the data in a meaningful or comprehensible
systematic manner. Coding was the primary step taken during the analysis to organize, categorize,
and make sense of the data. The research team members found the analysis process quite arduous.
Coding was not a mechanical or technical exercise, rather it was a dynamic, intuitive, and creative
process using inductive reasoning, thinking and theorizing. As the research members gained
experience through the process of coding, a deeper understanding of what they have been studying
developed; simultaneously, the research team members continued to refine their abilities and their
interpretations. The PCE research team members that traveled to other colleges continuously reported
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on the increase of the development of their skills and knowledge in determining the categories,
relationships, and assumptions underlying the respondents’ answers. This growth and development in
research knowledge and skills is inherent in the process of PAR, providing capacity building within
RUB (Taylor & Bogdan, 1998). Through the experiential approach of PAR, research knowledge and
skills for the core PCE research team continued to emerge.
Parts of data analysis
Coding was the fundamental means of developing the analysis. Coding was the process of
categorizing the data into patterns, themes, or ideas and marking similar passages of text with a code
or label. The label typically had a symbol, or color, in order for the patterns to be easily retrieved for
comparison and analysis. Coding made it easier to search through the data and make comparisons, as
well as identify patterns that required further investigation. The coding process allowed the research
team members to notice phenomena through the analysis process byidentifying commonalities and
differences. The codes were attached to groups of words, sentences, or paragraphs, within the data.
The research team used codes to pull together and categorize a series of discrete statements and
observations, which initially emerged from the data. At first the data appeared to be a mass of
accounts, but by studying and coding the data sets the research team began to create order and
developed patterns which were eventually categorized into themes.
Coding was a step of analysis that continued through the life of the research. Coding was based
in grounded theory (Charmaz, 2003). In fact, grounded theory is often referred to in the literature as a
constant comparative method of analysis and one of the most common procedures (Strauss, & Corbin,
1990). Constant comparison was used and referred to the process where every time a passage of text
has been selected and coded, it was compared with the other passages that have already been coded.
This ensured that coding was consistent and allowed the research team members to consider the
possibility that some of the passages coded may not fit as well as originally thought and thus, may
need to be coded differently.
The process
As the research analysis began, the research team members carefully read a sample of the data
sets to develop substantive and general topic codes. The research team then went through all the
original transcripts, marked each appropriate line or section with a code in the margin, while rechecking to see if the meaning first applied still held true in relation to the other statements used with
the same label. The research teams read and re-read the data sets, thinking intensively about the
patterns and their significance. At the end of data collection at each college the research team
members laid out all the data sets on a table so they could look at them all at once. Then they marked
different parts in different ways to find the patternsbetween the data sets. The research team inserted
different colored marks and words of so they could see the multiple connections across the data sets.
Eventually, the threads revealed patterns among the patterns. The discoveries depended on how the
data sets were coded. The research team did not reduce their analysis to the codes, nor did they derive
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the patterns by simply inspecting collections of data sets. Through the combination of: (a) focused
attention, (b) intensive analysis of a small part of the data, (c) collaborative analysis of the all data sets
together, and 3) the ability to see the how the patterns of the data came together, the research team
members were able to make the discoveries and interpretations necessary for discussion and
recommendations.
The research team used the process of coding to develop patterns and to organized the
patterns into themes. The coding process started as a heuristic process evolving into a reanalysis of
data by researchers who typically were not involved in the original data collection or analysis. Codes
were initially developed through an inductive approach. Through inductive reasoning, the research
team members took a series of specific statements and tried to categorize them into a more general
pattern to reduce the number of patterns. At the end of the process over 180 patterns were identified
and organized into 22 themes. Deductive reasoning, which came later, involved using the patterns
generated and moved towards a more finite list of themes.
Agroup of code words were devised to help the research team collect the patterns noted in a
systematic way so that they could be subjected to further analysis. Heuristic coding facilitated the
discovery of patterns, and helped the research team to open up the data to further intensive analysis
and inspection. The burdens placed on heuristic codes were much less than those placed on objective
codes. At first, the research team had no assurance that the patterns coded always had the same
meaning, or that every possible pattern in the data set was captured. Therefore, it was the
responsibility of the research team to refine and further develop coding schemes within theanalysis of
the data. We looked for counter examples and confirming examples in the data. The heuristic coding
process was the beginning of a process of analysis that required the research team to work deeper and
deeper into the data. Further, heuristic code words changed and evolved as the analysis developed.
Finally, heuristic code words changed and transformed the researcher who, in turn, changed and
transformed the code words as the analytical process proceeded. Again, this demonstrates part of the
experiential learning of PAR. Toparaphrase Shakespeare: the answers we look for are not in the
codes, but in ourselves and our meaning. The meaning the research team gave to the codes developed
through the individual and group process of critical analysis, dialectical discussion, and cyclical
review of the data set.
The baseline round analysis started out using grounded theory, letting codes emerge from the
data as part of the noticing process. The codes or pattern labels we gave acted as markers, or a pointer,
to interpret and rationalize what it is research team members thought was happening. In addition,
research team members used codes as transparent representations, and eventually as collection points
for future data sets. In this way codes enabled research team members to continue to make discoveries
about deeper realities in the data referenced by the codes. The codes of the patterns were given names
related to the purpose of the study. When patterns appeared that had not been previously identified,
new labels were created. As the research progressed our number of patterns grew. This allowed for
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the research team members to better address all patterns that emerged within the interventions for
future rounds of the study.
The process of developing patterns and categorization produced conversation between the
researchers about the data, informed the research process, offered descriptive reports, and built
possibilities for interventions for the next round. Patterns were not created in isolation from other
patterns. The patterns that arose, due as a result of conversation within the research team and among
respondents, enabled decisions to be made on how to organize the patterns in ways, which were useful
for continued analysis. The development of patterns helped the research team to ask questions, to
change or drop existing questions from the topic guide, and to compare data across the colleges. From
this process the topic guide went through several adaptations.
The process itself had several steps of analysis. The research pair that executed the interview
and note taking first coded the passages of text in the data set. Once this step was completed, different
research team members reviewed the text to see if the codes had similar meaning or interpretation for
them, as did with the first pair. The research team members proceeded through the analysis ending by
writing the findings,summaries, and making suggestions along the way. This process extended the
conversation among the research team to another level of analysis, by PCE research team members a
few weeks after the initial data set was taken and initially analyzed further adjusting the pattern
distribution.
Some of the questions the research team used to help identify the patterns and themes were:
“What is going on?” “ What are people doing?” “What is the person saying?” “What are the
assumptions behind the statements?” Some of the coding guides used to identify and describe patterns
were:
1. Behaviors and specific acts identified among the lecturers and students. For example, the topics
of the silence of the students in class and lecturing being the most common style of teaching
were frequently described during FG and KI across all colleges.
2. Strategies and practices described by lecturers and students. For example, the patterns within
teaching strategies were identified through frequent mention of the limited teaching strategies
used by lecturers. The majority of the teaching strategies identified by students and lecturers
were lecture, group discussion, and group presentations.
3. States of shared conditions experienced by people within the college community. For example,
the students and lecturers reported exam qualifications determined which college students
attended; lecturers reported their position was determined through examinations and other
external regulations rather than a desire for teaching. One lecturer told the story of how he
wanted to be a doctor, however due to the examination scores he could only become a lecturer
and not even in his field of interest. The lecturers mentioned this would start to change since
the college is now autonomous.
4. Meanings of phenomena. Meanings and interpretations were important aspects of what directs
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respondent actions. This area of coding included concepts respondents use to understand
their world, norms, values and rules that guide their actions as well as the symbols or
language respondents use to construe events or describe objects, roles or persons. For
example, students, lecturers, and administrators, described the relationship between student
and teacher in relation to the silence young people have in front of older people being part of
the culture in Bhutan. Respect was correlated with the use of a quiet voice and the student
being silent during the class time. Moving to a more student-centered, democratic, and
integrated holistic classroom setting, the relationship between student and teacher will need to
shift. This does not mean that respect is lost; instead, respect will need to be defined in terms
of respectful dialectical dialogue rather than student silence.
5. Participation or involvement in the classroom and outside the classroom in the college setting.
For example, students do not seem to be a part of decision-making at the college level in
terms of curriculum or overallcollege journey.
6. Descriptions and experiences in relationships and interactions between student and student,
student and lecturer, student and administrator, administrator and lecturer, and so on. For
example, the need for more friendly teachers was reported across the colleges repeatedly
during student interviews and student focus group discussions.
7. Conditions and/or constraints for developing pedagogy and classroom practices that align with
GNH were identified. For example, lecturers across the colleges reported the lack of
management support for fulfilling duties in a quality manner. The constraint of time being
one of the strongest. This was heard not only by respondent lecturers but also by research
team members feeling they did not have the time necessary to commit to the research to
maintain quality and continue working with their “heavy load” of teaching and duties required
from the college.
8. Consequences. Many times, students and lecturers related experiences are based upon
consequences. For example, presently the consequence of group learning is that some
students do most of the work, while others do very little. In a holistic GNH classroom the
sorts of classroom practices and pedagogies that would reduce these consequences include:
learning how to do collaborative work where students are interdependent upon each other.
This would include not only learning the subject content but also learning metacognition, how
to learn. Holistic GNH education expands how to learn from the individual to the collective
realm.
9. Structures and settings of the context including the college rooms, work place, housing, canteen
and so forth. In addition, structures include program structure such as the length of time of a
class, typically 50 minutes.
• Reflective researcher’s role in the process of analysis. For example, the ways in which research
team members participated in their growth and development of research skills and knowledge.
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This in turn shifted the way the processes of the PAR study moved forward.
• Word repetitions. Research team members looked for commonly used words, and other words,
whose close repetition indicated emotions.
• Local or regional categories. The terms used by respondents with a particular meaning and
significance in their setting.
• Key-words-in-context. Research team members looked for the range of uses of key terms in the
phrases and sentences in which they occurred.
• Compare and contrast. This was essentially the grounded theory idea of constant comparison. Ask:
“What is this about?” and “How does it differ from the preceding or following statements?”
• Social science inquiries. Used social experiences to explain the conditions, actions, interaction and
consequences of phenomena. For example, the descriptions of the students experience in a
class.
• Searching for missing information. When information seems incomplete or confusing, research
team members essentially tried to get an idea of what was not being done or talked about.
• Metaphors and analogies. People often used metaphors to indicate something about their key
central beliefs and these may have indicated the way they feltabout issues.
• Transitions and power dynamics. One of the discursive elements in speech, which included turntaking in conversation, offeredinformation on cultural norms and meanings.
• Connectors. The research team members constantly negotiated the connections and interpretation
of terms used by the respondents. For example, the term ‘make’ as in we ‘make the student
learn’ was interpreted in the context of our data to imply ‘to try,’ ‘The research team members
tried to give opportunity for our students to learn.’
• Unmarked text. An examination of the text that had not been coded as a pattern. The research team
members in the second round of analysis, while rereading data sets, attended to reviewing the
parts of the data set with no codes.
• Overview. The research team spread out all coded data sets to view as a whole. Eyeballing or
scanning the text searching for circled words, underlined statements, colored highlighted
places, drew lines and arrows down the margins to indicate different meanings and coding,
and identified patterns that appeared visually. Once this was completed the research team
members discussed significances. The research team did this both individually and in small
groups. Research team members collaborated to label and pull together patterns that appeared
throughout the data, eventually organizing the patterns into themes.
While marking the raw data and field notes, the research team kept a list of the patterns that
were constructed and a short definition for explanation. When the first round of analysis and summary
writing was completed, the core research team again reviewed the raw data to ensure the patterns that
emerged were used consistent, checking with the originally developed definitions to be sure the code
given fit with the meaning of the raw data.
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This critical micro-level work required repeatedly looking at the passages, doing a dialectic
dance between an idea about how text is organized and comparing it with other examples from other
data sets, figuring out what the research team members were looking at, how to look at it, and why
they gave it the meaning they did. That critical analysis came out of the numerous cycles through the
massive amounts of thinking about the raw data, and the intuition and serendipity of the research team
members.
As the research team members moved forward in the data collection process and patterns
repeated, the research team members began to identify common patterns and started to develop a list
for future analysis moving the coding process from a heuristic process to an objective process. As the
researchersread through the data sets the number of codes or patterns evolved and grew. Eventually
over 180 patterns emerged.
The core research team believed it was necessary to sort them into further groups to reduce
the number of associations with which we were working. The research team members did this by
grouping interrelated patterns organizing them into 22 themes. The research team members then
sorted the themes using a hierarchy system based upon strength or the number of times the patterns
that made up the theme, appeared in the raw data. This is what Strauss and Cobin (1990) refer to as
dimensionalising. Dimensionalising and categorizing raised questions about the relationship between
codes. In this way, the development of reorganizing patterns into themes formed the basis for further
key analysis of the data.
At the end of the analysis process, the research team went through a reanalysis process where
different research team members, different lecturers (not part of the research team), and two other
research assistants (not part of the data collection process), reanalyzed the data sets.
Data analysis in summary
The analysis of the data made it possible for PAR research teams to uncover, expose, and
consider the complexities within their colleges. During the baseline round, categories and headings
were generated from the data informing future rounds of the study. The research team members
recorded and transcribed short notes taken during the discussion, interview, or observation, into long
notes on the computer within 24 hours after the interview, meeting, or observation. The researchers
then sorted through the raw data coding, anddeveloping categories and patterns either previously
identified or those that were emerging. Both the interviewer and note-taker read all notes. At the end
of the day, the analysis and summary were shared with the entire research team. At this time the
research team members took all the data sets of the day and collated the coded patterns. At the end of
the week, the research team members combined all data sets taken at the college and combined the
themes ranking them by the amount of times the theme was discussed. Conversations about
challenges, successes, doubts, and other concerns that emerged during the week, were discussed and
then addressed. After each college visit and data collection process, the research team members held
discussions to adjust and make minor modifications to the categories.
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Lastly, a plenary was held at all c the colleges. Plenary discussionsare large group discussions
during the feedback sessions on the last day of fieldwork in a given college. These were focused on
the themes that emerged using and including interactive participatory exercises led by the research
team members and recorded by the research associate. Flip charts and idea cards were produced, as
well as feedback forms. All these components were added as part of the data. There were many
different ways we established validity and reliability including: triangulation of the data, member
check, interviewer collaboration, peer debriefing, negative and positive deviance analysis,
confirmability, and bracketing. Most of these methods were coined, or at least extensively
described,by Lincoln and Guba (1985).
Findings
This is the essence of the report! As far as the research team possibly could, the findings
section is exhaustive in reporting the data. Obviously due to time and number of pages some decisions
were made about what to put in and what to leave out. The research team used verbatim quotes from
the raw data to support your findings. The longer quotes provided are to preserve the context as well
as the meaning of the respondents’ intent. Short quotes typically can be taken out of context and offer
support with little elaboration of an idea.
The findings from any research project are always the result of attempts to interpret and make
sense of a complex reality. With the GNH PAR research study at RUB’s ten colleges, we as
researchers were seeking to understand the implications of directing the organization, development
and management of classroom practices and pedagogies. Moreover, we sought to reveal some of the
contributing factors as to how the colleges can more align with GNH and holistic education as called
for by the GNH national framework. Providing this kind of analysis is important at a time when
colleges are being urged to take more responsibility to innovate with classroom practices and
pedagogies.
The findings we report by no means provide a definitive explanation of classroom change.
The purpose of the findings section is to illustrate the opinions of lectures, students, and
administrators on contributing factors, which emerged during the baseline data collection round. The
discussion section that follows is to provide a discussion of the findings with recommendations that
were developed by the core research team at PCE. The findings and discussions are organized into 22
major key themes: 1) Quality of education, 2) Teaching strategies, 3) GNH definition, 4) Critical
pedagogy, 5) Mindfulness practices in the classroom, 6) Assessment, 7) Relationships, 8) Cultural
preservation, 9) Motivation of lecturers, students, and administrators, 10) Responsibility and
discipline, 11) Modernization, 12) Environmental preservation and sustainability, 13) Community
partnerships, 14) Resources, 15)Structure, 16) Democracy, 17) Management: Leadership,
18)Counseling, 19) Time, 20)Learning Centre, 21) Extra Curricular activities, and 22) Double Degree.
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Quality of Education
The basic requirements of a GNH quality education include, but are not limited to an
education that is meaningful, worthwhile, and is responsive to individuals and social nee. According
to the Education For All: Global Monitoring Report 2005 - The Quality Imperative (EFA: GMR), two
principles characterise most attempts to define quality in education: the first identifies learners'
cognitive development as the major explicit objective of all education systems. The second
emphasises education's role in promoting values and attitudes of responsible citizenship and in
nurturing creative and emotional development." (p.17)
Quality determines how much and how well children learn and the extent to which their
education translates into a range of personal, social and developmental benefits. Goal 6 of the Dakar
Framework for Action (2000) emphasises the need of a stimulating pedagogy. It is the teaching and
learning process that brings the curriculum to life, that determines what happens in the classroom and
subsequently the quality of the learning outcomes.
1. The GMR emphasises six policy issues which directly impact on teaching and
learning:1. 1. 1 Relevant aims. Policy dialogue must arrive at a relevant balanced set
of aims describing what learners should learn and why; the development of cognitive,
creative and social skills and values; respect for human rights, the environment, peace
and tolerance and cultural diversity. These put citizenship, democracy and human
rights at the fore.
2. Subject balance - how subjects are defined, how many are taught and the time
allocated to each.
3. Good use of time. Positive correlations are noted between instruction time and
student achievement at both primary and secondary levels. Between 850 and 1,000
effective hours (not necessarily official hours) of schooling per year is broadly agreed
as a benchmark.1
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4. Pedagogic approaches for better learning. Child-centred active pedagogy, cooperative
learning and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills need to
be present.
5. Language policy. Language of instruction is a policy choice affecting curriculum,
content and pedagogy. A balance needs to be struck between enabling people to use
local languages in learning and ensuring that they have access to global languages.
6.
Learning from assessment. Regular, reliable, timely assessment is a key to improving
learning achievement. The goals are to give learners feedback and improve learning
and teaching practices. Formative assessment is needed as a complement to formal
examinations
Given the Bhutanese educational context, how can quality education be provided? The data
suggests that currently RUB has overcrowded classrooms, insufficient class time, and inability to
deviate from the given syllabi as a few of the leading concerns expressed by respondents, lecturers
and students. A vast number of students crave a variety of teaching methods, realizing that not every
one of them learns in the same way. Lecturers feel as if they are strictly bound to their class plans, due
to academic pressure, to cover all pertinent material. At present, there does not exist a holistic
approach to education at RUB, which would encompass all facets of student development, which
GNH requires. In the current educational model, there seems little room to cultivate a love and joy in
the process of learning. The current model of education at RUB emulates the colonial educational
system from India/Britain, in which many of the concepts of GNH are lacking.
Experiential Learning
A preponderance of students expressed their preference for the hands–on, experiential
learning that would maximize a number of teaching and learning methods in the class. When referring
to experiential learning, students often talked about gaining real world experience that would equip
them with practical skills that gave students confidence in their learning. The students and lecturers
strongly supported outside experiential learning as useful for their future in the work force.
Classroom settings at RIHS, for instance, simulated a real-world environment, a hospital room that
provided students with a myriad of the possible scenarios they could encounter once at work. Once
the student was literate in their skill and knowledge they then went to the hospitals to apply their
knowledge with patients, under the care of nurses and other professional health providers. Students
from other colleges including GCBS, Sherubtse, and CNR, identified field trips and learning outside
the classroom as the most profound part of their learning. The students were able to apply the theories
learned in the classroom to their communities and brought life and value to their learning.
•
“Last year one teacher took us into the forest – they told us some things – very interesting to
go out into the class. Outside campus is good. We learn a lot because we can – for example –
how plants uses sunlight and gets a water – learn how animals habituated and make a
community.” Another respondent replies, “Go outside to learn – learn how plants are growing
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– see the trees and see the small plants – we can learn much more outside. Outside experience
is much more interesting than in the classroom” Another student stated that “learning outside
we learnt to identify the plants that live in our community” (BL_SCE_FGSS).
•
[Only going outside} “Once or twice in three years. It is difficult to learn about environment
in classroom. It [the place we visited] was nearby so we did not learn much, but it was good
to be outside for a change. Really, usually in class, it is compact. Outside it feels little
different because outside it is a little freer, more comfortable. Even when listening you can
listen better” (Pretest_PCE_KIS).
•
“Hands on experience. We should have more of activities. In case of teaching theories, using
an activity-based class, it will be better. Quality can be achieved if teacher reduces the dead
time. If time is wasted the quality of education may not be achieved” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“There is one student and one lecturer. There is one model of a patient. The whole setting is
like in a hospital ward” (BL_RIHS_OBSL).
•
“Courses here are based on practicals. We get a lot of experience in the hospital setting. [The
students] In India they get experts in theory. We are good in practicals as opposed to those
who went to India. We feel lucky to be here so close to the hospital” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
Relevant education for future/life
Similarly to the previous pattern of Experiential learning, relevance in education to the
respondents’ lives, correlates to the practical application of theory. At this time, most respondents do
not seem to be interested in attaining knowledge that is superfluous to their future employment
opportunities, while some respondents do see the value of education for education’s sake. The
research team believes that to uphold GNH education a paradigm shift is needed that moves toward
education as essential for personal development and growth rather than an emphasis on career
development and growth.
•
“We do not have research – personal interest. If you are interested we can attend research
workshop and get some ideas. In near future. Two of the 6 have – it is still going on.” Another
respondent stated, “Getting to serve nation in near future. Better if the education system apply
in research do by groups of students in the college and can do better passing out of college.”
The first respondent continued, “We are most disadvantaged site; we do not go out of the
college. B students get to – they deal with the research. They do research and get experience
and after graduating they will have this idea to apply in work. These might be realized in their
professionals --- we do not do the research. We attend classes and attend practical and be
busy. It is not relevant in our future life – only if we can be a teacher. If we do not want to
become a teacher it is not of use” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“The students believe that they are not getting the education that is relevant for them to find a
job after college” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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“Students should be able to question themselves in the future. Education should be
meaningful; that will lead them to their future” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Our faculty members should be good resources to our students and to be able to guide and
mold them as engineers in the profession they would like to choose upon completion of their
courses. There is more to classroom teaching. Classroom is part of the book. Traditionally,
you have a book or a presentation. Students need to be shown examples of what they are
expected to see in the future. Give them life problems and mold them. Many problems in the
book are dead. Professional molding – what they are expected to do after 4 years, as civil
engineers, as “ECE” you are expected to do something. Once completed a course, you should
have provided them with required knowledge and skills they can use to address the problems
of the society and their country. What is the purpose of knowledge if the cannot use it?
Knowledge with which they can help themselves, others, community, and the society at
large.”
•
The same respondent expressed, “To teach someone how to drive, you cannot teach them in
the classroom. Classroom is not a place where teaching should happen, but where learning
happens. I emphasize on learning. I feel guilty thinking my students have learned. “ “You can
hardly do anything in the classroom. Classrooms are one place, where a lot of learning and
teaching happens. You should convert it into learner cl so teacher becomes more of a
facilitator of the students’ learning. You should bring students to work on their own and in
their groups rather going by principles. You should also give opportunities for a classroom set
up – for learning” (BL_CST_KIAMD).
•
“Quality of teaching is very good because compared to old school times we relied mainly on
our books and here we learn in theory and in practical teachings, which I feel is very good
because I am learning so much more. Nursing art room where we can practice what we have
learned in the class-very good quality of education” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“In practical classes we apply the theory – it is more interesting, applies what we have
learned. In theory classes – repeat once and go a little deeper and sometimes new theories.
Interesting when we learn new theories.” Another respondent added, “Practical classes, learn
more because in the theory and just imagine the things we do not know that they are really
talking” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“We are worried about our future in 30 years. When we have a worry, we would like to
understand the relations of cause and effect. Having classes that make changes bow could be
better. We would be satisfied because we are helping and helping, we feel satisfied. “
(BL_SHER_KISM).
Purpose of education
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Questions concerning the purpose of education sparked a variety of responses that ranged from
personal self- improvement and meaningfulness to professional marketability. During the Jumpstart
workshop the 80 lecturers and administrators developed a list purposes that education served. From
this list it is clear that education should go far beyond professional growth and development
encompassing personal and civic growth and development.
•
“Too much stress on marketability and employment for the students” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Development of an individual, how well behaved the individual is, how well they do in other
areas – also the type of facilities the students are provided in the classroom the support given
to the teachers we might have instances where we have a teacher no books and visa versa –
this all impacts the quality of education – not just marks – must be taken into consideration”
(Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“Quality education will make the students to get employed in their jobs. This is GNH for
them” (BL_ILCS_KIL).
•
“Focus of present curriculum is on academics whereas happiness curriculum focuses on
making good human being” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“When I was in class 9 and 10 and there was a teacher, she taught Dzongkha. Besides
teaching what he usually informed the students, not only education is very important, what is
important is beyond education, beyond the classroom. Prayer for the gods, for the god to be
successful in life. If you pray for self and think of others and benefit for others, our learning
process will automatically be a successful one” (BL_SCE_KIS).
Student centered learning
During informal interviews, lecturer respondents described student- centered learning as
independent, exploratory study performed in isolation. However, student - centered learning is less
about independent study and more about students taking an active role in and assessment of their own
learning. The following quotes highlight students’ enthusiasm for a self-guided discovery process in
lieu of the more traditional, teacher-centered learning. Data also reveals a contradiction in the student
perception of how classroom learning is conducted.
•
“We are beginning to focus on student centers. For me I find that one really interesting. We
are given topics and told to do research. Environment was not good at first and we did not
have so much exposure. [Name of the lecturer] gave us instructions, we went to the library
and Internet was not set up yet, we asked him questions. Through these processes, we learned
where we lack in our knowledge and what to improve. Student centered learning we should
take initiative towards it.” Another respondent continues, “Teacher centered learning, teachers
used to think of themselves only and they were arrogant. When asked questions, he would
have to think whether to answer or not. Student centered learning, we feel more comfortable
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because teacher can make mistakes too. In the old system, teacher could say we don’t have to
learn this topic – teachers are improving and we all are” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“The system of learning has changed. It is student focused. Gives chance to students to
explore and we have learnt a lot explore. Some friends are struggling with exploration. But it
is an effective teaching.” “There is a strong shift. During diploma we get hand- outs but now
we get soft copies. Beyond handouts we did not explore. But now we for more information”
(BL_CNR_FGS).
•
“[Teaching at college is] more student-oriented. Information is given, but you have to work
yourself. Lecturer will guide us, but we have to do it on our own.” Another respondent
answered, “It is more teacher- based. We are given assignmentsand class is taken by the
lecturers” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“No prizes I feel should be given. I want students to feel responsible for their own learning. I
tell them this as well and most of my activities are in pairs and in groups, and I have them
move around the class. Miss [lecturer’s name] taught me how to engage those who do not
bother, do not bother moving either. Certain questions and first answers are not driven by the
prizes” (BL_SHER_KIL).
Feedback needed
Providing feedback can be a useful tool in the evaluation of both lecturers’ and students’
performances. Students’ responses on this topic were varied, spanning from indifference about the
assessment process and its purpose to welcoming it and seeing it as an extension of their personal
freedom. One of the respondents voiced a concern over the assessment methods employed,
specifically having a lecturer present during an evaluation session. Lecturers articulated difficulties in
providing individual feedback due to large class sizes and insufficient class duration.
•
“Lecturers are friendly and cooperative. They don’t just make us take notes, but ask us about
their way of teaching and how they should improve. We also ask questions” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“Feedback, so actually we have a culture of feedback. For feedback, we are not having much
for the tutor. Feedback means group of classes they are writing and they monitor teacher
looks of feedback for himself. Not much sense, so people are doing like that – so let them do
and the mode of teaching is as usual. If there is anything wrong and improved, please give to
the hierarchy. I rarely give feedback --- if the teacher uses the projector and give some note,
what I am giving – coming to class and dictating the note this is private lecture and cannot
finish the notes” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“Yes, give it [feedback] in writing or we call parents if students are not doing well.” Another
respondent continues, “We write it on the paper. There is no 1-on-1 because of time
constraints and the number of students. It makes difference-giving feedback. Time constraints
make it difficult to give feedback” (BL_SCE_FGL).
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“Collecting feedback from students can help us find out” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Regarding feedback, I never wrote positive or negative. They have done their work, why
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would I criticize?” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Students are given freedom to assess lecturers at the end of semester. Usually, if no negative
feedback, lecturers come and share their feedback. I feel, it is not fair to come in and share
feedback with their students. Lecturer should not be in the room while we are giving
feedback, but [on the] positive side, lecturers try to understand what students are really
feeling so they can correct what they are lacking in. Now, I will give you assignments before
time. Overall, feedback is working well” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Body language
While conducting classroom observations, researchers noted lecturers’ eye contact, body stance,
audibility, movement across the room, and the level of engagement with students. As indicated by the
data below, a variety of behaviours were observed.
•
“He goes to board talks to students with his back to the students while students answer and he
notes the points” (BL_NITM_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer is very expressive in his body language – gesticulates, moves his body, his voice
projects loudly, and he leans forward, to his students” (BL_ILCS_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer walks over to each group. Lecturer stands in front of the class, voice projects across
the room, maintains eye contact with students” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“One of the students in the back asks a question. While answering, lecturer is looking
somewhere else, only to occasionally make an eye contact with that student.” A bit later, the
observer noted, “Again, lecturer is only occasionally looking at the students who posed the
question (4 times)” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“While talking, lecturer keeps looking at the white board, as in thought, not maintaining eye
contact with students. Also, lecturer stands sideways, in front of students”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer’s body language is very relaxed, his voice projects across the room and students’
shared opinions and laughter indicate a very casual relationship between students and the
lecturer” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer maintains eye contact with students around the room” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
Teacher directed and centered learning
Research responses demonstrated a preponderance of classrooms, in which the focus was solely
directed toward the instructor. This passive educational style may not provide students with a
sufficient forum to engage their teachers with questions or to develop critical thinking strategies. Most
student respondents feel that there is a need for student- focused learning. However, there were some
exceptions. For instance, at RIHS, where most learning is performed through hands-on instruction,
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there is a perception that teacher-centered learning helps new students without prior knowledge of the
given subject.
•
“For pre service, teacher based learning is more important. In schools, there is nothing about
health. Students are blind regarding health. When they join here, students may not feel that
comfortable. As trainees here, students don’t know what is there. We did science in 11 and
12, so basic; human science is not taught in school. If institute gives assignments, students
may get lost in between, because there are so many new terms. It takes time to get used to
this” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
”I circle the point of their mistake with red ink and on the side I write the intended answer
that they should be actually writing. I usually model the expected answer. This is done for a
small group of students. However, when there is large group, I write the answer on the Board”
(BL_ILCS_KIL).
•
“I am inexperienced, but I feel to reach the level of teaching at the university, we have a long
way to go. We practice same trends, it is hard for university lecturers – being spoon-fed and
giving everything ready for students. Responsible learning is important. Same for staff,
including myself – we need a lot of improvement” (BL_SHER_KIL).
Syllabus driven
One of the most compelling concerns amongst lecturers and administrators across RUB was the
pressure they felt to complete their class syllabi. Respondents persistently described such strain as
forced, unavoidable, and predetermined. Such a sense of urgency to cover the syllabus within allotted
time left the lecturers feeling restricted in their ability to employ a variety of teaching methods, and it
also prevented them from including pertinent values and perspectives that go beyond the perimeters of
the syllabus.
•
“We are forced to complete our syllabus even if we leave for a month. It hampers our normal
routine – there is no substitution. It [reduction of syllabus] would help the teacher. Now,
programs are reduced to 2 years, fitting the syllabus.” Another respondent continues, “Two
years we crammed: mechanical, engineer, mechanics” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“To be honest, I get carried away with the syllabus and topic I have to teach. I know we have
to deliver values and attitudes, but somehow I get carried away about the content and subject
matter. This could also be my syllabus – what we are covering. And the information we need
to present” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“I believe focusing on the syllabus has to be done and we need to do it” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“We do not think like that [extra efforts put in for slow learners]. We have to go over the
syllabus and a certain time frame. If we get extra time – to take care of the slow learned”
(BL_SHER_FGL).
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“I do not get enough time to talk about topical issues. I teach physics, no time to bring the
issues. We really need to stick to syllabus and finish everything on time. I normally
encourage them to join clubs and which may help them improve as a person or reduce the
stress. That is what I do” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“[To find more time for students] focus on curriculum --- and RUB’s program student
centered learning. Not know how much between students centered or teacher centered. What
does it mean actually to be student centered learning? How much time do we give to
students. Important issue. When it comes to time, focus on syllabus and students and then
planning, deliver content and skills. We need to be monitoring those things. That way it goes
– one cannot run away from the syllabus” (BL_SHER_FGL).
Large class size
From the discussions the research team members had with lecturers and students, as well as
evidenced from the class observations, placing college students in large classes reduced chances for
active student involvement, as lecturers perceived the lecture method to be their primary, and most
fitting, mode of instruction. Both, students and lecturers expressed their struggles with sizeable
classes. Shortage of lecturers was reported as an issue in several colleges, which frequently led to
“clubbing of the classes” that lecturers perceived as a limited forum to participate in engaging
pedagogies. Students noted the physical challenges to sitting amongst a large group of students, such
as their inability to hear the instructor and receiving no individual attention, as well as obvious
pedagogical shortcomings, including a lack of teaching strategies and a scarce interaction between
students and students and students and lecturer.
•
“To be assessing fairly, number of students must be reduced to improve the way we assess.”
Another respondent continues, “The number of teachers must be increased. Policy – 32
students in the class - ratio. It is not a problem to manage students, but it is hard to give
quality” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“With a large number of students, people in the back cannot hear the lecturer. Not much
attention is given to those students. The lecturer does not move at all. The cooperation of the
students is less. We are not able to do things practically” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
When asked, if you could add or change something in your classroom, what would it be,
respondent answered, “To minimize class size. The class size needs to be limited. We already
have a set of students, small group to study. Later, the repeaters and everyone is added and
the classroom is very large. The teachers could interact with us more. We don’t feel like
asking them questions” (BL_SCE_KIS).
Content oriented
Research data shows a very strong emphasis on content oriented teaching, in which lecturers do
not see the need for pedagogy or teaching skills. A perception that teachers can be effective educators
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without possessing pedagogical skills is especially prominent in technical colleges where practical
skills are acquired through hands-on activities.
•
“It’s technical college; subject knowledge is important we want training in practical rather
than teaching skills” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Some teach without any entertainment focusing on the theory part only not the student”
(BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Learning should not be just about studying the content but about learning to live together
where the students can contribute to the class, to the community, to the school and to the
nation as a whole” (BL_GCBS_ADM).
Professional development
With the exception of some lecturer respondents, appointed in technical colleges, who did not
view learning how to teach as significant as their mastery of the course content, most respondents,
students, lecturers, and administrators alike, expressed that ongoing professional development is
beneficial to those who would like to continue to update their own knowledge on the ever -evolving
teaching strategies and to learn how to adequately meet the needs of their students. Some
administrators, additionally, emphasized the importance of teaching colleges and their role in training
future educators. Although reported that professional development opportunities were offered as
needed, some lecturers and administrators stated they did not get a chance to participate in trainings
while they would like to transform their own teaching and learning processes.
•
“Teaching is challenging and a noble job. You need to convince students and students need to
believe in you. Do they really have that skill? Am I really delivering the message that is being
conveyed to you? There are training colleges. There should be training for teachers and
briefing on how to psychologically handle the students” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“We have not been trained. We came directly here from school. I have been working here for
2 years with no training.” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
Experienced teachers
Students viewed lecturers who possessed a wide array of pedagogical tools as experienced.
Lecturers’ number of years teaching never was discussed, moreover, students equated lecturers’
experience with their qualifications and teaching ability, both of which were perceived to have a
strong impact on student learning and academic success.
•
“Why students failed in exam, lecturers asked. Fresh graduate lecturers are posted here
teaching students. They should undergo some teacher training program before they teach us”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
Pedagogy is lacking
Overwhelming majority of respondents recognized their classrooms as void of a range of
pedagogical methods. Research revealed a gap between what some lecturers at technical colleges
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seemed to think was relevant to their students, a hands – on application grounded in theory, and what
administrators at the same colleges perceived was necessary, a formal teacher training. Students
reported that fresh graduate teachers did not posses the ability to deliver the material in an effective
manner, suggesting additional teacher training.
•
“Being technical institute, most of the faculty members didn’t get opportunity to undergo
training in teaching methodology. The training in Pedagogy sound unfamiliar since many
faculties couldn’t under go any formal training teaching. It has been good for faculty to know
about it. CULT Center of University Learning and Teaching in Samtse is supposed to look
after all of these” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“For me, there should be a lecturer who can deliver and interest his students so students want
to learn from that particular teacher. There should be such a teacher and every teacher should
be like that. Some teachers don’t take attendance, but students come in because that teacher is
so good. Currently, our lecturers come shortly after they graduate. Do they know how to
deliver? They have the content, but they don’t know how” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“What I see, all of us here in the college, engineering professionals, we have not gone through
formal training on how to teach. I am one of those, so what I would like to see is at the
university level, training all faculty staff on how to teach. Although people say, unless you
know how to teach – we address what to teach, but we have not addressed how to teach.
Having known how people learn is important. If we don’t know how people learn, how can
we teach? People and children learn differently. We must have a system in place – and how to
deal with adult learners. We have to unlearn many things as adult learners. University should
focus on how to teach. There was a time, when we did not have enough people – we sent
them to training on what to teach, but they also need to know how. There should be a policy
that says every tutor should have this many hours of professional development in a year. It
should be made a regulation – this is how I look at it” (BL_CST_KIADM).
•
“Both lecturers came, one of them had masters in computer application. I do know how he
taught math. It must be shortage of teachers. Concepts were out of head, beyond
comprehension. Come to class with formulas and ask. We had to use the formula into the
problems, no application – just direct formula use. Some people have better aptitude for that. I
could not do this, so math became a disaster after that” (BL_SCE_KIS).
Lecture: teacher directed
Linked to teacher – centered learning, teacher directed lecture refers to lecturer’s perception of
students as the only learners in the classroom as well as to a lecturer’s role as the main, if not only,
source of information. Most observed classes displayed students as passive recipients of knowledge,
who were rarely given a chance to provide feedback or to collaborate with both, their peers and
lecturers.
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“Students are so silent.” Observer noted, “The session was lecturer centered because the
lecturer continues to lecture and feed the information without asking a question to the
students and in a way, lecturer felt that the students are tired bored as I could see them
yawning” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“We want fun. If it is lecture centered teaching, not applicable” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Holistic: physical health, social, emotional, spiritual
When asked to describe holistic education, respondents, including students, lecturers, and
administrators, associated comprehensive approach to education with quality and purpose of
education. Respondents emphasized the development of the whole person and humanistic value of
such education, while recognizing current academic measure of success, marks system.
•
“Quality of education should not be about academics concerns only even though that is the
current trend – what are marks, how much – but when we talk about education it can be other
ideas too” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
”When individual student is able to think wisely and broadly, exploring lecture, I guess that is
the quality of education. Graduates have only received certificates; quality in Bhutan is low.
He has come across many graduates from different colleges. They have learned a lot because
they finished grade 15, but they have not explored their field. This happens in Bhutan. It will
improve“ (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“Education is wholesome, but sometimes we associate education with literacy. In education
you are responsible, mindful, caring – and that is what we are trying to do here in college, not
just literacy. We try to instill human qualities not just have students who can write good
articles, make good presentation, read and write. That is the purpose of education. Learning
has got no meaning, unless you try to be the best human being.” (BL_ILCS_KIADM).
Food Quality
Students noted proper nutrition was significant to their quality of life. In some students’ opinion,
student mess, presently managed by the college, does not provide students with sufficient nourishment
and moreover, its administrative and fiscal practices should be changed.
•
“But our mess, it needs to be run as a privatized organization not shared. People who are
managing are not qualified. If given to the private organization, the quality would be better.”
Another respondent added, “We sacrifice our diet. There is no good food and if you have no
cash, you have to get it on the credit.” ”We have approached counselors but nothing has been
done” (BL_JNP_FGS).
Opportunities for students
Aware of the existing research culture at their college, some student respondents at Sherubtse
College stated they would like more research opportunities offered to all students within their
academic programs.
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“B students they get chances to go international opportunity. I feel it would be better if we
were also given the chance to visit the areas abroad – theoretical learning. Spectroscopy, if
this device is not in our country and [we] are given a chance to go see those things we can get
more for our studies. Possible RUB – assign after enrolling, given some research and after
passing we could finish the research and help our future. We are allowed to do research and
publish book from the end after graduating. We can explore more our knowledge”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
Creativity
In a traditional, teacher-centered classroom, in which students are not active participants,
creativity in class does not generally surface as an expression of one’s style or critical thinking.
Although it was not a frequently occurring pattern in the research, creativity did emerge in two
colleges, PCE and Sherubtse. When observing students’ class presentations, researchers noted many
similarities in students’ work. All presentations bore resemblance to one another, void of any original
ideas or creativity in appearance. Researchers also observed similarities in lecturers’ PowerPoint
presentation style. When describing an ideal teacher, one of the students used the word “creative” as
one of the epithets in relation to a variety of teaching strategies.
•
“Groups presentations were very similar with the naming of problem as well as the solutions”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“An ideal teacher can be creative – for example teaching strategies. We do not depend on
these strategies, we come up with own --to apply to the children” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
English language
As the primary medium of instruction in schools in Bhutan, English language is widely perceived
as essential to students’ academic success and it is also indicative of the students’ employability after
graduation. Since classes are typically conducted in a lecture style that focuses on one’s listening
skills, students expressed that development of their reading and writing skills were somewhat lacking.
Respondents suggested achieving improvement of the aforementioned skills by reading different
materials in English, such as novels and stories, and also listening to music. Some students remarked
that distribution of resources in urban and rural areas, specifically in regard to exposure to English
language in written form, created inequity in development of English language skills across Bhutan.
Fluency in English, according to most respondents, leads to bolstering the quality of education in the
country. One of the quotes below illustrates its significance and weight in the examination process, as
receiving low scores in English may hinder one from attending college of her/his choice, or it may
disqualify one from attending college at all.
