Cmu Language Institute's Thai Course

[nokia]

dear CM folks,

Has anyone taken CMU Language Institute's Thai Course?

Cheers!

[whiterussian]

see http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Chiang-Mai-U...ti-t356803.html

[Toolz]

^Thai course, not TEFL course.

[wynzlo]

see http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Chiang-Mai-U...ti-t356803.html

That thread is about the TEFL course they offer, not the Thai language courses. I'd be interested to hear some recent opinions on their language courses also. How are the teachers there?

[rrose070]

I have a good friend who is currently halfway thru the course and she says it's kick-butt!

[PeaceBlondie]

I took their beginners course two years ago. Quit during second week. Useless to me.

[thaimiller]

I took the begginers course late last year with Khun Aom and found it enjoyable, I'll be taking the intermediate course when Im not so busy later in the year

[lotus eater]

I have a good friend who is currently halfway thru the course and she says it's kick-butt!

Please translate "kick-butt" into english.

[Ulysses G.]

Where I come from it means the same thing as awesome or excellent.

[amexpat]

I took a 72-hour, 10K-baht reading and writing course (no longer offered) with kruu Aom. It too, kicked butt.

It kicked my butt some, too, as it was quite intense. I learned a lot.

Aom is a stickler for pronunciation and tone. That's a very good thing. I plan to go back for the intermediate level to refresh and continue.

[heybruce]

Are you interested in the short courses or the one year course? I've sat in on three different classes for the one year course taught by three different teachers with three different teaching styles and three different books. The only honest, though unsatisfying, answer is that it all depends on the teacher you get and what kind of student you are. If you are interested in the expensive one year course ask if they can tell you who will teach and if you can sit in on a class currently taught by that teacher. Of course there's a chance that they won't decide on the teacher until shortly before the class begins.

[wynzlo]

Are you interested in the short courses or the one year course? I've sat in on three different classes for the one year course taught by three different teachers with three different teaching styles and three different books. The only honest, though unsatisfying, answer is that it all depends on the teacher you get and what kind of student you are. If you are interested in the expensive one year course ask if they can tell you who will teach and if you can sit in on a class currently taught by that teacher. Of course there's a chance that they won't decide on the teacher until shortly before the class begins.

From what you heard, do you actually get to stick with the same teacher for the duration of the one year course?

[NancyL]

Some of the quality of a course depends upon the fellow students. I've taken many classes at the YMCA. They have 5 week sessons with some students continuing, some who don't come back to the next course and some new students with Thai knowledge who drop in to take a higher level course. I've been in classes where my fellow students couldn't seem to "catch on", didn't do the homework or argued with the teacher. I've been in other classes where the students did the homework (and more), had a few brain cells tied-together and realized that their Thai bargirlfriends weren't trained Thai language teachers. Fortunately, most classes have been populated with the later group, especially once I got beyond the first three levels.

Note that the Y doesn't offer an educational visa, while CMU does. That attracts "students" who really are just buying a visa and not especially interest in learning the Thai language. I'd be concerned that I'd end up in a class of slackers and stuck with them for a year-one program.

[amexpat]

^ Wot she said. Exactly.

[CMX]

Yes, with regard to CMU, a distinction must be made between the 45 hour course of three weeks (phew) and the year-long course.

The year-long "course" includes "cultural" instruction, only meets a couple days a week, in eve's and weekends last time I asked, and are touted as getting a one year ed-visa (fee). Earlier threads about CMU's year-long course (and certain other schools in town) suggest that students obtaining the visas are often not motivated to learn so much as to be in Thailand for one year, making instruction more difficult.

(I have attended neither, as they do not directly meet my needs for time allocation.)

Edited April 20, 2010 by CMX

[heybruce]

Are you interested in the short courses or the one year course? I've sat in on three different classes for the one year course taught by three different teachers with three different teaching styles and three different books. The only honest, though unsatisfying, answer is that it all depends on the teacher you get and what kind of student you are. If you are interested in the expensive one year course ask if they can tell you who will teach and if you can sit in on a class currently taught by that teacher. Of course there's a chance that they won't decide on the teacher until shortly before the class begins.

From what you heard, do you actually get to stick with the same teacher for the duration of the one year course?

Normally you stick with the same teacher for the entire year. The class I was taking was canceled, which is why I got to sit in on two other classes. It appears that at the CMU Language Institute the teachers are free to teach however they want, which leads to widely different teaching styles. The quality of the other students has some impact, but from what I've observed and heard from other students, the unmotivated students drop out early in the program.

[rrose070]

I too had Aom for the short course, and thought her a very good teacher. "Kick butt" in my friend's case meant that it was very intense, lots of work and rewarding.

[T_Dog]

I took a 72-hour, 10K-baht reading and writing course (no longer offered) with kruu Aom. It too, kicked butt.

It kicked my butt some, too, as it was quite intense. I learned a lot.

Aom is a stickler for pronunciation and tone. That's a very good thing. I plan to go back for the intermediate level to refresh and continue.

I took the Intensive Thai course (also no longer offered) with Kruu Aom and for me it was the best way to learn Thai. In one month we learned almost 700 words of vocabulary and I found I could carry on a basic conversation at the conclusion of the course. If you can find Kruu Aom teaching a course, take it. She makes it fun, but be prepared to work. Another good teacher is a fellow whose name is Sompet if I recall.

The CMU Language Institute used to offer these great courses but they don't any more for some reason. I think a lot of the students complained about all the work, but that's exactly what it takes if you are serious about learning Thai.

[nokia]

Are you interested in the short courses or the one year course? I've sat in on three different classes for the one year course taught by three different teachers with three different teaching styles and three different books. The only honest, though unsatisfying, answer is that it all depends on the teacher you get and what kind of student you are. If you are interested in the expensive one year course ask if they can tell you who will teach and if you can sit in on a class currently taught by that teacher. Of course there's a chance that they won't decide on the teacher until shortly before the class begins.

I am interested in the 1 yr course.

From the opinions given, it seems that the quality of teaching will depend on the teacher, and also on the pace of the students.

For a 1 yr duration, it does sound like a gamble, doesn't it?

Cheers!

[harrry]

The CMU Language Institute used to offer these great courses but they don't any more for some reason. I think a lot of the students complained about all the work, but that's exactly what it takes if you are serious about learning Thai.

Actually they still do run them but there are two seperate schools at the LI.

One handles the visa courses and one the short courses,

Actually you can still get a visa with the short courses but for a shorter period. The focus and ethos of the two divisions seems different.

They are starting about a 60 hr reading and writing course next month if they can get 5 people.

[shepsel]

I have been debating about taking the one year course at CMU. I tried the basic course at the YMCA which ran three times a week for two hours each time. I got lost with the material for a number of reasons--the class being 18 people, the very hot non-air conditioned rooms, inability to see the cue cards because of glare, etc, and dropped out half way through the course.

I am just wondering if two times a week for two hours is enough for absorbing the material. Or, does one need something a little bit more intense?

Unfortunately, I do not have anyone to practice the learnt material with, and I find it a problem of putting the vocabulary I have memorized into sentences.