Thai Education

[benalibina]

Learning kids how to solve a problem is always better than show them how you solve a problem. Ta mai is a question many thais, especially the uneducated 1s, not like to answer. They need to think then. Not like. Headache !I feel sorry for my kids.

Do you mean "Teaching kids how to solve a problem is always better than showing them ....." ??????????

My apologies. Wrote it down wrong. Other way around.

[sunlong]

Better to guide the learner to come up with a solution themselves, ideally by asking questions that force them to struggle with the problem, even if it takes a long time to solve, or they don't come up with "the one right" answer

It's the process that's important, not the content.

[muythai2013]

I don't have any experience with the Australian school system, but find it hard to believe what you're describing - which indeed is one of the fundamental problems here in Thailand - is as bad there as it is here.

There's a lot of variability from one town to another in the states, but where I'm planning on bringing my kids at least the primary public school has a great reputation, the PTA has sponsored teachers to get Montessori training, lots of student-directed independent project-based learning etc.

But the high school in that town's really bad, so ten years down the road will have to move to a different town with higher property taxes, unless of course I'm making enough to send them off to private prep schools (well I can dream can't I).

If I had the chance to move to Finland I'd probably take it.

You really have not noticed how shut down we are when it comes to free thinking in the west now, not in the past but now.

Could you for eg express your opinion on Homosexuality without being shut down, even if you were not being offensive.

Political correctness is a bane on western society, no doubt. No matter what you say in today's world, someone, somewhere will be offended. I just remind myself that I'm not running for public office, and no one is conducting any opinion polls concerning my popularity. In other words, I'm telling you there's no reason to let someone shut you down.

Still, you make a fair point nonetheless: the west has its own problems: education for education's sake isn't as valued as it once was, and PC run amok is in a sense limiting our thinking and perspectives. However, how the west differs from Thailand is that for us the pendulum is always swinging; we're constantly challenging ourselves in new ways, stepping from our comfort zones.

Eventually western society as a whole will pushback against political correctness -- it's already starting to happen -- whereas Thailand will continue in its way from an unwillingness to admit that what they'd been doing was antiquated or just plain wrong in the first place. That would cause a loss of face, after all.

good point

[hookedondhamma]

....

....

....

.... Payak??

The education system here is obviously, strictly Thai. For many of us who grew up somewhere else we probably will never understand it; Any outside suggestion will probably be taken with a grain of msg - that probably causes many western teachers headaches. Let the ministry take care of it ... They always do ...

Edited June 5, 2013 by hookedondhamma

[15Peter20]

Yes, the Thai education system is poor. However if you plan for your kids to live in Thailand after they graduate then it is still worth the expense to put them in a decent school/university here. It's like designer clothes. The 'label' goes a long way for the rest of their lives. As long as they can show they went to a good private school/college in Thailand they should end up with decent jobs and a decent quality of life here.

My kids are fluent in Thai and English, giving them an immediate advantage over many Thai students. In Thailand - with its poor education system and all - they can look forward to an above-average employment record, better than if they went to England and became mediocre job applicants among the other hundreds of thousands (millions?) of similarly aged graduates currently struggling to find work over there.

Edited June 5, 2013 by 15Peter20

[ABCer]

OP, the Education System here is worse than you think. I cannot even start thinking how it can be improved without major changes in culture, attitudes, politics, nepotism, corruption etc.

Thai kids are overworked, not stupid, yet their attainment level is low. Not their assessment. The knowledge! This is a result of the whole system discouraging them to think, to question instead of memorizing and repeating.

Critical thinking cannot co-exist with 'wai', keeping one's head low, concept of 'face loss' etc. To change this you must start with the educators of teachers, than teachers, than students and kids. And where to fit the parents???

I was spending 3 hrs at one BKK Uni, waiting for a friend. There were Exams in progress. I had a chance to look at how students learn. Not one book! Not one textbook! Not one handwritten note book! EVERY student had a printed copy of their Reader/Lecturer Notes. This was scary! The subject was Political Economics for crying out loud!