•
“English is the medium of learning. If we are backward in English, I think we will lack
understanding” (BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“If we have good English, we can do good presentation” (BL_SCE_FGS).
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“I have one suggestion, children should be asked to read stories, novels to improve English.
Most of my friends in class 12 got disqualified because they were poor in English. The cut off
point was 80 and they got only 54” (BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“One good way [to improve English skills] could be listening and reading. Listening music”
(BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“Madam, people from urban areas, they are good in English. People from remote areas, their
English should be made better.” Another respondent remarked that student from urban areas
are better in English, “Because they have availability of newspaper, magazine and in rural
areas, they will not get these” (BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“Two teachers come to my mind, both South Indian, in class 11 and 12. One thing that was
very difficult – strong accent, hard to understand, compared to my favorite teacher, also South
Indian, whom I could understand” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Slow – boring
Student respondents’ immense need for a variety of teaching strategies included a range of
activities and behaviours they wanted to see in their classrooms. Instead of monotonous and onedimensional lectures, students expressed they would like to have an interactive, engaging class filled
with fun, games, and humour.
•
“Every time we feel bored – so sharing an interesting story, riddles, give us more interaction,
it would be better” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Number of teachers
All lecturers and college administrators questioned unanimously expressed their opinion that there
are simply too few lecturers to handle the business of instructing Bhutan’s youth. Smaller numbers of
lecturers lead to a number of problems, including overcrowded classes, in which students cannot
receive one-on-one attention and an overwhelming workload that only serves to hinder the
performance of the meager number of lecturers that are already in place.
•
“How would you feel about having a teacher assistant to help you and students? One of the
respondents stated, “It would be good to have.” Another respondent continued, “Here, that
would never happen. Now we don’t have enough lecturers. We always talk about shortage of
faculty especially in the civil department” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Lack of teachers we are always having difficulty at the human level. Maybe having more
teachers. Teacher student ration in Bhutan could change. We need long time for the slow
learners. Contact more time with slow learners” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“There are more number of students and it is hard to accommodate students, if there were
more tutors we could expand more knowledge” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“We have a shortage of teachers, so we feel bogged down by the heavy work load”
(BL_CNR_KIADM).
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Joyful learning
In many cases, student participants expressed their delight at the point in which they felt truly
connected with the lesson being taught to them. This connection also extends to their classmates and
lecturers and seems to make a big difference to those students involved in the research and the
observers who witnessed this phenomenon in classrooms.
•
“I remember this teacher. He would walk in and create such an environment that I liked it.
When he is teaching, he will not go on continuing but bring interesting stories between. He
does not continue. He was such a person that he’ll connect with the age, start the lesson and
connect us with the lesson” (BL_PCE_FGS).
•
“I see them talking to each other, drawing, writing, smiling, problem solving with each other
(asking each other questions and pointing to the diagram as others answer – than, they draw
as they came to a mutual agreement)” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
Audibility
Lecturer’s audibility, as indicated by our research data, has a great impact on lecturer’s
effectiveness. While some lecturers observed were not able to project their voices across the room,
making the lecture for those students sitting in the back futile, other lecturers used their voices loudly
enough for all students to hear, but their voices had no varied modulation resulting in a tedious
uninteresting voice. The pace of the lecturer’s voice, how quickly or slowly one speaks, was another
voice quality that research team members noted, which affected their own interest in the class they
were observing.
•
“Although lecturer’s tone of voice increases to emphasize certain points, cadence is a bit
monotonous” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer talked really fast and loud.” Observer continued, “Lecturer again talked and
explained the poem. Few students were writing and at the same time looking at their friends’
notes to catch up points they missed. Lecturer was talking really fast without pausing”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer is not very audible. He voice is not projecting across the room.” “[I, class observer,
and sitting in the back of he small class with 5 other students at the desk and fans are muffling
the sound]” (BL_SCE_OBSL).
Book centered
Along with the pressure to complete and adhere to their given syllabi, lecturers are also bound to
relying on their textbooks as a vital component in the education of their students. This dominant
reliance on text and syllabus shuts off both lecturers and students to other, and possible more
dynamic, learning/teaching opportunities.
• Not only confined to the textbooks, that was very catchy and interesting, but asking questions,
sharing experiences – when teachers open” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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Age of lecturer
Only few of the lecturers in JNP perceived that age played a role in areas of time management and
overall respect for lecturers and the process of learning. One of the respondents stated that lecturer
young in age did not receive the amount of students’ respect one deserved. Another respondent linked
a lack of respect for time and punctuality, as a sense of responsibility, with youth of both, students and
young lecturers.
•
“Students are of same age as I am and they underestimate us and they are really egoistic”
(BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Most of teachers are young they take time and not determined in their profession and also
the students they don’t respect time. For me, time is punctual and I also make aware of timing
and also guide the importance of time” (BL_JNP_FGL).
Personal development
•
“To enhance the education, teacher should learn himself daily. So that he can learn. Teachers
stop learning once they get the job” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
”Quality is not something to hold a Bachelor or Masters – it is about civic sense – quality of
education starts from small things – at the shop, we share a chocolate, and throw a wrapper.
For me, it shows, that people who do that lack education. It is enlightenment only Buddha
had. Buddha had the best quality of education and we are lacking it” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“I am happy and privileged as nurse being nurse is not a small job. At first I am not so happy
didn’t know about nursing and coming to final year it is very important and valuable. In RIHS
we have lots of practice and feel privileged to be nurse student” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“First time I am scared didn’t know anything about nursing. Now we feel confident because
most of the important work are done by us so we feel proud and happy” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Qualified teachers
Jobs offered to new teachers without additional teacher training or pertinent experience in the
field in which they would instruct, according to respondents, both students and lecturers, does not
create an atmosphere of inspired, innovative learning. Students and lecturers acknowledged that
information in this new age of technology has become widely accessible. Both respondents reported
that since students are able to easily acquire information on any subject desired, at the tip of their
fingers, their need for qualified lecturers with a substantial and experience-based knowledge is more
than necessary. Some lecturers recognized this as a personal and professional challenge to update and
improve their own knowledge.
•
“Now students ask more questions. They have worked in the hospital ward, and they have
more questions. Nowadays, students want us to know everything. Sometimes they ask us
questions and I have to say, ‘I will give you the answer tomorrow” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
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“We also, in the curriculum, we need to change in the society because of the exposure.
Students can look things up online and find whether lecturers know that material. You have to
be on the level and be active in updating yourself. You should open your eyes beyond”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Why is our college always accused of being partial? Change should be in the recruitment
process. I feel that l should be recruited from the master level at least not B.Ed. School
teaching practicing, which is not applicable to university level teaching. We should take care
of whom we recruit” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“No names, but the class I entered, we had 10-15 minutes, students complained to me,
saying,“madam we have some teachers enter and only talk about other issues, chew doma,”
which they don’t like, and most of the complaints, when I tried to understand, [were that]
those teachers were upgraded from schools and that was something they practiced there where
little children did not mind. Here, [college] students do” (BL_SHER_KIL).
Expatriates have very little buy in to GNH
According to one of the administrators, due to a high percentage of expatriates lecturing at a
college, GNH values and principles are difficult to infuse into curriculum, as there is little alignment
and no attachment to the national framework of Bhutan.
•
“It is very challenging to inspire lecturers here to incorporate GNH values and principles into
their teaching methods. About 70% teaching here are from India and they do not seem
interested in, what they perceive a philosophical notion with no practical use in classroom or
everyday life” (BL_KIADM).
Teacher preparedness
•
“Only few students might have done that [plagiarize]. But the point is most teachers forget to
cite the sources of their lecture notes while presenting. On the [other] hand, they are very
strict if we have missed out the referencing in our assignments” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“Maintain own confidence. Mentally prepare before entering class. If we are prepared, we can
than teach to our students” (BL_SCE_KIS).
Academic pressure
•
“If there is no competition, there is no success. You have to compete with each other. You
compare his writings and your paper and see for yourself and try if there is any problem”
(BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“If we have a small curriculum and if we have less not fat, but a thinner curriculum. If less in
content, I think students can learn more. Our curriculum is fatter and students are pressurized
more. These are the measures our university must think about and adopt. We shouldn’t
attempt so many changes. I think university is welcoming lots of changes. One change this
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year and one next year. First try one and if not successful through studies, than go for
another” (BL_SCE_KIL).
Curriculum revision
In conversations about current college curriculum, administrators and lecturers expressed that
central program of study came mandated from the top in that once established all must follow
accordingly. Some respondents claimed that a curriculum with focus on the local needs and standards
would be more appropriately suited for each college’s community. Another respondent described the
new curriculum as inferior to previous years’, which was more aligned with Indian curriculum, as it
offered less content and more pressure to complete the syllabus. In this respondent’s opinion,
presently, students do not advance to higher grades with sufficient background knowledge.
Additionally, respondents conveyed feelings of frustration at not being able to engage students in
different teaching strategies.
•
“If curriculum changed whereby different strategies, ideas, values incorporated, activitybased, student-centered – that will help them. At moment, most activities are lecture.
Sometimes group work, presentations within group. Most lessons, it’s listening and not much
involvement” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“From learning point of view, classrooms are always packed with large number of students,
facilities always insufficient, central curriculum mandated from the top. With a local
curriculum, learning may be better” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“Don’t have adequate materials at a local level? Kids are learning about yaks in the south, but
no yaks there and the kids have never seen them. Today, poem about some bird that even
faculty didn’t see. Would need to plan, need to think about philosophy of education that
relates to local. Prioritize different subjects, but integrate subjects” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“When Indian curriculum was in place, the content was more. I feel there were many topics. It
was elaborated. When we taught that way, children had mastery of the subject. In the present
curriculum, this is not happening. Cannot finish the entire syllabus. Tougher questions are left
out for the kids. When students go to higher grades, they become weaker” (BL_CNR_KIST).
Teaching Strategies
A concern over the implementation of teaching strategies was the second most common theme
uncovered by the research. The data collected from a wide array of respondents reveals several gaps
between the static strategies currently implemented by lecturers and the more varied methods desired
by students. Not only was there a pronounced call for lecturers to review and reinforce lessons
previously learned, but also a focus on the practical implementation of said knowledge. Furthermore,
a preponderance of students would like to see a departure from the recitation lecture style of teaching
in favour of engaging, discussion style, classes with more and varied styles of visual aids that go
beyond a mere PowerPoint presentation.
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Interactive Strategies
Student – Student and Student – Lecturer, Participatory strategies
Classes, in which flow of the lecture is interrupted at times to engage students in activities that
would facilitate and create a connection between the student and material, student and student, and
between student and lecturer, according to most respondents, would be a welcome, but a challenging
departure from a lecture-based class. Students very adamantly described their partiality to active
engagement in class, as it fostered a sense of collective learning amongst their peers. During research,
it was observed that in classes, in which more interactive participatory strategies were used, students
seemed to express a more joyful liking for the class and subject studied. One of the administrators
alluded to the curriculum change and its potential benefits that would allow students to take
responsibility for their learning as well as enable lecturers to call upon a medley of techniques.
•
“If it is interesting lecture, students will move forward, but if boring they stay in the back.
The front students are involved in the learning, the rest talk at the back” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“Had each group exchange with another group and share their answers-see and analyze. After
they get to ask, but first they go over themselves and then bring in the other group for
questions and answers” (BL_PCE_OBS).
•
“[In group work], they learn to share with each other, work as a team, as a team, there is
quality in the learning, encouragement given to each other, there is equal participation”
(BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
•
“Lecturer asks for a volunteer for the next activity – nobody comes forward at first. Then, one
F student comes up front. Lecturer gives instructions and asks if they are clear. Students are
laughing and chatting among themselves. Lecturer is getting the materials ready (I cannot see
from the back, I can hear ripping the masking tape). Lecturer puts a piece of paper on the
student’s back on which the word “books” is written. The student must ask the class 10
questions to guess the word. Lecturer mentions that student is asking a lot of closed ended
questions suggesting her to instead ask a variety of questions that would bring students to the
right answer. Finally, student guesses the word and everyone laughs and starts clapping. As a
reward, lecturer says, you can take the book” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer was posing questions in the middle of the lesson to the class in general but he didn’t
try to get gather and answers from the students” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“I would let the students do things in a more cooperative way, groups discussions, interactive
forms of teaching, cooperation” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“The students seem to work together --- asking questions to each other and talking with each
other. They smile and giggle a bit while working” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“[The best class one could attend involves] Interaction between teachers and students, teacher
gives time more to students than giving lectures, encourage group discussion and when
sometimes we get board – create joke or gain our concentration” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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“Yes, if curriculum changed whereby different strategies/ideas/values incorporated, activitybased, student-centered – that will help them. At the moment most activities are lecture.
Sometimes group work, and some presentations within group. Most lessons it is listening and
not much involvement. If give projects to students, students do interviews, students make
presentations, etc. – better for students. If students are really practically involved, they will
more actively participate. During lectures students are very silent, no interaction, sometimes
students even fall asleep” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“Lecturers interact, make students think critically, there are other programs with
entertainment, interactions among students – pre service and in service, and mindfulness. We
are not only learning from the books but from other components, there are cultural programs.
I think this needs to be sustained because these activities improve individuals as a whole. We
gainconfidence in public speaking; these things expose us to many opportunities. Now we can
speak and we are learning new practices. This will be useful for future” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Distinction made – is lecture only about speaking and speaking? Getting students’ input,
inductive and deductive, how to introduce the topic, getting info from students. I use group
work, debate (to focus on pronunciation), I give them a lot of 2 minute mini presentations to
give every student a chance to speak” (BL_SHER_KIL).
Variety
From the data collected, in addition to lecturing, techniques used in class to intellectually engage
students in their own learning mostly included a some kind of visual aid, such as projector or a chalk
board, lecturer – directed group work, recollection of the previously learned material, humour, story
telling, group discussion, and brainstorming. There was a variety of opinion on the kind of visual aid
preferred; some students preferred well organized, aesthetically pleasing PowerPoint presentations,
while others favoured a more traditional chalk board, as the pace of the lecturer’s writing on the board
was more controlled and easier to follow than a PowerPoint presentation. Most students are aware of
the kind of teaching they are receiving, as some respondents are able to clearly quantify a small
number of the teaching strategies their lecturers utilize. In addition to student interaction and group
discussions, students showed a wide interest in use of strategic questioning and relevant examples in
class.
•
“Some teachers use a projector, some simply sit and they talk or sit and give us work and then
we discuss. By using a projector, we don’t understand that much. Teacher should talk and
explain the point. Many of us prefer the white board. “ Another student went on to say: “We
would like it if teachers could come in and talk with us, entertain us.” Another student stated:
“To not go off topic, but do it in a way, so we don’t notice time passing. Also, by giving us
examples that are relevant to topic and our lives. Entertainment should be related to topics;
we don’t like lecture delivered for the entire time.” (BL_GCBS_FGS).
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“I am not biased but some tutors are very hardworking that are bringing great change and
doing good but I feel that there are some tutors that are incompetent. In the past learned about
4 kinds of teaching strategies. I am seeing that some tutors are not aware of this. Emotion and
time has not been shown here and there are some tutors that are trying hard and making us a
better human being” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Now, we have a group learning environment – we guided them and divide them in groups
(gender and abilities mixed), we need to have more kinds of teaching strategies to use”
(BL_CNR_FGL).
•
When asked about what strategies and skills can be used to make the learning effective, one
of the respondents replied: “Teacher should have a sound knowledge; he or she should have
effective strategies like questioning, giving plenty of relevant examples and role modeling.
Reviewing the previously learnt lesson is also equally important, giving chance for the
student to speak and finally, group discussion is very vital” (BL_ILCS_KIL).
•
“New lecturers lack teaching strategies in the class. They are unable to deliver.” Another
respondent added, “That hamper having no confidence in them.” A third respondent
remarked, “We feel they lack confidence and less faith” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“The groups are allowed to go out and have a waste walk-relaxation and brain storming, come
back and then have group discussion” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
More group discussions
•
“I would like you to discuss in a pair. Discuss with your partner. You can write on a piece of
paper. Write down the points, why do we need special education in Bhutan? Please write on
the piece of paper because I will collect the piece of paper” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Work in pairs and find as many mistakes as possible in the given sentence. I will give you 1
minute” (BL_RIHS_OBSL).
•
“Group work, brainstorm a particular topic – certain topic they have to discuss and tell the
outcome” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“You say you form a group and discuss for 10 minutes. Lecturer explains how to form groups
– etc. [Lecturers says] come up with as many ideas a possible” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“We have open discussions, open interaction, and we take care of our own resources”
(BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“Free discussions in the class. Not only confined to the textbooks, that was very catchy and
interesting, but asking questions, sharing experiences – when teachers open”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“We could have more presentations from the students’ side and also more group work”
(BL_RIHS_FGS).
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In reference to what an effective lecturer looks like: “First day he entered the class, he
[lecturer] says, “Make mistakes as much as you can.” He involves the students. He makes
every student participate. He is never frustrated or get angry. Lots of video clips make class
interesting. He also explains. Asks questions on the topic taught such as “Never Give Up In
Life.” So, students come up with their viewpoints and explain from their viewpoint. He
conducts mock interviews and role –plays, which make us understand really well. He gives us
freedom of speech. He never denies any requests. He gives a lot of wisdom”
(BL_GCBS_FGS).
Visual aid: media, TV, doc, music, poetry, and art.
•
“I try to make the attractive PowerPoint presentations. Then, I ask questions and make my
presentation attractive and lively. It should not be always serious. If I find that my students
are lost or feeling sleepy, I make it lively” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“Lecturer asks: “Is it visible from the back [projection]?” Lecturer starts adjusting the picture
to make it larger. There is a piece of white cloth taped on the chalkboard on which LCD is
projecting” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer continues to explain and writes on the board to facilitate the process”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer used slides, photos to give visual representation of the instruments he was talking
about” (BL_ILCS_OBSL).
Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning (VAK)
•
“[Lecturer] takes student’s hands and arms and repositions so student has easier time and
explains why this position is recommended” (BL_RIHS_OBSL).
•
“She had everyone stand up and stretch out their bodies. On the count of three she had
everyone sit down turn to their partner and begin to talk! Everyone talk” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer and students are singing an “addition song,” clapping, (“ok, 1,2,3, and 4:” everyone
sings again – learning numbers)” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Right after attendance lecturer started drawing a world map on the board.” Observer noted:
“I was wondering how that two visually impaired could know what is being drawn on the
board because teacher explained nothing on it.” Two visually impaired students seem to be
listening passionately” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Although the kinds of questions L is asking are quite probing, “What is your opinion
regarding…”and lecturer is using visual (writing on the board) and auditory (speaking) means
of knowledge transmission, lecturer is mainly lecturing” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
Scaffolding knowledge
•
“[Lecturer] nods her head – and then asks about dissolving the solution and let’s the student
know it changes --- asks increases or decreases” (BL_RIHS_OBSL).
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Fun and Games
•
“Beyond my classes I engage in fun and games also where they enjoy and also refreshes the
mind too” (BL_JNP_KIL).
•
Fun and games: “Teaching they come across – through games. For me it is one way of
practicing GNH in the classroom --- teaching the concept through a game. My students learn
more, they will have fun and it is practicing GNH in the class” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“[Lecturer] talks about making class environment lively for the children, especially making
math interesting for the students Lecturer takes out a pair of dice – says,“You can make your
own dice –paper, wood. Lecturer gives instructions to students how to play the game and
walks over to each desk to distribute dice (dice are big, about 1,” and made out of wood).
Students are playing within their group – the room is filled with sound and laughter as
everyone rolls the dice. Lecturer is walking over to each group” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“[Lecturer] starts with a fun brain teaser exercise. Students participate by offering answers
freely” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
Humour
•
“Mood differs from time to time. Minute to minute it is different, but I crack a joke and then
start a class” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“They [teachers] come to us and we talk friendly, they share their experiences and views, so
become more free. They entertain us.” A respondent added, “Some teachers used to crack
jokes to relax us.” Another respondent said, “ To make us pay attention.” The second
respondent continued, “Students will feel very drowsy, so jokes help keep us awake”
(BL_RIHS_FGS).
Individual attention
•
“Lecturer is helping another group draw the diagram. A student from the back of the class
calls the lecturer ”Sir!” to get his attention. Lecturer nods from across the room and says will
be there. After finishing helping one group, lecturer walks over to the students who needed
him and walks the group through the process of diagraming” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
PowerPoint enhancement
•
“PowerPoint, sometimes some teachers are better with chalk board. The speed of PowerPoint
is too fast. I have notices the same teachers with chalkboard, they teach better”
(BL_SCE_KIS).
Engage students in their learning
•
“So far we are discussing the basis of curriculum. We also looked at social present, past and
future, and human development. As I told you in the previous lesson in the class we will
discuss on learning theories” (BL_SCE_OBS).
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“How are you feeling now? Are you in a better mood? Let’s reflect on what we did last time.
Do you remember what we did?” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“I make time to revise previous topics (5-10min). I ask questions and we talk about it. At the
end of the week, we revise the whole week’s topics” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“[Lecturer] Distributes the assignment paper of the previous session. Lecturer: “We will
recapitulate of what we have learned the other day” (BL_RIHS_OBSL).
Learning theory (shy, temperaments)
•
“I pinpoint them [shy students] asking question those students only. 70% of students come to
me if they have any doubts; it is always in a group. Also, in the class, we group shy with
talkative ones together.” Another respondent stated, “In my case, I never give attention to that
particular, shy student. When we are outside I ask, if you have problems, come and talk to
me” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“If I have a set of shy students, then I call the roll numbers, they stand up and give me
answers. Active classes, I can see those less willing to participate and I pinpoint them”
(BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“When I was in class 11 and 12, I was a shy person. At that time, I had a Commerce teacher.
He always encouraged me to be confident and slowly by slowly, I have improved my
confidence after reaching college” (BL_GCBS_FGS).
Story telling
•
When asked to describe a favorite teacher, student responded, “I had a teacher who before
reading the story, would tell the story. Sometimes he used to say in Dzongkha so that we
understand better” (BL_SCE_FGS)
Hands-on activities
•
“They do civil construction, building roads, doing project work.” Another respondent adds,
“To fulfill their diploma we have projects, so those projects we try to use. Example, a shed”
(BL_JNP_FGL).
Creating intentional classroom culture
•
“One of the male students walked over to another student and the lecturer sat down in a desk
joining the students.” (BL_ILCS_OBSL).
•
“When the teacher used to enter the class then, there used to be fear. I don’t want my students
to have fear. I want to make my students open up and learn. So I smile as I enter the class.
So, that I make myself as approachable” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“It is my responsibility. I have to smile even if I am not happy. I never show my temper to my
students. Teachers mood and manner affects students’ learning” (BL_PCE_KIL).
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“Class should start with a smile, joke, and a pleasing manner – to get a good response –
symbiotic relationship in the class. All classes – hi, how are you doing, asking helping in
every problem. Students will respond to those classes” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“The tutor took his seat in front of his class and started working on his laptop which
continued till the end of class” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“If somebody sees a tiger, run away. If teacher comes in angry, students will be scared they
will beat us. Cannot share our doubts. If I am angry pouring my anger on teaching, we’ll see
on the teachers reaction not lecture.” Another respondent added, “Same if their temper is
poured out. As students, they would not show it, but will be burning on the inside. How
effective teacher is effective will not matter because of his/her mood. No peace of mind.” The
first respondent continued, “If we start hating our teacher, we will start hating the subject too
and will start performing badly, effect performance and style” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Experiences, practical implementation needed
•
“Practicals, we do it with our hands. Students prefer hands-on classes and learn more that the
lecture based classes. In practical classes, we apply theory. It is more interesting, it applies
what we have learned” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Hand-outs (ineffective)
•
“Written notes are provided by the tutors. They are not giving us many opportunities to
explore on our own. There is not enough time to explore also. We get so many handouts and
if we want to go for further studies then it would be important to have time to explore”
(BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“We just enter in the class and expecting to take notes and then we hear we do not have to
take notes. They use a projector and there is teaching and they go with their syllabus and
covering the class. At last we do not get much knowledge or much facilitating, in terms of
the course. What I can say at the beginning there should be made to take notes and not given
the notes” (BL-SHER_KIS).
Language: power, mindful speech, word selection
•
“Language determines character, if you know how to speak that language well, you can
express anger in a soft way. For example, if I am angry, and I talk in a polite way, the other
person will be helpful. But, if I do not know that language well, I might be aggressive”
(BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“During my high school, I ad a teacher who was a gold medalist. He did not teach properly,
he could not express properly, so I did not understand properly. We went to principal and
asked for change, but principal said, “He is a medalist. If he cannot teach properly, who can
teach?” Some teachers use language properly and we understand properly.” Another
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respondent added, “If the language is not used properly, we cannot understand what he is
teaching” (BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“The new lecturers lack so many qualifications in language.” Respondent continued, “With
language one can play. Speak whatever they feel; harsh words demotivate us”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
Brainstorming
•
“Now how we actually do the process of brainstorming. Process – we need to identify or we
need to look for brainstorming or not. Then we form a group. It can be on any ideas --[lecturer] continues to explain – identify theme of using the brainstorming. Lecturer writes on
board and continues to explain concept with PowerPoint. Let new ideas or brain storm”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
Field study sites
•
“Here we get chance to learn through practical and field work. They [practical learning
experiences] are very empowering. We can learn by ourselves through experience”
(BL_CNR_FGS).
•
“Through field study and hot spring learners will talk about hot spring to those who are at the
sight. Thus that will lead to GNH. On mountains we talk about herbal medicine”
(BL_NITM_KIADM).
•
“One lecturer tries to share whatever he learned and he goes 15-20 minutes beyond syllabus –
example, hanging bridge. That is very useful, focus on our real talent of an engineer. We also
do site visits. They take us to construction site. That is new. They tell us that information is
also available on this page then we go to the library so we can look it up” (BL_JNP_FGS).
Repetition: call and response, drills
•
“They [students] answer or repeat after lecturer” (BL_ILCS_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer used a lot of repetition. He asked questions and had students repeat after him”
(BL_ILCS_OBSL).
•
“Tutor answers his own questions most of the time” (BL_CST_OBSL).
Strategic questioning
•
“I learnt so much about asking questions collecting data from other lecturers and the students.
I did not realize how hard it is to ask probing questions. This will help me a lot in my classes
with students. I usually ask yes/no questions. Now I feel I can ask probing questions”
(BL_PCE_KI)
•
“I though I new what a probing question was, but until I tried, I did not really know”
(BL_SCE_KI).
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“It is so much harder to teach using strategic questions or critical thinking questions. It is a
lot easier to have students respond yes or no or have a right answer. I am not sure I can teach
like this. I do not know if the students are able” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“We like when the tutor asks us questions and we can tell our opinion. It has more meaning. I
do not want to just memorize” (BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“How we develop a holistic education system, specifically in the tertiary level at RUB is the
focus of the GNH PAR study. To give our students a holistic education using different
classroom pedagogies, making opportunities in the class where students can think and act
critically, question and themselves, self reflect, and relate what they have learned in the
classrooms to real life situations is really important.Few classrooms in Bhutan utilize holistic
education practices” (BL_PCE_meeting notes).
Service learning
•
“Since it is 2 years diploma program which was shorten, it might be difficult for Institute to
adjust [infusing service learning into curriculum] as a part of curriculum otherwise it is good
idea being normal courses” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
Independent learning
•
[Students’ self- learning activities] Besides class, library. A lot of problems with library.
Librarians left. We are discussing what to do. Can learn at home. Time not there in school, as
all time is occupied” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
GNH Definition
GNH definition was the third strongest theme that emerged from data across ten colleges. The
data collected displays a variety of attitudes in relation to GNH. Some respondents feel as if it is
merely about feeling happy and being content. Others see it as a byproduct of living a healthy and
successful life. Still, others see it as a real life manifestation of Buddhist principles, such as the
limitation or eradication of desire and thereby of suffering. Majority of the respondents’ definitions
and parameters of GNH merely hinted at a vague, superficial understanding of this complex national
framework that extends far beyond the preservation of culture, as seen in the adherence to traditional
language and styles of dress.
Vague
•
“[GNH means} peace in mind.” Another respondent says, “Happiness within ourselves.” A
respondent answers, “Happiness of all.” Another respondent states, “Being content with what
you have.” Another respondent points, “Equality and justice for all.” Another respondent
further adds, “ Harmony” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“You have heard about GNH, can you think of some values and principles practiced in your
classroom? They [respondents] kept silent. “Not sure of what this is” (BL_JNP_FGS).
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“I don’t have much idea about GNH values and principles. I think it is about the four pillars. I
am sorry to say that” (BL_PCE_KISST).
•
“We promote many [GNH values in the classroom] but without realizing it”
(BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“GNH is very subjective. How can you measure a person’s happiness, civic sense --complimentary not concrete. Not measurable” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“Indirectly or directly we are doing it, preserving culture and environment and teachers are
teaching about GNH values. Cleaning campaign, GNH is being implemented. The philosophy
is vague.” Another respondent states, “GNH has depth. Gross national happiness goes beyond
4 pillars.” The first respondent continues, “GNH is confusing. We are happy only with the
material, so how will we be happy if, according to GNH, we cannot pursue wealth?” The
second respondent adds, “GNH is an abstract idea.” “The first respondent says, “GNH says be
happy with what you have. Paradoxically, GNH will not give you happiness.” The second
respondent posits, “GNH, happiness is the state of mind.” The first respondent says, “Many
countries are eager and crazy about GNH; we don’t find this philosophy good”
(BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“There have been a lot of people and writers talking about GNH. If you ask a group of
students what GNH really is, the students would not be able to explain it well. People have
not said what it is. It is not that people were not willing to tell [about] it, but the idea itself is
weak. Some way could explain in a simpler form people could understand somehow
understand better. If I know what GNH is then, I could practice and that would bring
happiness. It is difficult to explain, as it is vague especially to uneducated people. Educate
them more and make it more clear so they could really practice” (Pretest_PCE_KIS).
•
“I am not sure of how GNH being taught in classroom. I don’t know how GNH is measured
in the classroom. I don’t know how to relate the GNH with technical knowledge”
(BL_CST_KIL).
•
“Not sure how to relate the course to GNH. We have to focus on the syllabus to be covered.
And also connect to the technical how to relate to GNH. Our own attitude – when the
students ask us question and have a positive – other than that we cannot relate to the subject”
(BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Classroom is not related to GNH because the syllabus is technical.” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“At first, interacting with teacher it has nothing to do with GNH. Whenever we laugh in the
class, he says that is GNH. I don’t know how related that was to GNH, but that was the only
thing I heard about GNH in the class” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“I do not see any room for me to talk about values of GNH in physics” (BL_SHER_FGL).
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“Students are very happy with their teachers. If the tutors do not come to the classes, the
students are happier and I see GNH there. When we scold them, it seems they are not happy”
(BL_PCE_KIL).
•
“Broad topics happiness is wanted from every individual. I think it differs for everyone.
People with less desires will be less unhappy, people who expect high, they will unhappy”
(BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Everyone knows about GNH, but only surface. Four pillars, nine domains. Infusing GNH:
don’t do. Talk about GNH and its importance in curriculum, but that’s all. If we infuse it (in
education), understanding of four pillars improves. “ After being asked about whether GNH
should be infused in the curriculum or taught as a subject, the same respondent answered,
“Everybody is talking about GNH, but a lot of confusion. Some fed up with word GNH. What
is real GNH? Difficult concept. Important ingredients not clear – that is what people think.
Difficult to infuse – no time, coverage fast (refers to syllabus material). Compulsion to
somehow infuse, but unclear what is or how to infuse” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
Theory / Implementation concrete
•
“GNH is improving, but my question is that does this GNH really exist? It is not about an
individual, but about the gross. 70% of people are farmers and 30% are employed elsewhere.
We see farmers suffering, if 70% of people are farmers and not happy – how is the goal
completed? My question is, is GNH something that our government has acquired or is it just a
hot topic?” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“The four pillars of GNH shape or help them to lead better life and be better future citizens.
Education helps children to find out the importance of environment, to take good care of the
environment” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
•
“I’ve been a supporter of GNH, but talking of GNH and practicing it different. E.g. Eating
meat and the teachings of Buddhism. It is contradicting. It is difficult for livestock people. To
increase production for the farmers, animals need to be killed. The principles of GNH are
good. But I don’t know how we Bhutanese follow/practice them. Like the Buddhism and
compassion. It is not essential for materialistic possession” (BL_CNR_KIL).
•
“12 credits per module – students are supposed to go through 16 credits – 300 for the 3-year
program. 420 for 4 years. One option as to offer GNH as a module” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“I think our institute is also taking care of culture – started having diklam namja, kabney,
respecting traditions, and being mindful. Health for example, we need to be mindful because
we are taking care of patient, be careful how we talk to them, drugs you give them”
(BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“GNH pedagogy is felt as vague idea and some staff members felt it is somehow being
implemented which are also taught in school and other learning institution. Through this
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training, it has been clearer for many. Teaching strategy though based on content, the concern
in how far it is being delivered is being looked into. Morning speeches have been happening
before GNH became popular” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“It depends on the subject matter you are teaching. You cannot sometimes twist your topic to
bring it to GNH values. I tend to use transparency, accountability, and efficiency. It is
required in the topic I teach, about health administration. EAT.” Another respondent remarks,
“I teach them to be healthy, and to have right attitude. Whatever theory you learn you have to
practice them with empathy, right attitude, and sympathy. Whatever they do, they should do it
with a purpose. For example, washing your hands, you don’t just wash for the sake of
washing but you do it with a purpose” (BL_RIHS_FGL)”
•
“If I talk about GNH in the school, make the students comfortable. Safe and green
environment. Teaching should be embedded with GNH. Being open to the students, let the
students feel free to share” (BL_PCE_KIAPSADM).
•
“GNH is indigenous. The concept developed in our country. It has a high vision, which
includes animals as well. Happiness is the ultimate aim. Where is happiness, in the materials
or spiritualism? GNH has a long - term goal and was also adopted as a millennium goal. So I
think we should respect it.” Respondent added, “Achievement will be possible if we
implement well. One can be through bringing the GNH values to the
classroom”(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
Curriculum
Data show that one’s individual happiness impacts teaching and the way one incorporates GNH
into classroom. As it is restricted to the lecturer’s role in the classroom, there is no mention of the
students’ contribution to a shared positive learning relationship.
•
“My own view on GNH is simple it means everyone to be happy. GNH in teaching means
the teacher and thought should be happy and as teacher we have to give our best teaching.
Judge them [students] and make sure they have learned and implemented. We need to put
efforts to monitor the student that’s how we fulfill GNH” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“One thing I would like to do is bring change in the curriculum by incorporating GNH values
and making teachers teach happily. The idea of role modeling must go into the students’
learning. Students should realize that we have to live happily; happy teachers produce happy
students” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“Whatever the content is, we ask ourselves, are GNH values in it? When you deliver content,
define the values that relate to day –to- day life. That way, upon graduation, students will
have all of the values and will live happily. If I teach division, take for example apples.
Mother brought 5 apples, sharing values. When you divide, you share. “ Another respondent
shared, ”I teach economics. GNH is there because we teach about resources, population. In
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resources, in the process of teaching, we bring GNH values and principles. Knowing the facts
that resources are limited. We explain the efficient use of resources.” Another respondent
added, “I teach Dzongkha. GNH has come from the Buddhist texts, when I teach about the
cause and effect, we should always desire for the good. Students should manage 9 virtues.
Now the prostration, chanting mantras and giving a good thought” (BL_SCE_FGSTS).
•
“For people, to be able to understand GNH, curriculum should change – integrated part.
Modern curriculum is totally subject-based, there is so much to be covered, and focus is on
exams. Therefore, GNH is difficult to infuse. With in-depth learning would serve best
purpose. At moment, only talking more about people needing to be happy, etc.”
(BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“Basically, when you talk about quality, I don’t see GNH as a separate subject – it is a
holistic way. People mistakenly believe that quality is reading, writing, passing exams and
having unrelated information in your life. I don’t think that is the way. Our education system
has come from the West. Experts, consultant brought their own cultural views. Now, our
government, in the late 80s, realized that we had followed Indian curriculum –it was a legacy
of India and we had no choice, we had no manpower, doctors were trained in India and they
also brought their own values. Government, now, with GNH is actually preserving cultural
heritage, spiritual and national identity, environment and how to be in the world, that although
we are a small country, we can make a contribution. Bhutan acts in a holistic way and it will
not deteriorate. Our education will improve and become people centered, need centered. That
would be my perception integrated GNH” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“We talk about equality, even in math when we talk about subtraction: Karma had 5 apples,
his friend Dorji stole 2 apples. That is stealing, which is a negative value. Instead, we say:
Karma shared 2 apples with his friend. Rephrase instead” (BL_CNR_FGSTS).
•
“In the problem given, Karma has 5 cows, His brother snatched away 3 cows. How many
cows does he have? Nowadays, our lecturer gives the problem as: Karma has 5 cows. He
shares 3 cows with his sister. How many cows does he have?” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Physical education – very important – the content should have value related parts for GNH”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Our minister of education to implement GNH education in schools. In upcoming years, I
think every subject we have to keep in mind, but our main philosophy must be GNH – we
must interlink this concept with the subjects we teach. I will try to do so”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Dramatic Arts Ideas/projects: Write scripts; use art of script writing as a powerful way to
make change. Use drama as a tool to talk about GNH values. Interactive, holistic. Language
and actions-pair share, story telling. Vocal warm ups” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
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“For example in a mathematics lesson, I have five cows, 3 died. How many cows were left
with me? This can be put into a different way, I had five cows, and three were taken to the
higher mountains. How many are left with me? Children are happy when we use the second
example. So we always try to put GNH in our daily lessons” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
•
“GNH, why doesn’t the minister of education come up with GNH in the curriculum? Why
don’t they bring GNH into the curriculum?” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Alignment with Buddhist philosophy
•
“GNH initiative – I personally take it as a noble endeavor – new pedagogies will be created –
it is Buddhist philosophy (regarding every sentient being as your mother and father –
interrelated). Today, if you look at your parents, we have so much gratitude for them. If we
are grateful to them, how grateful are we to our past parents. This is just the philosophy I am
talking about it. So, the initiative brings everyone opportunities to be happy and have all of
the qualities to develop as good human beings. GNH pedagogy is an initiative and a noble
goal – by 2014 GNH could be practiced not only here but the world too. The world is never
perfect. We are not perfect. Initiative of GNH is to make us perfect, but samsara is endless.
But, the fact is that this conscience is here. Maximum number of students here is satisfied,
staff employ pedagogies that make students feel comfortable and with desire to learn more. I
would like to see this place that students want to come here because of the human touch not
only academics. There is enjoyment and fun; that would be my vision”(BL_ILCS_KIADM).
•
“I think GNH happiness is about being free from suffering. Al sentient beings are being
divided by suffering. How to get rid of suffering? As we get the ultimate truth that is called
Denba, when we get rid of the cause of suffering, then you will attain the ultimate bliss of
happiness. “ “ We all have a Buddha nature and one day, all beings will achieve GNH by
being enlightened. So, it is achievable” (BL_ILCS_FGL).
•
“GNH is not in the solid measurable form. It is about our perception – Rinpoche said opening
your heart. You keep opening your heart and that way you can feel the love. Remember how
your grandparents loved you and how you felt when they loved you. Even with your parents,
we want to make others feel like that. You try to love others so they can enjoy the same
feeling you felt. If we are able to approach people by quality of education and making others
understand, quality of education will improve so will GNH too. We are a small country that
can easily achieve GNH. Enlightenment, happiness is to understand self and others”
(BL_ILCS_KIS).
Fulfillment of desires, materialistic
•
“GNH is a jargon and also our guiding principle. If a farmer is happy producing what he
requires, that is ok. Farmers can earn more with services. But they will be greedy and want
more. For example, with the roads now, even farmers think of getting a second car. Then they
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think of Hilux and they go further to get Prado. They feel that their social status is high they
need to improve themselves. I say this is Anti-GNH” (BL_CNR_FGL).
•
“GNH meanscontentment in the whole people or population not only for the high status
people. As far as I know GNH does not exist in the rural areas. The concept of GNH is
wrong. For example, like [name of the college staff member] in our college, he is suffering.
He should be paid more to survive and keep him happy” (BL_PCE_KIL).
•
“We can clearly understand [that there is no GNH in rural areas] and I have seen that people
in the remote areas work from as early as 5am in the morning till 8-9 pm in the evening.Their
lives start from dawn to dusk. Those rich do not have to do that. They travel in luxury cars, go
where ever they want and it’s in their hands whether to work or not. The boss will give the
work to people under him and they hardly work. For example, if we take two lecturers, one
very sincere and the other not, but at the end of the day, both are equally paid”
(BL_PCE_KIL).
•
“If it is GNH country, there should be enough resources” (BL_PCE_KIL).
•
“Well, talking about GNH, I don’t know much, but for me, it means happiness. It is a
prevailing factor in our country. It is being engrossed by our monarchy and it deals with
pillars and our country is doing great things supporting pillars. If people are happy there is
GNH, though pillars are being promoted, people are, and I don’t think are happy. GNH is a
difficult task. I don’t feel people are happy.” Respondent continued, “Happy if provided
necessary means. Government has not done that yet. Western parts of Bhutan have more
resources, others people are not much happy” (BL_SHER_FGS).+
•
“GNH philosophy is really great. If we practice GNH, happiness is good. Happiness is more
important, but who doesn’t love money. GNH philosophy is good, but if not practiced, it is
useless” (BL_SCE_FGS).
Interdependence
•
“How certain practices can lead to unhealthy life. Such life styles can finally lead to
happiness or unhappiness. Mind, body and action how one should react. Ultimately how it
leads to happiness” (BL_NITM_KIADM).
•
“Life Skills help. It helps us take our life in the right way. If we do a favour for a friend. She
becomes happy, I in turn become happy. What term is that called? Inter-personal skills”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“My opinion it [mindfulness and GNH] is absolutely related. GNH is mainly to do with the
people’s happiness and their solution. Mindfulness practice makes us think twice before we
act. It makes us do whatever we do calmer. GNH aim is the people’s happiness and if we are
happy then everyone’s happiness comes. I don’t know how to put it into words”
(BL_PCE_KIS).
