E-Book A Practical 1

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO
DESIGNING AND MANAGING
ENGLISH DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS

Theories and innovative practices for leading
and empowering change in your context

BY ANYARAT NATTHEERAPHONG

Inspired by MSU Homeroom



A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing
English Development Projects

Anyarat Nattheeraphong

A Practical Guide to Designing and Man
English Development Projects

Anyarat Nattheeraphong

2

A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing
English Development Projects

Copyright © 2021 Anyarat Nattheeraphong

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any
information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

IISSBBNN::978-616-586-594-4 (paperback)
ISBN:978-616-586-594-4(e-book) (ebook)

Thai National Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is
available from the National Library of Thailand.

First published in 2021 500 copies

Published by Anyarat Nattheeraphong
Printed in Maha Sarakham, Thailand

USD 19.99 (paperback)
USD 10.99 (e-book)

Takasila Kanpim
205/4 Srisawas Damnoen Road,
Talad Sub-district, Muang District,
Maha Sarakham, Thailand 44000
Tel: +66 81 546 5776
Email: [email protected]

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IV

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By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

Contents Page
XI
XV
1
Foreword by Professor Richard Smith 3
Acknowledgments 5
Chapter 1 Overview 5
The purposes of this book 8
Who is this book for? 9
What is in this book? 14
The MSU Homeroom Project 15
First-year project implementation 23
Subsequent years of project implementation
Managing change during the pandemic (2020-2021) 29
Some technical and management information 31
Chapter 2 The L2 Motivational Self System: Future 33
Self-guides Activities 41
A brief overview of the L2 Motivational Self System 42
Future self-guides activities 43
Lessons learned from using future self-guides activities 45
Recommendations for future projects 48
Chapter 3 Mindset Theory: Growth Mindset Activities 54
A brief overview of the Mindset Theory 55
Mindset activities
Lessons learned from using mindset activities
Recommendations for future projects

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

Contents

Page

Chapter 4 Zone of Proximal Development and the Role 57
of MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors 59
A brief overview of Vygotsky’s Zone of 60
Proximal Development 63
Recruitment of MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors 64
Train-the-trainer workshop and on-the-job training 66
Responsibilities of MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors 67
Lessons learned from using MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors
to help with activities
Recommendations for future projects

Chapter 5 The Affective Filter Hypothesis and Total Physical 69
Response (TPR): Icebreakers for English Camps 71
A brief overview of the Affective Filter Hypothesis and Total Physical 73
Response (TPR) 86
Icebreakers 86
How to praise, reward, and give feedback to participants 87
Lessons learned from leading icebreakers
Icebreaker resources 89
91
Chapter 6 Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development: 93
Team and Skill Building Activities 103
A brief overview of Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development
Low-resource team and skill building activities
Lessons learned from leading team and skill
building activities

Chapter 7 Conclusion 105
Annual plan examples 107
Example 1: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic 107
Example 2: During the COVID-19 pandemic 112
Q & A with the author 112
Final Remarks 118

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By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

Contents

Page

Appendices 119
Appendix A : Pictures of MSU Homeroom language classes 121
Appendix B : Pictures of cultural events 122
Appendix C : Pictures of MSU Homeroom English Camps 125
Appendix D : Pictures of MSU Homeroom Open House 126
Appendix E : Pictures of online exchange programs 127
Appendix F : Pictures of online MSU Homeroom International Day 135
Appendix G : Pictures of online MSU Homeroom Open House 138
Appendix H : Pictures of online MSU Homeroom Festival 140
Appendix I : A possible selves roadmap 143
Appendix J : A rejection story 144
Appendix K : Project for a good cause worksheet 145

References 147
Subject Index 157
About the Author: Anyarat Nattheeraphong 161

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

List of Figures Page
10
11
1.1 MSU Homeroom language class 12
1.2 Weekly MSU Homeroom activities 13
1.3 MSU Homeroom Christmas 14
1.4 MSU Homeroom English Camp 16
1.5 MSU Homeroom English tutorials 17
1.6 Examples of online programs 18
1.7 Examples of online tutorials 20
1.8 Homeroom Talks and Alumni Talks 21
1.9 Online MSU Homeroom International Day 23
1.10 Online MSU Homeroom Open House 34
1.11 Online MSU Homeroom Festival 37
2.1 Role Model’s Talks 38
2.2 Possible Selves Roadmap 40
2.3 Desirable Qualities 41
2.4 Pride, Hope, Fear, Gratitude 49
2.5 A Letter to My Future Self 51
3.1 Mindset Talk 53
3.2 You’ve Got a Friend 62
3.3 A Rejection Story 64
4.1 Group photos of MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors 65
4.2 Train-the-trainer workshop 76
4.3 MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors 79
5.1 Man and Monk 84
5.2 Evolution 95
5.3 Examples of actions in Mirror 98
6.1 Marshmallow Challenge 99
6.2 Logo United 101
6.3 Team Anthem 102
6.4 Project for a Good Cause
6.5 Line of Empathy

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By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

List of Diagrams

Page

1.1 The work cycle 27
3.1 Fixed VS growth mindsets 47
4.1 Zone of proximal development and the role of MSU Homeroom 60
FriendAdvisors

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

List of Tables Page
82
108
5.1 Body to Body: Sample instructions 108
7.1 Pre-COVID-19 pandemic annual plan 109
7.2 MSU Homeroom Open House 109
7.3 MSU Homeroom International Day 110
7.4 MSU Homeroom Festival 110
7.5 MSU Homeroom Halloween 111
7.6 MSU Homeroom Christmas 111
7.7 MSU Homeroom English Camps 112
7.8 Train-the-trainer workshop
7.9 An annual plan during the COVID-19 pandemic

