Plenary Abstract/Speakers    Education Development for People with Special Needs: A Thai experience   Prof. Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong  Senior Advisor and Specialist National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) Thailand     ABSTRACT: Realizing that information technology (IT) skills have become essential as vital tools to support a whole new way of life, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has set up, since 1995, “The Information Technology Project under Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Initiative” to provide valuable guidance in the field of human resource development, providing both knowledge and technology, particularly IT, to the people of Thailand. The project aims to use technologies to enhance the quality of life and improve the education and employment opportunities of the disadvantaged groups such as rural school children, children with disabilities, sick children in hospitals, and prison inmates. Presently, there are over 100 institutions nationwide, which have joined the project. This presentation will explain the work of Her Royal Highness on using IT to help in education development for people with special needs, including some case studies, for example, how the life of physically impaired children have changed after they were trained to use IT for communication and education, how rural school teachers and children use e-learning to compensate their lack of teachers in special subjects including mathematics and science, and how schools, universities and research agencies join their efforts to develop a science and mathematic education program for blind students. PROFILE: Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong is currently Senior Advisor at the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Ministry of Science and Technology, Thailand.  He also serves as Chairman of Assistive Technology Research Grant Sub-Committee at NSTDA.  The topics of research grants are for example prostheses, speech assessment, fall detection, hearing aids, etc.  His own research interest is in medical image processing with emphasis on computerized x-ray scanner for local applications. His former positions are, for example, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Science and Technology, President of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, and President of NSTDA.     He received his Bachelor Degree from Imperial College, University of London, and PhD from Cambridge University, UK.          Improving science literacy through a conducive laboratory learning environment: A proposed model Professor Lilia Halim Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) Bangi, Malaysia   ABSTRACT: Laboratory work is seen as integrated part of most science subjects.  Science educators have suggested that laboratory activities and experiences can promote dimensions of scientific literacy such as the acquisition of fundamental science concepts and problem solving skills.  However, the Malaysian laboratory learning environment still emphasizes on "teacher centered" and "confirmatory laboratory" model which limits the opportunity for open ended investigation and therefore may be boring for most of the students.  Laboratory learning environment could be improved either by a) teachers' using information from the learning environment perceptions of students to improve their pedagogical practices or b) changing the physical design of laboratories.  This paper proposes a model of science laboratory that considers the physical design of school science laboratories which aims to encourage positive attitudes and cognitive growth.  The learning environment perceptions' of students of the proposed model is then investigated.  This paper will present preliminary findings of the students' perceptions of their laboratory learning environment at three different settings: actual, preferred and the proposed model.  Implications of the findings and modification to the proposed model will be discussed. PROFILE: Lilia Halim is Professor of Science Education at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Her PhD was on pedagogical content knowledge in physics education.  Her research interests include understanding science teachers’ thinking, development of teachers’ professional knowledge and the design of innovative science teaching and learning. Lilia Halim is also an expert and resource person to various organizations that include Astronomy Agency Malaysia and International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Netherlands. She has written practically-oriented books for science and physics teachers, co-editor of books about science (teacher) education and article reviewer of various international research journals.  Her email address is: lilia@ukm.my         Improving Mathematical Literacy through Assessment Dr. Yeap Ban Har                                                                             National Institute of Education                                                          Nanyang Technological University                                                 Singapore   ABSTRACT: National tests, an influential assessment practice in the region, are often blamed as obstacles to good instructional practices. In this paper, the positive impact of assessment, national tests in particular, is discussed using the case of Singapore. The first part of the paper includes an analysis of items from the sixth grade national test. It is found that there is a significant emphasis on visualization, patterning, number sense, communication and metacognition. The impact of allowing students to use calculators in the national test is also discussed. The second part of the paper focuses on the impact of this emphasis on classroom instruction, textbook materials and professional development of teachers. This paper aims to show that, instead of being an obstacle to good instructional practices that develop mathematical literacy, large-scale assessment such as national tests can be the catalyst. The conditions for this to happen are discussed. PROFILE: Yeap Ban Har has a broad interest in research, including in areas such as problem solving and problem posing, textbook studies, early mathematics, professional development and lesson study. He is a co-investigator in a funded project looking into helping struggling primary one students develop big ideas in mathematics and has started a research project on the use of lesson study among kindergarten teachers in five kindergartens in Singapore. Ban Har has conducted workshops for teachers in Singapore and numerous Asian countries as well as in United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Chile and the United States of America. He is the author of numerous children's books including a kindergarten textbooks series approved for use in California. He is also the consulting author of a widely-used secondary textbook series in Singapore. Ban Har holds Masters of Arts in Southeast Asian Studies, Masters of Education in Mathematics Education and a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education. He is a faculty at National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.    Yeap Ban Har's blog: www.banhar.blogspot.com