Two years ago I was asked to have a look at a young lady's PhD thesis only from point of view of English. It had something to do with Thai Tourism Economics. I lasted only 3 pages, than apologized. Gibberish! Cows moo-ing in bad English.

I'm sure she got her PhD by now...

My wife's daughter (a lovely kid, just going to Uni) studied English for 9 years! She is a very hard working student. Result? - zero, zelch, nicht, nada... - cannot speak! I have learned English in 3 years at the age of 20-23...

I am sorry...

Edited June 5, 2013 by ABCer

[muythai2013]

OP, the Education System here is worse than you think. I cannot even start thinking how it can be improved without major changes in culture, attitudes, politics, nepotism, corruption etc.

Thai kids are overworked, not stupid, yet their attainment level is low. Not their assessment. The knowledge! This is a result of the whole system discouraging them to think, to question instead of memorizing and repeating.

Critical thinking cannot co-exist with 'wai', keeping one's head low, concept of 'face loss' etc. To change this you must start with the educators of teachers, than teachers, than students and kids. And where to fit the parents???

I was spending 3 hrs at one BKK Uni, waiting for a friend. There were Exams in progress. I had a chance to look at how students learn. Not one book! Not one textbook! Not one handwritten note book! EVERY student had a printed copy of their Reader/Lecturer Notes. This was scary! The subject was Political Economics for crying out loud!

Two years ago I was asked to have a look at a young lady's PhD thesis only from point of view of English. It had something to do with Thai Tourism Economics. I lasted only 3 pages, than apologized. Gibberish! Cows moo-ing in bad English.

I'm sure she got her PhD by now...

My wife's daughter (a lovely kid, just going to Uni) studied English for 9 years! She is a very hard working student. Result? - zero, zelch, nicht, nada... - cannot speak! I have learned English in 3 years at the age of 20-23...

I am sorry...

9 years and cannot speak, and you don't think she is partly to blame, my Wife was fluent in half that time.

[benalibina]

A fb conversation between me and a 25 year old university degree woman. Familymember !!

Me:As what are you working now ?

She:I'm a officer.

Me:At police ?

She:Why you ask me that ???

Why did you think like that ??

Me: If you think wrong about what i ask then i cannot help that. Just asked if you have new job. You reply; officer ! So i think maybe police officer. Anyway i just show interest. Nothing more.

She: What do you mean word "officer" ???

Me: I'm a officer.

You wrote this to me yesterday.

She: Yes i know, but why you did to ask me like that ??

This word can mean person do work in office.

Me: ????????? No !!!

She: Procurement officer you know ????

You know that ?

Me: Hehe. Ofcourse i know. Why did you not write that 1st time ?

She: I didn't want to talk a long time. I bore. I'm lazy to thought about a long sentence of english language.

Me: I am lazy to think ???????? I do not understand, but ok.

[muythai2013]

A fb conversation between me and a 25 year old university degree woman. Familymember !!

Me:As what are you working now ?

She:I'm a officer.

Me:At police ?

She:Why you ask me that ???

Why did you think like that ??

Me: If you think wrong about what i ask then i cannot help that. Just asked if you have new job. You reply; officer ! So i think maybe police officer. Anyway i just show interest. Nothing more.

She: What do you mean word "officer" ???

Me: I'm a officer.

You wrote this to me yesterday.

She: Yes i know, but why you did to ask me like that ??

This word can mean person do work in office.

Me: ????????? No !!!

She: Procurement officer you know ????

You know that ?

Me: Hehe. Ofcourse i know. Why did you not write that 1st time ?

She: I didn't want to talk a long time. I bore. I'm lazy to thought about a long sentence of english language.

Me: I am lazy to think ???????? I do not understand, but ok.

Sounds like she needs English lessons not an Education, this was not a Thread about English.

A non English speaker can still be educated.

[aTomsLife]

A fb conversation between me and a 25 year old university degree woman. Familymember !!

Me:As what are you working now ?

She:I'm a officer.

Me:At police ?

She:Why you ask me that ???

Why did you think like that ??

Me: If you think wrong about what i ask then i cannot help that. Just asked if you have new job. You reply; officer ! So i think maybe police officer. Anyway i just show interest. Nothing more.