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XIII 10



By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

Foreword
I’m delighted to write the foreword for Dr Anyarat Nattheeraphong’s first book,

A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects.
Her PhD research, which I supervised, focused on change from a

bottom-up perspective, and her ground-breaking thesis adopted aspects of
George Kelly’s Psychology of Personal Constructs to investigate, in an in-depth
way, how teachers evolve their own personal theories of appropriate
methodology over time, via reflection on practical experience as well as in
response to top-down initiatives. This was a positive, context-focused approach
to looking at change which, I see, has been taken forward into the present
publication in a novel fashion. I shall return to this topic of ‘change’ below, but
first a few more words about the research involved here.

The present book continues the approach of judiciously combining
insights from relevant theory with lessons from practice, in particular in its central
chapters. These present accessible overviews of some important theories relevant
to the field of second language education together with activities which reflect
the theories and which have shown their practical worth in the writer’s own
institution. Compared with much work in the field of applied linguistics, which
often emphasizes abstract theory and decontextualized research at the expense
of the needs of practitioners, the balance between theory and practice here is
exemplary. Indeed, activities which have specifically proven their worth for low-
resource situations – in other words, for majority or ‘mainstream’ English
learning and teaching settings rather than the privileged contexts more often
involved in applied linguistics research – have been chosen to exemplify a
number of well-known theories, including the L2 Motivational Self System,
Mindset Theory, ZPD, the Affective Filter Hypothesis, Total Physical Response
and Stages of Group Development. This strong focus on the needs of
practitioners even when discussing theory is a noteworthy feature of the book.

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

The kind of applied linguistics in evidence here, indeed, could very much
be characterized as practical and contextually driven, and therefore may resonate
with educator-researchers in many institutions worldwide. The main strength of
the book, it seems to me, is the way it is grounded in extensive, committed
experience of bringing about reform in a regional university in Thailand, with
particular reference to extra-curricular activities designed to improve students’
English learning in enjoyable and useful ways. As the author wrote to me recently,
‘I’m happy doing what I love – leading change at my university’, and this love
and this commitment are conveyed strongly in the pages of the book, showing
how applied linguistics can be a matter of engagement as much as research or
publication, or – to put this another way – showing how research and publication
about language education can be most authentic and be of most use, including
general use, when – as here – it is grounded in and feeds back into engaged action
in a particular context.

Designing and implementing English development projects both inside
and outside her university, the author has devoted countless hours to the benefit
of students and is now in a position to report on the successes she has achieved.
There are many lessons to be learned not only from the particular extra-curricular
activities which have been developed but also from the nature of the process of
change undergone, a theme which she casts light on in her reflections here, as in
her PhD work. Emphasizing the value of the involvement of all participants, not
only students and colleagues but also administrators, she particularly emphasizes
collaborative aspects, and the way a top-down approach may need to complement
a fundamentally bottom-up approach in successful change implementation.
From these initiatives, including recent responses to the Covid-19 pandemic
which are detailed here alongside pre-pandemic initiatives, the author learned that
change is inevitable and constant, so flexibility is key when implementing
innovations. The final message of this inspiring book is a clear and very positive,

XVI 12

By Anyarat Nattheeraphong
iwicToennhxfhatdpaoisaetnetetrtrgodheieweci’dns,eAaeotntsvmiphnatewlprlp’rytoyhako)ur,anwbpegmtoarnehsadwyrthclieylnpteenaigacd(dglraaogavtlloviegtinTeocwiiahcneennhxngafedohmeadtpca,doi:suaaetcnfeetdgeiItuvertrngrohvdheivemsetwewTioiecoceTwiiclitrnn,e’ndcnihxsI,fhx,yeuAahfkeanphdtaedoptaanptsoavismledaisieuaepthanennettantetowrtewtostelrptrrtlgpd’rrgsoyetdehotenoideiyheaoehwkoee)dDwTiwoceiefciw’ucnnr’,vdna’usnetdhxwnbp,efAa,eeehAaagmedtrteionthlpotonattsarvnrnnmotisseahimrhphietNsanpnrehaedewtneayratttweehwitclprmlnrtprltli’tpgrrlepnn’yoyytlnadohsphehitteoyhaeenkowhae)akocike)tectguiaeerc,u’dad(r,tnndgwshelaabpn,w,mebeAarraheagoemtgmgo,tarotvetepnarotnsvlmlaenoheivecheiegpthsabcindwsaynetdwretayhecrthwtnsehecrlhprlleipie’rliringaeyrpeylndeopstometymlnepiryeheanakopcean)i,odaae:guauacgrd,ap(cdgdnfl(wtutedebgpclrdreadaogrgmaihIoitguvheaevgnotiabrvvarlntlohevlhwvaoiegvtievsmsisoagisttdwniilsyrathnlcinleihtrcehti,nieecelclaniisecInn,gayeyydoyugaklnemepndatopemesetenagc,aadicc,:alenudga:aauecuadtac(fdngretelcfnweadirngadoraodiwIgostiuvgeiIoanuvedrtngsfcreltlhvoednthvhvieemsgttvnoemsithehsdDhntfaihlcentre,iw’eleet,vchiu,.ecItc,itnegayIe,urkdonmenupkenrpeinoeehltcna,drdanle:d‘suleaeudrhaeeNcnlrfteaenhtaoldhorgwosetiIorIivhwuvometnatdntrsnndeetsehveaatnshhenvbemsaoefhtodDehckfetddDeistlw’trguer,esevw’ocutivetheIa,,etymyukrahnrpreeirnhlr,erttifneoehaeptrntilerdnaerohceueornhNabhcreenNteneeateaohtrsewiostrumneiteetimhidnrinnttserrepntnaoeesshhnmadhihrnroeeahopcdDkeotfaeeckttneewe’tepvmedturheetatctwu,tehmhcerd,rmh.rhehireih,nraehltei,epbveernepiieswacrheeinsbceNnosretebcreilseaeelhtsmiseetitriismelnradtnitrsiecannnirrPypiyesrapsmhheasirmstlairwarpguaockcaeteeaohentaemeacpttptrhueteeacac,rndtwmteaacirdDnrdhhhiihheoi,rhdhibeeepvyegficvwadet.chiewasobtscinsosilehssheilseehitlstiieirtlianhes,.ilcrcainntsyerypnryesyanmstiaroastgepncgoadaenc‘saantapelretutnerwcherdaoinnwdlhandIihivhohiaebgfvcegfcdatwahdetibshtanofstehshilsehsdhlesirguetiesiohela,.ncshct,neceyyrytenraanstroeatgnfoeeocndtia‘sndao‘asotnehlreelhnnwotalhhindolhIvhiuIaeovehihagfeecraoedthaebdanrftebneaofehshdsendrgusseorgumsdho,.rccwethyerya

