Classroom Management In Thailand

[Beegrade]

Greetings all, I have a couple of questions for those who have some teaching experience in Thailand.

I’m currently studying for a teaching qualification (specifically for science teaching) in Australia, but will be moving to Thailand in the near future and plan to look for teaching work there. For one of my assignments I have to create a classroom management plan, outlining my teaching philosophy and the classroom management theories/models behind it. I thought I might be able to pick up a couple of extra marks if I can apply my plan/philosophy to the specific classroom environment that I’ll most likely be teaching in. My lecturers & tutors seem to like that sort of thing.

So my questions, are there any classroom management theories or models that are particularly widespread in Thailand? Any preferred methods of addressing student misbehavior that may be different than in Western cultures? For instance, I’ve heard about the Thai idea of ‘face’ and I thought that might affect how students are managed.

Any insights are greatly appreciated!

[thaicbr]

Greetings all, I have a couple of questions for those who have some teaching experience in Thailand.

I’m currently studying for a teaching qualification (specifically for science teaching) in Australia, but will be moving to Thailand in the near future and plan to look for teaching work there. For one of my assignments I have to create a classroom management plan, outlining my teaching philosophy and the classroom management theories/models behind it. I thought I might be able to pick up a couple of extra marks if I can apply my plan/philosophy to the specific classroom environment that I’ll most likely be teaching in. My lecturers & tutors seem to like that sort of thing.

So my questions, are there any classroom management theories or models that are particularly widespread in Thailand? Any preferred methods of addressing student misbehavior that may be different than in Western cultures? For instance, I’ve heard about the Thai idea of ‘face’ and I thought that might affect how students are managed.

Any insights are greatly appreciated!

They love 'ism's' here

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

[rijb]

Google for specific differences between western and Asian / Thai learners. Don't underestimate the cultural differences.

Also, browse the teaching forums to gather the good, the bad and the ugly truth about Thai schools and Thai teachers.

Many foreign teachers come here and don't do well because they expect Thai learners to adapt to western "teaching philosophy and the classroom management theories/models".

Your model needs to have lots of flexibility and adaptability to this specific environment. Else, it's just an exercise in academic masturbation.

Edited May 8, 2013 by rijb

[Scott]

Where I work, they do not like displays of anger towards the students. Thus raising your voice is frowned on. The preferred method of dealing with problems is to have the student(s) stand up if they are misbehaving. If they continue then either stand in the back of the room or in the doorway--where they can see what is being taught. It's probably about as effective as anything else.

In my experience, there are some students who are truly naughty, but most simply get bored in the lesson and start messing around. This is particularly prevalent when teaching in English because a fair number of students don't understand well enough to follow the lesson. Mix that in with some large class sizes and you have your hands full.

The idea, however, that the student could actually be responsible for his/her behavior is a foreign concept and it's usually considered to be the teacher's fault if the students don't behave.

[rijb]

Always assume students do not understand (or care), when teaching in English, unless there is clear evidence to the contrary.

[doontp]

Thai students like to work in groups. My school encourages group activites to try and make learning as fun as possible.

Western culture teaches people to work more independently. Do-It-Yourself

[stoneyboy]

Thai students like to work in groups. My school encourages group activites to try and make learning as fun as possible.

Western culture teaches people to work more independently. Do-It-Yourself

Yes and sadly this method does little to prepare people for life in the big wide world.

Group activities are no good to anyone when leaving school you don't go to a job interview with a crowd of friends in tow,do you now.

[Baerboxer]

Thai students like to work in groups. My school encourages group activites to try and make learning as fun as possible.

Western culture teaches people to work more independently. Do-It-Yourself

Yes and sadly this method does little to prepare people for life in the big wide world.

Group activities are no good to anyone when leaving school you don't go to a job interview with a crowd of friends in tow,do you now.

Research shows people learn better in groups - that's why most educational systems try to include group learning activities.

Most jobs involve some aspect of team work, and many include an international element to this. Education should provide people with the ability to self-learn at the higher levels whilst also interacting effectively as team.

