Chevron January 2013 December 2016
Seeking to increase the number of Thai students studying math and science in schools throughout Thailand’s Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces, Chevron, Thailand and Kenan launched the Chevron Inquiry-based Classroom Reasoning for Experiential and Active Science Education (Chevron INCREASE I) in 2013.
The initial project was so well-received and proved so effective that, in 2014, Chevron, Thailand and Kenan expanded their partnership to create a second, simultaneous project, called Chevron INCREASE II, which brought Kenan’s signature inquiry-based education model to additional schools in Chumphon and Surat Thani provinces.
Chevron INCREASE works by training teachers and principals to use inquiry-based science education techniques, instead of relying on rote memorization, in their ninth-grade math and science classes. The goal is to encourage students to not only engage in critical thinking, but also pursue higher education and vocational opportunities in math and science fields. By developing new curriculums and teaching methodologies, training teachers and principals, providing mentoring for students and teachers, and promoting school-community days and student camps to ensure community buy-in, the combined projects have realized significant achievements. To date, 196 school principals and 232 teachers have been trained in inquiry-based teaching methodologies, benefitting an estimated 16,000 students in 76 schools in Chevron communities.