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Awareness, being awake
•
“Now, GNH – it is a very complex term. Many people make further conclusions. When you
use this national word, you are talking about nation, society. When GNH is propagated by the
state, then it is hard to connect it to the individual level. Facilities, structures, social
arrangement but, on an individual is happiness – the word is captured. The term is loosely
used in different context. GNH is used as a synonym for happiness. People think it as parallel
to happiness. From a state: preservation is one pillar – from an individual perspective, GNH is
more about disciplining the mind. Mind is the determining factor. In the personal perspective,
GNH is all about happiness which is connected to the function of the mind, how you establish
yourself in the society, how you deal with people and how are you cause of someone else’s
happiness, taking a leading role in the conducive environment and others are happy through
your initiative. If you are mindful, you are in control. If you are angry, you can be aware that
you should not be acting furiously – being mindful creates space to reflect on that. When the
anger is gone, you feel awkward – if you yelled at people. Mindful is basically guiding your
personality.” (BL_ILCS_KIADM).
Individual / collective
•
”Very important, I think it reduces the gap between the rich and the poor. It focuses on the
happiness of the whole nation, not only on the individual. In developing countries, some
people may be rich but there are beggars on the street – but we stand on our feet.”
(BL_CST_FGS).
•
”Happiness is for the community not for the individual. Happiness is GNH. Community
vitality is important. As a whole, if it is happy, individual then comes” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“I firstly heard in economics, grade 9 and about GNP in other countries. Than I did not know
about it, but now I think GNH may become GGH, gross global happiness. It is not something
that can be bought – it should come from inside. We should be happy spiritually and
materially. We may blame others for our health, mood, and other factors should be good too.
GNH includes the whole country and for the whole country to be happy it should be close to
perfect. When everything is fairly distributed than only GNH will be applicable”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“I am not generalizing; GNH is one of the best philosophies I have heard of. We have to
thank our 4th king, our best philosopher we have. GNH helps others. We are Buddhists. Main
thing is about being happy, we can see all of the elements in it. All elements of other religions
can fit in that too. Even though it has been edited to the millennium goal, we can promote it
because we know that money can provide comfort, but not happiness. GNH can be accepted
globally” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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“GNH for me personally, is whatever you do in a day; if you are happy at the end of the day
that is GNH. If one is happy, community is happy, if [community is] happy then nation is
happy” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“I think GNH is not for individual but happiness in society. Till now I could not grasp the
concept of GNH properly but that is what I feel” (BL_RIHS_KIADM).
Rhetorical jargon, negative attitude
•
“Happiness as a whole – how far is it true, we don’t know. It has some pillars…(names them).
As individual, it does not prevail. Social violence, party night, there are fights. One of the
pillars, promote culture – who is promoting it? Everyone dresses in a western style. No
preservation of environment” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Need to sent them for exposure, may be out of Bhutan in order to learn from other good, so
that some values can be implemented in the classroom providing more opportunities for
student learning. I am totally against GNH and I don’t see it in Bhutan” (BL_PCE_KIL).
•
When asked, “What would be an ideal college work situation for you,” one of the respondents
replied, “Money.” Another respondent added, “We hear about GNH, blah blah. At the end of
the day I wish we had money, we do calculations” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
Scientists find it difficult to understand such philosophy, unlike social scientists do. How can
happiness be measured? Foreigners seem to understand principles of GNH. Bhutanese
students do not appreciate GNH” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
GNH standards and indicators
•
“GNH has certain indicators, I am aware of the measuring tools. That is on government level.
For me, individual level, collective, every child has access to education; families are not
dying because they don’t have meal, no frustration with the corruption, system. We live in the
country and we are blessed to be Bhutanese” (BL_SHER_KIL).
Too restrictive
•
“To me, unless you are running a special GNH module, it would be very challenging to
incorporate GNH in the content. But, you can use GNH values and principles in the delivery
in the existing content.” When asked to provide examples, respondent replied: “You take the
core of engineering math, what values and principles can you infuse? (Respondent asks a
note-taker, “Can you help me, which ones are there?”) Shall we put all pillars in the content? I
think.. What are the GNH values and principles? You are happy, someone around you is
happy, society is happy, the world is happy; it is gross national happiness. Happiness is a state
on a real state of time basis. Putting in content, engineering core subjects, I don’t see it being
very realistic, but you can teach the values and principles. For example, simply as you are
teaching how to estimate costing, teach students what if you used a wrong proportion, what is
the effect? When you are doing measurements, what is the implication, if that money was
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saved, then you can bring a lot of examples in the teaching learning. But, putting the core
values…somehow I think it may be difficult. Of course, teaching, you can bring in GNH
values and principles in how you as engineers can stop corruption, can influence others not to
be corrupt, and how you will benefit yourself. I am sure people will be willing to accept.
Quality is another thing you can bring in“ (BL_CST_KIADM).
Fulfillment of needs
•
“My sister really understands our family problems because we are in the middle class. She
has taken her examination and has qualified. There is GNH. My parents are really happy
about that. Even a single family member can contribute to it” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
GNH tools for assessment
•
“We need to have constant follow up of the GNH input. For example, this GNH interview is
first of its kind. People should constantly check and balance on GNH”
(BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
Sustainability
•
“I cannot answer, the gaps are widening and there is textured difference. Few manufacturing
companies are coming up in Bhutan. There are less executive holding posts. CEO kinds of
posts are very rare. There are limited numbers of doctors and engineers, and managing
directors. NGOS and UN – charities. Human index – we have laws to do that. In most
remote areas, people have no lights. Gave a lot of index. So many NGO’s and charities even
from the UN. CPI: rose from 5 to 5.7. Press freedom 38. WK – 131. Bhutan economy as the
World Bank states is 64. Looking at all this forces the coming up of huge projects, global
climate change, global catastrophe, how long can GNH hold up” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
Relationships, social gatherings
•
“Camping, picnics with our teachers. [That is GNH]” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
Rubrics / Affective domain
•
“It started with a small concept, GNP that was measured. Our 4th king deliberately said that he
is after not GDP, but GNH. Those little words became now a debatable topic. For me, it
confuses me at times because happiness is hard to measure. What I found out through my own
experience, there is unquenchable desire. It does not matter how much we have; we want
more. Then, coming to this, we have 4 pillars. I like spiritual and cultural conservation. I had
a friend from the west, I asked him why he came to Bhutan – you know, you are spiritually
rich. The rest of the world has lost its spirituality. GNH can in a way measure the science of
mind, the feeling and emotions are very accountable for happiness“ (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“Our views should be respected and I should respect others. If I stand and say the answer and
might be wrong but my tutor always supports me with their answers and it makes it and me
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more confident makes me do more writings. Respecting each other’s views and beliefs is
GNH” (BL_PCE_KIS).
Critical Pedagogy/ Banking
Contemplative critical pedagogy utilizing a variety of teaching strategies especially cooperative learning is described as the heart of the colleges’ needed changes. Data compiled by
researchers clearly demonstrates an absence of pedagogical development beyond the “banking
knowledge” style of teaching employed through a rigid adherence to the lecture style of instruction.
Data does exist that highlights a small amount of cases in which some discourse between students and
lecturers is taking place. However, these cases seldom advance beyond “yes/no” type questioning
leaving students no opportunity to critically analyze or reflect upon the lesson and its relevance to
their lives.The research shows thatmost respondents questioned, students, lecturers, and
administrators, see a need for the continuing education of lecturers, mostly in varied pedagogical
methods, teaching strategies, and in development of relevant examples in classroom as exercise in
critical thinking, as such provides an objective assessment of the current theoretical underpinnings of
one’s society.
Lecture style
Data show that lecture style presentation is the most dominant method of instruction. Some
respondents claim that lack of infrastructure and urgency to cover syllabus in time are the main
reasons why they resort to lecture style of teaching.
•
Respondent claims to engage in lecture style: “Mostly through oral teaching”
(BL_ILCS_KIL).
•
“80/20 learning technique: 20% in the classroom and 80% from hard work. From my
opinion, it is the opposite here. We are only spoon-fed“ (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Lecturer was still talking and the students were listening they were quiet and looking at the
lecturer. Only a few times students were taking notes and there was not talking amongst the
students” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer wrote on the blackboard and continued to lecture and explain”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer is still only lecturing (11:40am to 12:15pm) and still standing in the same place,
sideways” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“[At 12pm, Lecturer] Explained the biography of the playwright through slide presentation
and lecture (Observer noted: deposit of knowledge). Students merely listened to the lecture
and did nothing else. Note-taking was not evident.12.15pm, the lecturer still continued with
the slides, explanation and lecture.“Criminals need to be punished-they need to be reformed.”
(Observer noted: How do you discuss this at deeper level and bring personal stories and
experiences?). 12.20 Lecturer lectured. (Observer noted: absence of students’ interaction).
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“Who can heal Africa’s wounds?”(Observer noted: This could have been deliberated at length
as it had potential for internalization)
•
12.30 lecture still and his laptop. “Sex is a difficult topic to talk about here.” (Observer
noted: How? Do you discuss further and create opportunity to find out the truth yourself?
What do students have to say?)” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“2nd PowerPoint slide, [lecturer] reads the slide and expands, 3rdPowerPoint slide, [lecturer]
reads the slide and expands, 4th PowerPoint slide, [lecturer] reads and expands, 5th PowerPoint
slide, [lecturer] reads and expands, 6ththe same, and so on” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Talks and describes experiment: Included the steps and what to expect in his description”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“For me, it depends on the topic which I am teaching. If I am teaching about diseases, I use
case study and scenario method. I give the scenario and students study and discuss. But if I
am teaching some theories, I go for presentation and lecture. Sometimes because of the
infrastructure, too many students, small room, and syllabus to cover, most of the time we end
up doing the lecture.” Another respondent shares, “I do the same. We also follow the lecturer
method as well as other methods. It depends on the topic. So do case study method, group
presentation and lecture” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“I use the scenarios from the text. Then I adapt it to the scenario in Bhutan. And sometimes it
somewhat seems like a challenge. When I ask students what methods they like, they respond
that they want to go with the lecture. I never got a concrete answer [why]” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“During our time, no technology, no lcd, we were using overhead projector, transferences,
there was not much role modeling, demonstrating, or to bring audio visual. Teacher would be
coming to class and keep on continuously teaching, not concerned whether students were
interested. We too, did not feel interested, during exam, we were worried. The best part was if
teacher did not come. Now, curricular activities with students with talents” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Teacher holds the book and explains the chapter by holding the book. Reads from the text
by looking at the book” (BL_NITM_OBSL).
•
“They [lecturers] are tired and hectic.” Another respondent adds, “The lecturer just uses a
lecture. If it is 3 - hour class, the one hour is a lecture and the 2 hours is practical for what
they had been thought.” A different respondent states,” Lecturers just use a power point and
talk.” “[There are] very few group discussions. Mostly lecture style” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“New lecturer from India – for that we are not getting so familiar with him and whenever we
ask question he is not around. He is not coming with anything to class. He just dictates –
[even] if we are not getting the point. If we can ask for the last semester’s --- the lecturer”
(BL_SCE_KIS).
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“The first 50 minutes is a lecture, then we have 10 minutes of questions. They usually …
they ask to solve numerical problems as the homework. They can learn better in this way
(BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“Lecturer was expressive in his body language (students laughed and seemed very relaxed),
using visual aid, and was taking time for students’ questions. However, lecturer was still
mainly depositing knowledge” (BL_ILCS_OBSL).
Relevant examples
When delivering material, lecturers can ask students about creative solutions to relevant problems
in Bhutan.
•
“I give them the theory and always base it on real life examples. When I use examples from
real life, students enjoy. Students don’t have experience. So when we share with them
examples, success stories and challenge stories, they learn more. We must always link their
new learning to real experience, go back and forth.” Respondent continues, “I teach them tobe health workers, so I talk about the health workers and how they work and their
experiences. I, not only give them the theoretical knowledge but I make sure to always relate
it to distinct scenarios which helps them understand better” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“Lecturer goes again to explain the importance of singing to children – “Rhyme can be
created but it needs to be relevant to your teaching” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer is using waste management in their town as an example to help students relate to
the concept” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“The application in research areas – chemistry. When she teaches theory she relates in day to
day life. We are studying about environmental pollution, areas in the country and do some
service to help to the nation. This is very interesting - -which involves application and
research areas” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Whenever they relate to example – data – sort of example – also if the topic relevance to the
teaching and to the students. Some simply come and teach the topic – it is nonsense”
(BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“[Bringing cultural values into classroom] It is powerful because it makes us realize and the
students also realize through play that there are values we are learning. Not just only playing
lama but also when we look at the whole play and family roles – values like responsibilities
and respect – we are trying to act out. Through play there are certain things we can learn.
Bringing this to content enriches the lesson” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“[Lecturer] continues to explain problems and creative solution making – using Thomas
Edison – more than 2000 experiments” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
Critical Analysis
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“Sometimes, we make intentional questions – so students could make mistakes”
(BL_JNP_FGL).
•
[I used a wrong formula in the class because] I just wanted to check the progress of students’
learning. I did not realize it was such a powerful tool” (BL_CST_KIADM).
•
“[Lecturer asks the class] What did you see at the river side?Naming: Pollution, Action:
Picked up trash. Who is poisoning the river? We are, human beings!Asking questions is
mindfulness. I see this trash, what do I do? We can make a difference!! And it begins with
ourselves in order to make a difference elsewhere. [Lecturer] told a story, I just made a
difference to the crab in the sea.What do we do as mindful beings of this planet?Humans are
not separate from Earth” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Not so many conversations about the social, political and economic… Sometimes we are so
focused on what the students really must know to do a job. These things are important to
know, not maybe in the classroom setting. Really to know – must know – these things are
missed out. The larger picture is missed out. The contradictions are not so discussed. These
are good things and important to bring into the classroom” (BL_RIHS_KIADM).
•
“For me, I think the quality has not improved but the people’s expectations have. Although
we don’t educate in the school system – the things that are taught are not up to expectations.
They need to be open to the good information around. People should have good reading
habits, newspapers, try and watch different kind of programs” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
Yes / No style of questions
Perceived as one of the common ways to engage and assess students’ learning, “yes / no” type
questions offer no reciprocity or exchange of thought between students and lecturer.
•
“Can theories of learning enhance the understanding of learning and teaching? As a class,
they respond “yes” (BL_SCE_OBSL).
•
“After reading the list she asked if there were any questions: NO! And did not discuss the list
again” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Is this clear to you? All students respond yes sir as a chorus” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“What is poetry? Do you know? Chorus answer given by the students: Yes sir”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer asks the class yes/no questions and students answer in unison: Yes, sir!”
Probing questions
•
“When students said their list out loud [lecturer] asked them why they believed that”
(BL_PCE_OBS).
•
“[Lecturer] Invited everyone to come and sit on the sides. He wondered how everyone
communicated and if it was fun for them and why? Demonstration is important in teaching
children.” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
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“Why do we need education? Please write specific things” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
Co-creation of knowledge
Students seem to want to have more input into their classrooms, which would make them active
partners in co-learning and co-creating new knowledge.
•
When asked, “What as an individual how have you added happiness to the community, a
respondent replied, “Students would arrange the seating arrangement before lecturer comes to
make a better learning environment. Table and chairs” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“Lecturer played with all teams. Made huddles to have everyone discuss what they liked
about the game and how they could work better together as a team” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Ground Rules for the Class: Punctual, space to speak without judgment, one at a time,
confidentiality, respect, embodying mindfulness practice, cooperative, conducive
environment, open with 5 minutes and close with 5 minutes, Mindfulness practice, no phonessilence, no chewing, 5 min break after session-if block period, group – share, no scolding”
(BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“When I start my class, I talk about the values and we set some norms. I write: these are the
classroom norms: switch of your mobiles, talk freely etc. They should follow all the norms
but at the same time they should feel free to ask questions. I give chance to all. I am not
always soft. We have to be a little bit stiff to teach good attitude and discipline. I ask them
and I write. Students and I form the norms together” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“For me, if I have made ground rules from the beginning. There should be no ”sorry I could
not give it to you” I make it so clear, she has given me an assignment 2 days late and I took 2
marks off. I share everything” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“Initially I give them the freedom but realized that students never came did their work on
time. Then I realized that they have to have a deadline. So now we discuss, and decided
together during off hours, between 4p.m to 6 pm and then work one of the weekends. I call
about 12 students from the hostel and volunteers at a time. Small groups is better. We come to
a consensus about the dates and assignment” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
Training and workshops
•
“Our tutors need to be trained. Right now, they think that lecturing is the only way to teach.
As a tutor, we give fundamental principles and concepts and involve them in application
while analyzing and solving problems.” (BL_CST_KIADM).
•
“Experienced students, after some extent we don’t need any training.” Respondent continued,
“Not able to deliver, no confidence and no control. Lack communication skills, disheartening
to see many senior lecturers leaving” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Fresh graduate lecturers posted here teaching students. They should undergo some teachertraining program before they teach us” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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Strategic questions, action syllabus transformation
•
“[Lecturer] Asks question in between on types of herbs. To the whole class and students
randomly answer” (BL_NITM_OBSL).
•
Where is it going? “Used light projector to show Characteristics of Project
She read off the list and described why it is on the list” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“She repeated answers and re-stated them as questions to confirm the answer was heard
correctly” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
Mindfulness
The term mindfulness was agreed upon during Jumpstart, a two-week introductory workshop
to familiarize lecturers at RUB with components of PAR, critical pedagogy, and new teaching
strategies. Lecturers were concerned that a correlation between the term meditation and its application
in religious practice would prove to be superfluous in an academic setting. Although there seemed to
be a general consensus, with few exceptions noted, of the benefits of mindfulness practice, there
exists a gap between the students’ perceived merits of mindfulness and what some lecturers view as
unnecessary. Instituted as a common practice since elementary education, mindfulness is a common
thread that most students would like to see extended throughout higher education. On the other hand,
research shows that in a content driven educational system, lecturers feel as if there is insufficient
time to devote to mindfulness in their classrooms.
Mind training, mind control
•
“Taming the mind, civilizing it. Making the crooked mind straight” (BL_CNR_FGS).
•
“When we meditate we are taught to exhale all of the bad thoughts and when inhaling, we
think about taking all of the good things. Once I was really angry, taking meditation, closed
the door and it helped me, it showed reserve, my mind learned to be calm” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“We need to know and be aware of our mind and let the mind realize and we also should
know the function of our mind. We should try to tame our mind and thus practice is important.
Slowly if we could control our mind it is better. Our mind is like king and body the servant it
is important practice is important” (BL_NITM_KIADM).
•
“Incorporate mind training – I would again say – instead – walking mediation – children are
sitting there – but to flex their muscles” (BL_SCE_KIL).
•
“Just now, we are practicing mindfulness – to control our mind. Having material wealth does
not make you happy – it’s a very contradictory point in GNH. For me, more wealth makes me
more tense and more worrisome. The thing about it – exponential function – you want more,
it keeps multiplying. Do I really need that much? We can use mindfulness to control our
wants” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“Meditation is a tool to cool, calm your mind. Mindfulness can happen with and without
meditation – it depends on your mind. If your mind is wandering, meditation is needed to
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bring it back home. There would be people who are by nature calm – not as a result of
mediation. Mindfulness practice can happen with or without meditation. Meditation is a good
practice, but I don’t think it should be taught. I would leave it to other people. Meditation will
help you become more mindful and the power of your mind comes when your mind is at
peace and you can do so many wonderful things“ (BL_ILCS_KIADM).
Benefits
•
“Through breathing techniques and 5-10 minutes of mindfulness practice, with
encouragement of [lecturer’s name], I can achieve peace” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Letting ourselves free; we focus on breathing and present moment.” Another respondent
stated, “Being aware” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
[Mindfulness practice] In service, once every week, at auditorium, during assembly and in
the classes whenever we have academic classes with [name of the lecturer].” Respondent
continued, “If you are aware of what is happening with yourself, you will be able to put
yourself in other people’s shoes. Being a nurse, for us it is satisfactory we can understand
people’s problems. Guidance, [name of the lecturer] reads notes on how to meditate, do
positions, close eyes, instructions and relax.” Another respondent added, “Mindfulness
practice is helpful because before I started I did not know about it. Here it has helped me a lot
because I can focus on the present situation and what I try to be in the present, it helps me
recollect the session I learned days before. It helps me update myself” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“I just try to focus on my breathing. I let my mind go free. Sometimes I am interrupted and it
is disruptive, but I let it go. I practice before I go to duties” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Mindfulness practice is helpful because before I started I did not know about it. Here it has
helped me a lot because I can focus on the present situation and what I try to be in the present,
it helps me recollect the session I learned days before. It helps me update myself”
(BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Brighten their mind – fresh – go back and come to lesson fully. Immediately bring attention
their interest --- sometimes just sitting but so much movement. I would think maybe I can say
immediate changes – attention span --- more interested – more alter – [her facial expression –
eyes more wide open – head up right] relax them as well – having the option to walk for
sometime, make them more comfortable to sit. Mindful of everything. Somebody who has
not practice this may not be able to see the changes – after you have done this, there are
levels, how can you relate to the relationship, maybe a colleague and someone you love so
much – the outlook changes. Certain things – the dealings – know someone one envy – you
change – there is a physical, emotional change and a psychological change. After my mind
training --- emotions --- when your friendship breaks – it talks about three terms that were
used and you relate to this. Relate to this – how you can question your pain, pain of
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separation, be it with friends or love ones – I have this --- a way of life. I must accept this
way. From anger – it changes into sort of compassion and eventually anger disappears and no
attachment. Teaches how to detach – and questioning the pain of separation, maybe from
death. How to tackle these hard realities of life [in schools]. We always encounter this. Angry
with parents – so then how to deal with this” (BL_SCE_KIL).
•
“Mindfulness practice is insight to learning. As a learner I think learning through
insightfulness it will enhance our thinking process. It will ease us in difficult times in our life
and if we are constant practitioners of mindfulness practice then we will be more open and
calm” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Concentration and prepares. To rid off tension and makes me calmer. If I am sad before
doing my practice and the troubles that are in my family but after my practice I concentrate
more on the problems I face and a solution comes up. For example, I am having problems
with family. Brothers are not on the right track and it makes me feel very unhappy and makes
me not want to talk with others. The mindfulness practice, a solution, should I be silent? I will
advise my brothers to do the right thing. I find a deeper part of myself” (BL_PCE_KIS).
•
“Before I was not much mindfulness, then there was a lot of talk about it. Now, I have
understood how it has impact on people and learning. These things are giving so much impact
on me – it is very important to individuals and society. Be responsive, it helps us concentrate
– it is becoming key in promoting GNH too” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“I could not focus on my breath and would only think about my past and future during
mindfulness practice on Wednesday but now after one year I am able to focus on the present
and focus in class” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“I have not done [mindfulness training] this before – I am someone quite religious and take
prayers – in my own little ways I have been meditating – my own has been enhanced by mind
training – this was not a Buddhist perspective – but someone how help – quite excited – could
do so many things – can I go on and on” (BL_SCE_KIL).
•
“Definitely, if you practice it every day, in the morning or evening, it brings about the change
within you. I do a lot of breathing exercises. I am sure that mindfulness practice will help a
lot.” “ There needs to be research to prove if it helps or not. From my own experience,
through mindfulness practice we are trying to control the state of mind, it really helps”
(BL_CTS_KIADM).
•
“We can concentrate on our studies, rather be distracted in our mind. That it really refreshes
our mind – it helped us a lot and it will in the future” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“I think it is basically being aware of every moment and everything you do. Your life should
not be dragging on unnoticed. Watch and observe. You become careful, you do not commit
mistakes. You become very productive in your undertakings. If you are aware, your
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involvement becomes meaningful – more in day to day life observing and being aware”
(BL_ILCS_KIADM).
Integration into classroom
•
“The process we follow is very simple. We sit and just do the breathing process. Students find
it fun at the beginning and then when we talk to them and teach them the importance of
meditation and their values they love it. Sometimes when I forget to do then students remind
me to do so” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
•
“The moment I enter the class, students are happy to see me because I ask them to do mind
training activities and when we start the class with such activities there is more participation
from the students and children are happy to be in my class” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
•
“[Lecturer] began class with a walking meditation-mindfulness practice” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Mindfulness practice is ideal. As a reader I have gone through all the books on now-ness and
meditation-it was informing but implementation is really hard. But practice is vital to expand
our learning. Through books we have learned that there are many different types of
meditation. I feel that I do not know the correct forms of meditation. Silent meditation is
difficult in loud places but some can do mindfulness practice in busy areas. It would be really
great if someone could come and teach. If a specialized person is permanently placed to teach
the process of mindfulness practice in the college throughout the year” (BL_RHIS_FGS).
•
“It sounded like I was just expected to do it. Then I took a (he took material from the teacher
but it wasn’t that useful) and the guidance was very low and found guidance elsewhere and
now finds that I have changed a lot and find that I am more compassionate. It is helping the
mind become softer. What others say, we can accept it. This is what I have been
experiencing. And lots of happiness I had a lot of struggles but now I can just leave them
behind and work hard. There is a lot of inspiration in mindfulness practice and I have learned
a lot of relaxation techniques. I thought that it would nice to have some classes that were
based on meditation and there could be someone to teach us because it is helping me more.”
Another respondent states, “When I was class 11 I heard about Shamatha meditation. Bhutan
has adopted mindfulness practice and I tried to relate my practice of Shamatha to mindfulness
practice and I have been doing it for the last 2-3 years and I am able to now relax my mind
and focus. I used to have a lot of problems with drugs and alcohol and while doing
mindfulness practice I was able to give up and let go of the drugs. And see a different light.
Sometimes I feel that people are just preaching from the mouth and not doing it. We need to
know how to do it and how to implement it in our lives” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“If more lecturers are practicing then we could all feel it more and if we practice in small
groups through out the week.” Another respondent suggested, “Maybe they could make a
club, a time a week where people interested could come and learn.” A different respondent
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added, “By Teacher guidance. Daily morning prayer with mindfulness practice. I practice
every morning, even when washing my face.“ Another respondent further adds, “Individual
that could share more knowledge and experiences-each class we have different teachers and if
they keep giving individual experiences it would be more affective.” A respondent remarks,
“Why cant lecturer’s facilitate? We could practice in class for about 5-10 minutes with the
class rather then trying to just doing it by ourselves” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“In curriculum, they pick up lessons with GNH values. Aside from that, I would, at the
beginning, start with meditation. I know it is difficult, but I would do my best to do it”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Silent meditation is difficult. But if there is a tutor who helps you through the meditation, it
helps. For example, when madam guided us, let us imagine like a feather, we liked it.”
Another respondent continued, “Guided meditation is better than the silent meditation”
(BL_PCE_FGS).
•
“Firstly, guide them [students] with what you are doing. Today, we did a feather with the
wind. If you guide in what to think about it would be better. Guided meditation.” Respondent
continued, “We need to tell them “how, ”posture” (BL_PCE_KIS).
•
“When we do mindfulness practice, it makes our mind calm. When we study a subject, and
then go to another topic, we need a break. We need to segregate the subjects. Mindfulness
practice gives us time to analyze and reflect on the subject we have just studied”
(BL_PCE_FGS).
•
“To me mindfulness keeping concentration in particular area basically in education, we do it
by meditating focus on mind.” Another respondent adds, “I have been practicing since my
schooling when I was in school in Ugyen Academic, We have a Canadian Teacher who
teaches us mindful activities and we have been practicing it for 5-10 minutes everyday. It was
difficult at first time. Slowly I was able to adapt in practicing mindfulness. I have been doing
always 10 -15 minutes before any work. It helps me a lot. It relaxes me, helps in
concentrating, relax, calm and can concentrate more on studies” (BL_JNP_KIS).
•
“Its not a meditation we don’t want to be a saint and it’s about the concentration and they
have plan for mindfulness class initiative here at JNP and for me its good to have something
related with concentration of mind which will keep us cool and clam. The mindful can be
utilized in teaching and education and they can concentrate on” (BL_JNP_KIL).
•
“Good to revive into the classrooms. Maybe 3 minutes before we start session or between
sessions” (BL_SCE_KIL).
•
“If we teach [mindfulness] from an early age it will be very good for our society”
(BL_PCE_KIS).
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“I tell them [students] how to control their mind, I give my examples, how I practice and how
it helped me” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“In the first year, we used to sit there, we were quite shocked; it [mindfulness practice] was
alien to us. Later, one of the teachers came up. I saw madam [lecturer’s name], guiding us,
close our eyes, forget all of our worries. At first we were not able to connect. She came to
class again and we had a singing session. Other was, the director was showing us laughing
session. What could that be? He started demonstrating laughing out loud and we did it. It was
very relaxing, funny seeing a grown man laughing. If you ask my friends, they would have a
similar point of view” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Last semester, we did meditation in math class. This semester we do not do this. Recently,
Rinpoche visited and talked to us on how to meditate. In the morning by myself, I think this
helps. In the High School we did this sometimes that helps develop concentration. Second
semester, we had one module teacher and he used to make us do 5 minutes before he starts
teaching. He used to teach us and we really got ideas. It helped me learn in one way. His
classes were in the morning; after doing the meditation we had a piece of mind”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“School demands that – I have not seen any mindfulness in the classrooms. At schools we
were practicing, but now at the college, lecturers, no one does it (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“I don’t have much idea about meditation. In our school we provide meditation in the class
for about 2 minutes every class. After every period, we sent two students out to meditate”
(BL_PCE_KISST).
•
“Some students may think of it as free time [mindfulness practice in every class]. Serious
students may think it is useful. Relating it to the analytical class, so meditation teaches us
entering into any kind of problem, quarrel, it makes us think twice. Students would explore
themselves more” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“We tell students how to sit, we explain it very clearly, we tell them to keep their eyes half
closed, and breathing is focused. Then, we have guided meditation that focuses on light. I do
that mostly – it is most effective. Music can help guide them” (BL_SCE_FGL).
Misconception, vague
Contradictory information on benefits of mindfulness; some respondents say it helps with their
concentration, while others see no benefit.
•
“Have ‘mind training’ in class (every period in beginning) for last 3 years. 2-3 minutes.
Children starting to say used less, seeing no effect. Some [teachers are] promoters, some
wondering if really helping. Some students say changing, concentrating better, but now same
students saying no changes. Maybe time for meditation not sufficient – sometimes only 1
minute. Not enough time“ (BL_CNR_KIADM).
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“I’m very keen in learning mindful practice and my idea on mindful its kind of meditation
and to create and make concentration. I don’t have an idea about any knowledge about any
mindful practice” (BL_JNP_KIL).
•
“I will be blunt, that may not help this institute. Mindfulness alone cannot excel this institute.
We need subject matter experts. If I am a subject matter expert, students will be happy with
me rather than doing mindfulness all the time.” Another respondent adds, “ Mindfulness is
just for mental and emotional well-being.” The first respondent continues, “I hear from my
friends at CST – they complain about all this talk about mindfulness. As a teacher or a
lecturer, when you compare our standard, it may not be equal with other universities. We
have no exposure and we need development. Our goal is to develop and we have to work with
time” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Attended mindful practice – I have not started – very soon. To be honest, the students feel
uncomfortable. How the student will take it, walking meditation” (BL_SCE_KIL).
•
“To be aware of something. Our action should be done according to your careful and
conscience. If we are aware we won’t do bad things since we know the result of our action”
(BL_NITM_KIADM).
•
“When you say mindfulness, as health institute, you have to have attention, concentration to
give medication, so you have to think about is it a correct dose, side effects, we look at those
aspects, at other aspects – are you doing your duties? If not, you are not being mindful. In the
classes, I am not sure, if other teachers are doing it, but I am concentrating on my breath for 2
minutes” (BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“I practice mindfulness; but it does not help much because I am just beginning that’s what I
think. I try to calm myself but it does not help but I am trying. I hope I can achieve.” The
respondent continued, “Mindfulness is being aware of what you are doing. Taking care of the
situation, I forgot the term, being aware of what you are doing but then sometime mindfulness
does not help much because when you are too angry, mindfulness does not work for me.
When I practice mindfulness, I sit straight, and just keep my eyes down and try to calm my
mind, O it is nothing, it happens all the time, I just have to be myself, sometime it really
helps. I have been attending workshop by a consultant from UK, she taught us like that, so it
is quite helpful sometime but when you are too annoyed it does not help”
(BL_RIHS_KIADM).
•
“I want to say something on Meditation. There is some disadvantage. Upper primary children
can do it, but the lower Primary cannot, they cannot concentrate.” Respondent continued,
”Instead of making GNH, we might make GN Harassment” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
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“Others may not think so. Meditation conducted in the 1st semester, I observed most students
were not interested, they were whining, bored – it depends. Actual meditation, only a few
students would turn up” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
Qualified practitioners: “He [points to another respondent] has attended GNH training so he
knows the right posture, breathing; we get fresh trainees and we don’t know how they do it.
That way, some classes may not have meditation. If the teachers know how to mediate the
right way, they will teach their students” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“Also, there should be a professional teacher in teaching meditation. Practicing mindfulness
is not done by qualified teachers. We need someone who could guide us.” Another respondent
continued, “There should be a proper tutor” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Very difficult question. Our job is to make them practice 1 week, and in the classes we do it
and we tell them when going to bed, practice it for a minute to develop a habit to continue.
We don’t know whether they are doing it regularly. I would say it has helped them to
concentrate.” After being asked, “How do you know it helps them concentrate,” a respondent
answered, ”Well, we don’t know, but we tell them it will help them with their concentration,
duties.” Another responded added, “Too early to ask that question, we just started a few
months. For me, too, it is hard to see changes. Some students say they are practicing. Maybe
after 2,3 years, we can ask or we can look at their behaviour and see if it has improved”
(BL_RIHS_KIL).
Frequency
•
“Mindfulness, it is one session that comes only 1 a week and I look forward to it the most”
(BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Yes, we do it on Mondays, but it should be done daily. We were only introduced to it last
semester.” (BL_CNR_FGS).
•
“Friday we practice contemplative practice we talk about mind and mindfulness and talk on
its benefit. Question - answer session also. Every day in first period we practice meditation
practice 2-3 minutes. It happens only in the morning. Lecturers also talk about its benefits”
(BL_NITM_KIADM).
Personal, hands- on practice
•
“I do it sometimes. It is good for my concentration. It is so stressed here, I am getting a peace
of mind and more able to concentrate. I try to do this more” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“Things I read about meditation, I become calm. I used to get angry frequently – I did not
have a spiritual teacher, but I had books. I followed instructions and I have learned a lot to
calm my mind to look into nature of things more deeply.” Respondent continued, “With
meditation, I embrace my anger. Mantra: breathing in, I know I am breathing in, breathing
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out. It is a beautiful mantra – I see myself repenting over the mistakes I made. My soul cries
on the inside” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Time constraint
•
Restricted to Assembly sessions, once a week: “Or the mindful practice on Mondays, I don’t
find it useful. For the first 1, 2 weeks it was going well, but then students were forced to do
it.” Another respondent added, “Forced to do it – there are many instances. Then, there are
some people who are interested, but there are no times allocated to do it. Together, there is
energy flow and we have to have the environment for those who are interested. Why not,
people who are not interested, can spare their 2,3 minutes because of those who are. Director
is very interested. I am not, but I can sacrifice 2 minutes for my friends.” The first respondent
continued, “From my experience, I was interested last semester, now I have responsibilities. I
have no time to concentrate.” Another respondent said, “2 minutes is little time if you really
concentrate and try to practice mindfulness. But then, the state of the mind, before you
practice is very important. He did not have as many responsibilities last semester, so he could
do it. This time he cannot” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“One lecturer, before teaching [does] sitting meditation for 5 minutes. I thought a very good
practice. Not sure how he covers the syllabus. 5 minutes is a lot of time; we usually have to
take extra classes. Just normal 4 hours per week it is difficult to finish the syllabus and
content” (BL_SHER_FGL).
Religious context / secular
•
“We can’t look beyond us to practice mindfulness. We should have inner look. Thus Buddhist
philosophy is important. We have introduced Mind and mindfulness club where they study
about such practice. We invite people to deliver speech. Modern amenities we don’t have and
not necessary. The more we look outside our mind becomes chaotic in comparison. Through
Buddhist preaching I hope it can tame our mind. We need to strengthen this since it is
possible. And we also need to invite Rinpoche, Trulku and send people outside for mind and
mindfulness. We run short of fund for such activities” (BL_NITM_KIADM).
•
“At this point, people have a hesitation. The main hesitation springs from the belief that
mindfulness is associated with religion. To get rid of these hesitation, I think it is best to have
people from the West who may not be Buddhist by orientation” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“I found it helpful in controlling one’s mind, but I understand if there is no religious
background, students may think that there is a person who is not trained [not qualified to
teach mindfulness].” Another respondent added, “There is credibility to the religious
person”(BL_SHER_FGS).
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“When implementing mindfulness some of the Dzongkha lopens insisted on chanting of
Dzongkha words that are related with religion. We try to convince that it is simple mind
training process to enhance concentration on studies” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
Assessment
As one of the vestiges of the British-born education system, current assessment methods seek
to evaluate students in ways that are highly competitive, quantitative, and, according to student
respondents, very stressful. Since it parallels a perception that the real world is competitive and
quantitative, the qualification exam as the respondents’ most dominant concern, for instance, is given
such importance that its sole purpose is to prepare students for the workforce. Respondents expressed
that limited focus of the qualification exam does not uncover students’ full potential or their true
interests. In addition, while preparing for the exam, students fail to concentrate on their studies. Data
shows, some lecturers view teaching to the test as a way to infuse GNH in their classroom because
students, in the respondents’ opinion, are happy to receive patterns of successful test taking. Exam
focused learning and memorization exercises leave little room for development of critical analysis
skills and exploration of knowledge. Students, whose marks did not qualify them to pursue the studies
of their choice, do not enjoy their academic experience and rather feel unmotivated to study subjects,
for whichthey feel no passion.
Taking attendance, as a way to assess students in class ranked as the second highest pattern
within the assessment theme. Most students viewed their class attendance as necessary to obtain class
notes or to be marked as present. Only a few of the respondents conveyed their true interest in the
class and their love of learning as the reasons to come to every class. Although the assessment
variations are boundless, the research came across the following methods, question – short response,
fill in a blank, note writing, yes / no answers, quizzes, oral tests, presentations, and homework. In one
of the colleges, journal keeping was also utilized to aid students’ progress and involve them in a selfreflective process.
Qualifications
The following quote exhibits a gap between what the respondent’s attitude reveals about current,
and insufficient teachers’ efforts to stimulate students’ critical ability to analyze, and what the same
respondent claims to do to assist the students navigate the competitive examination system.There
seems to be a contradiction in the students’ opinion regarding exams. Although students do not find
exams a fair or holistic assessment of their knowledge, students admit they would not study if there
were no exams in place.
•
“I am working as lecturer. In class I teach a topic and I share the question pattern of
competitive exams. That’s why my students are happy. I support [competitive exams]. I
have25 years of teaching experience the questions will be ask in different format so we do
highlight on the question pattern and I have a collection of question out of that 25% of my
students can analyze the question and give answer. They are least bothered about their future
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and I am very frustrated with students teachers need to go beyond the subject’s contents they
never analyze” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“If you want to be employed, do not give much time on learning but learn the EXAM matrix.
That should be the focus. There is no use studying lots of content. It is the test that counts.
3rd year they prepare for the Government Exam rather than the exams of the content”
(BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“When I get time, I share with my students, topical issues – not sure how this helps. But out
of my own exercise, how to prepare RCSC,and how academic marks count. One person can
make a huge difference -- motivate them” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“If you look at the system we have at the moment, no matter how good you are, what counts
is the marks. That is the basis of selection of students for jobs, further studies, basically --yes – marks is what counts” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“I think going back 25 years back – I wanted to become a doctor. I did not become a doctor.
Now I thank god I did not become a doctor because I did not get the marks. Some doctors are
not enjoying the work. Then I did not get the grades and I am not a doctor. I am a new teacher
– 9 years. Whatever is in front of me, I have to do this – a livelihood – no sense complaining”
(BL_CNR_FGL).
•
“Yes, it needs to be changed [qualifications system]. If you are really interested in something,
you should study it. I want to study literature.” Another respondent added, “To change, if
there are different classes, after 12, there is studying for subjects, but if I want to join life
science, there should be specific qualifications exam. Gateway is given to all, but that
separates them. Entrance exam – those who want to apply for life science should apply to life
science entrance exam and so on.” A third respondent stated, “It is a real mismatch between
bachelors and ---before, we studied math and physics. Now, we study economics, so it is
difficult to catch up. There should be a different way, like he suggested” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“It is not only our talent, but luck, faith determines our destiny. Maybe because of the
country we believe too much in luck; that is what we believe” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“[Placement] Purely based on the marks on exams. Financial [respondent wanted to be in the
field of finances]. Another respondent stated, “Engineer” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“As of me, though my social circle expect me to be a architecture,I want to invent new
things, so after exam class 12 I was admitted to be an architect. [That was] The wish of my
parents, but my desire was to research. I find it very interesting and I always attend seminars
and workshop related to researches. We try to do water research. Our lecturer had to go
outside for further study and our plan was jeopardized. In future, I want to do research”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
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“Passing class 12 – desperately class 12. I came here no choice. My ambition was to become
a genetics --- interested [in] chromosome, but because lack of knowledge, I could not become.
Actually there is a lot for field most of like, but there is not for everybody. No competition
and hard work from us. We just did enough just enough to pass for the college so we are here
to pass our own. To pass out and after that we will see” (BL_SHER_FGS)
•
“The subject we take does not matter in the RCSC exam. The job I will get depended on the
RCSC exam” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“I would like to compare BA students with BSc. students. They are little over worked and
fully engaged. On top, I feel they are not taught much of English and Dzongkha language,
which in an away affects their performance in the RCSC exams later. So far, BA students
always topped the RCSC exams. So, I would like to suggest that it would be better if we can
introduce some additional modules of this type in the curriculum” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
When asked, if they could change anything from RUB, one respondent stated, “After passing
college RCSC exam, we are learning sciences and busy in the subject, but passing out – we do
RCSC - if we do well, we will be in a different field we are not used to. Then, one may be a
planning officer. Legal officer nothing to do with science. Being in college to keep interest in
subject when think about RCSC exam. After doing RCSC and placed into related field only.”