into this very practical and very useful research publication.
RPUrincoihfveaesrrsdsoitSrymoofifthEWLaTrw&icAk,RUPpUrpincolKihifveeaedsrrPRUPRsdsLoriirnictSiocronyihmhfvfogeaoeaeufisrsrfrtRUPsdisdhEssoWoriitntScLoSriryichmamfTvooseroaefiwfsirf&trtsdhEshEiWociLtSALrkyamT,TporoUpwfi&ft&lKhEiiWceALAkda,TpprLUpwp&ilnKliiicegeAkddu,piLsLUptiiinlKnciegsgduuiiLssttiiinccgssuistics

University of Warwick, UK

XVII 13



By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

XIX 14



By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

Acknowledgments

Writing a book is more challenging than I thought it was. The hardest part for

me was to know what stories to tell and bring those stories to life. This book
would have been impossible without the experiences and support from my team
at the Office of General Education of Mahasarakham University and MSU
Homeroom FriendAdvisors. You have given me the opportunity to work with a
great team—working with a team of leaders is one of the best experiences in my
life. Thank you for being the inspiration and foundation for MSU Homeroom.
I am also extremely grateful to my colleagues at the Department of Western
Languages and Linguistics for their encouragement and constant support
throughout my years at Mahasarakham University.

Writing a book about MSU Homeroom is such a surreal process. I want
to express my sincere gratitude to Assistant Professor Dr. Issara Pramoolsook,
Dr. Nitchaya Wattanavorakijkul, and Assistant Professor Dr. Chalermchai
Wongrak for their insightful feedback and comments during the review process.
It is because of their support that this book turned into reality.

I am singularly privileged to have professors who are very kind and
supportive and colleagues who are friends. All of them have supported me
through many ups and downs. In particular, I would like to express my sincere
thanks to Professor Steve Mann, Professor Chika Ikeda, Dr. Navaporn Snodin,
Dr. Harry Kuchah Kuchah, Dr. Bouziane Khalloufi, and Assistant Professor Dr.
Intisarn Chaiyasuk for their unfailing interest and ongoing support. Without their
valuable insight and support at the final stage of the book’s completion, I would
not have been able to bring the book to publication. I am forever grateful for the
bonds we have formed.

I am forever indebted to my PhD supervisors, Professor Richard Smith
and Professor Ema Ushioda. I am particularly grateful for their active support

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

and guidance during my years at the University of Warwick. Professor Richard
Smith, my primary supervisor, has been a great and resourceful mentor. His
guidance provided a direction to my work and enabled me to understand my
epistemological position, constructivism. Richard’s wisdom, support, and
insights made working with him an inspiring learning experience for me.
Professor Ema Ushioda, whose work is cited in this book, gave me invaluable
feedback and constructive comments that shaped my PhD thesis and future
research. Both have been exemplars for the highest standards of scholarship. I
am also grateful to Dr. Martin Wedell and Dr. Keith Richards, the examiners of
my PhD thesis, for their valuable insights and constructive feedback, which have
enriched the present work.

My continuing gratitude goes to my close friends and family, whose love
and support continue to be a great source of strength and inspiration. My
heartfelt thanks go to my parents and my brother. Their unwavering love and
support have been the driving force behind my achievements.

Writing this book, in particular, is more rewarding than I could have
imagined. MSU Homeroom is more than just a project. It involves people coming
together to make a difference in the community. MSU Homeroom is my passion.
It coexists with all the other projects to create greater impacts in our community.
I hope the stories of MSU Homeroom in the book will inspire practitioners, who
have to lead and empower change in their contexts, to believe in their own agency
and potential. Last but definitely not least, I owe my sincerest gratitude to
everyone who has co-created the stories of MSU Homeroom through their
participation in our activities at different times. Without their support and
involvement, it would have been impossible to write and complete my first book,
A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects.