She: What do you mean word "officer" ???

Me: I'm a officer.

You wrote this to me yesterday.

She: Yes i know, but why you did to ask me like that ??

This word can mean person do work in office.

Me: ????????? No !!!

She: Procurement officer you know ????

You know that ?

Me: Hehe. Ofcourse i know. Why did you not write that 1st time ?

She: I didn't want to talk a long time. I bore. I'm lazy to thought about a long sentence of english language.

Me: I am lazy to think ???????? I do not understand, but ok.

Sounds like she needs English lessons not an Education, this was not a Thread about English.

A non English speaker can still be educated.

Fair enough, but I thumbed it up for the 'lol'.

[benalibina]

You miss the point, i not copied this conversation regarding her english languageskills but for other reasons. These were indeed regarding your topic. But you........

The whole conversation could be finished at the 1st answer to my question. She should have written then; procurement officer. Done that, she would not have ridiculed herself about her lazyness to think. UNIVERSITY DEGREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[benalibina]

You miss the point, i not copied this conversation regarding her english languageskills but for other reasons. These were indeed regarding your topic. But you........The whole conversation could be finished at the 1st answer to my question. She should have written then; procurement officer. Done that, she would not have ridiculed herself about her lazyness to think. UNIVERSITY DEGREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A hobby on her facebookprofile is: SLEEPING !!!!!!

[hookedondhamma]

Wow Benalbina, you are doing THE most.

Edited June 5, 2013 by hookedondhamma

[benalibina]

Wow Benalbina, you are doing THE most.

???

[kannot]

And do they teach the Thais critical thinking, or is the most important thing learning the Royal language??

C'mon dreamer where would you rather educate your kids? Australia or Thailand?

[rucus7]

Less than 20% of Thais complete high school.

10 years ago less than 5% of Thais completed high school.

I'm thinking most rural Thais, over 30, can't read or write.

By the way, just for fun, ask any Thai (including your loved one) how many weeks in a year?

You hit the nail on the head with this one. I just found out it is 48 weeks per year. Perhaps it is only applicable in Thailand. The rest of the world marches to a different drummer.

[thequietman]

I am just going to say what others won't. You are an arse muaythai2013.

I have read many of your posts and you just seem to ramble on and on about things you have no knowledge of. You get upset when someone disagrees with you always. Ok, I get it, you loooooove the Thai people, you looooooooooooove Thailand.

I would bet everything I have that you sit at home just trying to think what your next post will be. Hears a tip, sit back and read the posts and don't reply. See Thailand from other peoples prespectives, people that have lived here for many years. Learn a bit more about the country and its people. Then take off your rose tinted glasses and post something relevant and knowledgeable.

Be careful out there.

[benalibina]

Just let the guy post what he wants. Why do you worry or care ?

[krisb]

I bet Thais are better at maths than Aussies. For some reason Asians are.

Any teachers care to comment on that?

[krisb]

I am just going to say what others won't. You are an arse muaythai2013.

 

I have read many of your posts and you just seem to ramble on and on about things you have no knowledge of. You get upset when someone disagrees with you always. Ok, I get it, you loooooove the Thai people, you looooooooooooove Thailand.

 

I would bet everything I have that you sit at home just trying to think what your next post will be. Hears a tip, sit back and read the posts and don't reply. See Thailand from other peoples prespectives, people that have lived here for many years. Learn a bit more about the country and its people. Then take off your rose tinted glasses and post something relevant and knowledgeable.

 

Be careful out there.

You must be Thai?

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I bet Thais are better at maths than Aussies. For some reason Asians are.

Any teachers care to comment on that?

Ask an Australian how many weeks in a year, I bet they know.

[muythai2013]

I bet Thais are better at maths than Aussies. For some reason Asians are.

Any teachers care to comment on that?

my wifes an accountant, very good to, from a government school and one of the so called bad universities.

I get accused of posting rubbish by the guy above because I speak my mind, they are complaining Thai's don't do that they just follow like sheep, when I don't follow their opinion like a sheep they accuse me of being an ass.