Another respondent added, “If we have a different paper related to RCSC it would be better,
math and science and when we do RCSC we need to do it like the BA, or general study.
General paper we are also made to write the general paper along with them. They do the study
here and they study history geography and English. We need these things to apply to RCSC,
which we do not have here. We are made to write paper that we are study” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“First of all, it was due to my interest in the course, which was in a way based on my
academic performance. Secondly, I feel that the college has a very safe and secure
environment for study unlike other colleges outside. Lastly, I have heard good things about
the college before coming here itself” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“Currently RCSC, we give subject and final year we are preparing RCCS and just thinking of
RCSC. Have there been no RCSC, being in College, it will help us to concentrate on subject
and sharpen our ambition – physics and chemistry – and apply to be a chemist. Just passing
out of college the individual will seek as much help from faculties.” Another respondent
remarked, “If we have no exam, the difficult will be difficult employ this many students.
There will be problem, crisis in job, difficult for government to employ this many people. So
what I want to say, there should be an exam. The best of the best students from this. It does
not require a particular knowledge they learn in the college. We can explore our knowledge.
You are studying the science and math, but if we do the exam we can have a great opportunity
to explore in different subjects and growing our knowledge and I think it is a must.” A third
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responded stated, “Some people, they are jobless. They do not do exam good; they are
interested in own work, opening own business. [Exam is] Not necessary. Search for jobs in
private a corporate. RCSC is your first option. You do not want to go through other company”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Some cannot grasp the opportunity to match his or her interest and end up taking other
courses and kills interest. I was interested in English and my mark did not qualify for this. BA
course now I find it tough to kindle interest. The opportunity is not provided freely.”
(BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“The choice is determined by the marks. First come the toppers, then those who qualify for
CST, then comes Sherubtse, Gaeddu and the Samtse and PCE and then ILCS, and then JNP.
SCE and PCE are the last ones on the list and this does not provide opportunity to grab a
student who has heart” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“Proper way to assess would be helpful. For me, I would not study if there was no exam. I
do not study, I tend to forget things I studied – it is better to have examination.” Another
respondent added, “If there is no way to assess, there is no studying.” A third respondent
stated, “If it happens like that [if there were no exams], our workload will increase. It would
benefit but students would not be happy. We are not used to that, but it would be benefiting to
us. Now, there are few projects, presentation, and we study last minute” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Attendance
Attendance is used as a mode of assessment and is viewed as a way to discipline students into
coming to class. Data show that students attend classes for a variety of reasons, including marks,
parents’ approval, and to obtain class notes.
•
“Most of the time, I attend classes. If I don’t, I am a loser. When I find the topic boring, I
skip the class. I do have to attend to meet my parents’ expectations. I attend class for
attendance, but also to prepare notes” (BL_GCBS_FGS).
•
“Honestly, I go [to class] for attendance” (BL_GCBS_FGS).
•
“I did not have notorious students, but some don’t want to study: attitude is: “I am here for
the attendance.” I ask for the homework and it is not done. When you ask questions, they
don’t say anything and you feel helpless. I call them by roll numbers and I target those
particular students to make them involved” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“Lecturer enters classroom and directly takes attendance calling each students roll number”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
Methods
According to research data, one of the ways to assess students’ learning is to monitor their notetaking abilities.
•
“Notes are given and I observe. If they are writing, they are getting it” (BL_JNP_FGL).
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When asked,” How do we know they [students] learn,” respondent replied, ”I give them
surprise tests.” Another respondent added, ”Examination.” Interviewer asked, “In your
opinion, what is the best way to assess? The first respondent stated, “No, we should have
mixed mode of assessment. In my case – examination is only reproducing on paper; we
should also give verbal tests. I like that quality, because normally we only write, reproduce.”
Another respondent continued, “Exam does not cover the whole syllabus.” A different
respondent added, “Group discussions” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Any questions? Anything that you don’t know?
Teacher asked: “What is the difference between old and new butter?
One student provided answer. Another student provided answer.
How many different types of..Whole class: “Four!” (BL_NITM_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer asks a question and immediately answers it” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer talked and at the same time asked questions. L: “What is…” Lecturer continued to
talk and ask questions at the same time” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer: What was the kind of life in the state of nature? (Students give a chorus response,
which is indistinct). Lecturer: Yes, one at a time, otherwise it will be a cacophony”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
Fill in a blank: “[Lecturer] asks the student a question – a couple of students respond with
short answer” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“3, 4 assignments a week is too difficult. 1, 2, is important because we are learning a lot by
doing them. Different teachers teach different topics. It is understandable because different
teachers have different styles of teaching. If collective assignments could be given per
module.” Another respondent suggested, “Or, they could discuss together and others could
give next time, so we don’t have them all at the same time” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Exams: classrooms
Examinations are not effective criteria for performance in neither the job market nor a reflection
of one’s success. In Sherubtse, for instance, the data showed that 28% of respondents expressed that
the focus on marks and exams for evaluation and placement in college decreased the quality of
education.
•
“If one is good in examination, he may not be able to perform well in job market or in one’s
real life.” “What will happen if there is no examination? Weightage of examination can be
reduced and increase in other modes of assessment.” Another responded added, “Examination
is not required if there are ample of job opportunities” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
•
“It is not really fair [current way of assessing students]. Sometimes, for different assignment
we copy from other friends and we get higher or lower marks from them – the same
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assignment different marks. If they [lecturers] can give written exams, the marks that would
come out – they would be based on one’s sole effort” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“You have to start from an individual point; balance will have to be maintained. Evaluation
process and how we are giving markings to the students so different criteria can be given to
not make other students feel bad. There should be no bias. I can assess some students as some
are good in quizzes, others are good in writing – how we can cope with this. So, through this
way, we can remove favoritism” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“Until class 12, and now in college, we are still writing exams. “ Another respondent
continued, “Exams will go along with us everywhere. You have to put in a lot of work. Here
we have a lot of exams.” A different respondent added, “You cannot judge a person by his/her
marks. I strongly believe that exam system should be changed“ (BL_GCBS_FGS).
•
“If curriculum provides forum for students to learn besides exams, homework, class
assignments – would be better. Now teachers and students thinking during lectures about
types of questions that will be set in exams. So there is no variety in teaching.” “Should do
away with exam system. Now students are very tense. Alternatives: practical assignments,
work” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
Multiple intelligences
•
“We should look at the characters of the students rather than the marks because sometimes,
we can get good marks if we go to study in India.” (BL_ILCS_FGS).
•
“Teaching learning methods are designed to assess different students’ capability.
Assignments and writing for those who are good at writing. It is individual”
(BL_SHER_KIL).
Academic driven
•
“In the Bhutanese Education System, compassion strategies are not there. Learning is driven
by grades. With assessment, it is important to pass the program. More important is how you
are going to implement” (BL_CNR_KIL).
•
“Reduce the curriculum. We need change in assessment. At the end, I should complete the
syllabus and students are assessed based on that. Other countries, I have seen that curriculum
is at the top and the flexibility of the content varies from one school to the next. When
students reach the last class, assessment is done – goals are on top and teachers are given the
freedom. Ultimately assessment is done after 2, 3 years” (BL_SCE_FGL).
Authentic
•
“Recently we have a quiz class, divided into three groups --- on our won – and we have
questions from the ask from group to group and in this case we were given a chance how
many marks will each person be given and a chance to contribute. It was lively and
interactive” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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“Assignments, seminar presentations, report presentations, staff from the hospital contributes
to their marks, exams, practical examinations. Way of assessing clinical skills --- every
student goes through the same process and then the faculty observes how the procedure is
done --- simulation --- assessing practical skills, instead of one student at a time – all students
go through the same process at the same time – 5 minutes each at each station. Mostly done in
nursing.. Objective structured clinical examination. Reflective journal --- submit after every
clinical posting, part of their marks. Checklist for this – it should be more then what they did.
However the students only give the steps of that they did. We want more thinking and
attitudinal kinds of things” (BL_RIHS_KIADM).
Assignments – meaningful
•
“If done by ourselves, we forget the importance of lecturers. If assignments are given, it is not
an easy task, we find what the unknown thing is, we equip ourselves. Assignments are
important in our learning process” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Most assignments are for the sake of submitting” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Presentations
•
“Cooperative learning when we have group presentations. We divide tasks amongst group
members, so everybody will have a turn to do a presentation. That way, they will learn from
each other. Next time, he/she will know how to learn from these mistakes”
(BL_SCE_FGPST).
•
“All groups were given same topic and class was occupied by monotony. Presentation was
content based without relevant examples. Most presenters were not audible”
((BL_GCBS_OBSL).
Student learning
•
“Definitely, I can come back to surface learning – I passed through that system – receiving
good grades whether relevant or not, what the exam asks, it never asks critical analytical
questions. It [examination] is a necessary evil. How else would you assess? If you don’t have
certain statistics, how can we guide others? The balance has to be there” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“Do you have any questions?” No students reply. Lecturer moves on to the lecture”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“If there are more marks in presentations, than examinations, just marking and producing --Not actually learning what we re taught – more assignments and presentations”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Finding student learning. How are they feeling, is this something to assess. We are focused
on the knowledge part – content. Assessment, affective domain, [is] not available at this time.
Something we need to develop. Change will be difficult, as lecturers believe it is content
based.” Respondent continued, “Willingness from director - yes very much so. I think the
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faculty are also wiling to implement for self improvement but also for the student sake and
make the over all learning enjoyable – a part from the GNH, but just to have GNH the thin is
coming in – but it needs to be there any way” (BL_RIHS_KIADM).
Tools for monitoring
•
“As per 2005 data, more than 69% of our population lives in rural areas. But there are
challenges; a farmer cannot have more than 25 acres of land. Some poor farmers have less
land. Less than 8% of our land is arable. Trainees here learn skills throughout their stay here.
These people are supposed to disseminate these skills to farmers. But again for example, 20
farmers are given farmers training on a particular skill, but only about 5 put the skills to
practice. But in paper, which gets documented, it will show that 20 farmers are trained for that
particular skill. When they are here in the college they are under constant supervision. Once
they are in the field they are not constantly supervised. They do not even know what date and
day it is.” “See now, once the training is over we wash our hands. There is weak monitoring
system” (BL_CNR_KIL).
Accountability
•
To ensure accountability in the classroom, respondent stated, “Giving marks what they
deserve.” To show transparency in the class, respondent added, “By disclosing their marks”
(BL_GCBS_FGL).
Book centered
•
“Usually the lecturer gives notes. If there is no system of giving notes, only syllabus is given
to us. This is enough ---If we are given notes, some people who are not all hard working but
that interested --- also just for the sake of passing. They look at the notes. They do not do
external search, only what they are given they memorize. Memory power determines the test.
After that we are passing out, nothing is left in the memory; everything is deleted Main
topics.” Another respondent added, “Giving notes directly is only memorizing. Preparing for
presentation we will be more seriously” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Subjective / objective
•
“Evaluation should be done by authorities. I am teaching the one who is teaching and declare
and solely responsible for that – administration. If I am teaching X module, I am related to all
the content. Evaluation should be done external. This needs to be introduced. There are some
constraints. Final examinations – done by external, someone else. I have given them the
inputs --- very much traffic. I use to teach in India – not sure who assessed the responses of
my students. They are more motivated to know more and more. Then I teach the module;
they know the line I teach and I ask questions only from the areas I teach. Syllabus – I may
focus on only 7 of 10 content areas and only ask questions.” Another respondent added, “Not
who evaluates matters. I can ask someone else to evaluate. Then we know if we are
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successful. I cannot judge myself if I am evaluating. Evaluating self and students”
(BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“The assumption that social and emotional learning cannot be part of the objectives because
they are graded subjectively. What types of criteria could there be for social and emotional
learning. Lecturers do give some marks when out in the field because they can see the
students helping and “standing up to the plate.” “Putting social and emotional marks is
difficult to do. When you are outside it is easy, but in the classroom it is difficult. Here, they
are diluted. In the classroom – hardly can get variety of assessment” (BL_CNR_FGL).
Self – assessment
•
“Whenever we talked about a variety of methods used to assess students in the classroom,
lecturers across RUB always responded in a similar fashion recalling typical modes of
evaluation, such as exams, quizzes, presentations, oral exams and tests, all of which present a
lecturer as the only holder of knowledge. Lecturers did not utilize self-assessment tools in
their classrooms, however most lecturers were interested in creating a classroom environment
in which students would take an active role in their learning. Such opportunities designed for
students’ self-assessment could nurture their sense of independence as well as their ability to
fairly judge and reflect on their own work. Additionally, the self-assessment method invites
students and lecturers to work together, shifting their traditional dynamic of a lecturer as the
authority on a subject matter and students acting as passive recipients of knowledge, to a
more interactive student-teacher relationship, in which they participate as co-creators of
knowledge” (BL_PCE_RTMD).
Relationships
This section illuminates a wide range of perceived dynamics in the interaction between students
and lecturers and also between lecturers and college staff members. Students perceive their academic
experience is strongly affected by their relationship with their lecturers, as that relationship permeates
all facets of school life. There is a gap between students’ and lecturers’ perception of the kind of
support lecturers provide to students inside and outside the classroom. In addition to intellectual
support and the dissemination of knowledge, our research shows that students crave comprehensive
support from lecturers and students desire for them to be friendlier, more caring, and encouraging
partners in their learning. Some lecturers view their availability during office hours as sufficient time
for students to make personal contact and clarify their doubts. In addition, socialization among
administrative staff and lecturers emerged as a pattern depicting limited opportunities for interaction
among college staff.
Student teacher relationship
•
“Teachers at Sherubtse, when it comes to college level we rarely get time to interact with
teachers. They come to class and they do their job and they leave. We are not able to quite
some and interact and whereby we can share our opinions rather than just problems.” I:
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“What is the barrier for interacting?” R: “Maybe they think we can do it on our own as we are
adults, but it is not like this. We are still learning and the help with the teacher is very much
required. The students who are coming are younger and younger” (BL_SHER_KISM).
•
“I am friendly, if students have any doubts I tell them to come and see me. Girls are bit shy,
boys usually ask questions.” Another respondent adds, “When we don’t have classes we are
in our chamber, we tell them to come in individually or in group” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“In RIHS most teachers are approachable. I want my teacher to be interacting, kind hearted
and understand feelings of students. Most of teachers are harsh and brag on students they
don’t understand us, when they say anything bad they hurt us and they should be say indirect
rather than scolding ad directing fingers on students they should be warm, they shouldn’t be
boundaries between teachers and students. I want my teachers to be more loving caring”
(BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“This teacher student relationship is becoming wider. Now, students don’t come in to talk to
their teachers.” Another respondent says, “Maybe they lack interest in studies.” A different
respondent adds, “They come in last minute if they have doubts before the exam.” The first
respondent continued, “I graduated in 1996. I used to go to teachers all the time. Now, I feel
maybe I am so ignorant or little bit arrogant; students don’t want to bother each other”
(BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Good teacher can be ideal teacher. There are people who are not only teaching in a good
way, but there is a relationship they can bring and develop. Teachers also need to be strict but
not so rude. There should be some jokes and we would love to see smiles” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“In case of labs, it is good. We have enough model- teacher-students relationship is good. We
cannot approach them sometimes, because they are not in a good mood” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
(Un) Friendly teachers
•
“I thought to tell you about values in the classroom. We need friendliness in the classroom. I
try to make classroom interesting by using humor, we cannot be too strict” (BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“We cannot say if the teachers are rude – we cannot interact with them when the teachers are
rude. When the lecturers are frank and friendly they can be asked more questions and
learning would be better” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“When we go for asking doubt, they ask to sit and then they explain in a simple manner. If I
don’t understand the first time they try to explain again but after some explaining for the first
time they say ok, now you can go. By the look we can know if we can ask again. Some are in
a hurry and do not have the time for us and they are not happy to ask the same question again
and again” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“Friendly teachers – if they are scared – the courage. The other students have not yet visited a
lecturer outside of class – having been three years at the College” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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“Teacher should always be willing to accept our doubts and answer the questions in a good
manner. Some answer the doubts they have different methods. Some really make our doubt –
help to clear the doubt – they hard working to make a presentation. Some just download from
the Internet and come up with the presentation. Some are not punctual and point to students
but they are late to the class. We need to equalize“ (BL_SHER_KISM).
•
“Some teachers, I am very much grateful, they are frank and always ask if they [students]
have a problem. They are easily accessible – we do not hesitate to ask them any question and
are very open. Some teachers some are very serious. They come to class and go on teaching
and teaching and forget to ask if there is any doubt and leave” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“Lecturers are available throughout a week, after lectures. Lecturers during session ask us to
visit if we have any problems.” Another responded stated, “For me I have not posted [doubts
via email], but usually I go to the office to meet them [lecturers] and solve problems on the
spot” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Care
•
“Last time, our teacher was asking for our opinions. He teaches for a moment and then says it
is debate time. We are happy because teacher cares for your opinions” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“She was a teacher I admired. She knew each and every one of our names. There were 35 of
us. She also knew all our parents’ names. She gave importance to each and every one of us. I
don’t know how but if we had a personal problem she would know and she would call us the
office and talk. She gave more importance to those who failed. She paid attention to them”
(BL_PCE_FGS).
•
“He tells us, I am always here, and you can come in and share your problems. He was the
first one who cared for our opinions. At assembly, you are free to come in. We, as students
are lacking behind. We share tea with teachers in a canteen” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“I want good counseling. I want them [lecturers] to be very supportive.” Another respondent
added, “If teachers is hears and not caring I won’t be able to learn. Teachers should share
experience we feel we are also experiencing the same. Even if we do some mistake, the very
next time they forget thus I am able to learn” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Equality for students and lecturers
•
“If we find people finding different marks, we are free to speak up. We have a chance to talk
about our lecturer. We all have the same opportunities and there are women lecturers too.”
Another respondent added, “From experience, previously there was no equality. Today, the
president is male and female can be vice president only. When it comes to class atmosphere,
everyone knows his or her own capabilities. I don’t feel there is nepotism in the class”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
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“Lecturer enters the class and all of the students get up. Lecturer is 5 minutes late and
immediately begins taking attendance – by calling out student numbers” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“I did not want my students to say madam is partial. From the first day, I make things clear.
My assessments are clear, and you can see if they are weighed. Attendance – physical
presence – and I have to be consistent so they believe that madam does not do that. I treat all
equal” (BL_SHER_KIL).
Personal experiences shared
In classes observed, when lecturers did share their personal experiences with students, although
their stories seemed to relax the atmosphere in the class, sharing was mostly one-sided. Students did
not utilize the opportunity to reflect on their personal experiences.
•
“And one day sharing that you should be. One of the his [lecturer’s] classmates when he was
in college in India, his friend failed around 5 times in College and when he was a lecturer, his
friends was still studying. After his friend passed, he earned reputation, when you fail in class
does no mean you are not weak – lessons very useful. Find it interesting – personal attention”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Lecturer talks about his personal experiences in school, to relate to drawbacks of the
educational system he went through, Students are silent and nodding in approval”
(BL_SCE_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer shares his experience of living father; he drinks and so he always tries to quarrelbut
I tolerate. I tolerate as this word tolerate is said by Buddha and I credit to Buddha.” Observer
noted, “This example changes the behavior of students and alertness came in”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Also, every day I narrate stories.My life stories, or just something interesting. I use those to
relax students. People get distracted, but this helps. I interact with students individually,
besides plenary” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
Shared positive emotions
•
“Lecturer shows slides that tell a touching and inspirational story” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
Encouragement
•
“[Student said about his past experience in school] In Dzongkha I read but lopen said my
pronunciation wasn’t good and my spelling is funny and all. From then I stopped participating
in Dzongkha class” (BL_SCE_OBSPST).
Respect
•
“If you want students to listen and learn form you, you also have to learn to listen. Respect.
There are students who respect out of fear or out of respect because they [lecturers] deserve it.
There are some teachers who deserve respect because there is goodness. There is quality
because of which, we respect” (BL_SCE_FGS).
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“[To convey respect, respondent] Stay quiet” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Greetings
•
“Teacher walks in silently, students stand up. Teacher sits, students sits. Murmurs on page,
student tells. Prays –both teachers and students” (BL_NITM_OBSL).
•
“The tutor entered the class and wished good morning to everyone” (BL_CST_OBSL).
•
“The tutor walks into the class and all of the students stand up. There is no verbal exchange
of greeting” (BL_CST_OBSL).
•
“When the teacher enters the class, students get up and greet the teacher. We feel that we
have to respect the lecturer and that is why we get up. Obligatory” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“As soon as we enter, we exchange greetings with our students, and we get to know each
other’s health. That is also exchange of well- being. It creates conducive environment”
(BL_SC_FGPST).
Trust: lacking, support
•
“If I may talk on the issue of favoritism here it has been an issue. Students have been
complaining about that. I think how we can stop this concept – the trust. 2 ways –
individually, on a personal level and from the management level. Whenever students
complain, one has to take steps to find out if it’s true. He or she can always be called in to
have a talk with student another, department meetings, we have not been pinpointing; it is not
implemented. Individually we should feel for ourselves” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“We rely on them for knowledge and help and also we trust them as they are educated and
knowledgeable” (BL_ILCS_FGADM).
Socialization among staff and lecturers
•
“We are at the library, so we are not visiting others. We are the ones being visited at work.”
Another respondent says, “There is limited interaction with lecturers” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
•
“Usually with the supporting staff I work closely with them, because I see them every day; in
fact with the director I work every day, regarding the lecturer I don’t have to work closely
except during the training I have to prepare their HRD copy, that time only not much, but
with other I work every day” (BL_RIHS_KIADM).
•
“Some treat us well, some don’t. [Treat us well] By giving support and keeping friendship
with them. But, there are differences between teaching faculty and non-teaching”
(BL_ILCS_FGADM).
Helping each other
•
“When we are posted with senior we like it. Whenever we have to do procedure, they take us
and we are more confident. We are able to learn because of seniors” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
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“If somebody wants [and] really needs help or support the time is sufficient, as of now we
don’t have different timing for the support and help but whenever they need help and support
we are always there for them and time is manageable” (BL_JNP_FGL).
Need to cultivate positive peer pressure
•
“In the lower secondary school I never used to study, but when I reached the higher secondary
school, there were many students who studies very hard. Then, I was encouraged to study;
they study very hard. So, I learned to be hard working” (BL_SCE_FGS).
Communication skills of teachers
•
“When they have personal problems at home they show temper we feel frustrated. If lecturers
scold us we are doomed. I want teachers to teach us how to handle such situations. I want my
teachers to correct me and tell me” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Cultural Preservation
During the research, respondents were able to clearly define preservation and promotion of
culture as one of the four pillars of GNH. Although plans to conserve Bhutanese cultural identity
include an array of policies that help nurture Bhutanese languages, fine and performing arts and
architecture, sports, national dress, religion, and etiquette, most respondents noted that their personal
efforts to safeguard their culture was in wearing their obligatory traditional dress. Respondents in
urban areas expressed challenges in maintaining this aspect of cultural heritage because of the current
exposure and influence in Western dress and behavior. Language also ranked as one of the most
significant instruments for preserving one’s culture and national heritage. According to student
respondents, teaching in their mother tongue, instead of English, would help them understand the
material better and it would also make higher education easier to access. English language is
perceived as beneficial to students and speaking it at large, it is believed, prepares them for success in
the global economy. At times, there are disadvantages to speaking Dzongkha, as noted by some
students. When attempting to use technical vernacular, there are no words that translate successfully
from English to Dzongkha. A few of the respondents hinted at the effects of globalization as
alienating to the traditional form of oral narrative, story telling.
National Dress
Out of 80 respondents who viewed cultural preservation as significant, 62% claimed national
dress as the most indicative and obvious way to protect one’s cultural identity.
•
“Cultural thing, if we don’t have this, our culture will vanish. We have gho, kabney.. Some
people don’t like it, but it plays a large role” (BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
When asked, “In what other ways do you instill cultural preservation,” a respondent
answered, “Ghos, kira” (BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“The way we dress is declining drastically. If you go to Thimphu, you rarely see people in
kiras and ghos.” Another respondent added, “Our gho and kira will only be seen in the
museum soon” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
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“Our Director comes in gho all the time.” Another respondent remarked, “Lecturers model
while in the college, but we see them in pants in town. That’s not a good model”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“It is challenging to promote our culture because most youth imitate other countries. (Korea)
– they are bringing in western dress, so it is challenging to promote our own culture”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“If we continue to wear gho and kira, that can become part of the cultural preservation.
Directly or indirectly, we are preserving the culture” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“We should promote our culture. Our youth are more into other cultures, copying their dress
and we, being teachers, should role model for them (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
When asked, whose role is it to promote culture, a respondent answered, “To promote, it is up
to our youth. Kira and gho should be worn. To preserve natural resources, it is in hands of the
developing country.” Another respondent added, “English is emphasized in schools, for
Dzongkha there is no such criteria. Kids have to speak English and Dzongkha is neglected”
(BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Wearing dress, in public gatherings, wearing rachu, following religion” Another respondent
said, “ Regarding preservation of culture, I cannot influence whole. I am not a leader or
popular. I will wear my own dress, share common feelings, with families, communities”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Wearing kira, our dress code – for older people, it is no problem. But, for younger people, it
is discomfort and they feel it is their time to enjoy their life. Older people, we have become
softer and more receptive” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
Language
•
“People competent in English as well as in Dzongkha do well in the job. Everyone likes to
have in the office somebody who can handle both the language. This helps us get employed
and this is GNH” (BL_ILCS_FGS).
•
“Dzongkha is national language. We have to give it importance. If we don’t give importance,
then our country will become like other countries” (BL_SCE_FGS).
Module and course development
•
“Culture is one of the important elements. Bhutan is between two giants. For us, the 4 pillars
may not fit in other country’s context. Paradigms can shift depends on the country. It
identifies you from others – otherwise, Bhutan would not have its existence. Culture is our
identity. Now, ILCS at the moment, our programs are not too different. Propagation of
folklore – these are all mostly at the physical level, but the real role of the ILCS should be at
the interpretation of culture and why we do things the way we do. We are going to be
launching Buddhist and Himalayan studies – to give Bhutanese art, culture, and academic
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aspects to understand the purpose and to validate its existence. ILCS should not focus on
performance – but on art from the intellectual, scientific perspective. By default, Bhutanese
culture is an outcome of the Buddhist philosophy. To a large extent, it is linked to Buddhist
philosophy, so the culture can be studies from that perspective. We will see where the most
industrialized countries are facing a lot of problems by teaching our culture – it should be
about mind activity, so students can make difference in the world” (BL_ILCS_KIADM).
•
“The subjects we learn here are entirely new very different from the ones that we have learnt
in school. However, the modules here help us to have the deeper understanding of culture and
its importance” (BL_ILCS_FGS).
•
Module and course development, bringing in culture and science together: “Even now we
believe religiously; solar and lunar eclipse are auspicious days. We do some merits and do
some deeds, multiply triple, millions. We still believe this; Buddhists do this”(BL_SCE_KIL).
•
“No I do not practice [bringing cultural preservation into classroom], but when I talk about
how we learn through cultural values, I talk about changing values in culture, but I do not
practice this in my classroom.” Respondent continued, “I was not aware of not practicing this,
this realization has not struck me” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“From one angle we are the custodian of cultural and tradition. It is important. Even before
modern medicine came in people had been using herbal medicine. Later with modern
medicine we lost our patients. Again slowly we are gaining momentum”
(BL_NITM_KIADM).
•
“Lecturer was sharing stories about origins of the instrument (Dramyen) to relate it to the
lesson, thereby infusing cultural preservation” (BL_ILCS_OBSL).
More Dzongkha in class
•
“We have one module Dzongkha and they talk about the origin of the language. And this is
really great as the national language. So the history of the language is really interesting. But
many of the students are not interested in the module because it is not credited and the
students take it lightly.” “Even if it is given credit, I am not sure people would take it, as they
do not like the syllabus. Modification is needed” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“When we talk about language promotion, there are challenges. From my view, it is national
language and it promises job. English is a priority and Dzongkha is secondary. If government
promised job opportunities, people would be more interested in learning Dzongkha. Parents
dream for their child to be a doctor, engineer, designer. Dzongkha cannot give that, but
English can.” Another respondent remarked, “Dzongkha is lagging behind mechanical,
technical – it will take time.” Another respondent added, “Let’s take computer in Dzongkha.
There is no word for computer.” First respondent continued, “Dzongkha standard should be
standardized” (BL_SHER_FGS).
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“[In class, lecturer should use] Dzongkha – when lecturer speaks in English, to explain it in
Dzongkha would be better” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Use of folklore, story telling
•
“Story Telling to kids and people. For example, people in the southern Bhutan used to share
stories when they were de-husking the rice using traditional method of using “Dhiki.” And
even when families or people were engaged in separating maize grain from cobs, people used
to tell stories. Although it is difficult since farmers are leaving villages and all the traditional
practices are replaced by modern techniques, we still need to try. In reality GNH will not take
place” (BL_CNR_KIL).
•
“When we talk about play – we also talk about why play is important – what is the value of
play and through play what are certain things we learn. Certain cultural values, as a child I
remember learning about the religious practices. I remember playing lama’s role, the Tsechu
and other things. Through this play we learn about the values that are prevalent in our
society. I think we also try and talk about the values we hold” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
Extracurricular activities
•
“Here, at college we have ssu, singye karm. They are clubs that preserve culture. Cultural
preservation begins at home with an individual –you learn respect for your parents, when it
comes, even though we stay under one nation, we have different people here and different
rituals, and they never die if you pray in times of crisis when someone is sick”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“We have dance and singing competition and also, we organize lozay and tshangmo”
(BL_ILCS_FGADM).
Motivation
Many of the lecturer respondents feel that extrinsic incentives including professional
development opportunities, recognition, and administrative support would help them perform better
and with greater efficiency. Attending professional training sessions and workshops are seen as
opportunities to grow intellectually and personally. In some cases, according to lecturer and
administrator respondents, those chances are not offered regularly or equitably, based on one’s merit
and need. Instead, at times, they are given to those who had already attended similar trainings.
Additionally, lecturers’ pay incentive is low. As told by one of the lecturers from the technical
college, graduates from the same college with less education, are paid more when they enter the work
force, outside the education sector, than the lecturers who teach at the same college. For lecturers, it is
difficult to stay motivated at a job in the field they may have not initially wanted. It is important to
note that the cyclical nature of the education system has appointed lecturers who are currently
teaching at RUB and whose exam qualifications may not have given them choice to attend a different
college. Both, students and lecturers described having feelings of confidence and empowerment when
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they were able to transform and apply their theoretical knowledge to tangible, skilled hands-on
activities.
Professional development opportunities
•
“We have not been trained. We came directly here from school. I have been working here for
2 years with no training.” Another respondent stated, “Other departments, other ministries
(other than RUB), get training opportunities” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
•
“Equal participation, trainings - compare to other sectors – they earn a lot more than salary.
We just get a monthly salary not so high. With Sherubtse the location itself is a constraint. We
are not exposed to many things as people in Thimphu and Paro are exposed to”
(BL_SHER_FGL).
•
When asked, “What is the management’ support in rendering any kind of support (your
service or contribution),” respondent replied, “That is difficult to answer.” Another
respondent said, “Pass.” The first respondent continued, “I am satisfied with the institute - I
had a chance to attend training” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Yes, why not [will be more motivated to teach if given training opportunities]. He was
explaining using a Cartesian plane: see this is the x -axis and y- axis – production and
emotions. See, it goes linear. More production more emotions? If we have monetary
incentives, people will be more motivated to teach. If emotion is good, naturally then
production will be good” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“There is limited chance to train and to get workshops and we don’t get the same chance.
Friends get educated in other countries” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
•
“For example, there’s no GNH even in the faculty members. The Dzongkha lopens have no
exposure. Opportunities are not provided for professional growth and development. Another
instance, I went to Bangkok not because I wanted to see the people and places. I went for
exposure and learning. When I came back, I could not get back to work and struggled six
months without salary even with a lot of supporting medical documents. So I don’t see GNH
in such situations” (BL_PCE_KIL).
Attitude
•
“One has to be motivated as a teacher – workshops, training [need to be provided]; RUB
could look into all of this. They could look into all of the problems, certain issues have been
ignored; maybe provide incentives, [we are] paid less to teach than work as engineers outside.
Maybe l would want to come up” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Students are difficult to motivate in a particular subject. Very difficult to motivate. Always
happening, the students are not motivated. If they find interest. Try to make them interested
by giving them example. We do not understand the student mind. We have successful
students in a particular subject. Not sure where the draw back is” (BL_SHER_FGL).
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“Even if I do [voice my opinion], they will not listen.” Another respondent confirms, “Yes,
they [management] will not listen” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
•
“Attitude of -- teachers have to come here because they have to – students. Not a choice but
no other option. They want a chance if they find something better they want to leave. Within
a year if they have a professional course they want to move out and they do not want to stay”
(BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“I made a wrong choice [being a lecturer]. We have to learn, then understand [content]
ourselves and then, make students learn. Very challenging.” Another respondent stated, “I
like the challenge.” The first respondent added, “As you just joined, it is true, it is
challenging. But later, work becomes monotonous” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Lack of professionalism. There is some sort of gap – debate among lecturers –there is no
collective effort. Let’s work to make our college on this level. We are happy with what we are
happy. Motivation is not there. I would like to change our attitude about work. Students:
education system should be changed from the very beginning. Spoon – feeding and providing
notes should be done away with” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“I am sorry, refute is there. If I read Kuensel on-line, do we have teachers, the lecturers,
frankly speaking if I asked one lecturer are they happy in this profession. They will say no.
They are going to the external; they have to go get a job. They do not want to be teachers.
Are those teachers really happy to be a teacher – then how can they teach. How will they
teach GNH values? How can they teach properly?” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
Confident / Empowered
•
Boost of confidence [respondent talks about Global Skills course] – presentation takes place
in the class and lecturer gives every individual to present and tell their own views. From all of
the courses, we interact more since we hardly know each other. Learning something is always
a bonus in preparing yourself for a better future, testing your own general knowledge it molds
us into that position” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“I have developed more knowledge – when I was in school I was very shy --- Coming to the
College the lectures were so friendly with the students I must say, I have developed self confidence and can speak what I feel” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Our 4th king said that youth are leaders of the future; so, these analytical skills, make us
develop resources. If I come to become civil servants, I have such skills to speak in the
crowd, when the opportunity arises, I will be able to do this because I can define who I am”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
Directly, I came here from the school. Once I came here, I know what I can implement
knowledge that has been imparted from my lectures. Wherever I am posted, I will serve with
the knowledge that has been imparted to me” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
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“Whatever we learn in theory, we get to apply. We can practice it and it gives us more
confidence” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“As soon as we have demonstrated, students practice. Students gain confidence. Then we redemonstrate. They learn and they have lots of questions. And they gain more confidence. So
when they go to the field. They have more confidence” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
Inspiration needed
•
“My own feelings [about GNH], the king tries to motivate you – great expectation for all of
the youth. I take it personally to fulfill his dream – it means fulfilling my dreams too. To get a
government job – morally feeling, good. So I feel like I am my king’s man”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Need to explore many things. Inspiration we actually derive in the classroom gets shattered
and bogged down with doing away with many things, not learning anything”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Inspired by qualified lecturers that gives us a sense of satisfaction” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Career ladder (top down, nepotism)
•
“My friend who just joined went through the training.” Another respondent said, “Support
staff is not given opportunities. RUB focuses on teachers only.” A third respondent remarked,
“The support staff will not contribute toward the organization is an assumption made by
RUB.” A second respondent stated, “There is frustration felt by support staff.” “Support is not
taken equally and support staff is thought of separate and it is not included. Teaching is
considered as the major factor and opportunities are not limited” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
•
“I would like to relate to management – motivation – management corrupting in so many
ways. Administering. To motivate. By having, I think we should be given certain incentives
[and be] able to attend frequent training inside and outside of Bhutan. Good pay package.
Management – whoever is the head.Corrupt – how to motivate teachings. Favoritism.”
Another respondent said, “This demotivates --- when favoritism..” A third respondent added,
“Monopolistic –demotivates – not really sticking” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Our voices are not heard.” Another respondent added, “In Bhutan, things come from up top.
Everything is directed; we are not heard. Only forum is principal’s conference and there are
so many issues to talk about and there is no time for us. Meeting, less budget, so they cannot
do anything – leave for the next year” (BL_CNR_FGSST).
Assessment / exams
There seems to be a gap between subjects studied and the job market expectations and
availability. Students do not feel a passion for learning, as they are not guaranteed jobs in the area of
their academic domain. To better prepare students for life after college, respondents believe academic
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institution could create a more streamlined approach to subjects relevant to their future employment
prospects.
•
“We who are studying take general exam not technical. We are clubbed under general but it
is technical (RCSC exam). When we graduate, our jobs will be different than what we
studied. It is not applicable – we study science and to do civil service examination. Just from
this, internally with and from heart we don’t feel like studying. We would like to be allowed
to do technical, so we are engaged in our job (BL_SHER_FGS).
Encouragement
•
“Class starts happily when we participate, teacher asks question - we get encouragement from
teacher. Some teachers criticize negatively and we become discouraged and don’t want to
participate” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
”Encouragement – and teachers belief in the student --- even if I am not very good – you try
to encourage and tell us we are good and kind of encourage us – we become more happy”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“RUB as a whole – small things can bring to the colleges to encourage GNH – internal
transfer of the lecturers. For instance, we have mathematics course, same lecturer can change
working environment after certain numbers of years, so that there are changes and spirit
exchanges. Also some other colleges have the same courses. I did not see any such cases so
far. If you want to retain teaching in the same college, then you do not want those faculty to
leave. In line with the courses the colleges offer” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Tutor said loudly, “Be confident and solve the question; your approach is correct””
(BL_CST_OBSL).
•
“Another way to teach students is by motivation and giving feedback. Then, others will be
encouraged” (BL_SCE_FGPST).
Coaching Groups
•
“I don’t think it is possible to do it during classes. It is possible only during vacation since
academic session shouldn’t get interrupted.There may not be improvement if faculty within
same colleges have to observe each other rather than from outside (frog metaphor – learning
from the same small pond). There can be development but it might be slow or similar ideas to
implement” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“Peer evolution, evaluate for learning growth, plan of action to increase teaching. But this is
usually not follow through. Weaknesses and strengths in the peer evolution. What we do
usually is we observe colleagues. Progressing, no data for how the teacher is increasing their
teaching aspect – we need to develop this. This is something new for us. We need to adopt
and become more proficient. We do not do this yet; we need to stat this entry point”
(BL_RIHS_KIADM).
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“Had monitoring system, monitor employed to observe lessons and give feedback. A lot of
controversy, some didn’t like observation. Students distracted, teacher distracted/flustered.
Part of problem was form used. Monitoring changed – not strict in last few years. Now just
talking about lesson. Haven’t done observations in 2-3 years. Style needs to be changed
(colorful pen). Morale down. Haven’t tried team-teaching. Now only one teacher teaches
whole class in isolation. When monitoring, had to fill out form, monitor has to give negative
feedback (this wrong, that wrong) – maybe didn’t know how to give feedback”
(BL_CNR_KISADM).
Love of learning
•
“I wanted to become a teacher because I like to share knowledge to students from 15 years to
20 – more mature, not just childish play” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Great contradictions [when it comes to] learning for passion of learning. Contradiction itself
is in policy. One needs good marks to get a job, there is selection exam and to get a job,
contradiction starts to lie there at the top” (BL_SCE_HOD).
•
“Whatever you teach, the important thing is love for teaching. I make sure I enjoy it. I do not
know if others feel this way. I can only make sure I can do this and make sure I love this.
Then we, lecturers, can really prepare, which is more important and how are you going to
teach students. Then students start asking and directing in a better way” (BL_CNR_FGL).
Recognition
•
“Pay package most motivating. That is what I feel. If we look at location, we should be
added some extra incentives – income” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“We have ideas [on recruiting lecturers in future] but they don’t work. It is controversial.
Challenging but trying hard to look, more in demand for Engineering colleges and salary
differences. Demand for Engineering in teaching is less. Increment in remuneration or salary
will bring improvement in resolving such problems. Institute may not be in position to
generate too much of fund to develop unless we seek support from outside (RGOB, GOI)
Other needy things expenditure are managed by institute, and from Capital budget from
RGOB ensure further development” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
Support from administration (resource distribution)
•
“I founded the waste disposal club – segregating waster and turning it into money. Not so
successful – I went to study, club is still here but it is not effective – there is no support from
administration and individuals. Objective is to reduce waste, but nobody is doing that.
Friends’ quarter – control it at the source – we provided the dust bin” (BL_JNP_FGL).
Willingness to learn
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“I would like to see that I build interest in students themselves. As a teacher, I would like to
focus on building interest – you say that girls are not interested in sports, but I would like to
teach them how to play sports so they are interested as well” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Keen interest in being a teacher. If I have interest, my children will b curious to learn”
(BL_CNR_KIST).
Attitude and ethics of lecturers – find plagiarism
•
“[Lecturers say] You have to contrast me, argue with me, it will be beneficial to both of us,
but ironically, when we want to speak and raise our hand, he ignores it” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Disinterest
•
“Not all students are listening or paying attention. Once is sucking her thumb, one is playing
with an object, and one is rummaging in her bag” [Observer continued, “The activity that is
being used in class does not reach to the individual level.”]” (BL_SCE_OBST).
Fear
•
“If we have doubts and cannot approach teacher, they would scold us, if I have doubts,
teacher asks me where were you, it affect my learning if they are rude to us.” Another
respondent added, “Even if you know something, there may be some error, so if you are frank
with that teacher, if you don’t have any fear, they will answer our doubts. If they are not
friendly, and we have developed some fear, we have to respect their post. If I could approach
a friend, I would form a group” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“I would like to learn under a teacher who is friendly and understands our problems, not
arrogant. That arrogance threatens us when we are learning with fear” (BL_SCE_FGS).
No choice in attending college
•
“In my case, I wanted to be a journalist. After my exam came, results did not qualify me.”