Thia students - under and post graduates like to study in groups, and include a social element in the activities. It is this social element that I find more pronounced in Thais than other cultures.

[gerryBScot]

In the great scheme of things I doubt if Thai school children are profoundly different from other school children. Of course there are subtle differences as some of the above posts make clear; shouting angrily in the classroom doesn't really work. One of the issues you will encounter in the class room is that you'll teach kids who don't want to be at school and don't want to learn English or anything else. You will enter class rooms and sense that a number of kids automatically switch off on your arrival. This manifests itself in pen clicking and banging rulers mindlessly etc on desk tops - nothing uniquely Thai about any of this. As a reformed shouter, I decided to try to problem solve some of this. At the start of class I get desk tops cleared of everything including pens and pencils so the students can't pick up things and I usually go straight into an activity that gets them doing things and preferably up out of their seats. I don't get involved in long intros and explanations. Science more so than in many other subjects allows you to do this - depending on your students' age proceed into experiments with an emphasis on them doing, get them interested this way and you might find you are able to overcome their resistance - and, of course, make it fun.

[Scott]

GerryBScot,I think you have the right idea, which is a structural approach to preventing disruptions in class. I like to have the desk cleared. When they are working, they should all have the same book, notebook etc. on the desk. It's much easier to see who is on task and it cuts down on the distractions which some students are prone too.

[utalkin2me]

Thai students like to work in groups. My school encourages group activites to try and make learning as fun as possible.

Western culture teaches people to work more independently. Do-It-Yourself

Yes and sadly this method does little to prepare people for life in the big wide world.

Group activities are no good to anyone when leaving school you don't go to a job interview with a crowd of friends in tow,do you now.

Research shows people learn better in groups - that's why most educational systems try to include group learning activities.

Most jobs involve some aspect of team work, and many include an international element to this. Education should provide people with the ability to self-learn at the higher levels whilst also interacting effectively as team.

Thia students - under and post graduates like to study in groups, and include a social element in the activities. It is this social element that I find more pronounced in Thais than other cultures.

Thais rely on others to get anything done. Even the most simple of tasks starts with "i need your help". This is why they don't/can't travel too for example. It is terrible. They need more independent learning. This is all not even mentioning the fact that when they get in groups, the same few people do all the work every time.

[lodd]

A private school in Phetchabun Province is exploring the benefits of the Responsible Thinking Program (RTP). The philosophy was developed by Ed Ford in the USA but enhanced by the work of Cary on Control Theory in Queenland, Australia. After 18 months, the high school teachers, all Thai, at the school are stating satisfaction with the approach. The student is regarded as being responsible for their behaviour while the action of teachers to keep the students to account is a soft strategy.

[ETatBKK]

as a consultant role I introduce specific knowledge to universities via focused workshops. on the subject of classroom management, the most challenging is the interaction between the facilitator and the participants, in my case - undergrad and post grad students.

that exactly someone discussed above, Thai students prefer group sessions and therefore they loss confident on holding their own independent viewpoint. without this confident, interaction is not going to happen.

my work-around - keep groups as small, never more than 5. bring lot of paper, even A3 size and encourage students drop ideas on paper or on post it. never right or wrong, students have to find ways to understand what they have done.

I sit together with the groups ( sometimes even keen on the floor and students feel more comfortable with my height ). talk SLOW, with hand movement and body gestures, draw your ideas in front of them . . .

yeah, this is still not a Thai concept of teaching, and neither a Thai concept of learning. I am experimenting and sometimes I fail completely !

[willyumiii]

Where I work, they do not like displays of anger towards the students. Thus raising your voice is frowned on. The preferred method of dealing with problems is to have the student(s) stand up if they are misbehaving. If they continue then either stand in the back of the room or in the doorway--where they can see what is being taught. It's probably about as effective as anything else.

In my experience, there are some students who are truly naughty, but most simply get bored in the lesson and start messing around. This is particularly prevalent when teaching in English because a fair number of students don't understand well enough to follow the lesson. Mix that in with some large class sizes and you have your hands full.

