English Program - Thai Program, Clarification Wanted

[coalminer]

Hi,

My child finished her Kindergarten last month, and I needed to look for another school to continue her education.

Asking around (expats and Thais) which school and what program to choose, 2 names came up for the best schools and English Program would be my best choice.

I subscribed my child to one of the top schools around and choosed for the English Program.

But is English Program a good choice (apart from the higher price)?

According to the brochure of the school, children in the English Program will be teached "Mathematics, Science, Health/Physical Education, Computer and English" by foreign teachers in English.

I received all the books for the first semester for my child, and all these subjects are in English.

Does this mean that my child will be learning these subjects in English (?) and will not be teached the Thai grammar of Maths, Science. Computer, and so on?

These subjects have a different/specialised grammar and not learning their meaning in Thai would be a big hole in their education IMO.

I have met several girls and boys with a University Degree obtained at a Thai school, and each of them know the theory of English Grammar better than many Engilsh speaking people around. The only problem they had was that they didn't had the opportunity to practize their knowledge of the English Language in conversation.

So, learning English in a Thai Program is not worse as learning English at a English Program IMO.

But not being teached subjects as Maths, Science, Computer and Health/Physical Education in Thai would be a big mistake IMO.

The reason I choosed the English Program was because I want my child to do her higher studies in my home country and I would also be able to help my child with homework. But Higher Studies will not be done in 12 years at the best and at my age the odd's that I will still be around in 12 years are very unlikely.

Is choosing for an English Program a good choice?

I have my doubts about it.

Any help to this would be greatly accepted.

TIA

[culicine]

I work in an EP and have been here several years. Most of the students who graduate will go to private universities or international programs in government universities. Some of mine went to Thammasart (SIIT, International), ABAC, Rangsit, Mahidol Inter, Chula Inter. Some of these courses arer quite expensive. Very few, if any, went to study in the Thai language in Chula/Mahidol. One girl I know went to Thammasart for economics in Thai (she wasnt good enough to get into the EP, even though she was my best student!)

If I was a Thai I would do this: put your child in a (good) EP until P6, or the latest M3. Then for M4-6 put them in a (good) Thai program. The English in their formative years will put them light lears ahead of any government school student taught by Thai teachers in the traditional way. If then, you any them to study in Thai at a Thai university, then get them into a Thai school, so they can catch up on the vocab, and have a better chance at doing well on the 0-net or A-net, or Thai entrance exams. However, don't do this and them expect them to do well in TOEFL / SAT's, if you then change your mind and want them to go to an International program in Uni. The only way you could achieve this is to put them into extra classes for those english exams.

Note also the teaching style is very different between (qualified) foreign teachers, and Thai teachers. I don't know any Thai teacher who uses western methods of teaching (and I've met a number of thai teachers in my time here). If you don't mind your child rote learning everything and not really understanding anything, then stick with the Thai teachers. If you want your child to develop critical analysis skills and creativity, they you need well trained western teachers. Note that not all western teachers know what they are doing in the class! So really you need to look at the teachers at the school, and see what / how they are learning.

Good luck!!

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

I work in an EP and have been here several years. Most of the students who graduate will go to private universities or international programs in government universities. Some of mine went to Thammasart (SIIT, International), ABAC, Rangsit, Mahidol Inter, Chula Inter. Some of these courses arer quite expensive. Very few, if any, went to study in the Thai language in Chula/Mahidol. One girl I know went to Thammasart for economics in Thai (she wasnt good enough to get into the EP, even though she was my best student!)

If I was a Thai I would do this: put your child in a (good) EP until P6, or the latest M3. Then for M4-6 put them in a (good) Thai program. The English in their formative years will put them light lears ahead of any government school student taught by Thai teachers in the traditional way. If then, you any them to study in Thai at a Thai university, then get them into a Thai school, so they can catch up on the vocab, and have a better chance at doing well on the 0-net or A-net, or Thai entrance exams. However, don't do this and them expect them to do well in TOEFL / SAT's, if you then change your mind and want them to go to an International program in Uni. The only way you could achieve this is to put them into extra classes for those english exams.

Note also the teaching style is very different between (qualified) foreign teachers, and Thai teachers. I don't know any Thai teacher who uses western methods of teaching (and I've met a number of thai teachers in my time here). If you don't mind your child rote learning everything and not really understanding anything, then stick with the Thai teachers. If you want your child to develop critical analysis skills and creativity, they you need well trained western teachers. Note that not all western teachers know what they are doing in the class! So really you need to look at the teachers at the school, and see what / how they are learning.

Good luck!!

I also teach in an EP program (M2-3). I agree with culicine's post. If your child is taught by Thai teachers, he or she will only be taught rote memorization skills, and not critical thinking. Every Thai that I know who has attended universities abroad, comments about this difference in teaching methods. With respect to English, Thai teachers can teach grammar very well, but they can not teach students proper pronunciation and don't teach the skills necessary for conversation and extemporaneous writing.

My school offers M1-3 in the EP program, but not M4-6. The students either continue at our school to be taught in Thai for M4-6 (they still must take 3 more years of English co-taught by a Thai and native speaker), or their parents send them to Singapore, Japan, U.S. or U.K. to complete high school, and then to go on to a university. In the end, Thais highly value an overseas university degree (particularly in the U.S.) and the EP program provides excellent preparation for university classes that will be taught in English, whether the university is in Thailand or overseas.

[coalminer]

One girl I know went to Thammasart for economics in Thai (she wasnt good enough to get into the EP, even though she was my best student!)

The "entry examination" at many schools I went to was a real joke.

The best ranking school took an entry examination of my child (P1) and whle my child was filling in the papers I was kindly asked how much I would "donate" to the school.

"Tea money" seems still to be higher in rank as the real knowledge of the student.

If I was a Thai I would do this: put your child in a (good) EP until P6, or the latest M3. Then for M4-6 put them in a (good) Thai program. The English in their formative years will put them light lears ahead of any government school student taught by Thai teachers in the traditional way.

The first year in Kindergarten, my child was an example student.

She went out of bed early in the morning, tool a shower (cat wash style), dressed herself up in her uniform and asked me to bring her to school before the National Hymn would play.

But in the second year, something strange happened.

The complete teaching staff was sacked and replaced by Phillipinos and other teacher without a proper qualification or Visa's.

From one day to another, my child changed in the worst student anybody can think off.

I agree with what you are saying, but "this is Thailand".

Note also the teaching style is very different between (qualified) foreign teachers, and Thai teachers. I don't know any Thai teacher who uses western methods of teaching (and I've met a number of thai teachers in my time here). If you don't mind your child rote learning everything and not really understanding anything, then stick with the Thai teachers. If you want your child to develop critical analysis skills and creativity, they you need well trained western teachers. Note that not all western teachers know what they are doing in the class! So really you need to look at the teachers at the school, and see what / how they are learning.

That's the magic word: "Qualified".

In the pinned items in this forum there is a post from somebody else asking the person to count the number of foreign teachers and the number of WP.

How can I know if the teachers are "qualified" and what are my options if they are not?

Take my child out of the school and try to put here in another school with an EP?

This option would not last long.

Schools with a "good" English Program are not to many upcountry.