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Chapter 1 Overview

The purposes of this book

I started my teaching career 17 years ago at a public university in Northeastern
Thailand. As a university lecturer, I had ample opportunity to work with senior
lecturers in designing and giving workshops to English teachers in the region.
This particular experience motivated me to continue exploring issues concerning
change management when I started my PhD studies in 2009. Initially, I planned
to conduct a research study to investigate a mismatch between English education
policy and classroom practice in a top-down manner. The motivation behind the
initial PhD research plan came from my teacher training experiences in which I
learned from school teachers about their frustrations and reluctance in
implementing top-down reforms.

However, after conducting a literature search and review and having
fruitful, thought-provoking discussions with my PhD supervisors, Professor
Richard Smith and Professor Ema Ushioda, new ideas had evolved and had been
honed. I then decided to adopt a diachronic perspective to view the relationship
between educational innovations and classroom practice in a bottom-up manner,
focusing on exploring teacher cognition in relation to educational reforms. The
PhD research project allowed me the opportunity to learn from teachers, who
were both agents and targets of change. My PhD studies’ knowledge enabled me
to understand the importance of participant engagement and continuing long-
term support in change management (Wedell, 2009).

After returning to Thailand to resume my teaching position at the same
university in 2013, I have been actively involved in designing and implementing
English development projects and activities both inside and outside the
University. As a middle-management level leader, I have to design and implement
change following the university’s initiatives with regard to developing students’

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

English skills and abilities. My prior knowledge and experience, combined with

my knowledge of the context in which I work, makes it possible for me to

establish a long-term plan that involves individuals affected by the change,

namely students, university support staff, English teachers, faculty members, and

administrators. I believe the way change is implemented has an impact on its

potential for success. Literature in the field of change management also indicates

that for educational innovations to be successfully implemented and adopted, all

individuals affected by the innovations need to be involved in the process (Fullan,

2007; Kennedy, 1987).

In my later experience as a mid-level administrator, I have come to realize

how introducing change in a bottom-up manner alone is not sufficient to ensure

widespread recognition and implementation. Change practitioners need to

involve administrators as well because these individuals play a crucial role in

ensuring ongoing dialogues and change implementation. Nevertheless,

individuals who are targets and key agents of change, namely students, teachers,

and relevant support staff, should be actively involved in the process to enhance

the project’s sustainability (Vilches, 2018).

Given my experience as a middle manager in higher education, this book

is, in part, an effort to empower other middle managers and those junior

academics who are introducing innovations in their respective institutions.

Although the main focus of this book is on how to design and manage English

language development projects, the first, the present chapter, is dedicated to

providing some insights and useful information regarding how to involve

individuals who are affected by change initiatives in the planning and

implementation of new projects.

To sum up, the main purposes of this book are two-fold: 1) to empower

academics who lead in middle management through examples of project planning

and implementation; and 2) to provide important information regarding how to

design and manage English development projects in a locality, be it a department,

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By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

faculty, university or even a school. The success of the projects in this book is
measured by the continuing dialogues between and increased engagement of all
the parties involved. The contents of this book are organized to include an
overview of relevant theories and some practical aspects regarding how theory
informs practice and vice versa.

I hope that the readers will find the theoretical frameworks introduced in
this book relevant to their needs and that the practical experiences from the
ongoing project management provide them with some useful tips and insights
which, I hope, will in turn help them plan and design their projects to fit their
educational contexts. While this book is not intended to provide a one-size-fits-
all approach to designing and implementing English language development
initiatives, readers can use it as a reference for or practical guide to language
development project management.

Who is this book for?

This book will be of value to English educators and change practitioners who are
in charge of planning, introducing, implementing, and monitoring change in their
contexts. This book will also be useful for teacher educators and teachers, both
pre-service and in-service, who are responsible for designing and running English
development activities in their institutions, a locality, or a region.

What is in this book?

This book is organized into seven main chapters. This first chapter provides an
overview of the book and its different chapters as well as some practical tips on
how to foster active participation and engagement from individuals affected by
educational innovations.

Chapters 2-6 discuss relevant theoretical frameworks used to design
project activities and some practical aspects regarding how theory informs

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

practice and vice versa. The main emphasis is on the practicality of the relevant
theories and project activities. Readers may find this book practical for their
projects, and they might need further reading concerning the relevant theories if
they wish to delve deeper into the theories since the book provides only a brief
overview of the theory in question while discussing project activities in great
detail.

The main theoretical frameworks which provide coherent models for
designing and implementing the intervention activities are Zoltán Dörnyei’s
(2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System, Carol Dweck’s (2006, 2017) Mindset
Theory, Lev Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), Stephen
Krashen’s (1981) Affective Filter Hypothesis, James Asher’s (1969) Total
Physical Response (TPR), and Bruce Tuckman’s (1965) Stages of Group
Development. These theoretical frameworks enable practitioners to plan and
design intervention activities that provide different ways of understanding how
we can help students develop the right attitudes toward their learning and
development, become motivated in their English learning, and appreciate the
presence of and support from others in their context (Chao et al., 2017). More
details about each chapter are provided below.

Chapter 2 presents Zoltán Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self
System and consists of four main sections: 1) a brief overview of the L2
Motivational Self System; 2) future self-guides activities; 3) lessons learned from
using future self-guides activities; and 4) recommendations for future projects.

Chapter 3 details Carol Dweck’s (2006, 2017) Mindset Theory and
contains four main sections: 1) a brief overview of the Mindset Theory; 2)
mindset activities; 3) lessons learned from using mindset activities; and 4)
recommendations for future projects.