The idea, however, that the student could actually be responsible for his/her behavior is a foreign concept and it's usually considered to be the teacher's fault if the students don't behave.

Agree!

I get pretty good results by having the disruptive student(s) move to the front of the room, away from those they are distracting, facing the rest of the class. They are uncomfortable when singled out and usually avoid causing a problem after spending time removed from the group.

The more serious students have actually thanked me for removing the disruptive students!

As mentioned by Scott, raising your voice and losing your temper with a student, or anyone else in the Thai culture is frowned on. It makes you look bad, not the student!

Edited May 9, 2013 by willyumiii

[willyumiii]

The thing I had the most trouble adjusting to in the Thai classroom is that Thais are told to never question authority.

That means that you never, never ask the teacher a question!

When I started, I use to finish every lesson by asking if anyone had any questions about anything we had discussed that day.

The students would always proudly respond " No Teacher, we have no questions!"

With my western education, I found that I learned more by asking questions then from the actual lesson.

Be careful. Even if you are wrong, the students will accept anything you tell them as the unquestionable truth!

I wish this part of the culture would change.

Asking questions promotes free thinking.

Thinking is a good thing!

[utalkin2me]

Seriously, the key to classroom management in Thailand is worksheets. It is sad, but true. Preferably word searches or crosswords. That is the key, 100% fact.

[sirchai]

The thing I had the most trouble adjusting to in the Thai classroom is that Thais are told to never question authority.

That means that you never, never ask the teacher a question!

When I started, I use to finish every lesson by asking if anyone had any questions about anything we had discussed that day.

The students would always proudly respond " No Teacher, we have no questions!"

With my western education, I found that I learned more by asking questions then from the actual lesson.

Be careful. Even if you are wrong, the students will accept anything you tell them as the unquestionable truth!

I wish this part of the culture would change.

Asking questions promotes free thinking.

Thinking is a good thing!

A real good point. I've had the same group of kids for more than 2 years. Started teaching them short after second term of grade four. At the end, they started to think critically, when I'd misspelled something on the board, they said: "Teacher, I think it should be"....sometimes it is just the difference between British and American English. ( labour/labor)........

It's certainly true that Thai students would never ever ask a question to a Thai teacher. 1. She/he maybe wouldn't know the answer. 2. She/he is used to tell the kids what to do, they don't want to answer questions, loss of face.

I've just met a senior high school student, coming back from a German school, where she'd been an exchange student for a year. Almost perfect in German.

Her Thai/German teacher's ability in German is very similar to the majority of the Thai English teachers here. Knowing grammar rules doesn't help you when you have to speak to somebody.

The Thai/German teacher at her school is good in grammar, but can't speak the language, using the wrong vocabulary etc...I was asking her if there wouldn't be a very polite Thai way to use sorry, excuse me, .....but no way that a student would be allowed to correct a teacher. Found it hard to believe, but it's true.

Would Thai teachers read more books, they might be able to understand sentences like: " I know that I know nothing", from Albert E. And of course the meaning of it.

The biggest mistake I'd made was to give these kids the feeling that we were a sort of friends. Teaching English in a country like Thailand isn't easy, different cultural aspects, loss of face and so on.

You'll always have to find ways to make your lessons interesting for all. Learning a second language and not understanding one word the 'teacher' is saying is normal in this country.

To be successful, as a foreigner, you'll have to speak very slowly and clear.

Play a game, sing a song, when it turns out that the 'lesson' doesn't work. Always have a backup. I teach grade six and the second term's always difficult. My Thai colleagues hit them, all I do is to raise my voice.

If that doesn't help, I tell the student to come in front and do the talking. If there's a real strange student, I let him stand outside, but he's still able to hear/see the lesson. A powerful weapon is to tell some naughty kids that you'll take them to the director, if they do it again. And you'll talk to their parents.

Good day.-

Edited May 9, 2013 by sirchai

[willyumiii]

Thai students like to work in groups. My school encourages group activites to try and make learning as fun as possible.

Western culture teaches people to work more independently. Do-It-Yourself

Yes and sadly this method does little to prepare people for life in the big wide world.

