http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/ Matt Smith on Ajarn.com en Ajarn.com Copyright 2009 2009-03-01T07:59:41+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/the-root-of-all-evil/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/the-root-of-all-evil/#When:07:59:41Z I think choosing content that encourages students to think in scientific ways facilitates their English language acquisition. The root of all evil Matt Smith 2009-03-01T07:59:41+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/the-word-farang/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/the-word-farang/#When:07:27:26Z Many foreigners in Thailand seem to even wear the term Farang as though it were a badge of honor…Thai people will call you it while you walk down the street, your native friends will call you it, and other foreigners even refer to themselves as “Farang.” I do not believe that this term is generally meant to be an insult, this is simply our title in Thai society, and, if we do not like it, there is nothing we can do about it.’ The word farang Matt Smith 2009-02-01T07:27:26+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/teaching-at-my-university/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/teaching-at-my-university/#When:07:18:15Z if you want to teach university classes like mine, in particularly regard to Thai classes, if they are school leavers they’re really as good a bunch of starters as you could ever hope to get. If you try and teach them in a systematic way, you will encounter difficulties – difficulties that might, at first, be inclined to plunge you into the deepest depths of despair. Teaching at my university Matt Smith 2009-01-03T07:18:15+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/long-tailed-boating/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/long-tailed-boating/#When:07:13:55Z One of my most enjoyable purchases here in Thailand has been my long-tailed boat – ‘ruhr-harng-yao’ in Thai, which means ‘vessel long-tail’, and which by interpreting the term in relation to our own organisation of adjectives and nouns gives us exactly what it is. Long-tailed Boating Matt Smith 2008-12-01T07:13:55+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/on-reading1/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/on-reading1/#When:07:06:17Z Now we have new communications mediums that, firstly, are more naturally intriguing to the human brain – they offer images, moving, real-time pictures, and sound all at the same time. On Reading Matt Smith 2008-11-01T07:06:17+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/clt-again/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/clt-again/#When:03:05:58Z I would say that the practice that most improved any of my classes, by far and away was the practice of walking around the class (particularly in writing classes) and making sure that students were doing the activities, and furthermore knew what they were going to get from them CLT again Matt Smith 2008-10-01T03:05:58+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/culture-revisited/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/culture-revisited/#When:00:09:37Z There is a lot of convenience to the idea that ‘our cultures are very different’. This was never plainer than in the era of (blatant) Western imperialism – I’ve said previously that cultural studies writers speak of ‘orientalism’, which, loosely defined, means disparaging other people because you want to put them to utilitarian purposes. Culture revisited Matt Smith 2008-09-01T00:09:37+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/culture-in-the-english-speaking-world/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/culture-in-the-english-speaking-world/#When:00:15:54Z I have in front of me here a Culture in the English Speaking World course book that was written by a person with a European name at another university here in Thailand. It points out a number of supposed differences between Thai and Western culture. It then goes on, basically, to justify the things that Western people do in a positive light, while at the same time casting the contrary behaviour – its Thai parallel – in a very negative light indeed. Culture in the English speaking world Matt Smith 2008-08-01T00:15:54+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/yes-but-is-it-education/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/yes-but-is-it-education/#When:00:23:49Z What better way is there of broadcasting one’s message, or of shaping culture, than through an education system – I would say it’s quite plain why, exactly, an English language mass media company would invest considerable sums in creating for itself the image of being an educational entity. Yes, but is it education? Matt Smith 2008-07-01T00:23:49+07:00 http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/first-day-on-the-job/ http://www.ajarn.com/blogs/matt-smith/first-day-on-the-job/#When:00:27:58Z If you’re new to the job, and haven’t figured this one out yet, you can start off classes with a new group in confident style every time – the first thing you can do is make a name card. First day on the job Matt Smith 2008-06-01T00:27:58+07:00