Chapter 4 discusses Lev Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal
Development (ZPD) and comprises six main sections: 1) a brief overview of Lev
Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD); 2) recruitment of

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By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors; 3) train-the-trainer workshop and on-the-job
training; 4) responsibilities of MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors; 5) lessons
learned from using MSU Homeroom FriendAdvisors to help with activities; and
6) recommendations for future projects.

Chapter 5 features Stephen Krashen’s (1981) Affective Filter Hypothesis
and James Asher’s (1969) Total Physical Response which provide theoretical
frameworks for icebreaking activities for English camps. Based on their
understanding and knowledge of the theoretical frameworks and icebreakers,
practitioners can apply their knowledge to plan, design, and run activities that will
give students opportunities to get to know their fellows and feel comfortable
around one another. It is very important to create a safe, supportive environment
to promote learning and positive attitudes about one’s self, others, and the target
language. I choose English camp activities as an example for organizing English
activities for students because English camps can last as long as our budget and
resources allow us to do while other types of activities might not last as long.
Hence, practitioners have a long time span to customize their English camps to
respond to the students’ needs and interests and serve the purposes of their
projects.

Chapter 6 introduces Bruce Tuckman’s (1965) Stages of Group
Development and gives examples of effective team and skill building activities to
be used in all kinds of activities because all important skills such as
communication skills, leadership skills, creativity, empathy and teamwork are
desirable attributes in today’s world. When it comes to organizing student
development projects, practitioners must view students as whole persons with
their unique qualities, interests, and needs. Promoting students’ motivation to
learn English is not a linear process. Individual students bring with them “their
unique experiences, histories, identities, motivations, goals and visions, which are
not always visible, yet always present, to ‘travel’ with individuals in any context
and in any relationship” (Nikoletou, 2017, p. 266). Given this complexity, we

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cannot promote English learning and motivation without fostering the growth
and development of other skills. Incorporating team and skill building activities
into any educational activities can help prepare students for both their
professional and civic lives.

Chapter 7 is designed for the busy reader. It summarizes major lessons
from the experience gained throughout the English development project
implementation in a public university in Thailand (2016-present). Although I
would be very disappointed if the readers restricted their reading to this final
chapter, I felt that it would be beneficial to provide this synthesis a reference
point or resource in which the readers can use when sharing ideas regarding
theorizing and framing their interventions.

All photographs!are original content and the intellectual property of the
author.!In the following section, I will provide some useful tips on how to foster
active participation and engagement from agents and targets of change. I hope
that this practical information will provide readers with some insights which will,
in their turn, help them in the planning and implementation of change in their
educational contexts.

The MSU Homeroom Project

I have been leading in middle management since 2014, but this English
development project entitled “MSU Homeroom”, which started in 2016, is my
first long-term commitment. The project is aimed at: 1) helping university
students develop positive attitudes toward English and become more motivated
in their English learning; 2) promoting English learning both inside and outside
the classrooms by providing support and organizing English activities that cater
to different needs and interests; and 3) establishing a community of learning to
promote life-long learning.

The experience gained from my active involvement in the
implementation of this university-wide English development project provides me

CHAPTER 1 8

By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

with some insights into how the bottom-up and top-down approaches
complement one another in change implementation. I set out to implement the
project in a bottom-up manner by involving mainly teachers (English and
interested faculty members), students, and relevant support staff members (staff
who worked in student affairs or academic affairs divisions in different faculties
across the University) in the English development activities my office carried out.

One of the reasons I focused mainly on this group of individuals was
because they were the main targets of change. Another reason was a budget
limitation. Since I started leading this project after budget decisions were made,
our office had to run most of the activities on a voluntary basis at the outset of
the implementation. Therefore, practitioners who are faced with the same
limitation can take the following ideas and activities into consideration when
planning their interventions. This was how the activities were conducted in the
first year of this project.

First-year project implementation

1. Weekday evening English classes taught by English teachers and
student volunteers: Regularity engenders feelings of continuity and fosters
consistent participation. I found organizing activities regularly a great way to
promote engagement among students who aspired to develop their English skills
and abilities. These students also directly and/or indirectly helped promote the
activities verbally and/or on their social media. Some students brought their
friends and/or classmates along to the English classes. Together these students
created a community of learning with their respective teachers or student tutors.
Figure 1.1 gives an example of the MSU Homeroom language classes. Pictures
of MSU Homeroom language classes can be seen in Appendix A.

9 CHAPTER 1

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Figure 1.1
MSU Homeroom Language Class

2. Weekly English activities: The English activities we did were both online and
offline depending on holiday seasons, events, and/or ongoing activities inside
and outside the University. We organized skill workshops, English classes with
the focus on promoting self-love and a community of learning, and some
informal celebrations. For example, we had “A Love Board” in front of our office
a week before Valentine’s Day, and we decorated the board with small post-it
notes, all of which formed a big heart-shaped board. We put up a sign to
encourage students and passers-by to write love notes to their crushes or loved
ones. On Valentine’s Day, we hosted a live session where we picked some funny
or impressive notes to read out during our live session. We also engaged the
audience through “Questions and Answers” in which the audience had to type

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their answers in the comments. The winners got special gifts from our sponsors.
Figure 1.2 shows examples of the weekly MSU Homeroom activities.
Figure 1.2
Weekly MSU Homeroom Activities

3. Cultural activities: The only big cultural activity we did during our first year
was the Easter Egg Hunt and games. We considered it necessary to have at least
one big cultural event each year to accommodate more students and to familiarize
our students with foreign cultures and traditions. We found cultural events very
captivating and motivating as they allowed students to explore some unknown
aspects of the foreign cultures and traditions through their active participation in
the activities. Later, we organize three cultural events annually: Homeroom
International Day, Homeroom Halloween, and Homeroom Christmas. I will talk
more about cultural activities in Chapter 7 when I detail how we organize these
activities for the benefit of the students. Figure 1.3 is a picture of MSU
Homeroom Christmas, which is held annually before the actual date since we
encourage people to spend time with their families during Christmas. Pictures of
other cultural events can be seen in Appendix B.

