English teacher with poor pronunciation sparks online storm

By The Nation

 

 

An English teacher whose faulty pronunciation confused students nationwide during an online class has become the focus of social media criticism.

 

The debut of online learning yesterday (May 18) revealed a number of problems, including an English teacher who delivered incorrect pronunciation during a Pathom 6 class via Distance Learning TV (DLTV).

 

The footage was shared thousands of times via social media, drawing an outpouring of criticism.

 

Netizens judged that her articulation, pronunciation and wording were incorrect. Many of them complained that she was misleading students by teaching bad English.

 

However, others came out in support of the teacher, creating the hashtag #saveครูวัง and claiming that she was being bullied.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30388126

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-05-19

 

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No pombem.

Edited May 19, 20206 yr by Misterwhisper

Well without a video with audio what's the point of this "news" as we are unable to judge for ourselves. 

I saw some of the material they were teaching the kids on social media yesterday... 

 

Errors all over the place. A lot of it was gibberish.  

I saw the program and my kids were in bits laughing. It was truly bad English. Was she auditioned before being put on the TV?

I guess she is old and/or important and nobody ever dared to tell her that her English is not perfect.

I also hear all the time compliments about my Thai language skills...

 

10 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

I saw the program and my kids were in bits laughing. It was truly bad English. Was she auditioned before being put on the TV?

Do you have the video? We would like to judge ourselves.

I suggest that she is indicative of the average teachers ability, and completely explains the poor English capability of students here.   

Video?

11 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I guess she is old and/or important and nobody ever dared to tell her that her English is not perfect.

I also hear all the time compliments about my Thai language skills...

 

Many people fail to understand that Thai people are learning English as a second language and NOT first language.

 

It's perfectly normal not to speak perfect English as long as people can understand them.

 

I've known many foreigners who still can't speak perfect Thai after many years of studying Thai.

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Many people fail to understand that Thai people are learning English as a second language and NOT first language.

 

It's perfectly normal not to speak perfect English as long as people can understand them.

 

I've known many foreigners who still can't speak perfect Thai after many years of studying Thai.

 

 

 

 

But they aren't teaching others Thai language.

My Daughter was greeted with " Good Evening >>> < How are you tomorrow " when she signed in this Morning

With Teachers such as these, there is no hope for the Country

13 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Many people fail to understand that Thai people are learning English as a second language and NOT first language.

 

It's perfectly normal not to speak perfect English as long as people can understand them.

 

I've known many foreigners who still can't speak perfect Thai after many years of studying Thai.

 

 

 

Nonsense, this is about teaching. In this case the teacher should have been vetted for English speaking ability prior to being used in this capacity. 

28 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

I saw the program and my kids were in bits laughing. It was truly bad English. Was she auditioned before being put on the TV?

Auditioned by who; someone who can do no better than her no doubt ?  When it comes to English they need proper Native speaking Teachers as their own Thai Teachers are near useless !

13 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Many people fail to understand that Thai people are learning English as a second language and NOT first language.

 

It's perfectly normal not to speak perfect English as long as people can understand them.

 

I've known many foreigners who still can't speak perfect Thai after many years of studying Thai.

That's not the point.

English is also not my first language and I communicate in English every day. But I am not an English teacher.

From a teacher we should expect good pronunciation and, depending on the level they teach, good understanding of the details of the language.

8 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

 

But they aren't teaching others Thai language.

What I am trying to say is that even if the teacher speaks perfect Thai, the students still can't speak perfect Thai.

 

Replace Thai with English above.

 

I came upon a late night emission teaching German. Oh boy, it was BAD.

The problem is that native English teachers aren't welcome, they would show the Thai teachers of English up.

An English English teacher I know fought for years to get them to admit that the text book they were using contained many serious and unnecessary errors and that putting the scholars through exams based on this textbook was pointless. 

12 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's not the point.

English is also not my first language and I communicate in English every day. But I am not an English teacher.

From a teacher we should expect good pronunciation and, depending on the level they teach, good understanding of the details of the language.

 

For a European to learn another Indo-European language is much easier than for a Thai to learn a European language which is so different from theirs and vice versa.

 

Furthermore, there are much more opportunities for you to practice English back home than Thai people.

 

A Thai teacher should have 'good' pronunciation but one shouldn't expect her to have perfect pronunciation as a native speaker. Anyway, there are so many different English accents such as American, British, Australian so which one is considered 'good'?