I'm not even saying the schools are not bad, I'm just saying they are bad at home to, The School my daughter attended in Bangkok was very good, so what can I say, Should I lie and say otherwise.

They say Thai's should question things, not just follow, yet they are getting a little agro when I do what they say the Thai's do.

[Yooyung]

The average Joe six pack in 'straya' is as thick as pig pooh. I went back there to study for three years with my wife and son after living here for near to a decade. YES there are some educated Aussies, some that think outside the box but most of the young Uni students I spoke to while there are now products of an 'Americanized' version of education....put people into little groups and make them specialize in that one thing only..don't think outside the box, general knowledge, the humanities are useless as they don't generate enough 'profit'. I had some of the most banal conversations of my life talking with a lot of these so called 'educated' westerners. They just wanted to study there specialization, get out and get the highest salary possible to buy 'stuff' with. All too few of them had any real views or ideas in how the country was being run, it just didn't cross their minds. They really couldn't see that they had any real power, everything was being decided for them by people who 'knew about stuff'. Its pathetic really. The country is being run by thought police controlled by unaccountable corporations, with corrupt governments sucking on their privates and the media is owned by all of the above. What use is the education system when it only churns out drones?

I am happy to be in Thailand with my wife and son. I am not sending him to an international school. I am sending him to a good private school. I am teaching here, my wife is also a teacher. I am taking charge of his education. I am taking charge of showing him the world, how it really works without the skewed perspectives sponsored by Pepsi or the military industrial complex infecting his brain with the lust for material possessions at any cost. YES there are many drones here to but I will make sure as a father that my boy, being fully Bilingual can take advantage of really understanding the world from both perspectives. Luek krueng kids that are smart, speak English fluently can have a good future here, especially with ASEAN around the corner. I would rather my kid be in that boat than be some average Aussie bogan that lives for a house in the boring suburbs, lives for the next game of footy to watch with his bogan mates and thinks that culture is something you get when you make yoghurt.

Was that a rant, hell yes!

[muythai2013]

The average Joe six pack in 'straya' is as thick as pig pooh. I went back there to study for three years with my wife and son after living here for near to a decade. YES there are some educated Aussies, some that think outside the box but most of the young Uni students I spoke to while there are now products of an 'Americanized' version of education....put people into little groups and make them specialize in that one thing only..don't think outside the box, general knowledge, the humanities are useless as they don't generate enough 'profit'. I had some of the most banal conversations of my life talking with a lot of these so called 'educated' westerners. They just wanted to study there specialization, get out and get the highest salary possible to buy 'stuff' with. All too few of them had any real views or ideas in how the country was being run, it just didn't cross their minds. They really couldn't see that they had any real power, everything was being decided for them by people who 'knew about stuff'. Its pathetic really. The country is being run by thought police controlled by unaccountable corporations, with corrupt governments sucking on their privates and the media is owned by all of the above. What use is the education system when it only churns out drones?

I am happy to be in Thailand with my wife and son. I am not sending him to an international school. I am sending him to a good private school. I am teaching here, my wife is also a teacher. I am taking charge of his education. I am taking charge of showing him the world, how it really works without the skewed perspectives sponsored by Pepsi or the military industrial complex infecting his brain with the lust for material possessions at any cost. YES there are many drones here to but I will make sure as a father that my boy, being fully Bilingual can take advantage of really understanding the world from both perspectives. Luek krueng kids that are smart, speak English fluently can have a good future here, especially with ASEAN around the corner. I would rather my kid be in that boat than be some average Aussie bogan that lives for a house in the boring suburbs, lives for the next game of footy to watch with his bogan mates and thinks that culture is something you get when you make yoghurt.

Was that a rant, hell yes!

After reading that I hope your not teaching English.

They were 2 big ass paragraphs.

[culicine]

To echo others, literacy doesn't necessarily constitute intelligence.

How many Thais who graduated high school (or perhaps univeristy) possess even the most basic critical thinking skills?

For example: A is always equal to B B is always equal to C

Is A, therefore, always equal to C?

Reading it doesn't automatically constitute understanding it.