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Figure 1.3
MSU Homeroom Christmas

4. English camps: Our English camps were our big success. We were able to

form a stronger community with students from different majors. The students

also established a good relationship among themselves and with us. Our first two

English camps were one-day camps. Students were divided into groups, each of

which had to rotate from one learning station to the next. A group could be big

or small depending on the number of staff members we had. The biggest number

of students per group was 20, with two helpers accompanying the students to

every learning station. There were two main English teachers (Foreign or Thai or

both) at each learning station and a couple of student helpers. More details about

English camps will be provided in the subsequent chapters. Figure 1.4 displays

one of the many activities we ran at the English camps. Pictures of MSU

Homeroom English Camps can be seen in Appendix C. 27

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Figure 1.4
MSU Homeroom English Camp

5. Tutorials: Our tutorials attracted many students. Due to limited space, we
could only accommodate approximately 500 students per one week of English
exam tutorials. We also did online tutorials using livestream and videos. Our
participants were between x,xxx - xx,xxx. The number varies from one video to
another. Again, we conducted our tutorials on a voluntary basis. All tutors were
student volunteers who had been working with us since year 1 of the project
implementation. Figure 1.5 depicts some examples of our tutorial events
organized in both small classrooms and big auditoriums.

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Figure 1.5
MSU Homeroom English Tutorials

Subsequent years of project implementation

We continue conducting our English classes and activities regularly to maintain
our presence and foster consistent engagement. We still run our: 1) weekday
evening English classes taught by English teachers and students; and 2) weekly
English and cultural activities. From our second year into project implementation
onward, we are allocated budgets to do different small projects as follows:
1. An English skills competition entitled “MSU Homeroom Festival” in which
we organize different competitions such as a singing contest, speech competition,
English quiz, and inspirational video competition
2. A big event named “MSU Homeroom Open House” could accommodate over
1,000 participants yearly. The main purposes of this event are two-fold: 1) to
introduce our project, team, and activities; and 2) to encourage students and

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interested individuals to start or continue developing skills and abilities necessary
for their growth and future goals. Pictures of MSU Homeroom Open House can
be seen in Appendix D.
3. English camps
4. Cultural activities (Our big cultural activities include MSU Homeroom
International Day, MSU Homeroom Halloween, and MSU Homeroom
Christmas.)

In addition to the above activities, we also conduct English classes in
different faculties following their needs. Since we have established a strong
network of administrators, interested teachers, and relevant support staff in our
second year, we inform them of our program entitled “Homeroom in your area”
in which we send out our student volunteers to run English activities for students
in different faculties based on their needs and interests. (More details about this
network will be provided below.)

We have become more proactive in offering English classes to faculties
because: 1) we have more competent student volunteers who are confident that
they can help other students after they have actively participated in several
projects and have gradually and continually developed their skills and abilities;
and 2) we have realized that the majority of students are not confident to come
out of their comfort zone to study English outside of their faculties. Apart from
our programs and activities, we also work for projects initiated by different
faculties across the University and different schools and universities in the region
and Bangkok.

Managing change during the pandemic (2020-2021)

In early 2020, we foresaw change the breakout of the novel coronavirus would
bring to society in general and education in particular. We planned to move our
content to online platforms. We contacted alumni and current teachers and
students who might be interested in volunteering their time and knowledge to

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work with us to create online content. Since the challenges brought about by the
pandemic affected people vastly and profoundly, we analyzed the situation as a
team and planned to carry out different types of programs, some of which laid
outside our scope of mission but were deemed important to uplift the spirits and
lives of those who followed our work online. In April 2020, we launched our
online programs on one of our online platforms. The programs were categorized
according to their contents as can be seen below:

1. Online foreign language learning programs by both volunteer teachers and
students: We offer over 10 online foreign language learning programs, some of
which gain popularity over the years. Our foreign language learning programs
include English, French, Japanese, Chinese, and Khmer. We are open to other
languages and believe that our work should not be restricted by our mission if it
serves the purposes of our project and responds to our followers’ needs and
interests. Most importantly, some people are willing to create and do things to
help others. We upload the videos weekly and create playlists of the programs so
that the followers could go to their favorite programs any time they want to learn
something in which they are interested. Some of our online programs can be seen
in Figure 1.6 below.
Figure 1.6
Examples of Online Programs

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2. Online tutorials: We provide online tutorials to students who enroll in general
English courses offered by our office. Students could watch both live and video
tutorials. These videos are made available on our social media platforms, and
some examples of these online tutorials can be seen in Figure 1.7 below.
Figure 1.7
Examples of Online Tutorials

3. Inspirational videos by our current students and alumni: We run two special
programs for our students to inspire them to develop skills and abilities beneficial
for their growth and development and encourage them to move forward with
their goals despite some challenges and difficulties. These two programs are
Homeroom Talks and Alumni Talks. Homeroom Talks are talks given by current
students about anything meaningful to them as persons and could inspire and
empower others to embrace themselves and keep moving forward. Alumni Talks
are inspirational talks given by the alumni who work in different fields and want
to share their experiences with their juniors with the hope to inspire them to
prepare themselves for their future careers and/or education. Examples of our
Homeroom Talks and Alumni Talks can be seen in Figure 1.8 below.

