Dow and partners train Thai science teachers to utilize small-scale chemistry laboratory in classes nationwide

Bangkok – 4 July 2022 - The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has collaborated with Dow Thailand Group and the Chemical Society of Thailand under the patronage of Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana (CST) to continue developing Thai teachers to adopt the principles of small-scale chemistry laboratories in secondary schools. Building on the success of the "Dow Chemistry Classroom" project, the "Dow Chemistry Academy 2022" workshop was held to promote the competency of science teachers across the country, progressively expanding the teaching network of the small-scale chemistry laboratory.

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The "Dow Chemistry Academy 2022" workshop was held on 29-30 June 2022 at the Mandarin Hotel Bangkok. Chemistry experts shared their in-depth knowledge and provided recommendations for designing lesson plans suitable for teaching small-scale chemistry methods to modern learners and for the future of Thailand's science education. The workshop provided training for more than 50 teachers participating in the "Dow Chemistry Classroom" project.

Ketthip Suphawanich, Deputy Secretary-General of the Basic Education Commission, said, "How can we have children understand the importance of chemistry? How do we make teaching and learning easily accessible and connect them to daily life? It would be great if we could achieve this. We shouldn't limit children's knowledge capability with our own. We must teach them to acquire knowledge from external learning networks to learn without boundaries."

Nattapong Jirawattanaworakul, Corporate Citizenship Manager of Dow Thailand Group, said, "This platform will support and build up teachers' skills so that the new approach can be applied at schools. The techniques of small-scale chemistry can be disseminated to students, helping them better understand the lessons. This will improve interest in sciences, which will also inspire more young people to become scientists in the future. These purposes are considered in creating skilled people who will play an important role in developing the community and the country in the future."

Teachers who attended the workshop also participated in lectures on several topics by scientists and chemists from various fields in Thailand and abroad. Pure and Applied Chemistry International Conference (PACCON 2022) was held under "Frontiers in Chemical Sciences for Health, Energy, and Sustainable Chemistry Towards a Sustainable Future." This project helps teachers integrate their knowledge into teaching students. Students also presented their work from the 2021 Science Project Contest with Laboratory Chemistry using small-scale chemistry—part of the Dow Chemistry Classroom Project (DOW-CST Award 2020-2021)—to more than 1,000 participants at the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang auditorium.

Poomtawan Saengsuk, Buntharik Wittayakarn School, one of the attendees, said, "At school, there is a small-scale chemistry club where children come up with ideas for projects. We also encourage children to submit their projects to the contests. Teachers that already teach science can use the experiment set very easily because there is an easy-to-understand manual."

"This project has allowed us to conduct experiments with a small amount of chemicals while producing clear results. This saves on expenses, increases safety precautions for students, and enables smaller schools with less equipment to still conduct scientific experiments for students," said Sarilla Charoenmitmongkol, Raman Siriwit School.

"Teaching elementary and high school students can be chaotic. The presence of many types of chemicals in large quantities can confuse students and—as a result—may discourage students from learning. The introduction of small-scale chemistry experiments makes it easier for children to understand. Big concepts and experiments are condensed into smaller, concise, and easy-to-understand ones, making for a better learning experience," added Atchara Thavornkun, Prachinratsaramrung School.

Dr. Usa Jeanjeankit, Mahidol Wittayanusorn School, said, "When students perform or witness experiments while learning chemistry, they can develop a better understanding and confidence which does not come from listening to teacher's lectures. I want to conduct smaller chemistry experiments in the classroom that cover more topics and address green chemistry, designed to conserve the environment."

Tassanee Dolkul, Klaeng "Wittayasathaworn" School, commented, "After teaching methods for small-scale chemistry were applied to group activities in classroom labs during the course, many students developed a passion for chemistry and wanted to continue learning. Some even asked their teacher if there are other labs and subjects like this."

In addition, the supervising teachers of the student teams who won the DOW-CST Award in April of this year also received a plaque of honor from Professor Dr. Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana at PACCON 2022.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and materials science expertise; leading business positions; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) leadership to achieve profitable growth and deliver a sustainable future. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company globally. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings, and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated, science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility, and consumer applications. Dow operates 104 manufacturing sites in thirty-one countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $55 billion in 2021. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.

About Dow Thailand Group

Dow started its business in Thailand in 1967, then expanded through a joint venture with SCG in 1987. At present, Dow Thailand Group consists of Dow's wholly-owned subsidiaries and SCG-DOW joint ventures. Dow Thailand Group is the largest manufacturing base for Dow in the Asia Pacific, with many manufacturing facilities in Rayong province. Its strategic markets in Thailand are packaging, building and infrastructure, and mobility industries. More information could be found at https://th.dow.com/en-us or the Thai Facebook www.facebook.com/DowThailandGroup/

For further information, please contact:

Apiradee Poopirom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel. 02-3657296 / 081-8026933
Email:papiradee@dow.com

Suttipong Krotintakom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel. 038-673315 / 081-7919626
Email:skrotintakom@dow.com

Lalida, Tisadondilok
Dow Thailand Group
Tel. 02-365-7228 / 089-6687079
Email:lalida@dow.com