Another respondent added, “I did not qualified for Sherubtse. I wanted to pursue career in
literature, current conditions of the country, there is a need for technical people. I came to
2nd thought, I joined this institute; I joined here.” A third respondent continued, “I did not
have any interest in engineering, but rather micromanagement. Because of my family
situation, I had to join here” (BL_JNP_FGS).
Perception of work
•
“I knew that my day to day teaching was not utilizing a
full potential of my students, but now I have realized that the way I used to teach fell short of
my own capabilities as well. After attending Jumpstart workshop, I feel inspired to make
changes in my teaching and require the best out of my students” (BL_PCE_RTRD).
Praise
•
“Although lecturers noted several factors they perceived as having a significant impact to
their job performance, such as the physical structure, the environment in which lecturers
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teach, and financial incentives commensurate with the job they do, the amount and the kind of
support lecturers received from their management was viewed to have a direct effect on their
motivation to perform optimally and their level of job satisfaction. Lecturers expressed that
teaching profession as well as one’s impetus to embark on an academic career was both a
noble and a vastly underappreciated path. In light of the country’s current rapid progress,
lecturers expressed their frustration toward their respective colleges’ pressure to strictly
adhere to an ever-changing curriculum and the increasing academic and technological
demands of their students. Lecturers stated that ongoing administrative support for their work,
peer recognition, and an evenly distributed and also continuous professional development
opportunities, would create an intellectually stimulating work environment, in which lecturers
would feel a sense of purpose and meaning for their jobs as well as loyalty to RUB, their
academic community” (BL_PCE_RD).
Responsibility / Discipline
Lecturer respondents perceive discipline as an external manifestation of one’s ability to obey the
rules and regulations. Although not an indication of one’s capability to self-discipline and regulate,
students’ non-intrusive, disciplined behavior is generally perceived as respectful and essential to
maintaining order in a classroom. Taking attendance at the beginning of each class, for instance,
respondents believe, enforces the importance of punctuality. Students and lecturers alike believe that
intrinsic values, such as basic goodness, integrity, and accountability are simultaneously nurtured
through strict classroom management. There is a gap between demands for what is deemed as
responsible behavior, students’ punctuality, and what was observed during research as lecturers
arrived to class late. Role modeling is recognized as another way to instill values of order, discipline,
and civic sense in students.
External
•
“We talk about respecting each other, not disturb others, not to create nonsense in the class.’
Another respondent continued, “Standing up upon lecturers arrival and also, they are not
allowed to keep their feet up, no hats in the class.” The first respondent added, “No slippers.”
“Mostly externally,” the first respondent remarked. “Prayers, anthems once a week, talking
politely, no loud voices. That is part of discipline. Mind, body, and speech. Mind, no negative
thoughts, body – hitting, assaulting, causing pain or discomfort, speech – cannot utter bad
words. That is why Bhutanese people are not so assertive; we cannot say no. Compassion”
(BL_RIHS_KIL).
Punctuality
•
“Our tutors are very time conscious. GNH class should be starting on time and ending on time
and we should be very particular on time. Our life depends on every second and time is very
effective in GNH” (BL_PCE_KIS).
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“4 students waited in the auditorium. Teacher came 20 minutes late with three students, and
together they tried to fix the LCD. Students waited in their seats” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“I would expect punctuality [from a GNH graduate]. Student should not keep others waiting”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
Punishment helps to be punctual. External motivation is why students are punctual. I don’t
mean punctuality, but discipline in the class” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
Role modeling
•
“Our director, he cleans toilets at our college. That is a good example of civic sense duty.
When he cleans, it makes us feel little sad and responsible. He role models civic duty”
(BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“Role model – leading by example. Setting the table, ground rules in the class like do’s and
don’ts in the class.” Another respondent added, “Setting example, not chewing doma,
smoking in front of students” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
Individual / collective
•
“By discipline we can preserve the culture” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
•
“When I first came to the college – I saw a lot of differences between schools and colleges –
in college we are taking our own responsibility what ever we do or experience we have to
take care of our self. Lecturers do not come behind every student” (PRETEST_PCE_FGS).
Basic goodness
•
“They [students in class] seem quite interested in what they are doing --- I see this by the low
noise level, quiet conversation between the students, continued to work with the experiment”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“If there is mindfulness, there will naturally be compassion, and if there is loving kindness, if
all three are there, discipline will follow” (BL_SCE_FGS).
Cleanliness
•
“Values like cleanliness, responsibilities, accountability and integrity are taught through
various activities like cleaning, making students the captains and working together with
teachers and students for the school” (Pretest_PCE_KIS).
Punishment
•
“Is there a way to make classes more lively and appealing so students are coming to your
classes? Respondent answered, “By punishment only.” Another respondent stated that
discipline is necessary so a person can make correct choices. “If not punished, I would not be
here at this moment. I have learned through discipline, positive reinforcement.” “Punishment
helps to be punctual” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
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“I think there should be some policy. When I was in Nagkhor, there was this language policy.
If we did not speak English, we were punished. Thus, we improved our English”
(BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“Instead of punishment, we advise students and they feel happy. In the future, they become
more cooperative and approachable” (BL_CNR_FGSST).
Scolding
•
“I feel uneasy because he scolded me.Taking advantages – he has negative impression of me.
(Girls in this focus group are not sharing their views). Friends were there, [lecturer said in
front of them] “It would be a bad impression in your future if you continued like this. I was
speaking frankly, I was feeling sleepy, lecturer should understand” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Strictness
•
“Keep your hands folded. If you move, I will pull your ears.” Later, in the same class teacher
reminded the students to sit” (BL_SCE_OBST).
•
I studied in Khaling and I was under very strict rules and regulations. I have already been
guided by rules and regulations. I think I was groomed with it” (BL_SCE_FGS).
•
“As most of them, [my positive reinforcement] came from discipline. But as generation
passes, strict discipline won’t work” (BL_GCBS_FGL)
Distraction in classes
•
“Class 12, I was taking math and suddenly I had a conflict with math teacher. He is a good
lecturer, but I brought a doubt, which he was not able to solve. He told me not to disturb the
class. I don’t know what happened. We are not allowed to take cell phone, and he caught me
using one, took it away from me, he would beat me. Whenever he entered the class, he would
see me, leave a form, and leave. I thought, if I continue taking his class, I would hamper my
friends’ experience. I dropped the class, and started shifting in biology. Exam – I scored low
in biology and higher in physics” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“When I first came to class, I say you should do this and that. Sometimes you have to be firm
besides being flexible. I was doing a theory lesson on cataract and a student was cutting his
nails. I did not pinpoint but said it in general that they must be finding the lesson boring. And
that if they were sleepy or bored they should move out of the room. Now from what I hear
from my seniors I should have set some ground rules. That student came and apologized. I
didn’t want him to feel as if I had done something wrong, but I wanted him to realize his
mistake without hurting his ego. Now he is so different. He has changed” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“Students came in late (10 minutes). [Lecturer said], please be mindful of time but if you are
[late] please come in quietly” (BL_PCE_OBSL).
Fear
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“When asked about current education, respondent stated, “Education in punishment
environment. If I was not punished I would not be here at this moment. [I have not learned
through fear] not fear but I have learned through discipline – positive reinforcement”
(BL_GCBS_FGL).
Modernization
This segment discusses the factors defined as effects of modernization.Stress of modernity
emerged as the most prominent pattern that encompassed a wide range of concerns respondents felt
were infringing on their traditional values and principles. In some lecturers’ views, modern youth do
not have a sense of belonging, while other respondents share their concerns about environmental and
economic sustainability, the latter pertains to growing unemployment as the numbers of students
attending college continue to grow. Students talked about more elusive impacts of modernization,
such as the deterioration of the family unit and community vitality. Contradictions to GNH and
Buddhist philosophy also became apparent during research in technical/business colleges when some
of the students and lecturers equated success with monetary gains. As Internet use is growing rapidly
in Bhutan, use of computers and access to the world-wide-web, according to research respondents, is
necessary to usher in a new era. Rapid development has bolstered urban economies, leaving the rural
sector with no capacity to match. Rural populations, as our respondents remarked, have limited, or no
knowledge, of the technology or infrastructure that could improve their support systems.
Stress
•
“My rich uncle – his way of thinking and talking has changed. When he was poor, we talked.
Now, his son and daughters are employed and he is rich. It is hard to even walk into his room.
I really feel sorry for him. He has a lot of loans – I feel that every rich person is filled with
loans. He was in stress and worried and I was little happy to see that and also sad. He will
realize and come to his mind. That is the problem with rich people – they always worry about
their wealth” (BL_ILCS_KIS).
•
“The autonomous process is pressure. Admitting as many students as possible because
funding is now linked to number of students. Resources keep growing, the faculty has
remained the same but students are increasing because of this style of funding.We have to
look at availability of jobs. 60 students – only 6 students get government jobs. There is more
stress on students” (BL_SHER_FGL).
In the respondent’s view,impact of modern culture has changed the goals and ambitions of the
youth:
•
“My view on this is quite broad, it depends on social environment, and During 80’s the youth
were interested in learning and it was simpler to handle it. As of now the youth of today it’s
very difficult since they don’t have a sense of belonging and self-realization they are more to
modern culture. As a teacher’s duty, I make them realize the facts of life and shape their
future. Apart from academic I give support them also” (BL_JNP_FGL).
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“Domestic pasture for the cows are now gone. Dust is coming. Mountain is already ripped
up. Road and infrastructure are only for the few people --- only for the mining, not for the
people. If required to renovate, the mountains cannot come back again. The buildings need to
be renovated after some years. I do not think the mountains and rivers are going to last. As we
develop we need to take care of all of this.” Respondent continued, “The Thimphu River is
very toxic because three mining companies are open. Two villages reported cases because
their villages are polluted with the mining dust. The spring sources are dried because of the
mining” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“Government must set firm rules. For example, do not wash cars along the river or dump the
waste into the river. About air pollution, government must have rules for example, control on
the purchase of cars, encourage people to purchase eco friendly cars” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
Contradictions to Buddhism, Buddhist culture, and GNH
Since the GNH framework values a healthy collective, placing emphasis on the survival of the
fittest individual threatens the principles of the communal welfare.
•
When asked about a connection between GNH value of loving kindness and success,
responded stated: “No idea.” Nonetheless, respondent engendered a connection between
success and happiness. “Those who are successful people will be happy” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
•
The above mentioned respondents seem to contradict their own ideas of the genesis of
happiness: “How do you measure success?” One respondent answered, “Wants are unlimited,
even if they are successful, they might not be happy enough. ” Another respondent remarked,
“ Need to be content with what we have.” A different responded added, “Sense of
sharing”(BL_GCBS_FGL).
•
When asked, “What would be an ideal college work situation for you,” one of the respondents
replied, “Money.” Another respondent added, “We hear about GNH, blah blah. At the end of
the day I wish we had money, we do calculations” (BL_JNP_FGL).
Success is wealth
In some respondents’ opinion, job and wealth contribute to success and success is related to
happiness. Even a choice to attend college in hopes of better future is sometimes made to gain a
position of status, which would then lead to financial prosperity.
•
When asked, “Why are you here at the college,” one of the respondents answered, “So we can
have a bright future. Nowadays, it does have an important impact on our life. Better life,
knowledge.” Another respondent stated, “To achieve my goals and learning something new.
To become a successful person.” When asked, “What does it mean to be successful,“ one of
the respondents said, “Being different than others. Position, standing on our own feet; I want
to be a businessman. Attributes that lead to brighter future, recognition, respect. If I have a
position, I will definitely have money” (BL_GCBS_FGS).
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“Money and then, friends around us [make us happy].” Another respondent answered, “For
me, if our health status is well because then, we can do anything. Money will matter if you
have health. Nowadays, most of the time, expenditures are spent on health. If we have good
health, earning money should depend on health. If particular person is teaching, government
should spend money on that person.” The first respondent continued, “To buy something,
anything you want to satisfy your demands. To buy a present to my girlfriend, than if I don’t
have enough money, I cannot satisfy my girlfriend. Frustration, I think, where can I manage
money? As students, we rely upon our parents [to obtain money], though I have different
reasons, I state to them I need money. Second respondent added, “Yes, but health is more
important. If I agree with my friend then the happiness will be there. Even with that
happiness, worries are still there. Because if there are tensions, that can affect our mental
status” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
Urban and rural differences, resources
•
“Train assistant for two years, posted in remote areas, basic health units are in the community
for one month (prevention of diseases, curative, promotion) – just simple treatment
[available]” (BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“Zhemgang is one of the poorest regions. In my wife’s village, I saw many children, they are,
some of them – they are in school, but they don’t know how to provide care for their own
bodies. They have rash, infections and they don’t have slippers to wear. It is very sad to see
suffering.” Respondent continued, “Our government should focus more on remote areas than
urban areas - in terms of funding. There is no boarding school; they have to go by the road.
Students travel, walk for ½ hour and in summer, it is hard to do because of animal attacks,
landslides” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
•
“In my point of view, everybody in the society must be treated equally and have equal
standards of living, and have benefits and all of the resources. The poor ones must become as
rich as the rich ones” (BL_CNR_KIS).
Technology
•
“For example in my family, my two sisters have everything enough of and they do not have
any problem and are always happy so I think that is GNH. On the other hand, I have lots of
problems and I am not always happy.” The same respondent continued, “If it is GNH country,
there should be enough resources. For example, as a lecturer, we need enough resources to
teach well. With a lot of advancement in ICT, we need a laptop to deliver the content and
pedagogy well. But we do not have that, even the computers are very old and it takes hours to
log in” (BL_PCE_KIL).
•
“If there is enough of everything, conducive classroom environment, the students are happy.
These days Internet has become an essential part of the student learning and to have its access
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first thing we need is a computer and accessibility to net. If we look at the present situation in
our college, those rich owns a laptop but parents of the poor can’t effort to buy one. Where is
happiness for the needy ones? Poor children do not have high self - esteem and as a result this
affects their learning and when they do not learn effectively, they are not happy”
(BL_PCE_KIL).
•
"Modern medicine and amenities became user friendly. Since ours is old it stayed static. Fast
evolvement in modern medicine e.g acupuncture is painful and modern injection is painless.
Because of modern education they hardly know about traditional medicine. During 3rd King
who said there is need to revive culture and medicine now it is reviving. From 1967 official
recognized” (BL_NITM_KIADM).
Transition to autonomy
Respondents from the following examples recognize the change in lifestyle from rural to urban
setting that is not only physical in appearance but it also represents a potential threat to community
cohesion and Bhutanese cultural identity.
•
“To relate it to gnh: what I feel about gnh, in Bhutan, village, there are 5,6 houses and there
are spaces between them. In the past, I am from a very remote village, people used to be very
related to each other, cooperative in terms of needs. I used to hear from my parents, they used
to share fire too (matchsticks were not abundant). Sometimes when there is no fire, people
would use fresh cut wood to keep the fire alive and use it in the morning. Sometimes, the fire
that you saved goes off and then you go your neighbor’s house to share. People were so close
and when we go to village we see cooperation and everyone helps a particular house. With
globalization, the main thing – urban areas, we live in the same building, but we don’t know
our neighbors. This contact even among families is only kept through phones and emails, but
closeness, and basic need for human survival is lost” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
“My village, we have cultural traditions, whenever we build house, we don’t have to pay
men, we just give them lunch, and people would send person from each household to help.
Nowadays, it is fading away” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“There is no concrete data of 1960s and 70s, but looking back to those days and comparing it
to now, I feel there is no food self sufficiency in Bhutan. Take a survey during the lunch and
see how many people eat local rice/Indian rice/local mustard oil/market refined oil.” “I feel in
earlier times farmers used to be more self sufficient. The change in lifestyle is buying new
diseases like diabetes and obesity. These were not seen ages ago” (BL_CNR_FGL).
•
“It is right for us to prepare for environment preservation. Our advantage of looking at other
nations is that we can decide whether to follow not no not follow them. There should be
changes. Now you will not find a place that does not have McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut.
Modernization can be embraced in a right way” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
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“I am an optimist. Education prepared our people how to move into modernization. There are
sections, those who are educated to prepare how to take in, how to like strain. Education
prepares them to I would like to do this and not do that. They are not able to do this.
Education has also opened avenues; they try to take in more then what they can. On that one I
think it has not brought positive changes. It also brings some weaknesses in the society. Well
informed, skeptical about other people, no longer ignorant. Can be skeptical about other
people. Inform and misinform people, and then relationship breaks down, no community
vitality” (BL_SCE_KIL).
Rural to urban opportunities
•
“Brain drain or urbanization is taking place when development takes place only in one district
like Thimphu. There are so many cars but no traffic light. Facilities provided in developed
district attract people from rural area. Rural area people moving towards better places.
Modernization cannot happen only in one area.” Respondent continued, “They [remote areas]
are affected. If lectures here had an option to transfer to Thimphu, over 50% would go. Better
facilities, in terms of accessibility, shopping and daily needs. Thimphu has become flooded
place with so many vehicles and given the chance I would choose this place”
(BL_JNP_KIADM).
Happiness of fulfillment of desires
•
“In Bhutan, GNH is about living peacefully within ourselves. The criticism is that GNH does
not increase GNP. People think that everyone should own a car and living standardsshould be
raised and that equals GNH” (BL_CNR_KIS).
Media literacy
•
“Madam, people from urban areas, they are good in English. People from remote areas, their
English should be made better.” Another respondent remarked that student from urban areas
are better in English, “Because they have availability of newspaper, magazine and in rural
areas, they will not get these” (BL_SCE_FGS).
Corruption
•
“Private companies, like logging and mining want to exploit natural resources and they do not
conserve forest, and they only care about money, which is against GNH, environmental
preservation” (BL_CNR_KIS).
Environmental Preservation
Recognized as the second pillar of the national framework, GNH, environmental conservation
is another theme that surfaced as a consequence of the country’s rapid globalization. Respondents
generally shared common views on the importance of environmental preservation, however, when it
came to their opinions on their personal efforts to address an array of environmental issues,
respondents’ views differed. One of the administrators raised an issue whether environmental
concerns and efforts were individual or a collective responsibility. Volunteer spirit is not nurtured as
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part of the curriculum; student engagement in service type work is restricted to extra-curricular
activities and club memberships. Otherwise, once a week, while supervised by their warden, students
participate in social work activities that include cleaning of their dorms and campuses. Respondents
claim that their country’s accelerated growth has failed to create proper waste management facilities.
With schools as an exception, greening of the academic environment across most colleges has been
restricted to an annual, “Plant a Tree” event, on June 2nd. Respondents at the college with a strong
focus on health revealed a correlation between their environment and healthful living. They showed
interest in planting an herbal garden that would provide teaching opportunities for students immersed
in the study of plants as well as it would create an additional income for the college.
Volunteer
•
“It is very difficult to convince the community.” “Residents look inside only. Outside their
buildings is considered their landlord’s responsibility. Landlords rarely visit and there is no
monitoring. Perhaps, residents do not appreciate cleaning duties.” “Again, it is up to the
individual” (BL_CNR_KIADM).
•
“Lecturers do encourage students through social works that is carried out in Institute. During
morning talks, I do talk on environmental preservation as well as culture. In fact, there is civil
society called “Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative” which is to ensure zero waste management area.
In our college we have student voluntary group working for Waste disposal organized by staff
members. We also seek support from RSPN, Thimphu. It is to collect garbage for disposal in
proper area. On the other hand, District City Corporation does regular duty in collecting
garbage for further disposal” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“Before, in class 12, at a young volunteers in actions camp, we were taught life skills, and
that camp helped me to decide how to deal when I find myself in difficult situations”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“It [environmental preservation] is not conducted as class activity but as extra-curricular
activity. Every Saturday, as daily work program, 3 departments (Civil, Mechanical and
Electrical) get engaged in cleaning hostel, cutting grasses and cleaning campus mandatorily”
(BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“On Wednesday and Saturday, we gather for social work, cleaning, which is supervised by
warden and he corrects our mistakes and that helps improve our living environment so we can
live comfortably. That helps us live more smoothly” (BL_CNR_KIS).
•
“With the help of RSPN and Helping Hand Club, we clean our campus and manage our
campus to keep it clean and beautiful and we are also aware about the global warming and
deforestation and we have to preserve for our future generation. Every week Saturday and
Wednesday we have work programme. The students used to collect garbage’s, go to town and
community for cleaning up campaign” (BL_JNP_FGS).
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Waste Management
•
“There are stakeholders like the Department of Forestry and Royal Society for Protection of
Environment. Unfortunately, just stepping outside and walking down to the valley, there is a
lot of litter and above the road there are only 2 residents. The culture of waste is not there.
Inner core value is not there.” “In cities, waste has increased exponentially and proper
disposal is not done. Everything is cornered to one place. Even hospitals, they produce 150kg
a day. We need waste management facilities” (BL_CNR_KIADM).
•
“Highly qualified people go out to work – out of country to work. So then we have brain
drain. Every time I go to market I gets lots of plastic. I take it home I roll it and collect and
when I return I give it back to the shopkeeper. I collect the bottles and cans. If you see my
place today, I even collect and advise with the people around me. At work, I do not allow the
people to cut down the trees and tell the director. Then the director can prohibit. These are
the few things I do” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“For me, I am sensitive to GNH. And have always practiced it because I am a responsible
person. Even when I go out, academic achievements are always in the back of my mind. I
think I have a civic sense in me. Now, Bhutan is at the crucial point to lose a lot of its
environment – litter is everywhere. I, whenever I eat something, I take care of my waste. My
friends say: it makes no difference. I reply one person can make a difference. GNH is popular
now, but it has always been here – now we can connect to it more” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
Green school
The following quotes not only support the idea of bringing an awareness of the environment into
the schooling communities, however they also notes the place education has in the Bhutanese society
by being a role model for others. For some respondents “green school” concept was not very clear, as
they provided general, vague understanding of it.
•
“Talking about greening school, vegetation, gardens around, should be clean around school,
etc. Not just green vegetation but also students should be happy, satisfied with fresh mind.
Lack confidence in how to teach GNH.” Respondent continued, “Green school means every
kind of facility and opportunity – that is ideal of happiness. Green tree looks very fresh. If
surrounding is very clean, lots of flowers around, fresh air, our health will be good”
(BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“In future we will try to plant and domesticate plantation of herbs. Make herbal garden. It
will also generate income and sell from where they gain happiness. I though such idea can be
really good. I wish we have bigger land where we can plant herbs here and role model”
(BL_NITM_KIADM).
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“The school environment has also improved a lot. We have also done some greening. Our
children are also happy when they see flowers and trees while taking them outside”
(BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
•
“We sustain our life from environment, water that we drink – the gift of life. If environment
is not healthy, you will not breathe good air, or drink good water – life sustaining elements in
life. There is no doubt, if we don’t sustain it, we will not be able to live. We already have
problems. Again, here in Bhutan, our livelihood depends on environment – hydropower plant
– water will dry if we do not protect it. That is why I always say, manage little, keeping
environment clean, being conscious of our own environment, planting trees with dedication,
love, and care. I always say, sing to your plant, take care of it talk to it – that is how we can
respect nature. The trees here, we planted them before the school here. I brought students
from ____. I have shared my dream of plant a tree project – whoever comes here, must plant a
tree. Every person who comes to this institute must plant a tree” (BL_ILCS_KIADM).
•
“On June 2nd, thousands of trees are planted. Government is trying to minimize forestry
products and to also minimize forest fires – they are putting in place these steps. I do not
know, but definitely, but Bhutan is doing well in preservation” (BL_ILCS_KIADM).
•
“I planted a tree in the campus. On a pilgrimage, I pick garbage” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“We are made to dig a garden, plant trees during SUPW time, we carry out mass cleaning.
While in the hostel, every Thursday we clean our rooms and surrounding. Also the classes are
allocated certain areas to be taken care for a year. I know that 60% of Bhutan is covered by
forest. Our Govt. is more concerned about the environment. They have stopped cutting down
trees and burning of pastures like before. Not only the Govt. but we also work to preserve. I
pick up rubbish, for example when I walk from the hostel to the town and see plastics, bottles
and papers lying along the road, I will feel something and I pick it up. The Govt. has
restricted the burning of plastics, which is good and now they are recycling it. At home also,
Gups organize mass cleaning weekly and they organize planting trees on 2nd June every year”
(BL_PCE_KIS).
•
“Taking care of trees and plants in the school campus. We tell students to take care of the
existing trees instead planting of new trees. Another thing is to do with classroom teaching. If
there is a topic related to the environment, teachers talk about it and interpret how
environment is useful. They try to inculcate the value of taking care of our environment”
(BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
Experiential Learning
•
“In field trips we warn our learners not to pick those herbs it is important to sustain those.
When we meet people who pick those herbs we tell people that we should pick all those and
leave some for future” (BL_NITM_KIADM).
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Needs to be embedded into all modules
•
“We have no such rules [about environment related rules], but we do talk about the
importance of conservation of environment frequently” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
•
“College form a weekly group; they pick up garbage every week. There are few dustbins
around the campus. Every Wednesday.” Another respondent continues, “If I pick it up
[wrapper on the ground], people would think I am trying to act different, so because of this I
do not pick it up.” A third respondent added, “If we are forced to pick it up, we will. If there
is a dustbin around I can pick it up. But if far away, I will not” (BL_JNP_FGS).
Health Connection
•
“It is prior important and NITM play greater role. Inner and internal world the
interdependence and interconnection is important. In order for us to stay happy we need to be
physical healthy and for that we need to keep our environment clean and proper since we are
interdependent and interconnected. If we realize that and protect our environment our life is
also at risk. If environment is unhealthy so will our individual life be. Our human life depends
on environment we get medicine form that. Environment is our treasure and we need to teach
our society and students and protect” (BL_NITM_KIADM).
•
“We also focus on the health of the child. Now in our school we have a health club who
looks after the health of the child” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM).
Community Partnerships
Community vitality
•
“So far it [promotion of self-sufficiency in the community] is introduced and not focused on
intensely but as a part of small support that social group could render. It is short term on the
need base not taken as our primary focus” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“We have some sort of services, helping people to educate them in lines of happiness, these
are things we look at. Also, we go to the community one a month and do physical check ups.”
Respondent continued, “Our people face lifestyle diseases, obesity, so we go the community
to talk to them, record their blood pressure, teaching them about nutrition. We go to public
places, like clock tower and talk on important days about healthy lifestyle. This is an ongoing
activity, family planning, and immunization. Family planning centre is there every day. Our
students go there and take part in disseminating info – it’s a reproductive unit. We have
different sections. People who are going to be teaching, go along with students”
(BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
Community work and needed capacity: “[Community work] Once a month because access to
hospital is difficult, so on their way to market, people can come to us in public places.
Sometimes, it is a global days (HIV, Family days..), so it is announced on the radio, BBS. We
do our own routine, sometimes we don’t announce. People still come in.” Another respondent
states, “If we announce, we could not see all. People are always there at the market, so we
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cannot manage all.” The first respondent added, “We have to pay them, radio, Kuensel to
advertise and we don’t have the funds, and they want to charge us. Once, last year, during --day so many came from Punakha, and complained because we could not manage.” “Thirty
students participate. [Selected] based on their level only. When reaching 3rd year, they should
know all and developed all skills” (BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“BMI check up [to promote the health of Bhutanese people], we are screening those at risk
for diabetes, we refer them to specialists, promoting cleanliness. “CCC” club initiated by the
2nd year, clean water resources, collect bottles” (BBL_RIHS_KIS).
Parent Partnerships
Parent involvement is restricted to volunteering at school and being aware of the child’s progress
in school. Lecturers did not seem very receptive to the idea of including / inviting parents to their
classrooms. There was a perception that parents would not be interested in lecturer – partnership,
unless there was a problem to report.
•
“At the recent parent teacher meeting, we received approval of the parents – soon we’ll have
annual rituals, midterms – and in between conducting monthly tests – students have to show
their parents marks and get them signed” (BL_CNR_FGSTS).
•
“If students are indulging in bad activities, the college management has to go to the extent
that their parents are informed regarding their bad behaviors.” Are there any other examples
regarding community vitality, are the parents involved? “Particularly during some
celebration.” Parent involvement is limited to celebrations only; it does not seem they are ever
invited into the classroom” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
•
“Parents should know about the child. Students learn only for few hours at the school so once
the students are at home, the parents should guide their child, see what they have learned,
what problems they are facing and give them time to study. This will improve the quality of
education. The parents should be informed” (Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“Parents are not bothering much about the students learning.If parents are more active,
student will improve. In all the school activities we get less involvement from the parents.
Whatever activities are carried out in the schools, parents should be informed. For example,
last in Tajo School they were organizing a cultural program and parents were asked to teach
their children some dance items. So some sort of activity where parents can take part should
be organized by the schools so that it really helps improve the quality of education”
(Pretest_PCE_KIL).
•
“It [parent involvement] is not possible. That is very minimal in our society. “ Another
respondent continues, “Parents will have no time.” The first respondent states, “Parents don’t
even come to our meetings. I don’t blame our society, but we give feedback and parents may
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not pay attention to their kids. Meetings, parents hardly come to the meetings. But, if
something is wrong, they will broadcast it broadly. Parents must be educated thoroughly.”
•
A different respondent answers, “Parents do expect kids to do well, so maybe parents think
the kids are old enough to take care of themselves.”
“Parents need to be educated, not literally but should know and contact us to find out how
kids are doing.”” Some parents do, but not many.”
“We have meetings, and there is SPEA (school parenting education awareness). It is a
workshop with the department of youth and sports. Before we had that; now, we don’t. We
called all of the parents and we trained them on awareness and life skills, we talked about
HIV, and positive discipline. We have not seen it [“SPEA”] for a few years. Parents were
educated on HIV, malaria outbreak, bird flu – mostly health related” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“Interaction with community can make better, programs every year. If can get parents to
participate, come to observe programs – students will feel more proud. Many parents used to
come and spend whole day here with students, but recent discussion said parents are a
disruption (hang around campus, peek in windows and distract students, etc.). But if parents
really involved, ask why they are there and link them with different activities – could be
beneficial. Parents also would appreciate” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“Community is affecting college in a negative ways because of liquor stores. Students skip
classes and go to bars and then skip classes in the morning” (BL_GCBS_FGL).
Volunteering: helping the community from the students
•
“To achieve the vision of the GNH, we have a club called Helping-Hand Club”, we are of 30
members. Every week we have a programme and we decide to go the community and visit the
houses and meet with the people and listen to their problems and help they needed in the
community, and we come back at the college, we sit together and find a solution and ways to
help the community in a better ways and we go back next time to the community and help
them. We also renovate religious items like painting of stupas cleaning monastery and etc.
We also have a RSPN club where we collect garbage’s and manage waste every week and
educate the community, which is part of GNH. Some community have a more number of
children and its difficult for the parents to send the children to the school, AS a club we
collect money and seek donation around the community, shops and etc., and help the parents
with money and cloths too. The community is really happy with our club and very thankful
too. As a GNH country we are really happy and our club here are benefitting the society and
very happy with us” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“On joining institute, I have formed “Helping Hands” social community helper. In this group
last year, the member Graduates collected 25 formal ghos and other used clothing blankets
and we distributed them to pre-identified families in rural community” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
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“Some people are very poor, so we have once social service unit. We see the welfare of the
needy people. We have, above our college, one lady paralyzed and no house, so a group of
students, we go up there and build a shelter for her” (BL_SCE_KIS).
•
“So much interest, I had to limit member to 30 student which would ensure proper working
system. Donation solely through individual help, 30 members volunteered for this support.
Waste disposal management do invite expert from SJI for support” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
•
“Also, students go for blood donation for needy patient.Sometime weekly and sometime 2 to
3 times a month. Students like donating blood and the hospital has been there since late 80s”
(BL_JNP_KIADM).
Elderly
•
“We cannot do much [to promote GNH]. Our duty is to study to achieve something and do
something for our country. Sometimes probably, there should be advice from elders to guide.
Sometimes we tend to forget our responsibility. [Elderly] remind us what is right and what is
wrong” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Guest speakers
•
When interviewer asked, “What would you bring into the classroom if you could bring
anything [to improve and enrich your learning]?” Student respondent answered, “Bring an
experienced person to share views” (BL_GCBS_FGS).
Resources
Respondents state there are inadequate resources necessary to achieve quality education. Limited
resources referred to include computers, access to Internet, technology, facilities, stable power supply,
and insufficient infrastructure in rural areas of the country. Students would like if computer classes
were available to all students, not limited to IT students and staff. Lecturers would like faster Internet
connection to be able to receive and disseminate materials for their classes.
Limited
•
“For example, as a lecturer, we need enough resources to teach well. With a lot of
advancement in ICT, we need a laptop to deliver the content and pedagogy well. But we do
not have that, even the computers are very old and takes hours to log in.” (BL_PCE_KIL).
•
“Now we have only 20 computers, it is hard, so maximum students have problems making
presentations. I would make computers accessible to all” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“There was power fluctuation which frequently interrupts the teaching learning session”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“In urban areas, there are advantages. Nowadays, in remote areas advantage is that there is no
computer - just study, but in urban areas, there are other things. As we know students are
taking drugs, and different kinds of abuse take place in urban areas. There are a lot of
facilities in the urban areas. In remote areas, students walk for 2, 3 hours, crossing rivers to
come to school” (BL-SCE_FGADM).
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Internet
•
“A strong shift is not good, unlike other countries we do not have good library and students
may not be able to cope up. Both students and teachers have to work hard. Teachers giving
work for exploration is not always realistic.” “We have poor network. We need to have strong
wireless facilities. Cannot submit the assignment and cannot work on it“(BL_CNR_FGS).
Capacity building still needed
Respondents stated that better facilities, could invite more students into the library. To improve
the reading / learning environment would enable library staff to more efficiently serve their library’s
beneficiaries.
•
“Also, transportation bus, we have one, but it is no good. Other colleges have it and we
deserve it as well as we are under the same umbrella of RUB.” Another respondent says, ”We
also have a water problem in the staff quarter.” A different respondent adds, “There is
sufficient water because of the construction.” “We get it but it is not clean” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“We need more workers to accommodate the growing city. We have a shortage, so we need
to produce more. We need more infrastructure. Because of population increase, we have set
up satellite units.” Another respondent added, “There are 3 satellite clinics in different
locations running every day” (BL_RIHS_KIL).
•
“The current practices lecturer should not teach the same module after 2 years so he can
address the shortage of human resources” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Good library system [would make the respondent happier]. Card system right now is tedious
and manual. We need a better system and we don’t have furniture. I would like to have a
well-furnished library, good books, and I want to suggest my lecturers to take their books out
of the library because we don’t know which ones are important and which ones are not.
Electronic library, e-books library would be more presentable” (BL_SCE_KISADM).
Equitable distribution
•
“Behavioral science – if we prepare for RCSC exam, so right now the science is overloaded,
lots to study and attend to practicals. When they go for the RCSC exam, if they are focused
on the exam and the main thing at RUB is Dzongkha. The sciences are not taught in
Dzongkha – only one semester, so they [students] are forgetting. The basic thing they are
forgetting when they go for the examination – focus are all from BA. Other job market – the
science are needed – the government sector – the BA are sent. On that, if they could currently
check out make some solution in such a way they can teach more specifically in Dzongkha
and English. Some modules in science background – more importance to English and
Dzongkha --- Because when BA students are free they are always occupied – focusing in the
practical – for science – the exams are all taken by the BA” (BL_SHER_KIS).
Internet courses for students, more skills learning
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“Teachers want to browse interesting articles helpful for children, print materials for
classroom. Students want to learn about typing, learn from Internet. Some students with
computer at home better than many of the faculty –even teach the faculty”
(BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“We could have some more opportunities like computer classes to explore computers”
(BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Learned how MS word and Excel --- one module. If we are not IT student we get only one
year for the three years – only the basics. Until know only using search engines and only
educational websites --- for this usage it is not complicated --- not seek any help from
lecturers” (BL_SHER_KIS).
Soft copies, books
•
“Availability of resources, especially textbooks --- resources and access to Internet. All the
time they go to the shop -- very expensive, the cost is high. Ask students to copy and money
is a big cost and constraint. High speed Internet we can take of the availability. Frustrating to
download from the Internet. Around 1000 computers are sharing the wireless and Ethernet.
Many use at the same time – very early to download – very slow and do not work well”
(BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“The teaching strategies used here are most like power point with slides, and are not given
any more resources, and there are limited number of textbooks, they ask the students get a pen
drive and get the copies and then they have to read it. But the students need a computer for
that; for the rich that is possible. For poor it is a constraint and that hampers their learning”
(BL_JNP_FGS).
Structure
Most classes observed were conducted in a traditional, lecturer -centered environment with
the lecturer standing in front, leading the class, and controlling the pace of the lecture. Seating was
typically arranged in rows, except in few classes, in which students sat at hexagonal desks, which
allowed students to have more face-to face time with their peers and more opportunities for group
discussions. Class size, for instance, surfaced as the most dominant pattern of the structure theme.
Both, students and lecturers are in consensus that smaller class size leads to a more personal
relationship between students and students and lecturer. Lecturers also add that large class size is
more challenging to handle and therefore, the only teaching method available is the lecture style.
Furthermore, current class duration does not allow lecturers to cover the content or to engage students
in active participation.
Class size
Large number of students in the class creates no intimacy in the classroom nor does it allow for an
easy interaction between students.
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“The number of students is large with 90 students in the class. Using strategies could take a
lot of time” (BL_JNP_FGS).
•
“Number of students. In the civil department, 90 students is hard to handle.” When asked,
“Can you think of any kind of measures to improve,” one of the respondents replied, ”The
number of students will increase, so student lecturer ratio will be high.” “How many students
do you have in your class?” The same respondent answered, 89 in one class, 45 in other.”
Another respondent replied, ”120.” When asked, “Are they practicals, or theory classes,” the
first respondent answered: “Both” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“There is no communication between students and teacher and students. Sometimes, we
hardly know whether know if those students sitting in the back exist. We should know each
other” (BL_CST_FGS).
•
When asked, “Do you see any other ways to improve the quality of your classroom,” one of
the respondents said, “Smaller number of students.” Another respondent added, “Also, the
size of the classroom. It should be smaller. This is not the standard size for technical
education.” “What would be standards?” The same respondent replied, to be able to talk,
rectangular or square shaped” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“Clubbing the classes with common subject is not good. 84 students put in a room is too
much. There is not even a place for the laptop to be used” (BL_CNR_FGS).
•
“From learning point of view, classrooms always packed with large number of students,
facilities always insufficient, central curriculum mandated from the top. With a local
curriculum, learning may be better” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
Class duration, too short
•
“Due to time constraint, I cannot monitor every student to keep a record of their
improvement” (BL_ILCS_KIL).
•
“Course content is so much that we could not – the lecture only for one hour – within one
hour the course content is not covered. I think the course content should be reduced”
(BL_SHER_KISM).
•
“Time 60min. It is hard to capture students’ attention in one hour. Yesterday it was so hard to
listen. Students feel that also” (BL_CST_KIAMD).
•
“One hour is not enough to have an interactive session” (BL_RIHS_FGL).
•
“We are limited in time for the classes. We would like to talk so much on the condition or
disease but because of time factor we focus on the really important things to get the job done”
(BL_RIHS_KIADM).
•
“During one hour, we hardly get time to interact” (BL_ILCS_FGS).
Accommodation
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“I am experiencing hostel for the first time. Till 12 I was day scholar. In hostel it is difficult.
We have to adapt to crowd and we have to respect each other.They have to also respect us. In
the crowd it is very difficult. Each one has different habits, personality it is difficult till we get
close because of this things get difficult. On the other hand being with friend and roaming in
town is delightful. Friends are approachable and being with them is god since they understand
our feelings by weighing positive and negative I like friends but I don’t like hostel life”
(BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Accommodations for teachers are quite difficult. 100 teachers, only 45 have living quarters.
Staff quarters. Invest [in] developing facilities for staff and classrooms. Student
accommodations are coming – still overcrowded as students increase” (BL_SHER_FGL).
Classroom: seating arrangement, indoors, outdoors
•
“Congested with small space in between the columns in which the class is arranged. There is
hardly any space in between the rows for movement” (BL_RIHS_OBSL).
•
“Lecturer comes back (11:51) to class and walks up to groups that can be accessed – other
groups are seating by the window, occupying inner desks that cannot be walked to”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Classroom looks quite unhygienic with dust lying everywhere and overflowing dust bin
placed at the back of the door” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Basement level classroom. The room smelled moldy and was cold. The room was very
crowded. Tables were very big and students seemed crammed in some areas”
(BL_PCE_OBSL).
•
“Now, what has been written at the bottom of the board is not visible. (I, observer, am sitting
in the last row and students in front of me are obstructing the view)” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“I do not follow rigid uniform class structure. My sitting arrangement is very different. In my
class, groups are facing each other and we can move around the room too”
(BL_CNR_KISADM).
•
“Lecturer mainly stays in one spot, in front of the class. Realistically, it would be challenging
to move around the room as students’ desks are positioned very close to each other”
(BL_SCE_OBSL).
•
“Bright airy classroom with a projector, writing board, and hexagonal desks at which
students are facing each other” (BL_SCE_OBS).
•
“The classroom in inside the lecture theater. It is dark and all the fans are turned on. The fans
are making a lot of noise. The lecture theater is only half-filled” (BL_CST_OBSL).
•
“Class had a U-shape lay out and everybody was able to see PowerPoint clearly”
(BL_GCBS_OBSL).
Facility shortage
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“Lack of resources, computers, facilities [hamper teaching service]” (BL_JNP_FGL).
Number of modules
•
“Taking 5 modules at a time is too fast. Similar to class 12, when we are in college, it is very
heavy. Making it four years instead of three years” (BL_SHER_KISM).
Location of college (remote – Sherubtse)
•
When speaking about lecturer exchange, professional development opportunities, and
incentives for the faculty staff, respondent remarked, “With Sherubtse, the location itself
is a constraint. We are not exposed to many things as people in Thimphu and Paro are
exposed to” (BL_SHER_FGL).
Artificial lighting
•
“Bright classroom with some natural and artificial lighting” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“So silent, no light and dim class. No chair for the teacher to sit” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“Inside the classroom, there are 6 Tube lights, 4 plug points, One green Board, 16 Tables 30
chairs made of wood. One window light” (BL_ILCS_OBSL).
