This video captures the highlights of Phratumnuk Suankularb School’s participation in the Museum Links programme. Over two days, students explored Bangkok’s historic quarter through lectures, map-based games, and on-site investigations. Guided by Museum Siam facilitators, they traced changes in the city’s landscape, compared archival maps and photographs with present-day streetscapes.
Xplorer Squad: Tracing Bangkok’s Historic Quarter with Phratumnuk Suankularb School
3 - 4 Jul 2025
Phratumnuk Suankularb School students joined a two-day Xplorer Squad workshop at Museum Siam and Rattanakosin Island. On Day One, they attended a lecture on urbanisation—from traditional Thai settlements to modern city growth—equipping them with analytical tools for reading maps, photographs, architecture and infrastructure. Afterward, teams decoded period maps and completed a “Photo Detective” exercise, then prepared research insights and questions for their upcoming field visit. On Day Two, students explored the streets to compare archival evidence with the contemporary cityscape before crafting and sharing their own “learning trails.” Post-workshop surveys show that over 80 % of participants discovered a new excitement for history, and two-thirds expressed a desire to explore Bangkok’s heritage on their own.
On 3 July, Year 8 students from Phratumnuk Suankularb School arrived at Museum Siam and were welcomed by Associate Professor Pirasri Povatong, Ph.D. His revised lecture introduced the concept of urban area and its evolution, using images, historical maps and photos to illustrate how Bangkok expanded. He then demonstrated tools for reading the city’s layers—from architecture and street layouts to Western influences.
Immediately following the lecture, students leapt into a high-energy Map Quest game. Facilitators introduced ten historic Bangkok locations, then revealed one location context hint at a time and challenged each team to pin the correct spot on a modern city map. Teams who matched both location and name first earned points, learning by playing how to read map symbols and interpret spatial clues. Next, in the Decoding Three Maps activity, teams rotated through large-format maps from 1887, 1932 and today. With markers in hand, they traced river channels, street grids and landmark shifts, building a layered view of urban change across time.
Finally, each team received two assigned sites to study in depth. Using their newfound map-reading skills, they compared the physical positions of these sites across all three maps. This prepared them for Day Two’s fieldtrip by equipping every group with the confidence to match archival evidence to real-world streetscapes.
On 4 July, students set out across Rattanakosin Island. Guided by facilitators, they matched archival clues with present-day façades, cheered at every rediscovered fort wall or hidden canal, and recorded their findings. Back at Museum Siam, each group wove maps, photos and field notes into a concise “learning trail” presentation. Although shy at first, their confidence shone through clear speaking points and thoughtful reflections.
Post-workshop feedback revealed that 87 % of students felt more engaged with Bangkok’s history (vs. only 13 % pre-workshop) and 68 % expressed a strong desire to visit heritage sites on their own. Their enthusiasm and responsiveness confirm that hands-on, layered learning can transform abstract history into a personal discovery.
We observed that Phratumnuk Suankularb students were enthusiastic and attentive—fully following instructions and asking questions of the Museum Siam team during the Day Two field trip. Since participants came from the same year group, many already knew one another and collaborated smoothly. Recognising their lower-secondary level, Associate Professor Pirasri opened with broad concepts of urban development before focusing on Bangkok. He used side-by-side photographs of familiar local landmarks from different eras to sharpen students’ observational skills. This progression—from general principles to nearby examples—connects with their prior knowledge and builds fresh understanding.