Group activities are no good to anyone when leaving school you don't go to a job interview with a crowd of friends in tow,do you now.

Get real Stoneyboyl!

In rural Thailand where I teach, most students will end up working on farms or in factories

. Unfortunately, some will end up in Bangkok Pattaya or Phuket " working" for exploitative , lonely Farangs.

Those with "job interviews" in their future are those that excel and go on to the university where those job seeking skills will be addressed.

Thais learn very well in groups and when lessons are sanook, or fun, the attention span and retention are much greater.

You are not educating westerners to live in the western world.

Welcome to Asia!

Edited May 10, 2013 by willyumiii

[willyumiii]

The thing I had the most trouble adjusting to in the Thai classroom is that Thais are told to never question authority.

That means that you never, never ask the teacher a question!

When I started, I use to finish every lesson by asking if anyone had any questions about anything we had discussed that day.

The students would always proudly respond " No Teacher, we have no questions!"

With my western education, I found that I learned more by asking questions then from the actual lesson.

Be careful. Even if you are wrong, the students will accept anything you tell them as the unquestionable truth!

I wish this part of the culture would change.

Asking questions promotes free thinking.

Thinking is a good thing!

A real good point. I've had the same group of kids for more than 2 years. Started teaching them short after second term of grade four. At the end, they started to think critically, when I'd misspelled something on the board, they said: "Teacher, I think it should be"....sometimes it is just the difference between British and American English. ( labour/labor)........

It's certainly true that Thai students would never ever ask a question to a Thai teacher. 1. She/he maybe wouldn't know the answer. 2. She/he is used to tell the kids what to do, they don't want to answer questions, loss of face.

I've just met a senior high school student, coming back from a German school, where she'd been an exchange student for a year. Almost perfect in German.

Her Thai/German teacher's ability in German is very similar to the majority of the Thai English teachers here. Knowing grammar rules doesn't help you when you have to speak to somebody.

The Thai/German teacher at her school is good in grammar, but can't speak the language, using the wrong vocabulary etc...I was asking her if there wouldn't be a very polite Thai way to use sorry, excuse me, .....but no way that a student would be allowed to correct a teacher. Found it hard to believe, but it's true.

Would Thai teachers read more books, they might be able to understand sentences like: " I know that I know nothing", from Albert E. And of course the meaning of it.

The biggest mistake I'd made was to give these kids the feeling that we were a sort of friends. Teaching English in a country like Thailand isn't easy, different cultural aspects, loss of face and so on.

You'll always have to find ways to make your lessons interesting for all. Learning a second language and not understanding one word the 'teacher' is saying is normal in this country.

To be successful, as a foreigner, you'll have to speak very slowly and clear.

Play a game, sing a song, when it turns out that the 'lesson' doesn't work. Always have a backup. I teach grade six and the second term's always difficult. My Thai colleagues hit them, all I do is to raise my voice.

If that doesn't help, I tell the student to come in front and do the talking. If there's a real strange student, I let him stand outside, but he's still able to hear/see the lesson. A powerful weapon is to tell some naughty kids that you'll take them to the director, if they do it again. And you'll talk to their parents.

Good day.-

I couldn't count the number of times I have seen Thai teachers strike an unruly student with a bamboo stick!

Where I come from ( California, USA ) a teacher would lose his job, career, and possibly be arrested for striking a student!

I have never and will never strike a student.

. But, one day when a group of boys was getting out of control in my classroom, I simply picked up a bamboo stick left behind by the Thai teacher.

Order was restored instantly when they saw the stick in my hand!

[Beegrade]

Many thanks to everybody who has taken the time to share their thoughts here. There’s a lot of good points and you’ve definitely given me some ideas I can use, not only for my assignment but also in the future when I’m actually teaching.

Feel free to keep this thread going for general discussion of classroom management if you like. I’m sure there is plenty to talk about, though admittedly I can’t really add anything as I’m not experienced.

Thanks again to all for your insights.

[willyumiii]

Thinking last night about the "team thing.