•
“Good lighting system in the classroom. Ventilation seemed not very good, all windows
closed” (BL_RIHS_OBSL).
Sacred spaces
Since current space cannot accommodate all those who are interested in practicing mindfulness,
providing ample space for the practice could encourage more students to participate. Meditation on a
first come first serve basis, due to limited seating, does not utilize full potential of the mindfulness
practice.
•
Sacred space: “We are interested [to practice mindfulness], but have no chance. Seats are
limited. First come - first serve [criteria]. The hall is not big enough” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Schedule of classes
•
“When we have too many periods – continuously teaching without breaks makes me tired.
Teaching values in a subject content that is too large” (BL_SCE_FGL).
•
“[Regarding classes held both, in the morning and in the evening] In the morning, it is better.
In the afternoon, we are sleepy and it is hard to capture what is in the class”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
Democracy
Freedom of expression
•
“Our voices are not heard.” Another respondent added, “In Bhutan, things come from up top.
Everything is directed; we are not heard. Only forum is principal’s conference and there are
so many issues to talk about and there is no time for us. Meeting, less budget, so they cannot
do anything – leave for the next year” (BL_CNR_FGSTS).
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“Answers can be right or wrong. Everybody has a chance to speak. Old days are gone when
we were afraid to speak” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Lecturers give us a chance to speak, we feel freedom to interact with our friends and
lecturers give us freedom to express our problems” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Freedom with responsibility
•
“Freedom of expression [is GNH]. After we cross the age of 18 we have legal rights to do
anything. GNH is one thing that can linger in everyone. Freedom of expression of feelings.
So it is in the heart; that is where GNH is. It comes form the heart.” “He has his right, but
because of some consequences, they drink alcohol, we can do this because of freedom, we
smoke, and then bad habits come” (BL_JNP_FGS).
Gender
•
“No bias no inequality between boys and girls – we think that girls can do anything”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Whatever men do, women cannot. Their thinking is different. Men think bold, and women
are shy here. In the west, there are women who are better than men. Here, we even had to
search for women to be in this focus group” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“I would focus on gender discrimination – most students complain about that. I would tell
them, if they worked hard, their work would be acknowledged” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Not to say that colleges are not trying to eradicate the inequality. Example, there was a
tournament arranged for women and no one turned up, so they had to cancel”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Girls have to wear kira compulsorily, but boys don’t have to wear ghos. Wearing kira in
bazars is not necessary, but girls still do it” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“As rumors are spreading, we women are protected and secured. It is good for us, but we feel
trapped and we are not allowed to expose ourselves. Rumors – they [college administrators]
are trying to make us stay within campus only. College administrators - Girls only. It is a
rumor. “ Another respondent, male, stated, “Nice gestures” (BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Male students respond only” (BL_SHER_OBSL).
•
“There are teachers that only stick to girls and if boys raise hands, they are made to feel bad.
I don’t know if they were lying. Mixed [students talked about it] – soft with girls, hard on
boys. [Example is] casual conversation in the class. Boy is made to feel embarrassed, bad
look is given, “you keep roaming,” they say. For the girls, there is softer approach.” Another
respondent added, “I agree with madam. Science students - practical’s, if you see markings,
male lecturers used to give more marks to female students and different controversy and same
with male lecturers and the girls” (BL_SHER_KIL).
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“There are 3boys, 3girls, there is equity here (in the focus group). But, men get more
opportunities than women there is no gender equity. They treat us well, but some lecturers
prefer one gender over another (males prefer males and female prefer female students)”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“When I was in primary, I had a teacher that was very strict and very injustice-bias.
Discrimination, always good things to girls and not boys and I did not like his bias towards
me. This is not GNH and it should be equal” (BL_PCE_KIS).
•
I do not agree with him that it is societal – I am from the rural area, and I would take the
opportunities if they were given to me.” A third respondent remarked, “Society affects girls.
In our country, women were told they were made to do only house work; that creates
psychological issues. It is the society that has brought up the inequality. When it comes to our
trainee teachers, we can tell who comes from town and who comes from rural areas – based
on their speech and demeanor, you can make out where they come from. Slowly, they try to
standardize their living. As teachers, we have a major play to eradicate this inequality. We
can give equal works to do, encourage girls because that can affect their mind. We should
treat them equally and they will then build courage inside of themselves. I don’t know if it
can happen fast, but we can do it slowly. Education can help them” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
Good governance
•
“Our voices are not heard. You come up with innovative ideas and then they are shut. Then,
getting and looking at individual ideas, they are killed when the first move has been brought.
At times, it is the people in the management. Lecturers are coming up with ideas and they are
rejected. That kills our motivation and innovation” (BL_SCE_FGL).
Shared decision making
•
“Equal representation in the committees from various groups [is needed]. Senior management
is made up of only seniors” (BL_SHER_FGL).
The collective good
•
“A farmer cannot have more than 25 acres of land. Some poor farmers have less land. Less
than 8% of our land is arable. Trainees here learn skills throughout their stay here. These
people are supposed to disseminate these skills to farmers. But again for example, 20 farmers
are given farmers training on a particular skill, but only about 5 put the skills to practice. But
in the paper which gets documented, it will show that 20 farmers are trained for that particular
skill” (BL_CNR_KIL).
•
“You will be learning so many skills and knowledge, but that has to be submitted into the
family community in rural Bhutan. Through the skill you make very good, but keeping
knowledge in self, only you will benefit. If this knowledge is shared, other people will
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benefit. The ultimate is conservation or productive – do not keep the knowledge in yourself.
That has to be translated into action” (BL_CNR_FGL).
•
The agricultural policy in Bhutan emphasizes farmers on keeping less high yielding cattle due
to pressure on degradation. But, in villages farmers take number of cattle as the social status”
(BL_CNR_KIL).
Decentralization
•
“I believe in decentralizing – quantity and quality of my staff. Whatever I do, I cannot do it
myself. I delegate responsibilities. Now, the only problem is that a person needs to do a
thorough job. In the subject, I would expect a particular teacher to search for a competent
staff. If unavailable, teacher should search further. I would like thorough details provided.
That person should get paid what he/she deserves. Then, if possible, acknowledge – verbally
at least, for service provided. A lot of times, our colleagues say: “it is not my job, I do not
know what the rate is” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
Management, leadership
Transparency needed
•
“Change the attitude of the parents, and the administration and the school system also need to
be changed. First, decentralize. Decentralization has not been done, written and applied.
Positive changes should be picked up and brought out effectively and our teachers must be
constantly updated. They need professional development in the world that is changing.
Teachers need to have resources available. Lack of resources makes us not be able to do what
we feel. Transparency is lacking whether you go for training or a workshop, some teachers
have been working for 30 years and have not attended a single workshop. That needs to
changed” (BL_SCE_FGL).
Attitude
•
“Seniors, they did not get this chance [to take the Global Skills course], so when we share our
experience, we are doing activities, presentations, views, no wrong or right, so when we share
our views, they say it is very interesting and it is going to help our future. Through talking, we
learn they are unhappy – if administrators gave them this chance, they would like it”
(BL_SHER_FGS).
Change
•
“Now, we have everything, I am not asking for more only better management. Budget library
– ordering books should not be diverted to other parts – to bring change. Good management.”
Another respondent added, “Outsiders, who studied elsewhere, they compare our library with
others. Actually, we have not seen others and they are complaining it will be good if the
library does this and that.” The first respondent continued, “Management is very important in
every organization” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
Planning
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“One of the common concerns most lecturers across RUB shared was a lack of time allotted
by the management, in which lecturers could prepare for their classes. To add to this, lecturers
noted that superfluous obligations beyond teaching hindered their primary focus. Often times,
such responsibilities were mandated without lecturers’ consultation. For instance, at PCE,
when two research team leaders were selected, management did not consider the amount of
their involvement in the research. One of the leaders, in addition to leading and supervising
the entire half of the team, received a full teaching load. Due to the weight of his
responsibilities, this team member was unable to continue with the research” (BL_PCE_RD).
•
“With classes and work, teaching and administrative duties need to be separate. Our title
indicates academic purposes, but we also have to be involved in clerical work. That kills our
time and we are not delivering to the best of our ability” (BL_SCE_FGL).
Regional difference
•
“In my personal observations of the colleges’ management teams and the way they relate to
their faculty staff, I have recognized that a college director’s level of involvement in the
research has directly impacted the extent of the research team members’ participation in the
work. For instance, after a long day of data collection at ILCS, the director of that college
generously offered research team members, from PCE and ILCS, to resume their data analysis
work at his home. Nightly, the director even provided dinner and snacks for everybody. He
made his support of the team obvious, as he often sat down with the group eager to hear about
their newly learned skills. Research team members of this college remain some of the most
enthusiastic researchers we encountered, whose commitment to the work never waned.
Similarly, the research team members at Sherubtse College enjoyed helpful support from their
director, as he was always encouraging their exploration of the new academic inquiry.
Likewise, directors at CST and JNP served as a strong support base for their lecturers
allowing them to fully engage in PAR. Upon our arrival and throughout our time at Samste
College, however, the director was never present.This fact, coupled with a meager number of
people who signed up to participate in the research, helped to created an atmosphere of
general apathy towards the research and its aims. Then, during our informal interview with
one of the management staff members at GCBS, he expressed concerns over the successful
execution of this research mainly due to the overwhelming number of expatriate faculty, who,
in his opinion, had no vested interest in GNH and its ideals ” (BL_PCE_RD).
Teacher – student marks
•
“We have some have and have not’s. There is a gap between those who are rich and poor.
Students, if my parents are rich, if I do something wrong, punishment should be given – in
case of a poor student[who committed] the same mistake, [punishment] will be given
immediately without 2nd thought.” Respondent continued, “No personal stories. I am also
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managing hostels. Sometimes, because of punishment, some student did not get punishment
others are given. I do not want to talk about it” (BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“I am a program leader. If there is a complaint about the lecturer, maybe about teaching, I
have to wait for other students and query from others. I have to also get info about
department. Then, at the staff department level, we have to make a suggestion, so he can
remove this.” Another respondent stated, “Feedback session, I think if management looks, but
some lecturers are worried because studentswill write that lecturers are partial. Management
should look at how many students say that. If only a few, we may not take it seriously”
(BL_SHER_KIL).
Time, not sufficient to lead with quality
•
“In most conversations held with administrators from a number of colleges we visited thus
far, it became apparent how time restrictions and additional work–related responsibilities
were perceived as a direct obstacle to performing a quality job in administration”
(BL_SCE_RD).
Counseling
Support for emotional state
•
“Teachers are also limited or scarce in rural areas and counseling program has not reached
rural areas yet. Right now, counseling is in the higher secondary schools only.” “Trained
counselors work in urban and there are no counselors in rural areas at all. I think that ministry
can take appropriate measures to help children go back to their normal life. Counseling takes
place in schools, so students will get more positive things from counselors. In rural areas there are not any” (BL_SCE_FGADM).
•
“I am not sure, if counseling is here, it will make a lot of difference. A lot of students want to
pour out. Even I need to pour out to somebody, so sad you need to enjoy every bit of your life
and you need to find a proper person. If there is a counselor, confidentiality is maintained,
relaxation. When I have things I cannot tell my family, I used to go to psychiatrist in our
culture it is scary. But, the person will guide you. That is how I do it” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“Even friends who are educated they feel do I have a mental problem so I am going there.
Sometimes, I lose word I don’t know what to say. For medical people, we understand, going
there is because you want to speak to somebody, so you suggest similar to others – the mind –
they are not able to convince themselves. No, I don’t have mental problem I don’t want to go.
Mad doctor they call them. I mentioned psychiatrist; there is no awareness. That is my view.
If people were made aware, they would love to go forward” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“We have counselor lecturers. We have a group of students and we have days we can have a
group session (boys with boys, girls with girls).” Another respondent continues, “ Very
helpful, because it supports us emotionally, we feel it is building our confidence.” When
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asked, “How often can you go,” a respondent answered, ”Whenever madam is available.”
Another respondent said, ”Weekly, 2 hours.”
“Would you like to have more available?” The last respondent answered, ”Yes”
(BL_RIHS_FGS).
•
“At home, if I am sad, I share that with friends too, so they suggest something. If my parents
are divorcing, and father is going after another lady, so what happens with my mom? If my
friends give me opinion about my parents’ divorce, that helps.” Another respondent shared,
”It is very important, it is good to share. If you share, we may find solutions to particular
problems” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“I was suggesting counseling in the college dedicated to those students with problems only.
For a lecturer to focus on a certain student is very difficult. Some are problematic; it is tough”
(BL_SHER_KIL).
•
“We need a system in the school where teachers are well trained for meditation and
counseling the students; where they can render help to our children even in the off hours, treat
them as their own children” (BL_PCE_KIPSADM)
Alcohol abuse is concern
•
“Abuse of alcohol is the main problem we tried to guide them it is different to change but we
advice them” (BL_JNP_FGL).
•
“At moment the concern is our youth and their problem with substance abuse (alcohol,
smoke, drugs). All such activities are taken care of and looked into seriously – social clubs,
etc.” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
Perceptions of substance abuse
•
“Lecturers had sympathy on me. I had substance abuse problem. This man is ruining his life,
they thought. I received sympathy from them and they tried to build up my mind that is
constant. I can hold my mind” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Stress – faculty support
•
“In my informal conversation with a female lecturer at Sherubtse, I learned that faculty staff
desired a source of support that would help them alleviate stress caused by academic pressure
to complete the syllabus, number of modules required, and additional mandatory obligations
at a college. Support for their emotional wellness could be one of the resources, as suggested,
that would be ongoing and always available” (BL_SHER_RD).
Time
Time management
•
“In midwifery, theory should be completed earlier. We are unable to complete on time
because we could not finish theory on time. Now we are rushing. It would be better if theory
could be completed earlier” (BL_RIHS_FGS).
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“Give us more practices. We still have classes, so for 2 weeks, we had practicals, now we are
hoping to have more classes to clarify” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“[Lecturer] Again changes the activity. We will do only one question to save time”
(BL_RIHS_OBSL).
Too much to study at one time
•
“[Daily classes are] more than enough! Another respondent says, “We wish for free periods”
(BL_JNP_FGS).
Efficiency
•
“I think to accomplish the syllabus content, RUB should minimize the vacation. We do not
have time – students like us, myself.. I do not use it productively sitting at home --- not
enough [time] to study. If we can minimize the vacation” (BL_SHER_KIS).
Too many duties
•
“Sometimes we have to quit our classes to go to meetings” (BL_JNP_FGL).
Workload too heavy
•
“To talk about my experience, first when I got here I was happy. Later we get lots of
assignments to be done I feel stressed and burdened” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Taking 5 modules at a time is too fast. Similar to class 12. When we are in the college it is
very heavy. Making it four years instead of three years [a suggestion]” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
“Students are heavily loaded, 6 to 7 subjects in a day. It can be very tiresome. In the past,
students would not say anything, nut nowadays, students are more decisive, outspoken and
will ask for less homework” (BL_CNR_KISADM).
Too much to prepare at one time
•
“Course content is so much that we could not – the lecture is only for one hour. Within one
hour, the course content is not covered. I think the course content should be reduced”
(BL_SHER_KIS).
Learning Centre
• “We do not have a learning center.. A place for discovery.” Another respondent added,
“Learning center --- NIIT, it is open only for IT – conducting during the summer break and
winter break” (BL_SHER_KIS).
•
When talking about Learning Centre, Group A stated: “Teach us skills and techniques to find
information, sources, webs- take risks and ownership.” Group B added: “Encourage us to
learn on our own” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Most of the students do not visit the LC. They tell us to come back. We can talk with them.
It is not just they giving us information; we have discussion; we get knowledge and share
with our peers. We feel more secure compared to doing it on our own. It proves to me a kind
of security; we could fetch more marks” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
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When asked, “If you had the power, how would you change the working of the LC,
respondent answered, “ Online link, make it available. Most of the students do not visit the
LC; online would be convenient.” Another respondent stated, “Make it compulsory-once in a
week. Environment-free to learn; mention the source; free to go.” Another respondent added,
“[Obtain] new books in terms of books/information. Creating awareness.” Another
respondent said, “LC helps in finding resources, skills and techniques. Not effective; I have
been here for two years and have not visited the LC. Make something unique and encourage
them [students] by giving them examples. Students who visit regularly, making them the
example and have them show others. This could help us.” Respondent continued, “Not much
interested. I think people who visit LC, getting help from the LC – when we write assignment
the mark is almost the same. We get assignments and we feel we can do the assignment on
our own and do not need the LC” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Activities to attract the students – people who are interested in story telling during free time,
they could teach telling stories or poems. They can do things like that. Some of the exciting
activities – sharing the current news so they can improve speaking skills. Next thing, most
important, LC is always there to help them. First year no one knew where it is. Visit the
classes. Next thing I would do is talk with the lecturers – all about the marks – tell the
lecturers tell compulsory to show once to the LC before submitting to Lecturers – mistakes
are then corrected prior” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“Feel shy to approach members who are responsible. From the same batch feel free to
approach them. Peers can approach the LC adults. Promotes ideas and knowledge”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
Extra Curricular Activities
Recreational activities
•
“To suppress worries, I interact with friends. When alone, I listen to music and browse
internet. Music makes me forget my worries, with friends, I forget my worries. Sports also
make me forget.” Another respondent agreed, “I feel the same” (BL_RIHS_KIS).
•
“Keeping the students engaged – you prompt ideas, so they can bring ideas out themselves.
Indulge them in sports and other extracurricular activities. Especially when they have nothing
to do during holiday break the things they are interested in and bring individual intelligence in
them” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
Sports – recreational and professional / girls to be expanded
•
“Impact of social network is great and students are not taking too much of interest in games
and sports. Losing human values amongst youth became our concern, which needs to be
revived. When I was student here, it was mandatory to be out of dormitory after 4 PM to play
sports” (BL_JNP_KIADM).
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“It is not necessary to teach GNH through literature. I am interested in sports. We don’t
usually see girls play football. If we did that, girls would be very happy. Wholesome
education is the focus of our ministry. Sometimes, we can be tension free and spend our
leisure time playing. Through that, we can teach GNH as well – create time for play”
(Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“[To participate in sports, girls have] No interest, lazy - because of the way we were brought
up. Some of us are brought up by illiterate parents and are not aware.” Respondent continued,
“We need to support our women in equal participation.” Another respondent added, “We
should encourage both, and give more opportunities to girls. If you form a group, we can have
girls speak out” (Pretest_PCE_FGS).
•
“In my point of view, before there were no females participating, that was because it was
developed from before and women were not capable. As a woman, I don’t like to be
discriminated. We should encourage women to participate – clubs that are organizations that
could help women.” Another, male, respondent remarked, “I think if am to say there is no
gender bias, if you look at the politics, there are more men. Bhutan is waking up from
isolation and entering modernization. Playing khuru – women are starting to play and I think
what men of Bhutan have done, it just happened like that so there is no gender bias. We
would love to see women to participate. I would love to see my mom participate in archery
and my sister playing khuru.In modern Bhutan and around the world people are similar – men
are playing sports and I don’t know how it started. Maybe my mom did not play because her
mom did not play. Women are competing now. There is no gender bias” (BL_SHER_FGS).
Music
•
“During informal discussions with students across RUB, it was noted that music appreciation,
in addition to playing music, was mainly restricted to cultural clubs. Even though many
students voiced their desires to express themselves through music in a classroom setting, the
only music education class the research team observed took place at ILCS. In the class,
lecturer engaged students in a variety of songs and also lectured about traditional instruments
of Bhutan. Although lecturer showed slides and photographs of these instruments, no actual
instruments were brought to class to provide tangible examples” (BL_ILCS_RD).
Double Degree
• “When this double combination was introduced – more jobs and access to jobs. Last year,
one graduate students [said] this was a false promise, no one recognizes this double degree
and not easy to get job unless [one passes] the EXAM. This would also is not in line with
GNH” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“System of double combination should changed and made into specialized course. 3-year
degree with single subject and focus more. Double combination, they feel, what I hear [it is]
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difficult to focus on two subjects. If there are 5 modules, three are economics and 2 modules
of other with 5 assignments and tests. They cannot focus” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Promise of opportunities for double combination – first batch graduated. When they went to
Thimphu for a job, except the lucky ones who were selected for the job, the other ones were
not offered any other job. No one recognizes the double combinations.” Respondent
continued, “Review the double combination – many conflicts and commitment, the single
subject got selected. Not specialized in either of the subject, people think they are not
specialized in either, but rather a general course” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Double combination – engaged. We have own readings to do to be prepared, what the
students take a platform for freedom and it is hard to track. Because of the double
combination they are busy. But now from my perspective most of the students are busy, until
8:00 in the evening” (BL_SHER_FGL).
•
“Idea of geography and English combination subject not good. If single degree is offered,
more in-depth knowledge or insight into the literature.” Another respondent added, “Time for
other research not available for double subjects”(BL_SHER_FGS).
•
“Students talked time and again about time management and financial challenges regarding
the RCSC exams. The students are concerned about the present pressure in double degree
programs for which they are not able to find time to prepare for the RCSC”
(BL_SHER_OBSL).
DISCUSSION
Quality of Education
Quality of education is the number one theme that respondents stated for RUB to attend to as
a way to bridge current classroom practices and pedagogy to a GNH holistic classroom practice and
pedagogy. According to UNICEF a quality education allows for an understanding of education as an
interdependent complex system embedded in a political, cultural and economic context (UNICEF,
2000). According to the research data in the baseline round respondents suggested that RUB needs
quality learners, quality lecturers, quality environments, quality course content embedded with GNH
values and principles, quality pedagogy and quality standards and indicators that are aligned with
GNH values and principles. The learners and teachers need to be in healthy physically, socially,
emotionally, and cognitively and ready to participate and learn. Students and lecturers need to be
supported in their learning and teaching by the management and local and national communities.
Classroom colleges need to provide environments that are physically, emotionally and socially safe,
compassionate and sensitive, and provide adequate resources and facilities. The content of the module
curricula should reflect the acquisition of basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and skills for life, as
well as areas such as health, current issues, GNH values and principles, and peace. The approach
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should be holistic, student-centered and the use of authentic assessment tools is essential for
assessment of learning and teaching. The student outcomes and assessment should be linked to the
knowledge, skills, and attitude that are necessary to support goals for a holistic GNH education and
positive participation in the Bhutanese society.
The research data shows that quality of education can be enhanced if the schools have
experienced qualified teachers who can bring joyful learning in the classrooms. The data revealed that
currently most lecturers are at the college due to their scores on qualifying exams rather than having a
passion or motivation for teaching and learning. The joyful learning classroom consists of the handson experiential, student-centered approach to learning as a very effective form of education. Students
performing the selected task themselves, they are more likely to gain a deeper understanding of how
the instruction they have been given actually relates to the task and the relevancy of their life. The
data also indicates that quality education has to be student-centered learning which is focused on the
student's needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles with the teacher as a facilitator of learning
(Estes, 2004). The data strongly show that current existing teaching practices is teacher centered
learning and needs to be replaced by student-centered learning that requires students to be active,
responsible participants in their own learning.
Quality education includes content that is reflected in relevant curricula and materials for the
acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitude for life that align with GNH values and principles. The
“…. goal is to see young people graduate from the education system with a deeply felt care for nature
and for each other, steeped in their culture, seeing reality clearly, living in harmony with the natural
world and with their neighbors, and acting wisely for the benefit of all beings (Prime Minister, Jigme
Y Thinley). The data shows that large class size and an extensive syllabus to be completed during the
current semester time schedule and the fragmentation of subjects are some of the contributing factors
that might affect the quality education in Bhutan.
Quality education promotes student engagement and collaborative learning in classes through
pedagogies that foster autonomous and academically mature learners. Students coming into higher
education are often coming from educational settings in secondary schools where they had little
control over their learning and much of their studies were directed and led by the teachers. So, beyond
teaching students the subject material, lecturers are also responsible for teaching students how to
learn. For quality GNH holistic education to happen at RUB, lectures need to be clear about
expectations for both themself as teachers and the students, students and lecturers need to active
participating members of RUB’s learning community. Lecturers need to make the learning
meaningful, relevant, and engaging. This will keep students interested not only in the subject matter
but more importantly in the learning process. Lecturers need to be consistent with policies and
procedures. If lecturers state that students are expected to participate, then lecturers should not run a
teacher-centered classroom with little opportunity for student interaction. Lecturers need to take time
during the course to obtain feedback from students. How well are the vision of the course and what is
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happening in the class aligning? Target issues related to classroom environment, content relevance,
instructional practices, opportunities for student interaction, assignments and assessments, should be
monitored and assessed during and after the semester through professional learning communities,
coaching groups.
The research team recommends several initial interventions. A short list follows with brief
explanations and examples.
As a Cycle II, III, and IV intervention, the research team strongly suggests that on-going
coaching groups are formed as professional learning communities. Coaching groups are groups of
four to five lecturers at the same college who observe each other’s classes once a week. For example;
there were four/five lecturers in a coaching group, each lecturer observes one of the coaching group
member’s class during the week, during a one month period each lecturer is visited by a all the
coaching group members. In addition to the weekly observations, meetings are held a couple times a
month to review the observation notes on (a) how students are learning in the classes, (b) identify
observable behaviors and measurable indicators that give evidence to student learning, (c) adjust
teaching pedagogies and classroom practices that match and align with the ways students are learning,
and (d) indicators and outcomes of GNH principles and values are discussed and developed in the
coaching groups which are then infused into classroom teaching. With the support and intelligence of
the lecturers at RUB, an internal on-going professional development programme can foster the growth
and development of GNH pedagogies and classroom practices more effectively than hiring outside
consultants.
The focus of the coaching group through observations of other lecturers is to identify ways
students are learning and develop teaching strategies that support student learning in their classrooms.
In addition, the coaching groups are to develop pedagogies that bring in current social, emotional,
environmental, political and cultural issues into the class content, and develop assessment ideas for
student learning other than quizzes and exams. If group presentations are used, rubric development
that includes GNH principle and values outcomes are necessary. During Cycle II and III a coaching
manual will be developed, during Cycle IV the coaching manual will be completed and given to all
the lecturers for effective implementation of an internal RUB professional development programme.
It is recommended that a committee at each college is established that annually monitors and
assesses the quality of education and alignment with GNH principle and value indicators. Lecturer
quality is one of the contributing factors that must be addressed in terms of quality education. Below
is a sample proposal of an assessment tool for lecturers.
Quality of Teaching
Excellence in teaching is one of the most important attributes and qualifications for quality of
education and should be considered and documented for lecturer effectiveness. Excellence in teaching
may include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
•
Mastery of one's discipline (internalizing the principles of one's discipline);
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•
Ability to communicate one's discipline clearly and imaginatively;
•
Ability to offer real world experiences for students to apply their new knowledge and skills in
the discipline understudy;
•
Knowledge of current developments in one's discipline;
•
Knowledge of authentic assessment methods;
•
Ability to align course content with GNH value and principle outcomes and indicators;
•
Relate relevancy of discipline to students’ life;
•
Ability to critique and support a dialectical discourse within the discipline;
•
Ability to inspire and mature students in the discipline; and
•
Demonstration of ability to work with the student as a whole person.
The research team recommends that every two to three years the lecturers update their
professional portfolio with the following documentation and submit to a committee of quality
education for review.
Sources of documentation include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
•
Self-evaluation;
•
Department head evaluations;
•
Peer evaluations;
•
A review of course syllabi by peers inside and outside the University;
•
Student evaluations;
•
Publications;
•
Awards, prizes or commendations;
•
Further course work or other continuing education in one's field; and
•
Director’s or Dean’s evaluation.
Research and Creative Work
Throughout time lecturers should demonstrate an increasing level of scholarly research and/or
creative work, to be reviewed both by other lecturer and administration within the University and,
outside the University by recognized peers in one's chosen field.
Evidence of such research and creative accomplishment may include the following:
•
Research, creative work or post-graduate education in particular areas which impacts one's
teaching and courses;
•
Presentations such as papers presented at conferences;
•
Publication of scholarly articles;
•
Artistic compositions, performances, tours;
•
Weavings, other cultural forms of art; and
•
Compositions (music).
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Mindfulness Development
Lecturers at ROB are encouraged to develop an on-going personal mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness is one of the foundations upon which the RUB's educational philosophy and approach
are based. Lecturers are encouraged to maintain such practice as a basis for personal and professional
development, as well as provide a model for the students.
Mindfulness development can be measured by pursuing such development and may include, but is not
necessarily be limited to, any of the following:
Retreats or practice intensives structured on principles of a mindfulness traditions, in a group or
solitary retreat at a hermitage, monastery, or practice center;
Training in a mindfulness discipline by a recognized lineage-holder in the form of classes,
intensives, weekends, or monastic education;
•
Participation in the mindfulness training and workshops provided by RUB or other practitioners.
Service to the University
The health and vitality of RUB depends upon its lecturers for quality services rendered inside
and outside the classroom. A lecturer is expected to participate in the operation of RUB.
Potential areas of contribution are:
•
Curriculum development for respective departments;
•
Committee member contributions;
•
Participation in departmental student recruitment;
•
Participation in departmental meetings;
•
Coaching groups;
•
Participation in RUB development, such as curriculum review and facilities planning;
•
Student mentoring and academic advising;
•
Admissions files review and admissions interview;
•
Orientation of new students; and
•
Assisting and supporting students as individuals and in student groups and activities.
Sources of documentation include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
•
Self report of activities and of time spent;
•
Department evaluations;
•
Coaching group observation and meeting notes;
•
Committee and departmental meeting notes;
•
Supervisor evaluations; and
•
Administrative evaluations (registrar, admissions office, recruitment office, and Academic
Vice President)
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Service to the Larger World
Each lecturer has an obligation to be active outside the immediate confines of the RUB
College, either in professional activities, beyond those mentioned above, that benefit his or her field
and the scholarly world in general, or in service to larger local, national, and/or international
communities.
Such service may include:
•
Serving as consultant or other type of resource person to individuals, businesses, agencies;
•
Lectures and presentations to non-professional groups;
•
Participation in political, artistic, religious or other similar kinds of activities;
•
Participation in non-profit organizations; and
•
Service to groups in a professional capacity outside of one's discipline.
Sources of documentation for service may include, but are not limited to:
•
Self-report and evaluation of activities;
•
Report and evaluation by those knowledgeable inside and outside the RUB College;
•
Appointments and positions in other organizations; and
•
Certificates of recognition.
Service to One's Field
Such service may include:
•
Appointment in a scholarly, psychological or artistic capacity to a national post or research
study;
•
Participation in professional organizations (e.g., attendance at annual meetings, conferences,
etc.); and
•
Serving in leadership positions in professional organizations.
Self-Evaluation
Lecturers prepare a self-evaluation addressing above.
1) Teaching:
• Course development
• Courses taught: provide current syllabi for classes being taught and arrange for other
lecturers to sit in on current classes for review.
• Response to student evaluations
• Self-evaluation
2) Professional development activities;
3) Service to the RUB and beyond;
4) Strengths and weaknesses of own teaching;
5) Professional accomplishments; and
6) Mindfulness practice development personally and in the classroom.
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Teaching Strategies
The baseline data collected from the colleges indicates the importance of participatory
teaching strategies to make classroom an interactive learning environment as opposed to a lecturebased model of education. The data shows a need for an increase in student participation to engage
students in their learning from students, lecturers, and administrators. Currently, there is limited use of
participatory strategies in the classroom. Strategies that include hands-on activities and field study
sites are rare, the use of group discussion and brainstorming are more common. There is a need to
increase the use of interactive teaching strategies such as VAK learning (Visual, Auditory and
Kinesthetic),10/2, praxis, problem-posing, partner learning, collaborative learning, and servicelearning in the local communities. Service-learning, which is not currently prevalent in the colleges,
helps the learning to be enhanced through direct application in appropriate social contexts of
principles and practices taught through formal instruction concurrent with guided reflection of the
student's experiences.
The participatory classroom engages students in meaningful learning inquiry –based activities
and productive interactions with their peers and teacher. The underlying philosophy is that students
learn best not when receiving knowledge but by interpreting it through making meaning with their
own life and learning through a discovery process. Participatory teaching has been shown to improve
student learning, teaching, and the well-being of students, (Barrett et al. 2007). The lecturer coaches
and mentors the students to facilitate their own learning, designing experiences through which
students acquire new knowledge and develop new skills.Maintaining high expectations for each
student by challenging and supporting the development of both individual and collective
learning.Using participatory strategies and open-ended questions draw out students' knowledge and
experiences; provide opportunities for dialogue among students, and allows the student to apply the
content to their own experiences and lives and learn how to become contributors to their society, an
important element of GNH education (Taylor & Fransman, 2004).
During the cycle 1 intervention, the faculty at PCE participated in a workshop on effective
teaching strategies. This workshop included 30 students and 38 lecturers from PCE. Several
participatory strategies including concept mapping, collaborative learning, problem posing, and
consensus conference were introduced. In addition, the workshop attempted at opening up the
traditional-teacher relationship where teacher holds all the knowledge and narrates to the student by
including the students from PCE at the workshop. The results were quite varied. There were eight
islands where students and lecturers sat together. Equal numbers of students and teachers were placed
at each island with the exception of two tables where lecturers out numbered the students. At some of
the tables the interaction was consistently took place, at other tables the students worked with other
students and the lecturers talked with other lectures, and at one table one of the lecturers took out a
paper and read the paper rather than participate in the workshop. At the end students and lecturers
were given a chance to reflect and share their experience. One student shared who clearly articulated
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how the constructivist approach of learning teaching strategies helped him understand the potential
and power of what a teaching strategy offers the classroom for both student and teacher. Several
lecturers shared that the workshop was one of the best they have attended and hope that more
workshops with a similar set up would take place.
In the Fall 2012 semester the Cycle II intervention is to have Lecturers include 10-15
participatory teaching strategies in their semester plans. The semester plans will be reviewed and
research team members will be observing classes to discover the challenges and successes the
lecturers have with expanding their knowledge and skills of participatory teaching strategies. In
addition, the handbook that RUB has on teaching strategies will be expanded to include a wider range
of teaching strategies, definitions, and resources for further learning.
The research team believes that lecturer development participatory teaching strategies will
facilitate the development of GNH values and principles in the classroom. The following is a list of
activities the research team recommendsto RUB as ways to develop the knowledge and skills of
participatory teaching strategies. The activities are followed by a recommended time frame to
introduce during the research study.
1.
Continued workshops on participatory teaching strategies. (First workshop was given
during Cycle II)
2.
Further development of teaching strategy handbook for RUB lecturers.
3.
Professional development opportunities aligned with handbook.
4.
Development of self-assessment tools for lecturers to they can monitor and evaluate
teaching practices.
Interactive learning
Interactive learning is a hands-on process of conveying information in classrooms. Passive
learning relies on listening to teacher’s lecture or memorization of information, figures, or equations.
But with interactive learning, students are invited to participate in the conversation, through role-play,
experiential activities, debate, structured discussion, fieldtrips and visual aids. Students are able to
acquire information themselves by discovering on their own. In addition to engaging students,
interactive learning sharpens critical thinking skills, which are important to the development of
analytic reasoning. Someone who can explore an open-ended question with imagination and logic is
learning how to make decisions, as opposed to just regurgitating memorized information, also known
as the banking theory. Interactive learning teaches students how to collaborate and work successfully
in groups. The research team recommends the following in order to maintain an interactive classroom;
Developing-coaching groups with lecturers in the colleges, this tool promotes interactive learning
environment among the teaching faculty. It strengthens collegiality and brings support through
discussion, consulting, sharing teaching experiences and ideas, and observing one another's
classrooms.This strategy promotes personal development as well as professional development.
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Service learning
Service Learning falls under teaching strategies. Teaching strategies are the second strongest
themed from the baseline round. Service learning is different from community service in that it
involves a deliberate inclusion of academic curriculum and critical reflection before, during, and after
the action of service. Service-learning projects can be put in place to strengthen learning in almost any
subject area and include activities such as: peer tutoring to strengthen subject knowledge and skills
among lecturers and among students (RMC Research Corporation, 2004); outreach to the elder
population to deepen knowledge of history and culture and build cross-generational relationships;
reduction of consumption and recycling along with other environmental projects to provide hands-on
science and math experiences aligning with GNH; school to career students creating a network of
intern opportunities (Billig, Root, & Jesse, 2005); and service to marginalized populations to expand
on the integration of academics, GNH values and principles and civics lessons (Clayton, BallifSpanvill, & Hunsaker, 2001; Leming, 1999). The variety of connections between service and learning
are only limited by the lecturers’ and students’ imaginations. Service-learning has been demonstrated
to provide a number of benefits to students, schools and communities including supporting learning,
the development of personal skills, the development of community or civic skills, inculcates positive
character development, and inspires an intentional classroom climate that aligns with GNH value and
principles (Billig, 2000; Melchior & Orr, 1995; National Youth Leadership Council, 2004; SnowRenner, Vermeer, Cumbo, Pickeral, & Miller, 2004). The Research Team recommends the following
interventions to raise a variety and quality of education. Every college should have a plan for service
learning. As an example the following is recommended for PCE to develop a partnership with the
Beacon schools, seed schools. PCE students will partner with a teacher(s) from the Beacon schools
during each semester to provide service to the teacher and his/her classroom in the form of classroom
preparation of the environment and materials, classroom teaching and support, assessment, and lesson
development. Equally 10 hours per college class
Critical Pedagogy
Through the GNH PAR research, the data strongly showed need for a shift from banking
methods of education such as lecturing where the lecturer uses a narrative and is the subject of
learning and students are passive recipients of information and the use of yes/no questions towards
critical pedagogical methods (Freire, 1970). For example, in the data collected from Royal Institute of
Health and Science (RIHS) 29% of the respondents affirmed the need to shift the paradigm of
classroom practices and pedagogies from a banking method of education to a more interactive form of
co-creation of knowledge. To develop students to be more analytical thinkers and to synthesize
information to take informed action, current teaching practices must develop higher order thinking
skills.
The lecturer's philosophy and the development of their classroom pedagogy inform the aim to
transform the teaching learning process. Therefore, training in critical pedagogy, follow-up coaching,
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and the sharing of teaching practices between lecturers must be part of the foundation of lecturer
professional development programs as well as the curriculum for students throughout RUB. As
opposed to banking methods of education, critical pedagogy takes higher order critical thinking and
moves beyond memorization of information, reciting of information, and critical thinking. Critical
pedagogy applies knowledge and skill to action in students’ personal lives and the wider community.
Critical pedagogy recognizes the interdependence of the individual, the collective community and the
environment, which closely aligns with GNH and Buddhist principles in Bhutan. “Critical Pedagogy
wants to connect education to [passion and awareness], to embolden teachers and students to act in
ways that make a difference and to push humans to a new levels of social and cognitive achievement
previously deemed impossible” (Kincheloe, 2008, p. 4).
The inclusion of critical pedagogy is in direct alignment with GNH because critical pedagogy
considers how education can provide individuals with the tools to better themselves through the
development of deep critical thinking, transformative action, and contemplative learning. Critical
pedagogy also fosters compassion as well as strengthens democracy and creates a more just society
(Kellner, 2000; Hayward &Coleman, 2010). Classrooms that align with GNH framework require
holistic education utilizing critical pedagogy and interactive learning strategies. The higher order
thinking skills must be developed in RUB classrooms.
To increase the knowledge and skills of lecturers on critical pedagogy during the first
intervention Cycle of Phase I, workshops were held to train lecturers in strategic questioning to
increase critical pedagogy. For the Cycle II interventions, lecturer semester plans are to be
transformed for the Fall 2012 semester at PCE by to facilitate including a strategic question in
lecturer’s daily plan. A strategic question guides the student learning in the content area. Strategic
questioning is a process that can offer change within the student as well as the lecturer by opening
student and lecturer to other points of view. This process invites ideas to shift and take into account
new information and new possibilities. The classroom encourages students and lecturers to use the
language of possibilities rather than relying on our own presupposition and assumptions as accurate.
The classroom utilizing this method of critical pedagogy invokes a special creativity that can forge
fresh ideas and thoughts for addressing personal and societal challenges. This steers the lecturer to use
critical pedagogy participatory strategies rather than a more narrative banking lecture strategy of
teaching (Peavey, 1995).
The workshop on teaching strategies included 36 lecturers and 32 students. The PCE research
team decided to have the workshops with students and lecturers to also address the increase in more
friendly learning relationships between lecturers and students, another pattern that emerged in the
baseline data. The workshop went very well with four lecturers from PCE stating it was the best
workshop they had attended (BL_PCE_FBL). The students reported they learned a lot about teaching
strategies and hoped that the lecturers would start to utilize them in their classrooms (BL_PCE_FBS).
Furthermore, fifteen students reported they would utilize the teaching strategies presented in their own
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classrooms during their practicums (BL_PCE_FBS). Lastly, fourteen lecturers reported they wanted
more hands-on workshops utilizing the teaching strategies as they were new to them and they needed
more practice before they would be able to integrate into their own classrooms(BL_PCE_FBL). Four
lecturers mentioned having a handbook that would outline the participatory teaching strategy options
and then have training on the handbook so that they would become familiar with all of the strategies
that RUB supports (BL_PCE_FBL).
The second workshop to support critical pedagogy on strategic questioning was not as well
attended as the first teaching strategy workshop with only 15 lecturers attending, however the PCE
Director attended this workshop, his support having influence. The goal of this workshop was for
lecturers to work with each other on developing strategic questions for each class lesson within the
modules they teach. Lecturers who teach the same module were to work together as not to replicate
the effort of developing the questions for the shared modules. The lecturers worked collaboratively to
come up with one strategic question per classroom. Overwhelmingly the feedback from the lecturers,
12 of 15, stated that developing the questions was a lot harder than they had thought it would be.