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Figure 1.8
Homeroom Talks and Alumni Talks

4. Online language and cultural exchange programs: We also collaborate with
lecturers from foreign universities on different online student exchange
programs. In December 2020, we worked with Aichi Prefectural University,
Japan, on two different programs: 1) an online language and cultural exchange
program between students from our universities and students from Marunouchi
Junior High School; and 2) an online exchange program between student teachers
of English from the two universities. From March-May 2021 (12 weeks), we
worked with Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Turkey, on an online language
and exchange program between English-majored students from the two
universities. Our students benefited greatly from these collaborations. These
collaborations are also examples of how we initiate collaborations by
communicating our vision and passion. These collaborations would not have
been possible if one of the two parties had not seen or expected the same
outcome – student growth and development. Pictures of our online exchange
programs can be seen in Appendix E.

5. MSU Homeroom’s annual events: We organize our annual events online

during the pandemic. Some of our online events are 100% online, meaning all

the hosts, speakers, and participants meet online. These online events include

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MSU Homeroom International Day, MSU Homeroom Open House, and MSU
Homeroom Festival. Due to the book’s publication date, other annual events are
not included in the book. While doing these activities, we use a group chat to
communicate with one another and to the team about any changes,
confirmations, and important information. Below is how we organize each event.

5.1. MSU Homeroom International Day: We invite speakers from
different countries to present about their countries at our event. MSU
Homeroom International Day is a three-hour event that consists of three main
sessions: an icebreaking session; a country presentation session; and a new
country presentation session. We divide participants up into smaller groups and
they have to meet with different speakers at different times—we do group
rotations, each rotation of which lasts 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, each group
will be moved to the next country presentation. After all country presentations
are done, student participants have to do a quiz that tests their knowledge of the
countries. This activity acts as a warm-up activity before they get to work with
other students in their small groups to create a new country. In the third session,
student participants are divided up into smaller groups of 7-10. They need to
brainstorm, discuss, and prepare for a presentation about their new country. They
are encouraged to use features from the previous country visit presentations to
create their new countries. After 30 minutes, each group returns to the main
sessions and takes turns presenting their new country to the speakers and
audience. This event is very well-received as students get exposed to contents
about different countries before they get to present their own countries. They
can be as creative as they want to be because we believe that students are more
willing to engage in a task if they have fewer or no constraints imposed upon
them. Figure 1.9 shows our online MSU Homeroom International Day. Other
pictures of our online MSU Homeroom International Day can be seen in
Appendix F.

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Figure 1.9
Online MSU Homeroom International Day

5.2. MSU Homeroom Open House: We invite speakers who are
passionate about what they are doing and would like to share their stories and
experiences with younger generations to: 1) empower students to know
themselves and their dreams, set their future goals, and take actions to fulfill their

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dreams and achieve their goals; 2) encourage students to think about what they
can do for themselves and other people in their community; and 3) inspire
students to live their dreams every single day. We also take this opportunity to
showcase our project and activities to inform students that MSU Homeroom is
a place where they can participate in different activities in order to: 1) feel
empowered to pursue their dreams and take actions to achieve their goals; 2) feel
encouraged to know that they can do great things for themselves and others by
participating in our activities or volunteering their time and skills to work with
us; and 3) feel inspired to live their dreams every single day. MSU Homeroom
Open House is a three-hour event that comprises three main sessions: 1) a story
of MSU Homeroom; 2) stories shared by inspirational speakers (3-4 speakers);
and 3) a session on “I want to make a mark in this world” by student participants.
Figure 1.10 displays our online MSU Homeroom Open House. Other pictures
of our online MSU Homeroom Open House can be seen in Appendix G.
Figure 1.10
Online MSU Homeroom Open House

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5.3. MSU Homeroom Festival: MSU Homeroom Festival is a platform

to showcase students’ talents. We organize the following competitions at our

MSU Homeroom Festival every year: 1) speech competition; 2) singing contest;

and 3) inspirational video competition. When done online, we encourage

interested students to submit their work via email for screening. Our judges, who

are experts in the fields (music and voice, public speaking, and video production),

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then select the finalists to compete in the final round. On the day of the event,
we organize each competition one by one and in the following manner: 1) Each
finalist singer plays a karaoke version of the song s/he chooses and sings; 2) Each
public speaker gives a 3-minute speech on any given topic; and 3) We play videos
of all finalists one by one. The judges give each student/team feedback after each
performance/presentation and take notes of the scores and comments. Later,
they work in a breakout room to have further discussions and give their finalized
scores to scorekeepers. After that, the scorekeepers send lists of the winners to
the emcees via a group chat. The award winner announcement takes place at the
end of the event. Figure 1.11 shows our online MSU Homeroom Festival. Other
pictures of our online MSU Homeroom Festival can be seen in Appendix H.
Figure 1.11
Online MSU Homeroom Festival

Some technical and management information

1. Social media (A bottom-up approach) We created a group on a social media
platform, and within one year, we had over 6,000 group members, the majority

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A Practical Guide to Designing and Managing English Development Projects

of which were students. We later realized that a page was more efficient than a

group because our posts could reach more people by sharing news, updates, and

activities on a page. We then created a page after one and a half years of operation.

We also created our channel on a popular video-sharing platform to publish our

English learning, tutorial, and inspirational videos. Overall, during our first year

of implementation, we had: 1) one group on a popular social media platform; and

2) one channel on a popular video-sharing platform.