It often happens in my classes where I will go around the room and ask each student the same question.

You can not stop students from whispering the correct answer to those who can not repeat the answer!

At times, a student who can not repeat the answer when it is there turn,, will whisper the correct answer to another studemnt who can not repeat it!

Team work?

Go figure!

[Beegrade]

Hi all, thought I'd let you know that I just received the result for my management plan assignment and I passed. So I wanted to say thanks again for all the info, it came in very handy. Right now I'm in the midst of my first practicum actually teaching real live students, and I seem to be taking to it like a duck to water. One of my supervisors told me the other day that I had a natural talent for it, which I never would have imagined before. It's good to be able to surprise oneself.

Andy, thanks for that advice. Certainly if one of the international schools wanted to take me on then I'd love to follow that path and I'll be looking into it when the time comes. I was mainly focusing on the Thai schools in this case as an angle for my uni assignment.

[nellyp]

As a qualified Science teacher you are already off to a flyer in Thailand. You should be able to get a job in a higher paying/more prestigous school easily. I just don't know if you want to do it yet. Personally if I was you i'd try somewhere else first and get some experience with managing a class in asia. Japan, China etc. Then come and live here. Thailand is a great country, but cutting your teeth here can be a bit of a shock. if I were you I'd definately be trying for an international school, the difference to a government school is unbelievably huge...it's HUUUUGGGE

Congrats on the assignment, personally I try to keep the students busy and happy. Teach with a smile on your face and be confident. I get less stress in the classroom every year, and will eventually be like Buddah in the classroom. i.e. at peace with myself while the world around me goes tits up

[EamonJ]

Ok we got a lot of people on here saying you should not shout in your class room,well tell me this how do you get the attention of 60 out of control teenagers without letting off some anger once in a while.What works for one person might not work for others,today I walked out of a class with about 20 minutes to go and had one of the senior teachers take over.This is the first time I have walked out on a class but I certainly don't regret it,I don't have the advantage of communication that the Thai teachers have with the students and a lot of them try to exploit that as much as they can.I had one student pointing his feet at me continually throughout the class as a sign of disrespect and the rest were completely oblivious to the fact that I was even in the room while i was trying to teach my lesson.In my honest opinion I think the only form of discipline Thai students really understand is a whack of a bamboo stick and I would gladly oblige if I was allowed to discipline them myself.If the kids were disciplined the right way from an early age there would be no need for physicality.Its not ok to shout at a student but yet it's ok to smack them,yes that makes a lot of sense.

Edited June 18, 2013 by EamonJ

[sirchai]

Thinking last night about the "team thing.

It often happens in my classes where I will go around the room and ask each student the same question.

You can not stop students from whispering the correct answer to those who can not repeat the answer!

At times, a student who can not repeat the answer when it is there turn,, will whisper the correct answer to another studemnt who can not repeat it!

Team work?

Go figure!

I’m sorry, but I don’t get your point. Teachers shouldn't make such mistakes, to use there turn, instead of their turn.

\Nor did I get the whispering part.

I hope you ‘teach’ the kids better, than you’re trying to explain something here. - Teamwork -

[harrry]

To the poster who wrote one student kept pointing his feet. Take a bucket of water and a towel into the next class, before you start call the guy to the front and give him the soap and water and tell him that if he is going to point them at you all class you want them to be clean. His mates will make sure he never does it again.

Edited July 30, 2013 by harrry

[nellyp]

Thinking last night about the "team thing.

It often happens in my classes where I will go around the room and ask each student the same question.

You can not stop students from whispering the correct answer to those who can not repeat the answer!

At times, a student who can not repeat the answer when it is there turn,, will whisper the correct answer to another studemnt who can not repeat it!

Team work?

Go figure!

I’m sorry, but I don’t get your point. Teachers shouldn't make such mistakes, to use there turn, instead of their turn.

\Nor did I get the whispering part.

I hope you ‘teach’ the kids better, than you’re trying to explain something here. - Teamwork -

Dubious grammar and punctuation are to be expected. We are teachers, and as such cannot be trusted to know anything.