Most of the lecturers stated they had experience in developing critical thinking questions to use in
their classroom, however when it came to develop the questions and to incorporate the questions into
their modules the task was much more difficult than their experience led them to believe. To develop
open ended provocative relevant questions for the student lives was challenging. The Director of PCE
agreed to have the Cycle I intervention workshop on strategic questioning (Critical pedagogy pattern)
move into the Cycle II intervention cycle by requiring all lecturers to incorporate a column of
strategic questions in their semester plans for each daily class. This syllabus transformation is due the
first week of August 2012 and is to be handed into the Heads of Department (HOD), Jambay Lhamo
RTL, and Dr. Young (PI) for review and feedback. The Academic Dean Som Gurung is to follow up
with emails at the onset of the semester and ensure that all lecturers understand the requirement and
that they follow through. The email is to be sent by Som Gurung. Besides the workshop during the
Cycle I intervention in May, Fran Peavey’s article Strategic Questioning was made available to all
lecturers to facilitate the development of a strategic question in lecturer’s daily semester plan.
Another comment made during the strategic questioning workshop that is relevant to the
study interventions was the response to the question “how do you know students are learning?” After
a short period of silence and then discussion one lecturer stated “we know students learn through
exams and quizzes” (BL_PCE_MNL). A discussion followed describing how exams and quizzes
were the way most lecturers knew if students were learning. The need for other assessment tools that
align with GNH values and principles is greatly needed. Exams and quizzes tend to uphold qualities
of competitiveness, independence, hierarchical, high stress and pressure to perform. Assessment is
another pattern that emerged during the baseline data.
The research team believes that development in lecturer and student ability in critical
pedagogy needs to be cultivated in the development of modules, during class time and within
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assessment tools. The following is a list of activities the research team recommendsto RUB as ways
to develop the knowledge and skills of critical pedagogy so that pedagogy and classroom practices at
RUB are immersed in critical pedagogy. The activities are followed by a recommended time frame
to introduce during the research study.
1. Training and workshops in critical pedagogy.
a. Workshop on participatory teaching strategies (First workshop held during Cycle I –
more workshops are highly recommended).
b. Workshop on strategic questioning and semester plan change. (Cycle I workshop on
strategic questions to add to semester plans for each lesson plan).
c. Semester plan changes are to be made prior to fall 2012 semester
2. Coaching groups (On-going through Cycle II, Cycle III, Cycle IV). Opportunity for lecturers
to learn from each other teaching practices. In addition, lecturers can support each other to
align teaching with student learning.
3. Teaching strategy handbook in include participatory or interactive learning strategies .
a. Thinley Wangchuk is to send electronically the handbook of teaching strategies that
RUB current has developed. PI will add additional participatory teaching strategies
with outlines of training workshops for lecturers on the added strategies. (Cycle II)
4. Workshop for lecturers at PCE and lecturers on the research teams from all colleges on stepby-step process of the development of critical thinking and action. (Cycle V –summer session
2013).
Mindfulness
The practice of samadhi or that of concentration, meditation, and mental development of one's
mind, is the path to wisdom, which in turn leads to personal liberation. Mental development also
strengthens and controls our mind, which helps us maintain good and righteous conduct. "Real
freedom is a consequence of development; it is the consequence of latent guides, aided by education.
It is the construction of the personality, reached by effort and one's own experiences; it is the long
road which every student must take to reach maturity." (Montessori, 1948).
The current literature and science around mindfulness, a meditative practice, suggests that
mindfulness practice has potentially life-transforming benefits and increases learning through
mobilizing people’s interior biological, social, and psychological resources (Siegel, 2012) Photo
imagery has allowed us to verify that mindfulness practice can literally change our brains and improve
ability of learning and our roles as student and teacher by enhancing our capacity for learning,
integrating, and acting. Mindfulness practice in education focuses on teaching students how to pay
attention rather that telling the student to pay attention. As noted by many stories during the data
collection, telling the student happened far more often that showing students how to pay attention.
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Mindfulness practice relates to a GNH education as mindfulness can encourage and increase
pro-social behaviors of kindness and compassion to improve the quality of life. Kindness and
compassion are both GNH values. Mindfulness practice would require lecturers to slow down a bit
and take the time in class to cultivate an appreciation of how the student is in relationship with
oneself, have the student pay attention to how one is learning, and give time for students to learn how
one is in relationship to other students, nature, and the greater community.
Mindfulness practice in classrooms can decrease the ever-increasing pressures and demands
of the technological digital driven society. The practice in our classrooms can help students and
lecturers intentionally bring awareness that being human and how to recognize and address the social
differences and inequities in a loving and compassionate action filled way.
As per the data collected during the baseline round mindfulness practice is not a consistent or
regular practice among most of the lecturers in the classroom. There were reports of a few lecturers
who use mindfulness practice in their classrooms on a regular basis, however these were a very small
percentage. The students and lecturers who reported mindfulness in the classroom stated the level of
focus and attention students are able to undertake increased and classroom learning went more
smoothly.
Several of the contributing factors from the lecturers for not using mindfulness practice in the
classroom included: (a) not able to lead classroom mindfulness practices effectively due to a lack of
experience and knowledge (b) the lecturers do not believe that mindfulness practice is of benefit in the
classroom, (c) little training has been available for lecturers on mindfulness practice (d) lecturers do
not have their own personal mindfulness practice (e) lecturers perceived that the students would not
want mindfulness practice in their classroom and (f) mindfulness practice is associated with religious
practice and should not be in schools. There were two lecturer respondents who reported that if
mindfulness practice was required in the classroom they would leave the college.
The student respondents reported they thought (a) mindfulness practice was useful (b) they
had experienced mindfulness practice in the classroom during their secondary schooling and wanted
to continue (c) students wanted to have more consistent practices at the College (d) students wanted
more lecturers to use mindfulness practice in the classroom (e) students would like to develop their
own practice and have a time and place on college to practice as once they go home students reported
not having a quiet place and time to practce. Student respondents from several colleges reported that
they did have their own mindfulness practice and used it prior to starting homework in the evening.
The majority of student respondents stated the purpose of mindfulness practice was to enhance
concentration for their schooling.
During the jumpstart the group of lecturers and administrators stated that for mindfulness
practice to become integrated into the classroom there needed to be a comprehensible difference
between classroom practice and religious practice. The concern that lecturers would be hesitant to
bring mindfulness practice into their classrooms was noted due to the religious connotations. In
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addition, the lecturers stated they needed more evidence as to the benefits of student learning before
mindfulness practice should be required by the college as a pedagogical practice. The tendency
reported by lecturers and students in the colleges was that mindfulness is used for concentration and
focus development of students.
The research team believes that mindfulness practice should be come something each and
every class practices and supports throughout RUB. The following is a list of activities the research
team thought would be beneficial to enlist in RUB as a way of infusing mindfulness practice and its
benefits into RUB college classrooms. The activity is followed by a recommended time frame to
introduce during the research study. In addition to the benefits to student learning and human values
education, the RUB administration could also infuse into their management practices providing RUB
the opportunity to become a model and a leading educational institution in holistic pedagogies and
traditions.
1. Mindfulness practices become a part of the curriculum for modules and is written in the
lesson plans and semester plans. (Phase II)
2. A mindfulness practice manual is developed by lecturers at PCE and the PI for lecturers
throughout RUB to use as a tool and guide. (Cycle I and Cycle II intervention).
3. Practice not only in the class but also encourage students and lecturers to have personal
practices, therefore have a place or room central in the college where lecturers and students
can go and practice during the day in their free time, (Phase II).
4. Introduce yoga morning, evening, (Cycle III and Cycle IV) for all
5. Introduce yoga and other eastern traditional arts as an elective module for all students (Phase
III)
6. On-going follow up coaching and training for lecturer personal practice and development of
practice in the classroom to raise confidence (Phase II and Phase III).
7. Invitation of Monastic leaders to the college four or five times a semester to help develop the
personal mindfulness practice of lecturers and students.
8. Within each semester a two-day retreat is available for students and lecturers to participate in.
(Phase II)
a. Eventually this may be offered two or three times during the semester.
Assessment
Nothing we do to, or for our students is more important than our assessment of their work and
the feedback we give them on it. The results of our assessment influence students for the rest
of their lives... (Race et al., 2005)
The most widely use form of assessments at RUB are testing and quizzes, this is followed by
group presentations, however very few lecturers use rubrics with their student to clearly identify
student learning outcomes and expectations.Should tests determine ones future? Why would Bhutan
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want someone to take a test to keep students out of a college they want to enter? How does a multiple
choice or short answer question tests encourage students to look at current issues from the
perspective of GNH values and principles?At present the students learning is evaluated based on
exam marks alone, so respondents felt there is a need to change the motive for learning and go beyond
marks (BL_CNR_12-03-12). To achieve gains in student knowledge and skills, RUB lecturers must
give students a rich curriculum with varied opportunities to use their learning and skills in real world
issues and opportunities. Overwhelmingly students at RUB believed that the tests at level 10 and level
12 should not determine the success and future of a student. Students tend to internalize the judgments
of test scores as legitimate. Many times the scores on the tests become a brand of shame in which
students carry long after the test. Tests tend to oversimplify what is taught in the classroom and to
severely constrict what is taught to only those items most likely to appear on the upcoming test. How
can a test really capture what a student learnt in the last one – eight years of schooling? How will indepth courses be taught if testing for memorization is required? How will RUB lecturers be able to
innovate new curriculum and pedagogies if assessments are based upon test scores? Taking a test is
not the way to amend education. The money and time invested in tests could be given to lecturer
professional development workshops, school supplies, or perhaps cultural arts programs. Raising
student awareness is about getting an education that is meaningful, deep, and personalized. Testing
does not support this.
A few concerns that were revealed through the data were:
•
My peers do not do the same amount of work as me and I end up doing everything.
(BL_PCE_FGS)
•
It's just easier if the teacher lectures and gives PowerPoint slides in a handout that I can study
for the exam. Examinations are how it is decided where we go after school.
(BL_SHER_FGS)
•
Tests do not teach us anything but they do tell us if we are smart enough to make it or not and
we can be denied based up our scores. (BL_CST_FGS)
• “I wanted to be a doctor, I could only come here and teach because I did not qualify. I
sometimes think about being a doctor, but I could not” (BL_CNR_KIL).
There is an important relationship between assessment and student learning of module
objectives. Most often the assessment and the objectives on the content of the module make up the
entire course. Typically a first step in module development is to create student-learning objectives.
Based on these learning objectives lecturers can then design what types of teaching strategies and
assessments will measure students' learning of the stated learning objectives. There should be a match
between student-learning objectives, assessment tools, and teaching strategies.
For a holistic GNH classroom, the student learning objectives for each and every module
must go beyond content if GNH values and principles are to be achieved. The GNH values and
principles will need to be embedded into the semester plan beginning with the module student-
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learning objectives followed by teaching strategies utilized, strategic questions for thought, and lastly
the assessment tools selected. Lecturers should be able to align their choice of assessment tools to the
both student content objectives and GNH values and principle objectives. Once the student learning
objectives and assessment tools are in place a semester plan for learning can be developed creating the
learning opportunities that will best support the students in reaching the student-learning objectives.
Critical reflection on the learning objectives should lead instructors to awareness about appropriate,
relevant assessments and authentic assessments. Assessment has many benefits beside the obvious
one of providing a measure of students' learning or memorization of content. Assessment can be a
way to engage students with their learning. Ideally lecturers’ assessment is to support active learning
rather than assessment of student learning to ensure that the assessment process is an integral part of
students' education.
Assessments for learning focuses on the opportunities to develop students’ ability to selfreflect and evaluate themselves, to develop judgments and evidence to support those judgments about
their own and other students’ performance and learning, and to improve. Authentic assessment
methods offer lots of opportunities for students to develop their skills through formative assessment
using small amounts of summative assessment.
One challenge for instructors in higher education today as well as in the lower grades is
instilling in students a sense of responsibility for their own learning. Throughout the world we are
witnessing a rise in active learning and learner-centered instruction and assessment in higher
education. This rise does not come without some resistance from the students as the new strategies are
breaking what is familiar patterns and putting more responsibility on the student to learn.
Weimer (2002) suggests that students “must accept the responsibility for learning.
Thisinvolves developing the intellectual maturity, learning skills, and awareness necessary to function
as autonomous learners" (p. 95). With the rise of PowerPoint and the use of online learning
management systems students become more dependent on the teacher to supply all necessary
information for the good grade that will lead them to high qualifying score and a good career. To align
higher education with GNH values and principles a paradigm shift is needed so that students are
happily engaged in the learning and assessment processes; participating in classrooms through
interactions with their peers and lecturers; and for learning to be academically, socially, emotionally,
and spiritually rewarding contributing to personal and social well-being.
Holistic education utilizing critical pedagogy and contemplative education proposes one way
to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning, is to give the student some power in the
decision-making about their module and assessment tools (Weimer, 2002). When students are
integrated in the options, students better understand the reading selection, assignment design,
assessments and in-class activities. Often times, students are not even given a simple rationale for the
instructor's decision on readings and assessment tools. The students then become passive followers,
something that is quite opposite of what holistic GNH classroom pedagogy calls for.
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Peer and self-assessment, for instance, can foster a number of skills, such as reflection,
critical thinking and self-awareness, collaboration, and collective learning raising civic vitality, selfdiscipline, responsibility and interdependence. For PCE and SCE peer and self-assessment gives preservice students insight into the assessment process and how their future teaching can be enhanced.
Discussing the whys and the ways lecturers assess with students can help ensure the aims and goals of
lecturer chosen assessments are clear. Utilizing assessment that makes use of technology, such as the
use of online discussion forums or electronic submission of work, can teach students needed
technological skills and reduce plagiarism informing students how to gather and report information
(Cowan, 2005).
For the lecturers at RUB to utilize assessment as a form of measurement and a form of
learning workshops and follow-up coaching will need to be provided over a 2-3 year period. In
addition, revision of semester plans, and student information systems will need to be adjusted to
accept newly identified ways of assessment. During the workshop lecturers will learn how to integrate
multiple streams of assessment data to inform them on the reality of how well their students are
learning the content, skills, and GNH values and principles being targeted by the specific module’s
learning objectives. Assessment workshops will include, but not be limited to, summative, formative,
peer feedback and student self-assessment rubrics design and reducing the reliance and pressure of
tests. This intervention is planned for Cycle III intervention round during the winter session of RUB
(January – February 2012) for the PCE research team members and lecturers who have been identified
by the director or voluntarily commit to the intensive assessment workshop.
The research team believes that changes in assessment are essential for RUB to develop a
GNH pedagogy and classroom practice. The following is a list of activities the research team
recommendsto RUB as a way to assess of student learning moving away from tests and exams. The
activity is followed by a recommended time frame to introduce during the research study.
1.
Inculcate critical thinking and action into every module as part of the assessment
process. This can be started by developing strategic questions for each class lesson
into the semester plans by creating an additional column to the semester plans and
lecturers working tougher to come up with a series of strategic questions that align
with the module topic. (Cycle II)
2.
To develop objectives and indicators of student learning for GNH value and
principles that can be assessed. (Cycle III)
3.
Development of authentic assessment tools by lecturers through professional learning
communities, coaching groups. (On-going through Cycle II, Cycle IV, Cycle V).
4.
Development of peer assessment and self-assessment tools to be used in modules for
student learning and development. (Cycle III)
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Workshops with lecturers to learn and develop authentic assessment tools matching
student outcomes and indicators for GNH values and principles as well as content
material. (Cycle III)
Relationships
Building relationships between lecturer and student was significantly stronger among the
students than the lecturers. Students wanted a more friendly atmosphere in the classroom as well as
during office hours. Students reported that in general they were hesitant to see lecturers during office
hours unless they had a specific question or doubt about an assignment. Only five students reported
going to see the lecturer about expanding the class content or topics not specifically related to the
class. Few lecturers could give specifics about what their students thought about learning expectations
and goals of the module.
Students are coming from a primary and secondary educational background where in most
cases the student was not given many choices about their learning. Seeing lecturers continue this
process is common. In fact, oftentimes, what is rare is when lecturers do share their power and give
students more choice and voice in the classroom. The data supports the pattern that instructional
choices that exert control over students are informed by lecturer beliefs and assumptions about
students' (lack of) capacity for learning and decision-making. Students are not seen as academically
experienced enough to make good decisions about learning; students lack academic skills for learning;
students come to get good, pass qualifying exams, and get a civic job.
The research team recommends that lecturers begin on the first day of class to develop a more
personal relationship with the students and share decision-making power. For example, on the first
day of class lecturers can survey the students about their learning expectations and goals for the
course. Discover what content about the topic understudy is most meaningful and relevant to them
(given their majors, career goals, other module, etc.). The lecturer and students can democratically
make decisions about cell phone and computer use in the classroom, food and drink in the classroom,
attendance and punctuality, use of online learning management systems, side conversations, chair
arrangements, and other ground rules to create an intentional learning culture of respect and shared
responsibility. Lecturers and student work together early in the semester to establish an intentional
culture of the classroom, one that is collaborative and open to questions, exploration of the subject
matter, and relevant to students’ lives. Guidelines should include ways to deal with opposing views
when they arise, ensure that everyone contributes, and how to address dominant and silent students
Lecturers could provide a sample of assignments for students to either choose from or modify.
There are several ways that student can have input on assignments. For instance students are told
what point value would earn them an A, B, and so forth. The student could then choose from a
selection of assignments to total equal to or more than what they needed to receive an A in the class.
This would mean the lecturer would need to have enough choices so students could opt out of 1 or 2
assignments of their choosing. Another option is for the lecturer to select the assignments they want
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the students to do because the lecturer firmly believes the selected assignments will be the best
measure of meaningful student learning in the module - i.e., the selected assignments are nonnegotiable. Then, the lecturer can explore with the students ideas on how best to complete them. If it
is a writing assignment will students give the lecturers multiple drafts before grading? Will the
students have choice of submission formats such as paper, video, performance art, presentation, can
the students choose to work individually or in groups?
An additional option is to let students contribute to the assessment decisions. What
assessments make the most sense given the learning objectives you all have agreed upon for the
module course? How best will students and lecturers know that students have learned and are able to
apply the new knowledge and/or skill? Can students include a self-assessment or peer assessment on
particular assignments? Brainstorm with the students about their learning preferences. Ask questions
on how to arrange the classroom in rows, in small groups around a table, in a semi-circle or a full
circle including the lecturer. How will lecturers and student contribute to the module content?
There are many ways to create and develop more friendly relationships sharing the
responsibility of teaching and learning. The research team recommends that coaching groups,
professional learning communities of lecturers at each college, use their observations and discussions
with each other to develop other ways of integrating relationship development into their pedagogy.
Cultural preservation
The baseline data shows that all RUB colleges recognize the importance of preserving the
culture of Bhutan through informed and integrated curriculum and classroom practices. ILCS ranked
the highest amongst all the colleges in expressing the critical role of culture preservation in achieving
GNH goals. According to the respondents (BL_ILCS_FGL), preserving our national language
Dzongkha is one of the ways of preserving the unique national identity and it is crucial to have more
subjects taught in Dzongkha, not only at ILCS but also other colleges. Students at other colleges
confirmed this stance. However, the data also showed that a deeper understanding of cultural values
and their connection with environment is required for students to think critically and to internalize
their interdependence of both culture and Bhutan’s natural environment. One of the most important
goals of the RUB is to developgraduates with a greater sense of appreciation for the country’s unique
culture in the rapid era of modernization and appreciate and identify themselves with their own unique
cultural heritage (Tertiary Education Policy of the Kingdom of Bhutan, 2010).
The research team recommends that modules integrate historical cultural aspects of Bhutan
within the subject content. Workshops should be held within each college where lecturers work
together infusing historical cultural traditions such as story telling, farming, and yak herding. This
workshop should happen during faculty development time or during the winter or summer session
where lecturers can then receive education credits for attending. In addition, the research team
recommends an experiential component for RUB students by staying with the natured based
populations throughout Bhutan for a one-week time frame during the first year second semester. In
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this way RUB students can first hand understand the contributions and benefits of this lifestyle. This
deeper understanding will bring about a more active support for the preservation of historical cultures
of Bhutan.
Motivation
A high level of employee motivation is derived from effective management practices. To
develop motivated employees, a manager must treat people as individuals, empower workers by
providing freedom of expression and listening to their voices, provide an effective reward system,
encourage freedom with responsibility, involve all the members in decision making and above all be a
dynamic and far sighted leader, one with a vision to carry others through challenges. Thus, managers
who are at the greatest risk of derailment are those who are unable to build, direct, and motivate their
team, or are unable to teach and develop their team (Centre for Leadership Development, 2010;
Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). Motivation is considered to be a central achievement of human
resources management practices with a fundamental aim to increase job involvement and job
satisfaction of a lecturer and acquiring high level of work motivation (Jerris, 1999).
Components for higher motivation include career development, which has been shown to
ensure teacher motivation, which in turn enhances lecturer performance and thus impacts learning
outcomes positively. Several of the lecturers throughout RUB believe that being geographically away
from their families is a sacrifice that impacts the quality of teaching and motivation to teach. Surveys
in NWFP and Punjab have shown that teacher discipline and motivation is better when teachers are
placed within their area of residence (World Bank, “Management
Study”, 2005; World Bank, “Reform Study”, 2005).
The research team recommends a plan to be developed and include an exploration of various
issues of motivation for the lecturers at RUB, an elaboration of problems which are being faced by
lecturers regarding factors specifically to RUB, and recommendations supported by an action plan
needs to be developed. In addition, a recognition plan for lecturer achievement and lecturer
contributions to the university be developed so that the lecturers feel more satisfied in their job, which
is directly related to classroom pedagogy and practices. The courage and dedication for developing
high performance and GNH value infused work systems canonly be achieved if lecturers are willing
to give their best. Compensation hence must have to give attention to the non-monetary factors such
asrecognition, feed back and opportunities for career development to retain a high quality lecturer
alongside financial incentives. Several of the lecturers throughout RUB believe that being
geographically away from their families is a sacrifice that impacts the quality of teaching and
motivation to teach. Surveys in NWFP and Punjab have shown that teacher discipline and motivation
is better when teachers are placed within their area of residence (World Bank, “ManagementStudy”,
2005; World Bank, “Reform Study”, 2005).
The research team believes that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation result in different outcomes.
Scores of studies have shown that the more people are rewarded for doing something, the more they
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are apt to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward. Researchers keep finding that
offering people positive reinforcement for being helpful and generous ends up undermining those very
qualities, and encourage lecturers and students to improve grades results however become less
interested in learning, (Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999; Kohn, 1999).
Responsibility and Self Discipline
The analysis of the data shows that there is no common definition of responsibility and selfdiscipline among lecturers or students. For educators who invoke the need to teach students selfdiscipline, an exploration of the philosophical foundation of that concept is essential. Some
respondents believed that obedience to authority is what produces self-discipline, and self-discipline,
in turn, is required for achievement (Block, 2002, pp. 195-96). Actions are chosen because one
‘should’ do them, or because not doing so might engender anxiety, guilt, or loss of esteem. Other
respondents believe that responsibility and self-discipline is more of an internalization process that
can take place more authentically, so the actions are experienced as volitional or self-determined. In
this way responsibility and self-discipline are seen as being fully integrated into one’s value structure
and feels chosen. Research demonstrates that the latter kind of internalization leads to better outcomes
than the former. The research team member’s analysis of the data suggests that in order to teach GNH
values and principles, practice should begin from oneself. In order to develop happiness,
responsibility and discipline opportunities need to be given to students and lecturers to become selfdisciplined and act righteous, not wait to be told to do so.
The research team members believe it is essential for teachers to promote the more positive
version by minimizing “externally imposed evaluations, goals, rewards, and pressures” as well as
proactively supporting students’ sense of autonomy,” (Ryan & Stiller, 1991, p. 143). Having
responsibility and self-discipline to be internal is not sufficient. If students or lecturers feel
controlled, even from within, they’re likely to be more conflicted, unhappy, and perhaps less likely to
succeed with their tasks of teaching and learning. A holistic college education provides opportunity
for the student to discover who they are and how they want to be in the world. Lecturers, students and
administrators at RUB needs to ask if the RUB college journey consists of collecting credentials for
whatever comes next or does the RUB college experience provide gratification, in itself. RUB
students may learn to be skilled test-takers,take hold of grades and be able to delay gratification,
however is this the mixed the blessing of self-discipline that GNH is striving for?
Some lecturers ask: How can they get students to raise their hands and wait to be called on
rather than blurting out the answer? Some lecturers will ask: Why does the lecturer ask most of the
questions and unilaterally decide who gets to speak, and when? Some students ask: What is the best
way for me to learn self-discipline so I will do my work? Some students ask:Are these assignments,
which feel like work really worth doing? A holistic GNH education makes a distinction of
responsibility and self-discipline beyond creating control for a work force, developing a workaholic
mentality. The cultivation of awareness so that students understand the benefits of study and the
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student wants to follow through even if it’s not always pleasurable is more important that if the
students knows what their supposed to study and may feel bad about themself if they do not study
(Ryan, Rigby, & King, 1993,).
What aspect of life is important for a GNH education, this questionasks is it important to train
children to make meaningful decisions, become part of a democratic society, and learn to think
critically or put one’s nose to the grind ondoing what the prescribed lessons are and doing whatever
one is told. To develop the capacity to choose whether and when to persevere, to control oneself, to
follow the rules is more important than the tendency to do these things in every situation needs to be
reviewed. Secure, healthy students and lecturers can be flexible and open to new experiences and selfdiscovery, deriving satisfaction from the process of learning and teaching rather than beingfocused on
the end product. Aself-disciplined student may be understood asa student who is reading or problemsolving purely as a means to the end of a good test score or a high grade, or paying attention in class,
making comments in a discussion, and filling in answers on a worksheet. Aself-disciplined student
may also beunderstood as a student who is intrinsically motivated, wanting to do something for its
own sake, to read just because it’s exciting to captivate oneself in a story. The research team suggests
that further conversation about how to promote deep thinking and excitement about learning, rather
than the memorization of facts and practicing skills by rote needs be organized. A critical dialogueof
self-discipline in the field of education and throughout the Bhutanese culture is needed
Environmental preservation
This study has revealed that a lack of on-going environmental awareness and education is
apparent at most of the colleges. There are a diversity of ways that lecturers can address
environmental education in their classrooms. Furthermore, RUB can require a program for all RUB
students to take part in during their overall four year journey. For instance, environmental education
could become a compulsory area of the curriculum in higher education using a range of different
approaches, the most common being that it is embedded in all subject areas. Similar to the
recommendations for cultural preservation in the first year, the students in their second year second
semester could be required to camp in the wilderness and learn environmental awareness such as the
program Leave No Trace or National Outdoor Leadership School offers. The links are provided for
further investigation. The research team has contacts and connections for both the groups if RUB is
interested in pursuing further development.
It is interesting to note that in addition to broad areas of knowledge in relation to
environmental education, the importance of values, ethics, attitudes and behaviors in the classroom
and pedagogy of teaching and learning emerges, thus giving the teaching of environmental education
a perspective not always found in the classroom or pedagogy of the lecturer. This approach suggests
that general concerns about the environment and sustainability are being taken seriously striving to
inculcate attitudes and values will result in environmentally responsible behavior by young citizens of
Bhutan. Enhancement of inner perceptual and/or spiritual life can be experienced through outdoor
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nature based activities such as nature study, aesthetic contemplation, meditation, painting,
photography, and archeological or historical research, among others. These activities also support
physical well-being.
The following recommendations are intended to encourage responsible attitude and
responsibility throughout the campus community.
•
Encourage and facilitate the dissemination of curriculum-related information across RUB
colleges. This may be carried out by traditional means such as publications, via the worldwide web and/or the setting up of a RUB wide professional development for all lecturers in
environmental education.
•
The notion of a “Green Award” for College across Bhutan could provide incentives for
schools and their pupils to become more environment-friendly. Awards could be providing
the campus with 50 trees, or receptacles to increase recycling on campus, or perhaps a weeklong training for students and lecturers on environmental awareness and education. In doing
so, this should encourage more environmentally aware behavior by young people.
•
To develop indicators and criteria for RUB so that colleges have a systemic and transparent
way to reach and attain environmental preservation and awareness on campus. These
indicators will coincide with the indicators that are developed for GNH values and principles
i.e. attitude as well as knowledge and behavior. This implies a monitoring and evaluation
system would also need to be developed for assessment, perhaps self-assessment purposes.
•
Encourage adequate lecturer training, initial, in-service, and on-going each semester to ensure
that lecturers are knowledgeable and able to provide content in environmental education
across the different areas in the curriculum.
•
For RUB to require all students throughout RUB during their second year, second semester to
attend a one week long environmental experiential outdoor learning trip. This trip could be
offered in many forms such as trekking in near-by wilderness areas, camping in national
parks, river rafting, or mountaineering or canoeing. Following is an example of what this one
week experience could offer. This one-week is part of the 15 week semester. Lecturers too
would be required to participate in the outdoor experience. The week should not be an
optional one week adventure, in that being one of the pillars of GNH, a strong stance is
required to model and uphold the importance of environmental preservation.
Leave No Trace is a set of ethics that help guide people when they spend time in natural
unpopulated areas. Leave No Trace was originally developed in the 1970s when people started to
take an interest and go outside for recreation. People did not know how to take care of and properly
treat the outdoors. Soon places that people were frequently traveled to in the outdoors were becoming
loved to death. Campers and hikers destroyed local vegetation and they left trash and other traces of
their visit. The impacts that people were having on the environments they were visiting were
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destroying the ecology of the environment and decreasing the beauty and landscape for other people
to visit and enjoy. Soon the four land management agencies of the United Stated employed National
Outdoor Leadership School to develop a code of ethics that they could spread to people so that the
outdoors would cared for.
Leave No Trace has developed seven different principles that can help guide peoples’
endeavors and activities in the outdoors and help them leave these places in a beautiful and pristine
nature. These seven principles are guiding ethics and not laws to obey. They should be considered
and contemplated within each and every different ecosystem and place; each place and ecosystem is
different and therefore people need to learn not only basic principles but also specific balances that
exist within each specific area.
The seven principles from Leave No Trace are:
Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.
• Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
• Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
• Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups.
• Repackage food to minimize waste.
• Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.
Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.
Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.
In popular areas:
Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.
In pristine areas:
Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.
Dispose of Waste Properly
Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out
all trash, leftover food, and litter.
Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water,
camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products.
To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use
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small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.
Leave What You Find
Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Use a lightweight stove for cooking
and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.
Respect Wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and
exposes them to predators and other dangers.
Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.
Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.
Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.
Retrieved May 16, 2012 from www.LNT.org
Community partnership
The analysis of the baseline data from most of the colleges; CNR, JNP, SCE, ILCS, RITM,
NITM, and GCBS; affirmed the importance of building community partnerships. The data showed
that increasing community involvement in and out-of-college programs can yield significant benefits
to programs and the students that they serve. The teacher respondents have expressed that providing
youth with opportunities to participate in their community is a powerful engagement strategy that can
also teach social responsibility. Some of these community practices already carried out by school
students are road maintenance, cleaning and gardening. However these types of activities are not ongoing and usually not part of the module curriculum, rather they are extra or co-curricular activities.
Students noted that one of the most interesting features of the community partnership the college can
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have is the invitation of a guest speaker by the college from the local community to impart their
knowledge to students, teacher and administrators of the college(BL_CNR_FGS_13-03-12).
The community partnership benefits both the college and the community.When colleges and
communities work together both are strengthened in synergistic ways andmake gains that outpace
what either entity could accomplish on its own: families access community resources more easily;
seniors contribute wisdom and gain a greater sense of purpose; and ultimately, students serve and
learn beyond their school involvement increasing the development of many GNH values and
principles, and the RUB college takes a leadership position within the local and national
community.The students contribute to the development of the community vitality with their service
and helps community to sustain itself into the future. One of the goals of RUB should include how to
develop a strong community partnership that aligns with the GNH framework. The research team
recommends a pilot program between PCE and the REC Seed Schools in Paro and Thimphu.
Students from PCE will be matched with a teacher from one of the Seed Schools. This teacher will
provide opportunities and learning for the PCE student while the PCE student provides service to the
teacher in the classroom. The service is part of the learning process integrated within the modules,
required of the student, and is part of the assessment plan for the module. Lecturers periodically
check in during the semester with the Seed School teacher to ensure a quality partnership. The
teacher from the Seed School will be required to write an evaluation of the student’s performance at
the end of each semester. The same teacher and student works tougher over a three to four year
period deepening the learning and relationship between the school and college and the teacher and
student. In this way, the knowledge and skill the students learn increases. In culmination, the students
at PCE can accumulate more than 200 hours of classroom experience prior to their practicum during
their third year. This allows the student to be a better qualified teacher during their practicum, learn
form the teachers leading Bhutan in transformative education practices, and upon graduation be fully
prepared with best practices and experience to lead their own classroom. The students will not have to
return to learn best practices in follow up workshops, which is currently the situation. The lecturers at
PCE can then assess the student not only in their knowledge accumulation but their applied skill
throughout the entire students academic journey. Service learning opportunities should start in the
first year first semester and be part of each and every module throughout the entire time at RUB.
Community partnerships can invite the community members to the college to share their
experiences as well as build a relationship that opens doors to opportunities for growth and learning
outside the college. Studies show that school and community relationships have positive results on
students (Mapp, 2007). Mappnoted that many educators are still surprised to learn that family
engagement in the home is vital for optimal learning. When education changes from a classroom
based sense to a more parent inclusive type of engagement strategy, education then starts to think
about how to support families and community, the greater society. When family engagement and
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community involvement is linked to learning, we see improvementin learning and trust building
(Mapp, 2007).
The GNH values and principles framework calls for interconnectedness. If schools are
separate from their communities than learning the importance of interconnectedness as a value is
limited. Community partnerships weave together core components of the GNH holistic education
model. Community partnerships can have various levels starting with service learning and developing
into internships as part of RUB requirements for graduation. Community partnerships can include
developing relationships with individual people, local businesses, and other associations. RUB should
start slowly to establish pilot partnerships putting sustainability at the forefront, also one of the core
GNH pillars. RUB firstly, needs to make formal arrangements to provide a program, service and the
curriculum adjustmentsnecessary to support student learning and achievement.
The community partnership for the GNH educational model is really limited by what lecturers
and administrators can imagine; for instance RUB can partner with a start up recycling plant and help
develop and plan what is needed to make a secure plan. This can involve reaching out to the
community and providing education about recycling. The college and community residence can
address community safety issues and join together to organize an action plan. Programs can be offered
to the community depending of which college and what programs are offered within the college.
Reciprocal process is the upmost importance and community partnerships need to weave intricately
with the students learning content and assessment.
These partnerships raise the visibility of the college as well as local issues and programs. By
developing community partnerships it helps students practice mindfulness in having an intentional
purpose by being aware of other peoples time, commitments and resources. In addition the students
benefit by gaining experience to procure more meaningful employment in Bhutan’s growing
economy.
Democracy
As per the baseline data collected from all the colleges under Royal University of Bhutan
(RUB), the need of democracy in the college appears to be one of lower ranking themes in the
analysis pattern. This concern was not seen in all the colleges. This could be due to several
contributing factors, one of which is the research team members did not go in depth in their
questioning when democracy and related topics were mentioned, another could be due to the newness
of democracy in the country, and lastly, democratic principles have not been part of the schooling
culture to date. The data from five of the ten colleges indicated the need to move toward a democratic
way of doing things. Some of the issues that appeared in the data were the lack of freedom of
expression, freedom comes with internal responsibility, shared decision making, good governance,
and the importance of the collective good. The baseline data from College of Science and Technology
(CST) indicatedthat from 11.1% of the data sets, students and faculty affirmed the need to have
democracy in terms of freedom of expression and speech in the classroom. Some of the respondents
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said they would like to live in an environment where there is freedom, fairness and justice, so that no
one is judging you and respect amongst each other is cultivated (BL_CST_FGS). Some of the
respondents related that politicking was present on the campus wherebysome people gained freedom
with different sets of rules and regulations than other people had to follow. (BL_CST_KIS). Another
response that was echoed at a few of the colleges from two different focus groups discussions and a
key informant interview with lectures and an administrator stated that they did not want to do
anything without being told, and they did not want to do anything if they were told (BL_SCE_FGL
and BL_PCE_FGL). Hopefully every individual will take up their responsibility without someone
having to push from behind (BL_CNR_KIADM).
According to data collected from College of Natural Resources (CNR), 5.5% of data set
affirmed the need of freedom of expression, 5.5% of data set asserted the need of shared decisionmaking and another 5.5% of data set indicated the need of good governance, which was related to
democracy. A similar pattern was seen in Jigme Namgyal Polytechnic (JNP) with 8.3% of data set
indicating that freedom should come with responsibility, 8.3% of data set talked about the the need of
the collective good to be part of the curriculum, and at Samtse College of Education (SCE) 10% of
data affirmed the need of the freedom of speech within the classroom and throughout the college.
Some of the respondents from JNP confirmed the view that if the tasks were assigned in a more
democratic way, the opportunity for students and lecturers to take this freedom with responsibility for
the collective goodness of the college as whole would be better provided. According to some
respondents from SCE, supporting staffs assume that they are not given equal opportunities like
teaching faculty at the RUB. In addition, staff do not voice their opinions because they feel their
voices are not heard so most of the time they simply follow the instructions from their seniors
(BL_SCE_FGADM).
The research team members suggest that democracy in the classroom be discussed further and
intervention plans be made in conjunction with lecturers representative of each college. A model for
democracy in the classroom and at the management level be developed along with an assessment plan
to ensure the model is implemented effectively.
Management and Leadership
It is the belief of the research team is that there is a strong connection between democracy and
good management. That for any system to function efficiently there must be democratization of a
healthy manager-subordinate, colleague-colleague, teacher-student relationship whereby individuals
can voice out and their voices are heard and included in decisions. The research team members
recommend that RUB college act with a shared decision-making governance model and transparency
where every individual has the opportunity to be aware of what is happening in the college.The
findings have shown that although compensation and benefits are important factors in factors in
lecturer motivation some intangibles motivators like job design,work environment, feedback,
recognition and empowerment or decision making participationare also contributing factors for
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motivating lecturers at RUB.
Human Resource Management, which involves the efficient and effective management within
an organization, is one of the vital functions of Educational Administrators. Human resource showed
to be the nucleus of organizational resources and therefore motivation is a central and vital component
contributing to job satisfaction. The findings show that there is low job satisfaction within lecturers at
RUB. Many lecturers are happy to have a job, not yet sure if autonomy has been beneficial, yet they
rarely state they are satisfied or happy to be lecturer at RUB. The research team members heard many
stories of lecturers having dreams of careers different than that of being a lecturer at RUB, however
due to the qualifying exams scores, this is the position they were given. Every university and college,
like other formal organizations needs human beings to execute its programmes and achieve
educational goals and objectives. The poor management of human resources in an organization will
lead to ineffectiveness or collapse of the organization if motivation is not attended to (Okonkwo,
1997).The research team members recommend more shared governance and transparency of decisionmaking at the individual college level as well as RUB central level.
Learning Center
Report Regarding Learning Center Focus Groups and Working Group Action Plan
To: Paro College of Education Director, Thubten Gyatsho
Prepared by: Dr. Gretchen Legler, Visiting Fulbright Fellow
Purpose of Report: To share data from Focus Groups and Working Group held in March and April,
2012 related to the Paro College Learning Center, and to recommend strategies for the continued
success of the Center.
Learning Center History:
March-June, 2010: Canadian educators Roy and Nancy Greenwood, teaching at Paro
•
under the auspices of the Bhutan-Canada Foundation, start the Learning Center at the request of the
director. By all accounts the Greenwoods did a fantastic job at the Learning Center, drawing in
students and faculty for individual consultation and group workshops. The Greenwoods also did a
study of faculty attitudes about the Learning Center, and made several recommendations in their final
report.
Autumn semester following the Greenwoods’ departure, PCE lecturer Ms. Lhazom
•
Dema took over, coordinating a schedule of lecturers who served in the LC during their free time.
Student visits dropped significantly.
March-June, 2011: Canadian educator Natalie Charlton, also under the auspices of the
•
Bhutan-Canada Foundation, worked in the Learning Center with Lhazom Dema. Student visits
increased.
•
August-October, 2011: After Ms. Charlton’s departure, Ms. Lhazom Dema once
again took over coordination of the Learning Center. Due to lack of staff, the LC reverted to an
“appointment system.” Only a handful of students visited the LC.
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Mid-October, 2011- June 2012: Dr. Gretchen Legler, Visiting Fulbright Professor
•
from University of Maine Farmington in the USA, began staffing the LC with Ms. Lhazom Dema.
Student visits increased significantly in both semesters; in addition to individual assistance on a walk
in basis, the LC provided workshops on study skills, taking exams, academic writing, creative writing,
and also offered one hour orientation sessions in the LC for all first year students.
For further information and reference, please see two Powerpoint Presentations
•
(Greenwood and Legler), which provide data showing LC activities and attendance statistics.
Issues and Problems with PCE Learning Center:
Nearly every university or college in the US, Australia, Canada, and Europe has a
professionally-staffed center that supports students in many areas deemed necessary for academic and
social success in college. These areas include academic writing, tutoring in maths, sciences and other
disciplines, psychological and emotional counseling, managing time, developing study skills, career
counseling, applying for graduate school, and many other areas.
PCE has already devoted significant resources toward launching its Learning Center, but it seems that
at least two key problems stand in the way of its sustained success: staffing and vision.
1. Staffing: It can be argued (based on LC data) that the Learning Center is most successful when a fulltime or part-time staff person is working there and coordinating LC activities. To date, no single PCE
faculty person has been given the time or training to coordinate the LC on a full-time or quality parttime basis. The only regular, working full or part-time staff for the LC have been Canadian or
American volunteers. This lack of sustainable staffing has led to fears that unless a non-Bhutanese
(American or Canadian) volunteer can be found to run the LC, it will not succeed.
2. Vision: There is a perception (chiefly among faculty) that the sole role of the Learning Center is to
help only “needy” students, and then only with academic writing, mostly referencing and APA style.
This limited vision of the LC’s mission has created a sterile and unwelcoming atmosphere that
discourages students and limits the creative use of the LC as a real tool for enhancing learning and
teaching.
Focus Groups:
The goal of the Focus Groups was to generate interest in and energy around the LC on the
part of PCE students and faculty, and to see if together PCE faculty and students could generate ideas
to make the LC more vibrant and sustainable in the long term.