 

 

Edited May 19, 20206 yr by EricTh

1 minute ago, EricTh said:

 

For a European to learn another Indo-European language is much easier than for a Thai to learn a European language which is so different from theirs and vice versa.

 

Furthermore, there are much more opportunities for you to practice English back home than Thai people.

 

A Thai teacher should have 'good' pronunciation but one shouldn't expect her to have perfect pronunciation as a native speaker. Anyway, there are so many different English accents such as American, British, Australian so which one is considered 'perfect'?

 

 

Can understand all your points Eric but the fact remains that Thailand needs to employ Native English speakers to teach its Children (and its Teachers) well.    It works well in China, Japan and South Korea to name just three country's.

3 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

For a European to learn another Indo-European language is much easier than for a Thai to learn a European language which is so different from theirs and vice versa.

 

Furthermore, there are much more opportunities for you to practice English back home than Thai people.

 

A Thai teacher should have 'good' pronunciation but one shouldn't expect her to have perfect pronunciation as a native speaker. Anyway, there are so many different English accents such as American, British, Australian so which one is considered 'good'?

 

 

American is considered native  speaking English and that's why some schools look to hire those from America, who don't have an accent. All English speaking "accents" are good, and a Thai can learn from all of them, but to learn the correct pronunciation, they have to use American native speakers. if you know how to pronounce the words and phrases correctly, with proper intonation, your level of speech understanding is also increased.( sentence borrowed from google)

Last evening, my wife brought home some of the written work that she has to get the teachers to take to students homes for them to do.

I nearly wet myself, the grammar was pathetic..... Johhny went to the shop for a dozen of eggs, that was  on 1 of the papers.

Edited May 19, 20206 yr by colinneil

9 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

American is considered native  speaking English and that's why some schools look to hire those from America, who don't have an accent. All English speaking "accents" are good, and a Thai can learn from all of them, but to learn the correct pronunciation, they have to use American native speakers. if you know how to pronounce the words and phrases correctly, with proper intonation, your level of speech understanding is also increased.( sentence borrowed from google)

Why would you think american native speakers dont have an accent? That is just ridiculous.

 

They all clearly do have an american accent, likely affected by region.

 

Accents can be more neutral or more pronounced, but every english teacher regardless has an accent by definition.

What amuses me is that she has been teaching student this way all her career, as have many of her colleagues.

 

It surely should not suprise anyone at this late date 

1 hour ago, johng said:

 

 

 

Years ago there was a streetfoodvendor not far from here selling pasta food.

On its boothbanner in big letters.

SAPAGETTY

 

To this day missus still speaks of Sa Pag Het Tee Why

 

I gave it up and cooking macaroni instead ????

 

13 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

American is considered native  speaking English and that's why some schools look to hire those from America, who don't have an accent. All English speaking "accents" are good, and a Thai can learn from all of them, but to learn the correct pronunciation, they have to use American native speakers. if you know how to pronounce the words and phrases correctly, with proper intonation, your level of speech understanding is also increased.( sentence borrowed from google)

 Americans don't have an accent?? Totally speechless at the ignorance on this statement

1 hour ago, Misterwhisper said:

No pombem.

my yep u

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I saw some of the material they were teaching the kids on social media yesterday... 

 

Errors all over the place. A lot of it was gibberish.  

that's what happens when they don't want to hire native english speaking teachers

 Americans do have accents. My parents were born in Brooklyn, I New Jersey. We sound a tad different. I have many southern and Texas friends, where I lived for 30 years. They have a drawl to their speaking, an accent, while my 4 children that were born in Texas speak like me, and my ex,also from New Jersey, with no accent. Everyone I've ever known from the northeast besides New York and Boston sounds like I do. I don't know what you mean by myself having an accent. I was hired to speak at an English school here because I don't have an accent, but am a native English speaker. They have one other from Tennessee that speaks like i do, 3 from Cameroon that sound like those from England, because they were taught in Africa by  a teacher from England, and one that is half Indian and half English, and sounds like both in his accent. If you say a native English speaking person has an accent, that IS the accent, correct English, by pronunciation. So I guess I do have an accent.

Edited May 19, 20206 yr by fredwiggy

43 minutes ago, EricTh said:

What I am trying to say is that even if the teacher speaks perfect Thai, the students still can't speak perfect Thai.

 

Replace Thai with English above.

 

A teacher should be well-versed in the subject they teach. That's why they teach that subject. Otherwise why employ them to teach?