That's a grade 10 sets/logic question and quite easy for most students to do here. Interestingly logic is a major topic in high school mathematics, unlike most states in Australia. Try another question:)

[cooked]

My wife had only two years schooling before being dragged off to work. She decided to teach herself English, bought herself books and tapes, and now speaks better English than our daughter's English teacher at a private school. She probably learned so well because she didn't go through the school system. She writes better Thai than most in the village as well as Lao.

She doesn't know how many weeks there are in a year but she knows about almost any plant you care to point at, could (if she wanted to) make and dye silk cloth all the way from raising silk worms to weaving, .. what I am trying to say is that Thais are not inherently thick, they are prevented from realising their potential. A great waste.

[muythai2013]

They are smart enough to fool countless Farang.

I have seen a couple of men make comments about Thai people being on the stupid side, They are both broke now, The woman are not.

[sunlong]

I am happy to be in Thailand with my wife and son. I am not sending him to an international school. I am sending him to a good private school. I am teaching here, my wife is also a teacher. I am taking charge of his education. I am taking charge of showing him the world, how it really works without the skewed perspectives sponsored by Pepsi or the military industrial complex infecting his brain with the lust for material possessions at any cost.

-

Absolutely agree that if a parent has the ability, confidence and willingness to spend the time working with their kids supplementing an at-least-not-terrible school, they will be able to fill in the gaps and perhaps counteract the negative side of what they get from the regular system.

This would in my opinion be needed almost anywhere in the world with NES public schools too, US/UK/Aus/NZ/Canada.

Home-schooling is another options, but does take more ability, confidence and willingness, plus then you need to work extra hard to provide them contexts for socialization, not let them be to isolated within the home.

Parents that can follow these paths can probably do quite well anywhere in the world, but as with any project of true love, it will require a lot of self-discipline and sacrifice of time and energy. But that's what being a parent is all about isn't it.

[Jasun]

26.8% of Australians living in Australia were not born or educated in Australia. I think you'll find those who went through the education system have close to 100% literacy and numeracy. Especially when they're not drunk.

[chonabot]

The average Joe six pack in 'straya' is as thick as pig pooh. I went back there to study for three years with my wife and son after living here for near to a decade. YES there are some educated Aussies, some that think outside the box but most of the young Uni students I spoke to while there are now products of an 'Americanized' version of education....put people into little groups and make them specialize in that one thing only..don't think outside the box, general knowledge, the humanities are useless as they don't generate enough 'profit'. I had some of the most banal conversations of my life talking with a lot of these so called 'educated' westerners. They just wanted to study there specialization, get out and get the highest salary possible to buy 'stuff' with. All too few of them had any real views or ideas in how the country was being run, it just didn't cross their minds. They really couldn't see that they had any real power, everything was being decided for them by people who 'knew about stuff'. Its pathetic really. The country is being run by thought police controlled by unaccountable corporations, with corrupt governments sucking on their privates and the media is owned by all of the above. What use is the education system when it only churns out drones?

I am happy to be in Thailand with my wife and son. I am not sending him to an international school. I am sending him to a good private school. I am teaching here, my wife is also a teacher. I am taking charge of his education. I am taking charge of showing him the world, how it really works without the skewed perspectives sponsored by Pepsi or the military industrial complex infecting his brain with the lust for material possessions at any cost. YES there are many drones here to but I will make sure as a father that my boy, being fully Bilingual can take advantage of really understanding the world from both perspectives. Luek krueng kids that are smart, speak English fluently can have a good future here, especially with ASEAN around the corner. I would rather my kid be in that boat than be some average Aussie bogan that lives for a house in the boring suburbs, lives for the next game of footy to watch with his bogan mates and thinks that culture is something you get when you make yoghurt.

Was that a rant, hell yes!

After reading that I hope your not teaching English.

They were 2 big ass paragraphs.

Yet again you miss some very good points and focus on an irrelevant one.

Paragraphs can be as large as the author wishes as long as they contain the same theme.

Yes, you are similar in your mindset to the Thai educated people - well done!

I wrote many MA thesis/theses for Thai teachers and all they were concerned about was the font that was used in the finished product.

I was going to make a few more points but they would be wasted, pearls to swine