On March 15, two separate Focus Groups were held, one a Student Focus Group, and one a Faculty
Focus Group, each lasting one hour, facilitated by Dr. Legler, with the help of Brittny Madden
(Assistant to Naropa University visiting research facilitator Dr. Debbie Young) and Ruth Hill
(Assistant to me in my Fulbright teaching and research in Bhutan).
The Student Focus Group was made up of nine students, evenly divided male and female,
from PGDE, and years II, III and IV. Students were asked the questions “What is Learning for
You?” “What is a Center,” “What COULD Happen in A LearningCenter?”
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The Faculty Focus Group was made up of six faculty, one each from Dzongkha, English,
Maths, Science, Professional Services, and HPE. Faculty were asked the questions “What is Learning
for You?” “Why Do You Teach?” “What Do You Hope Your Students Learn From You?” “How
COULD the Learning Center Facilitate Your Teaching?”
Focus Group Findings: After analyzing responses, we noticed a BIG gap between what students and
faculty said learning and teaching was and what they said they’d like to see in a Learning Center.
What Focus Group respondents said:
What is learning for you?
•
Teaching is also learning
•
We learn from people in community
•
We learn not just through teachers (also from children and peers)
•
Innovation (making something your own, modifying what you learn to suit different
situations)
•
Learning by doing / Exploring new things
•
Reading library books
•
Changing behavior / Personal transformation/ Self discovery
•
Learning from mistakes
What is teaching?
•
An opportunity to share what you know best
•
Promoting human values
•
Upgrading knowledge
•
A last option
•
Not just content
•
Sharing
•
Modeling good attitude and exceptional qualities
•
Not just classroom-focused, but also co-curricular activities
What is a Center?
•
Prominent place/ Focus point / Important point
•
A place in the middle/ approachable from everywhere
•
A place to distribute and receive
•
Like the center of a town (a marketplace)
•
Center shifts according to values
•
A platform for learning and sharing
•
A gathering place
•
Collection of resources
•
Place to clarify doubts
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Place to teach skills, music, social issues
•
Where the most energy is
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What can happen in the LC (ideas students and faculty came up with in first Focus Group)
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A place to teach academic writing (this is the only idea the faculty came up with)
Students came up with the additional following ideas:
•
Student-led workshops
•
Students sharing research
•
Decorate to make lively (posters and quotes) (a lively environment)
•
Discussion groups / Reading groups
•
Sharing learning with peers
•
Friends teaching each other / Peer-led groups
•
A place to encourage learning
•
Provide facilities (computers, chairs, workspace)
•
Bring visitors from outside (authors, lamas, elders, guests)
•
Coffee and tea (café atmosphere)
•
Lots of energy (lots of people and activity)
•
Resource and teaching materials / workspace / supplies for presentations
•
Interactive facilitator (friendly and welcoming)
•
Computers with someone to help
Complaints (from both faculty and students):
•
Staffing is a problem
•
Not a conducive environment (too quiet and boring) / Not lively
•
Students don’t know about it
•
Students want a mother/father figure when they come to the LC and faculty feel they
can’t provide this
Focus Group Conclusions: Data seemed to suggest that despite shared ideas about the collaborative
and community-oriented nature of teaching and learning, students seemed much more open than
faculty to conceiving of a Learning Center as an active place where collaborative teaching and
learning could take place; a focal point of campus activity where students could teach each other;
where members of the wider community could be invited to share their knowledge and experience,
where learning by doing could be valued, etc.
Working Group:
On April 11, a Working Group was organized to share the Focus Group data and ideas, and to
attempt to create a Plan of Action for the PCE Learning Center.
The Working Group lasted one hour. The Working Group was comprised of students and faculty.
Student representatives included most of the nine who attended the first Focus Group, with additional
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representatives from first year courses--PCE I and PCC I. Faculty representatives included one from
each discipline: English, HPE, Maths, Arts & Humanities, Science, Dzongkha, Professional Services,
most of whom had been part of the original Focus Group.
Students were paired with faculty and asked to “brainstorm” using combinations of ideas that
they had already generated in their first Focus Groups. Specifically, they were asked, “What resources
(political, structural and human) would be necessary to make idea X work in the Learning Center?”
Political resources = “permission” from “persons in power.” Structural resources = material objects
(chairs, paper, computers). Human resources = people.
For example: Students had said in their Focus Group that a relaxed, lively, stimulating atmosphere
(like a café) is something they associated with a “center.” They also said that for them, learning was
“exploring new things,” “learning by doing,” “something you do in community with other people,”
and “learning from mistakes.” Faculty had said that they wanted the Learning Center to focus on
teaching academic writing. They also said that learning for them was “learning from mistakes,” and
“learning from people in their community.”
In the Working Group, pairs of faculty and students were asked what resources would be
needed, theoretically, to create a Learning Center that had a “café” atmosphere where one could
“learn by doing?” Or, for another example, what resources would be needed, theoretically, to create a
Learning Center where one could learn about academic writing through “community.”
The task required imagination and patience and yielded some interesting results. However, the
resistance by faculty to ANY new ideas concerning the Learning Center was overwhelming. Of the
ONE HOUR allotted for the Working Group, 40 minutes was spent responding to faculty who made
comments including: the only mission of the Learning Center was to help “needy” students with
academic writing, that reaching out to community members was unnecessary and irrelevant to
learning, that no student would want to come to a “café” in the Learning Center, that song and music
had no place in a Learning Center and were already adequately taken care of via music club, etc.
Working Group Findings: Once students and faculty began to collaboratively brainstorm, many ideas
emerged. These ideas were not intended to change policy regarding the LC or to alter its mission, but
merely to imagine possibilities for how the LC could become a sustainable part of PCE and better
meet the needs of the college as a whole. According to the data that emerged from this session, the LC
might be a place where students and faculty (in the words of participants) could:
o
Learn through practice
o
Facilitate and take part in interactive discussions
o
Have access to relevant materials for teaching and learning (books, magazines, paper,
scissors, tape, markers, staplers, presentation materials, etc.)
o
Have access to computers, printers, scanners, chairs, working space, storage
cupboards, tables, internet
o
Adopt new skills
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o
Seek timely correction and feedback
o
Build confidence
o
Invite authors, poets, actors, singers, experts, consultants (a place to share expertise)
o
Invite visitors who bring “practical” experience to compare and contrast with
“academic” experience
•
Invite people of sound knowledge who can share ideas and experience
•
Enjoy a space that encourages reading (comfortable place to read, books available,
magazines, internet)
•
Share experience through writing
•
Get help from trained facilitators who can help with computers and software
•
Promote civic sense—take good care of the space
•
Seek knowledge and become experts
•
Go for support and encouragement
•
Enjoy an environment that is lively and spacious, warm and friendly, and is equipped with
materials
•
Enjoy a space for learning by doing
•
Participate in creating and enjoying a lively visual environment: posters, quotes, decorations
•
Develop and distribute handouts regarding academic writing
•
Have access to the PCE Academic Handbook
•
Conduct and take part in workshops
•
Enjoy interaction and developing new ideas
•
Create a space for reading, writing, speaking, and listening
•
Create and participate in language rooms where students can do experience-based learning
•
Have access to language tapes, videos, and cassettes
•
Enjoy a place to show movies/hold discussions about movies
•
Hold small group discussions about important current issues related to Bhutan (host speakers
from NGOs and Bhutanese social organizations such as the Center for Media and Democracy,
or the YDF)
•
Take part in reading groups (reading circles) and discussion groups and song circles
•
Come to a place for “fun” learning
•
Create a focal point for student creativity, including a student newspaper or newsletter (or
filmmaking group or radio show)
•
Co-create a place for teachers and students and “experts” to engage in academic writing,
research, referencing, and experiencing the structure of language
•
Create a hub center
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Enjoy a place to develop reading and writing habits and provide supportive and constructive
feedback
•
Enjoy a space with adequate resources, including computers, printers, scanners, books
(dictionaries, academic writing handbooks)
•
Create a space to help develop strong reading habits (among students, faculty and community
members—maybe a family reading program?)
•
Get help from organizers and facilitators who provide guidance (maybe even a place for
counselors and counseling, group counseling)
•
Enjoy a place for guidance and feedback (academic, social, artistic, creative)
•
Enjoy support from college management that allows students to share research and
experiences (related to teaching practice?)
•
Experience a lounge-type setting with comfortable chairs and computers and guidance from
facilitators and IT persons (for computers)
•
Participate in writing circles/ song circles/ rhyme circles
•
Learn about and teach about social issues via visitors (lamas, elders, recent graduates,
community members)
Working Group Conclusion: In the end, the faculty / student pairs did not directly address what
“resources” would be needed to make any of the above ideas work, but indirectly, it can be deduced
that the following resources would be necessary:
1. Ideological support from the highest level of college (even RUB?) administration
2. Money to purchase computers, printer(s), scanner, video / CD player, paper, books,
magazines, etc.
3. Money and time to support human resources (staff, facilitators, organizers, peer mentors)
4. Administrative support to coordinate keys, timings, visitors, schedules, etc.
Further Discussion:
It seems as if there is interest in and energy around creating a vital PCE Learning Center that
could be a model for all of RUB, serving faculty as well as students.
The energy for change and innovation seems to come particularly from students, although faculty
also keenly feel the need for additional support in academic writing for students, and support for
research and professional writing for themselves.
Students seem to want a place for informal, fun, interactive learning that helps them develop
reading, writing, speaking, critical thinking, creative expression, and listening skills.
Students seem to desire supportive, friendly, helpful facilitation in the LC and instruction in all areas,
including academic writing, study skills, creativity, use of computers and the internet.
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There seems to be a need for some material resources in the LC, including a screen for
projecting movies, workshops and presentations; regular access to an LC projector; adequate heat in
the winter months; books (including dictionaries, academic handbooks, and other materials); a printer
and scanner; upgraded computers; and additional bulletin boards, as well as paper and other office
supplies.
Several innovations have already been made in the most recent semester that seem to support some of
the goals and desires expressed by Focus Group and Working Group participants:
1.
Every first year student at PCE attended a one hour orientation session in the
Learning Center during April, as part of their Academic Skills module.
2.
All first year students were given an LC brochure during morning assembly during
the first week of the semester.
3.
A weekly informal Wednesday afternoon Creative Writing workshop was initiated
beginning early April, drawing approximately 35 participants each week, mostly
PCE students, but also some from the larger community.
4.
Relevant Academic Handbooks were transferred from the PCE Library to the
Learning Center for easier access.
5.
Faculty were asked to nominate potential students to serve as Peer Mentors in the LC,
a program that remains to be successfully launched, but, with support, could be
functioning by the beginning of the August semester.
Final Remarks and Recommendations:
The current space allocated to the PCE Learning Center is ideal—open, spacious, beautifullydecorated, inviting, and situated at the center of campus. Such a space could indeed serve as a lively
hub for student and faculty learning and teaching—a true Learning Center that embraces GNH
educational goals. Some ideas for the future:
Human Resources:
A full or part-time LC coordinator must be designated and given ample time,
1.
training, and resources to develop and maintain the center, with the help of student peer
mentors and other faculty. It is essential that the coordinator be, as students suggested,
passionate, friendly, learned, welcoming and committed to the mission of the LC.
The LC does not have to be open 24-7. Designated days and hours could be set,
2.
offering a variety of times for students and faculty to use the center, including some evening
hours when students and faculty are not in class.
Material Resources:
1.
Material needs that could significantly enhance the LC’s effectiveness include:
upgraded computers and computer work stations, printer, scanner, projection screen,
additional bulletin boards, adequate heat. Other audio/visual equipment and software might
also be considered (television, CD and video players, software for editing digital film, etc.)
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Mission and Vision:
1.
Students seem eager to improve not just their academic writing skills (a goal
they share with faculty), but their reading, critical thinking, listening, speaking, creative
writing and media skills. It might be useful to reimagine the Mission of the LC in light of
these student desires.
2.
The possibility also exits for using the LC as a center point for information and
learning around GNH goals and values, particularly GNH in Education. What that might look
like: weekly mindfulness training and practice workshops; monthly discussions about
Democracy, youth development, and other pressing social issues; workshops for media
literacy; discussions about environmental consciousness (green thinking); visitors who come
to talk about cultural preservation, and more
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Appendix A (Operations Manual)
GNH PAR Gap Analysis Operations Manual Draft field version
Adapted from Tom Barton 2003
For: Royal University of Bhutan (RUB)
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Prepared by: Deborah Young
1 March 2012
Contact person: Deborah Young EdS, PhD
Primary investigator
youngdr@yahoo.com
Jambay Lhamo, MA
RUB Core Research Team Leader jambay_lh@yahoo.com
Operations Manual GNH PAR Gap Analysis
Snapshot
History and purpose of this GNH PAR study – brief summary
This section gives an
This national study on GNH in the classroom, pedagogy, and
overview of the study up to
curriculum was conceived in response to the consultancy in the
the present. It also includes
spring of 2011 around critical pedagogy and contemplative
some materials from the
education at the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB). This
design workshop related to
knowledge is desired for informing decision-makers, lecturers,
study colleges and desired
teachers and administrators in schools from pre-school through
information to obtain in the
higher education. This study will facilitate RUB’s review of
field.
current classroom practices, pedagogy and curriculum concerns in
the short, medium and long term and identify gaps to move
towards a GNH pedagogy and classroom practice. The study
begins in February 2012 and will include field research in ten of
RUB. It is expected that the findings will be disseminated in August 2012. (Completed in September
2012).
Phase I – Spring 2012
Objective: Increase the capacity in holistic education knowledge and classroom practices
among the faculty at RUB.
Means: A jumpstart workshop consisting of 10 days, 8 hours a day module on critical
pedagogy and contemplative education pedagogy and participatory action research.
Completed March 2012
Objective: To further develop post-graduate higher education MA, PhD program On-going to
be completed December 2014.
Means: Continued meetings and development on the syllabus infusing GNH classroom
practices, pedagogy, and literature. On-going through Cycle I, II, III, IV, and V interventions to be
completed spring semester 2014.
Objective: Increase the availability of data on historic and current Bhutanese
educational
practice to inform the development of a national holistic educational
system and holistic
educational classroom practices.
Means: A participatory action research (PAR) study executed by the faculty at RUB
and
primary Investigator, Dr.Young. On-going to be completed spring semester 2014. (baseline
round completed May 2012, Cycle I interventions completed June 15, 2012).
Phase II – Spring 2013
Objective: Increase the capacity of RUB faculty, participating pre-service teachers, inservice teachers and administrators.
Means: Undertake teacher/administer training throughout Bhutan with the faculty at
RUB and consultants.
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Objective: To continue with the PAR study gathering data on the implementation of
pedagogy techniques that were developed from the PAR 2012 phase 1.
Phase III – Spring 2014
Objective: Develop graduate level programs (MA and PhD) in education and
teacher/administrator professional development courses to offer students from in
Bhutan as well as from around the world opportunity to study the philosophical
foundations of a GNH classroom.
the
Background to the study
Historical Context and Background
In the 1960’s, the 4th King of Bhutan developed an approach to modernization, the objective
of which he called “Gross National Happiness” (GNH). This framework, based upon the premise that
the happiness of the people should be a guiding principle in the development of this formerly closed
society, acknowledges that the spiritual and emotional development of the people is as important to
the country as the promotion and development of material accumulation and modern comfort. The
pursuit of GNH currently guides all economic and social policies in Bhutan.
In 2009, the King of Bhutan asked the government and the people to address the need to
reformthe educational system. His goal was to transform the current British-Indian based school
structure into a more holistic educational system in line with the principles of GNH. Holistic
education, based upon the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life
through connections to the community, the natural world, and humanitarian values such as
compassion, interdependence, and trust, aligns well with basic Bhutanese GNH principles.
Although the vast majority of the population currently has access to the Bhutanese public
education system, there still exists an emphasis on an Anglo-Indian curriculum that focuses on
individual achievement, competitiveness, and technical mastery of numeracy and literacy. To
cultivate GNH, it is essential that holistic education be integrated at all levels of the educational
system and embedded in the daily classroom practice and curriculum.
This project will inform the development of the first national-scale school system based upon
Holistic Education principles. While there are currently individual schools that take a holistic
approach, to date, no country has attempted to use holistic education as the underlying paradigm for
the nation’s entire education system. The small nation of Bhutan is attempting to create something
the world has never seen before.
The project will also provide a unique example to inform other parts of the world about
holistic education and will provide a model for the development of MA and PhD graduate programs
in holistic education for pre-service teachers within Bhutan as well as from the world. This program
will be developed using the findings from this study.
The purpose of education is to meet the social, the economic, and the human resource needs
of the society while increasing the quality of life contributing to GNH. Teacher education colleges are
looked upon as the main contributors to the quality of teachers, shaping classroom practice to become
more learner/student centred and holistic, aligning with GNH. There is no doubt that the country faces
a number of problems in the area of education when aligning with GNH. The quality of education in
Bhutan is a major concern at all levels of formal and non-formal education. To date there have been
several critiques and recommendations to support educational transitions at the college level as well
as the pre-primary through XII level of public schooling. This study will contribute adding to those
recommendations.
Here are examples of concerns that the Bhutanese educational system is currently facing.
Lecturers: (training – out of country)
a. There exists preliminary research recommending more engagement in the classrooms
and expanding pedagogy beyond lecture and what is referred to as the banking model
of education that was coined by Paulo Freire, (1970). It is imperative to apply the
recommendations at the RUB. VanBalkom &Sherman (2010) noted that the colleges
in Bhutan primarily use the lecture method as the predominant teaching pedagogy
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even with content about the use of different teaching methods. The study asserts that
students’ state “Lecturers should practice what they teach” and recommends for
teachers to model different teaching strategies when teaching the pre-service teachers.
b. A school system that is cultivated from the GNH framework would include values
education in textbooks, teacher preparation and classroom management. Dasho
Karma Ura notes that value education; also known as character education, civic
education, and moral education; has been overshadowed by the emphasis on
individualism with a de-emphasis on social responsibility, community consciousness,
and altruism in western education systems.
c. There is a lack of qualified faculty to staff all of the needs for the RUB colleges. To
accomplish the development of the tertiary education in Bhutan, a goal to increase the
professional development of existing lecturers as well as increasing the capacity of
the Bhutanese educational college system is necessary.
d. Many teacher candidates enter teaching not out of “genuine interest but rather
because they were not accepted into higher studies in areas of greater interest, or had
better job options” (VanBalkom & Sherman, 2010, p. 54). Therefore, there is a high
probability that Bhutan may be producing teachers working solely for their salary,
and not quality teachers who contribute to the goodness and quality of the learners.
Students:
a. While progress is being made in revamping programme content, students identified a
number of concerns about course offerings and teacher pedagogy. Students have
offered a number of examples that suggested a general disconnect between theory and
classroom practice of the RUB faculty.
b. MacInerney & MacInerney (1994) talk about how students learn best and say that
concrete demonstrations of key concepts facilitate effective learning (p. 568) and the
engagement of students in the learning process is necessary. Many concrete
demonstrations are lacking in the classroom construction of knowledge.
c. The pre-primary class through the Class 10 is available to every citizen in Bhutan.
The official age of entry to the pre-primary class is six years old. Access to Class 11
and 12 is based on the student’s performance on national examinations at the end of
Class 10 based on merit. Those students who qualify for higher education may then
choose from several areas depending on their scores. Those who do not qualify for
higher secondary education on RGOB scholarship may seek admission to vocational
training institutes, self finance their studies, or may choose to repeat Class 12 to
improve their test scores. The choice of teaching typically resides in the filtration
system based on scores from exams.
Modernization:
a. Historically, Bhutan has been a monarchy that governs as a closed system with
respect to the global community. Consequently, Bhutan has had limited access to
information, technology, and other resources from the developed world.
b. Bhutan is currently undergoing significant social transformation, moving out of a
closed society into the global community. Inherent in the process is the everexpanding impact of the consumer economy infiltrating the boundaries of the
country. To guide this impact it is necessary for students and teachers to broaden
their cultural critique to include an analysis of the problems a consumer society
imposes on a harmonious ecological system.
c. Many times people living in a Monarchy have not had abundant experiences
innovating and guiding change. Limited experiences with innovation among teachers
and administrators seem to develop a more compliant and dutiful means of working.
d. It is important to lay the foundational essence of holistic education throughout the
country such that the children, growing up during the decentralization of the
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monarchic power base will be versed and grounded in Bhutanese foundations to
develop the national happiness they are seeking
e. Oral transmission and values education need to be integrated into the Paro education
pedagogy (Dorji Penjore, 2005). They have functioned historically as a medium of
moral, civic, and intellectual education in non-literate societies. The oral traditions
are the expressions of the identity, the purpose, the functions, the customs, and the
generational continuity of the culture.
The RUB has a number of challenges at hand. With a scanty database and policy gaps, it is difficult
for the responsible ministries and supporting organisations and agencies to respond adequately to the
government’s educational priorities. In order to move toward a better understanding of GNH values
and principles in the classroom and to contribute to policy dialogue and sustainable programme
development to address classroom practices and pedagogy it is proposed that a comprehensive study,
analysis and recommendations of these issues is conducted. Therefore the first phase of this PAR
study will be implemented in the spring 2012. The intended outcome of this study is a coherent
analysis, based on a highly participatory study process, which will provide an information base and
transformative practices for participating lecturers. This study helps to inform further policy
development and strategic programming for GNH PEDAGOGY by the Principal Investigator (PI),
RUB lecturers alongside other key partners and stakeholders.
Objectives of the study
Overall objective - To contribute to broadening and deepening of understanding on the scope, scale,
trends and implications of GNH in classroom practices, pedagogy, and curriculum in schools
preschool through higher education, by identifying the gap between current pedagogy and pedagogy
that aligns with GNH principles and analysing the most critical factors/causes that contribute to their
situation as a basis for planning programmatic interventions.
Specific objectives for the field phase of the study:
• Begin with a two-week jumpstart training that will provide foundational information on
critical pedagogy, contemplative education, and PAR research design and tools. Completed
March 2012.
• Carry out a four month long (First Phase) field-based operational research gap analysis study
with three cycles of data collection. Completed one cycle in all 10 colleges, baseline data of
current classroom practices spring semester 2012.
o
The first is with the participation of lecturers, teachers, students, administrators, and
families on how and why classroom practices, pedagogy, and curriculum are affecting
various groups of students, teachers, and the overall community in terms of the GNH
framework of Bhutan. The research team will identify the population that is affected
by current educational practices for in-depth assessment and analysis, including
current classroom practices and lecturer and student perceptions about their problems.
Focus groups discussion, key informant interviews and observations will be
conducted in 8 geographical areas throughout Bhutan.
o
The second cycle includes training of teachers and staff visited in the first cycle of
data collection. A follow-up visit by the research team will collect data from
observations, daily journals, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions.
o
The third cycle includes training of teachers and staff visited in the first cycle of data
collection. A follow-up visit by the research team will collect data from observations,
daily journals, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. A document
including guidelines for GNH pedagogy training and implementation will be written
as the summary of the study and sent to OVC. The OVC will then distribute to other
institutions such as REC, MOE, and make available on their website.
Prioritised information for this study
In summary, the prioritised topics from the jumpstart workshop are as follows:
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General
Topic 1: Contemplative education
Topic 2: Critical pedagogy
Topic 3: Community perceptions about the purpose of schooling and education
Topic 4: Perceptions about current classroom practices
Topic 5: Perceptions of GNH values and principles
Topic 6: Strategies for transformational learning and teaching
Topic 7: Mindfulness practices: personal and classroom practices
Topic 8: Participatory action research toolkit
Topic 9: Variety of classroom participatory teaching practices
Topic 10: Resources: Human, structural, political, symbolic (Boleman and Deal)
Topic 11: Professional development mindfulness training
Topic 12: Research knowledge and skill development – adjust and develop research design for
GNH PAR study
Topic 13: Practice skills for research design and data collection.
Region specific
Topic 14: Specific needs in the geographical area
Topic 15: Teacher/Staff/Administration availability
Topic 16: Resource availability
Topic 17: Student attendance
Topic 18: Support of current educational system
Methodology for the qualitative field- phase
Field methodology – overview
The study will be conducted by a team of lecturers and staff from
RUB under the leadership of an International researcher (PI) in a
highly participatory manner with a strong emphasis on
participation and interaction with the development of GNH
PEDAGOGY.
Snapshot
This section updates content
on methodology
Up to this point, the study has already been implementing the following or has plans for the spring of
2012:
• Desk review – based on existing documents and secondary data sets in Bhutan, internet
searching, and selected interviews with some key informants (KI - both adults and young
people) at RUB. Note –more national level interviews to be conducted in coming weeks.
• Design workshop - a participatory design workshop will be held with RUB lecturers, staff
representatives to refine the information needs of the study, select study Colleges, review
sampling strategies and make suggestions about field tools. (February 15 – 29 at Paro
College).
• Training for data collectors – before and during the jumpstart workshop, many additional
specific plans and tools will be as separate handouts and study sessions will take place during
the first training of data collectors and team leaders. (February 15 – 29 at Paro College).
The current phase of the study will be:
• Qualitative field study – primary data gathering, using various participatory tools in direct
observations (obs), research diaries (RD), focus group (FG) discussions and key informant
(KI) interviews with selected students, youth and adults, teachers and administrators in the
target colleges. Direct information from people in communities, institutions and
organisations, including individuals to the extent that this is possible during informal and
formal meetings; this data is referred to as meeting notes (MN). This step will also include a
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pre-test in the Paro college, which will be a full scale data collection of substantive and usable
data, and then an expansion phase to other colleges (for a total of 10 study colleges).
Operational definitions
•
‘Focus Group’ in this context refers to a session of 1-1½ hours in length, conducted by a
facilitator which is the PI or research team member (RUB faculty or staff) and a note taker,
with a relatively homogeneous group of 6-12 participants, done in a comfortable setting
where there are relatively few interruptions (if possible), during which one or more
participatory exercises are carried out with the group and linked to discussions and probing
questions; these sessions will be generating various kinds of verbal and visual products, plus
field notes, that can be subjected to later combined and comparative analysis.
•
‘Key Informant Interviews’ in this context refer to open-ended sessions conducted by the PI
and/or research team member as interviewer/facilitator, and a note taker, with individuals
having special knowledge about the key issues being investigated. Interviews often last about
1 hour, using a relatively limited set of topics/open-ended questions combined with probing
questions; sometimes participatory tools are also included.
•
Observations in this context refer to direct observations in RUB classrooms during the spring
2012 semester conducted by the PI and/or research team member as observer. The
observation lasts one class period, approximately 50 minutes and includes detailed notes of
classroom practices and interactions. The observations are about pedagogy rather than
content. Observations occur as an on-going weekly activity within each RUB College.
Lecturers are divided into groups of 3,4,or 5 and observer two other lecturers in their group
each week. In addition, observations are held by the PI and research team members during the
week of primary qualitative field work.
•
Meetings refer to informal and formal meetings with people working at RUB. The notes are
taken by the research associate.
•
Research Dairies are expected to be kept by all research team members and shared during the
2012 academic year.
Sampling plans– field phase
Expected data
Phase
Expected data per geographical area
Primary
• Target is likely to be 7-10 ‘focus
qualitative
groups’ (FGs), 8-12 ‘key informant
fieldwork
interviews’ (KIs), and 3-6
observations per college (x10) over
a three/four day period
• Gives a total of about 70-100 FGs,
80-120 KIs, and 30-60
observations which is a substantive
data set.
• In addition meeting notes and
research diaries will be included.
Comments
This represents about 280 as the absolute
maximum total potentially achievable data
sets under the very best of conditions with the
most capable and committed persons as data
collectors and respondents (participants),
based on teams of 6 persons active in data
gathering.
Data sets are completed by the PI and research
team members.
Participants who will be contributing primary data
The details of which kinds of lecturers, administrators, students will be developed in a participatory
way through the results of the desk review, study sessions, and consultative meetings with the
research committee (RC) during the design jumpstart February 15 – 29. The participant categories
include:
• RUB lecturers (primary study group)
• Students in higher education at various colleges (primary study group)
• Administrators and staff at RUB Colleges (primary study group)
Participatory Action Research GNH RUB Gap Analysis Report, Baseline Round 2012.
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•
•
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Students in primary school (secondary study group – Only by PCE and SCE research team)
Students in secondary school (secondary study group – Only by PCE and SCE research team)
In-service teachers and staff (secondary study group – Only by PCE and SCE research team)
Feasibility - Numbers of sessions feasible based on:
•
•
•
•
•
Interviews - we calculate one KI interview at 45 minutes average, though they can run up to 90
minutes or longer for very informed, analytical and interested persons. Time to arrange the
interview, or trace a suitable person is at least equal, and sometimes several times more than the
duration of the actual interview. We prefer two persons present at these interviews, one
functioning mostly as an interviewer/discussion facilitator and the other as a note taker
Focus groups – we calculate an average of 1½ hours of contact time for a focus group. The
amount of time to mobilize and convene people is again at least equal as a minimum, and
frequently double or triple the amount of contact time, longer when specific categories of persons
are being convened, not just general residents of a community. Again, two persons are needed –
facilitator and note taker.
Interviews and Focus Groups will be held at the same time in the community during data
collection.
Observations – we calculate that one observation will be 50 minutes on average. Time to arrange
the observation is about 10 minutes. One lecturers or PI will be present at each observation.
Observations will take place during the primary baseline, cycle I, and cycle II periods as well as
on - going in each College.
Meetings are on an as needed basis determined by the research team as well as administrators
throughout RUB.
Representativeness - Numbers desired linked to anticipated categories of respondents:
•
•
•
•
•
Lecturers at RUB: by gender, mixed grouping, or subject area
Administrators/staff at RUB – by gender, mixed grouping or role
Students at RUB – by gender, mixed grouping or subject area
Local teachers and administrators/staff of various schools– by gender, by roles, by age group
taught, or mixed grouping
Students from various schools (or informal learning locations when no schools exist) in both
primary and secondary levels
Representativeness – Numbers desired linked to anticipated geographical coverage:
Need to be as representative as possible in study colleges. At a minimum, this may include:
• Rural and urban settings
In addition, one can anticipate several other factors that will influence the scale possible:
• Numbers feasible also based on experience with feasible duration of work in a college within a
multi-college study, and anticipated difficulties in the field [plus budget]
Sampling and geographic coverage
Sampling for field data collection – This will be done through a mix of random sampling
incorporating probability and stratified random sampling as well as purposive and convenience
sampling. The details to be worked out in consultation with the RUB research team of each college.
The participatory consultative process in developing the study is designed to help identify the
gatekeepers who can facilitate contacts with all kinds of potential respondents and smooth the
recruitment of participants.
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Fieldwork – some general advice
For many researchers, the heart of any study is in the fieldwork.
That is where all of his or her data starts to appear and hypotheses
are validated or fresh ideas generated. However, in the rush to get
to the field, the researcher may overlook some common problems
that can be prevented with a bit of anticipation. Over-enthusiasm
to jump into the study and lack of attention to these potential
difficulties can result in lowering the quality of the data collected
and may even defeat the purpose of the study. In this short paper
we will discuss a few of these hazards and ways to minimize their
potential effects.
Snapshot
This section is a quick look
at some of the main
problems and solutions for a
successful field study.
Personnel
Most research projects employ one or more people to assist with the fieldwork. Bickering, conflict
and disruption of the fieldwork can occur if the whole group of researchers, research team leader, and
assistants are not well prepared to act as a coordinated team. Avoiding such a problem starts with
careful interviewing of candidates for the positions of assistants and, if needed, research team leader.
Applicants should be mature, responsible, able to speak the vernacular language of the proposed study
area, and be physically capable of carrying out any required tasks.
Next, the researcher needs to recognize that people have different, personal reasons for wishing to
participate in a fieldwork exercise. As such, they will come to the study with a variety of personal
expectations, which the study may or may not be capable of meeting. To avoid disputes in the field
about payment and amount of work, all candidates should be informed before committing themselves
to the study about the conditions of work. Thus, they should know about terms of payment,
accommodations, conditions of fieldwork, hours of work expected each day, and physical labour,
including extensive walking.
After research teams are formed and before going to the field, there should be a formal period of
training for all the assistants and research team leaders (February 15–29, 2012 Paro College). The
training is important for two reasons: building a cohesive, cooperative research team and imparting
the specific skills necessary to carry the particular research at hand. Emphasizing collaboration during
the training period can help to minimize disagreements about sharing of subsequent work in the field.
Unfamiliarity by team members about the process of the research can result in sub-standard or nonuniform data collection. Important process issues for training include sampling and interviewing
methods, definitions and preferred translations, measurement and sampling collection techniques, how
to make any observations, and field editing of data collected. The training should include both
discussion and practical experiences for all tasks that are expected of the field workers.
Community/College
Many well-designed research studies have been jeopardized by lack of researcher sensitivity to the
concerns of the study community/college. Several common perceptions about research projects that
can occur among local authorities and community members include:
Some leaders use the presence of the research team to show that they are active. In so doing, even
with the best of intentions, they may misinform the residents about the purpose of the study. College
community members may reject the approach of researchers who are misinterpreted and believe to be
inspecting the college, lecturers and students.
Of late, there has been an activation of field research in Bhutan. As a result it is becoming more and
more likely that any given study will end up in a community where other research has also occurred in
the recent past. In such an area the new researcher may meet with residual attitudes left over from the
previous study. Sometimes these feelings include resentment, most often because the last group never
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got back to the community with any feedback about their research. Other times the community may
feel that the questions being asked are similar to a previous study and object to answering them all
over again.
Making a pre-visit to the field sites by the RUB College Research team leader before beginning the
actual fieldwork starts can minimize most misunderstandings. Both during the pre-visit and at the
time of the study sufficient attention needs to be given to introductions and explanations as well as
time for discussion about the study. It is important to clearly identify the purpose of the study and
what exactly will be done with the results. As much as possible, the researcher should also try to get
background information about other on-going and/or recent research studies in the same community.
After the study we believe that it is virtually mandatory that the researcher communicate back to the
college leader and through them to the college community under study. The message should include a
courteous appreciation for assistance given as well as a short, simplified version of the final report.
These actions will benefit both the community under study and any future researchers working in the
same area.
Resources
The third big source of potential headaches in the field is finding that one hasn't got enough resources
to do the work. Trying to minimize expenses back in Paro (place of origination), researcher may go to
the field without a sufficient cushion for any contingencies. It can be very expensive in time and
money to send someone back to town to get more Topic Guide forms printed up after miscounting
before heading to some rural community. Lack of a first aid kit with simple medicines for stomach
upsets may mean lost days of work. Planning a study during the snow and wet seasons without
checking on the roads and the capability of any vehicle to be used is almost asking for disaster.
Minimizing these hazards can be done by a combination approach. First, talk with local RUB
representatives and ask their opinions about your plans. Secondly, research team leaders make a previsit and pay attention to all the potential hardships of doing research in the proposed area, including
accommodations, food, roads, communications, etc. Thirdly, pre-test everything that will be done
during the actual study (Paro during March 5-10). Do a sufficient number of interviews, focus
groups, and observations to spot where the possible problems are. Then plan how to avoid the
problems or decrease them by redesigning/adjusting the work or emphasizing the difficult parts during
the on-site review training at each College.
Summary
While misfortune can strike at any time, problems in the field can usually be avoided by adequate
preparation. Build a cooperative team that can adapt to strain with a sense of humour. Be sure
everyone has been trained in the skills needed to carry out the work properly. Carry on a meaningful
dialogue with the community about the research before, during and after the fieldwork. Thoroughly
pre-test all of the steps of the research, allocate resources wisely, and then...
We hope you will have fun in the field.
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Strategies for data gathering, including ethics
Strategies for data gathering
Approaches to data gathering – guiding principles
There are three main guiding principles to this study –
participatory, capacity building and ethical.
Snapshot
This section describes the main
techniques for data gathering
and ethical procedures,
including respect for college,
community and school visit
protocol.
Participatory – the most knowledgeable persons about the
conditions of current classroom pedagogy and GNH pedagogy are
generally the lecturers/teachers, students, and staff themselves,
plus the family/parents in the secondary study group. This study
has developed specific tools and techniques to engage students,
lecturers, administrators and staff in discussions and participatory activities to identify and review
issues on classroom practices and pedagogy.
Capacity building - Experiential training will be conducted with various categories of people who
are recruited to help implement this study, including personnel from the study colleges (site visits)
and RUB lectures as data collectors (February 15–29, 2012, Paro College). It is hoped this capacity
building strategy will have a multiplier effect – i.e. that those persons who participate in undertaking
the study will subsequently apply the skills gained in their respective places of work/practices.
Ethical study – the research team is very aware of the potential difficulties of exploring the issues
likely to arise in a study of GNH PEDAGOGY. The research team will take considerable effort to
maintain confidentiality as well as creating discussion and interview environments where participants
can talk freely. [see guideline on “coping with difficult situations”]. Most of the questions in the tools
(see section on ‘tools’) will seek information by using “third person questions” in discussion and
interview situations. [see also materials below and in the guidelines section on ethics and
confidentiality]
Methods for primary data collection1
Types of methods to be used in the field include:
Focus group discussions – working with groups of 6-12 persons, using a topic guide and facilitator
(RT member) with a note taker; and usually involving some form of participatory task, e.g.,
mapping, developing flow analysis of a problem, ranking certain conditions or issues that
emerge, going on a guided walk, etc.
Key informant interviews – working with 1-3 persons, again, using a topic guide and both a RT
member and note taker, often mostly discussion, sometimes including review of some
documents held by the key informant, sometimes including a participatory task, such as
creating a diagram or chart of a situation.
Plenary discussions – there will be large group discussions at the time of the feedback sessions on the
last day of fieldwork in a given college. These will be focused by using the analysis from the
RT and will include interactive, participatory exercises, be led by a RT member, and recorded
by a note taker – in addition to whatever flip charts and idea cards are produced. [see tools
section]
Meeting notes – notes taken during meetings at RUB colleges.
Research Diaries – each research team member has been asked to keep a research diary and share
elements to better understand the challenges in change and study implementation.
Observations – Observations of lecturers at RUB for primary study group and teachers and in local
schools for the secondary study group. All observations as held in classrooms by the PI or a
research team members.
1
For additional handout and technical materials see PAR dropbox provided to all research team leaders
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Very important notes on confidentiality2
Objectives of the GNH PEDAGOGY Study
This is a national study on current classroom practices and pedagogy and the development of
classroom practices and pedagogy that align more fully with the national GNH framework contracted
to RUB lecturers and a principal investigator from outside the country by RUB. Primary data
collection will be carried out in ten RUB colleges. It is anticipated that the results will be very useful
to RUB policy makers, lecturers, staff, and students by informing them about holistic education and
potential interventions that could support a schooling environment more closely aligned with the
national GNH framework. Please include this background information as you brief the people you
contact for mobilisation.
Confidentiality
The Research Team is grateful for the time and dedication you have committed to organise and
arrange for the GNH PEDAGOGY study so that data collectors will be able to meet with many
different and relevant respondents in various areas of your college. One very important aspect of this
study that we want to emphasize is the issue of confidentiality. In a study of this kind, confidentiality
begins right from the point of mobilisation, through data collection, report writing and dissemination
of results. It is very challenging and needs considerable care throughout the study to maintain a high
ethical standard of good confidentiality for the protection of the respondents, whatever their age and
backgrounds.
The purpose of this note is to urge your caution about this aspect while you mobilise or communicate
to the people that will be involved in the GNH PEDAGOGY study. We sincerely request that
everyone participating in this study be responsibly confidential, such that any information provided by
respondents should be kept anonymous. Nobody’s name should be revealed or implicated in findings
of the study if they do not want to as expressed by the respondent or group of respondents.
Data collectors and research team leaders will carefully explain about confidentiality to respondents,
and obtain their consent before proceeding with any study related questions.
When the analysis and report are prepared, sources will not be revealed or recognisably quoted if
there is any potential for harm. In this way, there will be no possibility for any reader/user of the
results to identify any of the respondents as individuals. The sample size within a college will help in
allowing aggregation of information such that it will not be possible for readers to identify specific
information sources.
In support of this arrangement, the RT asserts very strongly that the names of specific respondents are
neither to be publicised nor shared with any other parties, regardless of their status or circumstances.
Any pressure to reveal sources should be directed to the research team leader.
Coping with expectations
It will be very important to inform potential respondents that there will be no monetary rewards for
participating in the study. As you are already aware from the consultative meeting, this is an
important study, and moving into topics and issues where better information is badly needed. As such,
the only reward for participants is knowing that they are contributing to this significant effort.
Ethics – reminder sheet for all team members
General permission
• See protocol plan
• Courtesy call to RUB college leader and school directors by RTL
2
For all study team members
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Personal permission
• Build rapport - Greetings before anything and politeness.
• Introductions – Self-introductions of data collector(s), including both note taker and PI/RT
members, local people – if they want to introduce themselves and DO NOT immediately write the
name down, especially if this is likely to be a confidential interview. DO NOT ask for all
personal names in focus groups, tell people they can use whatever name they want, whether
true or not.
• Objectives of the study – describe in the vernacular, and be sure they are clearly understood.
• Benefits - Clearly state that there will be no monetary gains or specific projects coming because
of the study. The only benefits are contribution to the needed information for policy makers,
organisations, agencies, donors and interested individuals and groups who may be involved in
education and GNH.
• Risks – there are no direct risks from the study – no procedures will be done, and all information
received is confidential. The interview or discussion will take a little bit of their time, but not long
(key informant interviews are usually about 45 minutes; focus groups are usually about 60-90
minutes)
• Confidentiality – all information that comes from anyone in the study will not be identified with
that individual person in any communications with persons outside of the study or in any reports.
Very confidential information will not be shared with anyone except the direct research team
leader, the data collector or the college RTL – who is part of the study. Give constant reassurance of confidentiality. See also the confidentiality sheet.
• Right to not respond or to end the session – let all respondents/participants know that they have
the right to ask questions at any time, the right to think about their answers, and the right to refuse
to answer for any question. They also have the right to end/leave the interview/discussion at any
time without prejudice or harm to come to them.
• Verbal consent - Seek consent of respondents whether they are willing to take part in the
discussion/interview with you.
• Acceptability of setting - Seek agreement about the venue and ensure safety for
discussion/interview
• In difficult situations, consult your guidelines on “handling difficult and sensitive situations”