Our community continues to grow over the years. Our project is known

among English teachers and educators. Thus, our services are not limited to

students in the University, but we also have opportunities to serve the wider

community by running English activities for schools and other universities in the

region. Based on the feedback we receive, here are the factors which contribute

to our growth: 1) the positive learning environment we have created both online

and offline; 2) our friendly, supportive students, teachers, and staff; 3) interesting,

relevant content; 4) opportunities to make new friends; 5) opportunities to use

and/or experiment with English; 6) opportunities to explore more about

themselves and the world beyond their own; 7) opportunities to discover and/or

showcase their abilities; and 8) opportunities to understand themselves, others

and the world around them. In the subsequent chapters, I will talk about how

our activities foster students’ growth and development.

2. Frequency over reach Since our targets are primarily non-English major

students, teachers, and relevant support staff, we place more emphasis on

frequency than reach. We plan to reach our target groups several times with the

intended messages than to spend our time, limited budget, and efforts on a

broader scope (to reach more people, including those who are not targeted) a few

times (Senior Living Foresight, 2017). We share news and updates about our

activities on social media frequently to maintain our presence and create positive

relationships with our target groups. For bigger events such as English camps,

Halloween and Christmas, we also circulate news across the University. We also

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post posters in places where students frequent, but we minimize the use of paper
posters and other waste materials later as we gain more recognition and
engagement.
3. Student volunteer recruitment and teamwork The first group of student
volunteers consisted of English majors who had been working with me on many
international projects, so they had the right skills and, more importantly, the right
attitude for the tasks at hand. However, as our community grows bigger and more
popular, more students volunteer their time and skills to help other students. In
this case, we welcome every student who is once our participant and later wants
to work with us for the University. This is partly because we know these students
through their participation in our activities. Some of the student volunteers are
not good at English but have other skills that could contribute to the work, such
as teamwork, leadership, creativity, and communication skills. We recognize the
importance of diversity and celebrate individual differences. We emphasize the
importance of the team over any individual person. We succeed and fail as a team
and learn to improve or enhance the quality of our work together. We encourage
students, both staff and participants, to embrace what they have and admire other
people’s abilities and contributions.
4. Officially-appointed committee (A top-down approach) As mentioned earlier,
I started this project in a bottom-up manner, focusing on involving targeted
individuals in the change process only to realize the importance of approaching
change both ways, bottom-up and top-down. In this project, the two approaches
complement each other and foster active engagement, continuous support, and
effective communication at all levels of change management. In a public
organization, it is necessary to establish a strong network of partners who are
commissioned to implement change in their respective communities. We hold
regular meetings to discuss ideas, progress, and problems in implementing
change initiatives in this project. We also set up an online community where we
continually post updates and news related to our interventions. Besides this

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online community and the official documentation system, we also contact

individuals responsible for specific tasks to provide support as well as to ensure

continuity of tasks and task completion.

5. Continuing training programs for relevant individuals We organize train-the-

trainer programs for those responsible for running English activities at both the

faculty and university levels. We also provide different workshops at different

times to maintain communication with relevant parties and give continuous

support to those in charge of organizing English activities in their contexts.

6. Work cycle Each of our activities is carried out in the following manner.

First, I have an informal meeting with my colleagues. We discuss an

overview of the activity and details of each task. Then I have to contact relevant

individuals including speakers and student volunteers. My colleagues need to

consult certain individuals on important subjects such as how financing this

project works and what we have to prepare in terms of documentation. We then

have another meeting to discuss important issues and make a tentative plan with

job descriptions and a detailed timeline.

Second, we have a formal meeting with our student volunteers and

university lecturers to discuss details of the activity and delegate a task to a team

member. Most of the time, our team members must work in a small team to

execute the task as a team. However, I step in occasionally to offer help and

support they might need or verify that the task is to be completed within the

specified timeframe. During this time, we are circulating news and updates about

our event on social media and through our official news circulation system. We

also communicate online and have small group meetings during this preparation

period. We have another formal meeting to ensure our work is done according

to plan. We also discuss our Plan B in this meeting if certain circumstances worry

us e.g., the weather and concurring events. This meeting usually takes place a

week or two weeks before the event to allow us some time to do some work if

necessary. 41

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By Anyarat Nattheeraphong

Third, we always conduct an ongoing assessment as we progress through
the activity. We use this information to inform practice. We have a very well-
thought-out plan, but we are flexible when things are not as planned. Through
experience, our team members could solve problems on the spot, either alone or
with the other team members.

Fourth, we have another formal meeting with our team members to
discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our work. We welcome different
opinions and criticism during the meeting because our shared mission is to keep
improving the quality of our work for the benefit of our participants, i.e.,
students.

Finally, we use feedback from the participants and information from our
work assessment meeting to inform our practice. Diagram 1.1 below is our work
cycle.
Diagram 1.1
The Work Cycle

1. Initial planning
and

implementation

5. Report and 2. Task
improvement delegation

plan

4. Work 3. Implementation
assessment and and on-site

feedback assessment

In the following chapters, I will present theoretical frameworks used to design
English development activities in this project. These theoretical frameworks are

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Zoltán Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System, Carol Dweck’s
(2006, 2017) Mindset Theory, Lev Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal
Development (ZPD), Stephen Krashen’s (1981) Affective Filter Hypothesis,
James Asher’s (1969) Total Physical Response, and Bruce Tuckman’s (1965)
Stages of Group Development.

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