Enthusiasm rubs off on students
Postbox letter from Harry Bruder
I'm now at a university and teaching poetry, English and American Literature. I really like those subjects.
It's that time of year again
Postbox letter from Bryan W
It's final exam time; And not just any old final exams, but end of year/graduation exams. Such a wonderful time for a teacher
My first year as a teacher in Thailand
The highs and the lows and what I've learned.
Now that this academic year is winding down, I reflect on my first year with a lot of mixed feelings. There have been a lot of awesome moments where I really felt like a teacher. I really felt like I was getting through to the students and I was the getting the job done.
Grammar vs speech
Differing techniques inside the classroom
In my experience, students recite a grammar rule or know the rule or learn the rule and maybe even vaguely understand the rule, but then you ask them a basic question and they don't understand.
Dear NIETS
An open letter to The National Institute of Education Testing Service
I had hoped to send this letter to you directly but I suspect your offices are besieged by angry protestors, frustrated with corruption and incompetency. So it seemed a better idea to write you an open letter. I am writing this in the hope that this year's O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) examinations will better assess the Mathayom 6 students than previous efforts have done.
A 'one of a kind' camp
Organising the perfect English camp for students
Last term, I tried a different kind of camp. The theme was "Enhancing English proficiency in preparation for ASEAN 2015 through games and dance." I can say it was great because my students said that it was the most enjoyable camp they had ever been on
Perceptive young learners
Postbox letter from Carl Slaughter
Here's a story about some very young but very sharp Thai and Chinese students.
It's been a great adventure
Postbox letter from William Putnam
It’s been a fantastic year. I have lived in Southeast Asia since September 10th, 2012. I was not sure I was going to work as a teacher when I arrived. I viewed my travels here as a long vacation. However, once I realized I liked it here, I began to look for jobs so that I could stay longer.
Why is English so poor in Thailand?
Students are simply just not 'taught' here
Recently I read an article that stated adults in Thailand are ranked 55th from a list of 60 countries on their English proficiency skills. From what I have seen as an English teacher working in government secondary schools over the last 10 years, I'm not surprised,
Teachers playing games in class
Is it a case of too much monkeying around?
Games can reinforce what has been taught earlier in a lesson and can be used as a filler or as a reward for good work. But to expect foreign English teachers to spend the majority of their time entertaining students, especially adults, is, to me, just not right.
