Teaching English To My Daughter!

[JT65]

Hi all

Im married to a Thai Lady who has a daughter from her previous marriage ( well the father left once she got pregnant). We have one of our own children now but her little girl ( who is now my daughter) is learning English. She is quite brignt and we send her to a good school here in Chiang Mai where she gets special lessons from the English First programme.

I do realize that she is only 6 years old but what concerns me is that after a year of classes she cannot really read. She does everything from memory. They do not seem to teach the phonetics of the letters. I am no teacher and no great scholar in English but I would like to ask any of the teachers out there is there some CD programme or set of books or any particular system I can purchase to help me teach here myself here at home how to actually read ! instead of doing it from looking at the pictures next to the word. She knows here ABCs and the alphabet without any problems but she really does not know the sound of the letters which I imagine is the way one learns to read.

Any help appreciated.

JT

[tuky]

JT65,

I am moving this thread to the teaching forum as that is where you will get your best answers.

Good luck mate.

tuky

[JT65]

JT65,

I am moving this thread to the teaching forum as that is where you will get your best answers.

Good luck mate.

tuky

Thanks for that. I was not sure really where to post it.

Cheers

JT

[Loaded]

Hi JT65

I don't know which school your child attends in Chiang Mai, buy if you would like her to use phonics in class I recommend Varee Chiang Mai's English Programme. The head of department has 14 years of teaching here and in tertiary education in the UK.

I guess your daughter is studying at Pimandek if she's with English First. The guy who has the franchise of this school for Chiang Mai was charged with fraud, connnected to educational business, at Mae Ping Police Station October 11th 2005 - you can check yourself by visiting the station with a Thai speaker as the charge book is open to the public. I suggest you speak to EF's country manager about him and the programme. The owners of Pimandek, I believe, are in complete ignorance of his behaviour.

[Sing_Sling]

JT, sounds like a tricky one.

Aside from school, there is a lot you can do yourself in teaching the little one better language skills - reading to her and with her is extremely important for her pronounciation, vocabulary, self-confidence and spellin of course.

We have a similar problem here, in terms of the accent she is learning English with - quite nasty really. we thought we'd do a good thing and integrate our daughter into the local school system but have found that an International School would have been better. Possibly that is open to you as well?

[JT65]

Hi JT65

I don't know which school your child attends in Chiang Mai, buy if you would like her to use phonics in class I recommend Varee Chiang Mai's English Programme. The head of department has 14 years of teaching here and in tertiary education in the UK.

I guess your daughter is studying at Pimandek if she's with English First. The guy who has the franchise of this school for Chiang Mai was charged with fraud, connnected to educational business, at Mae Ping Police Station October 11th 2005 - you can check yourself by visiting the station with a Thai speaker as the charge book is open to the public. I suggest you speak to EF's country manager about him and the programme. The owners of Pimandek, I believe, are in complete ignorance of his behaviour.

Thanks for your reply. You are correct my daughter does go to Pimandek. In general I am very happy with this school. Her Thai language skills have improved out of site and they do seem very professional here. Her Maths has improved considerably as well. She was in a government school prior to Pimandek which was terrible to say the least.

As for your remarks regarding English First , I have told my wife who will visit the Police Station later in the week to confirm what you have said. Once she see's this for herself she will talk to the Pimandek Principal. I hope they are not complicit in the fraud as my daughter likes this school quite a lot. I would be surprised if they were as they seem so above board.

My daughter actually started studying with English First on their special programme during the last holidays just passed. Do you know what has happened since then?

Appreciate your Info.

JT

[Loaded]

Hi JT65

I don't know which school your child attends in Chiang Mai, buy if you would like her to use phonics in class I recommend Varee Chiang Mai's English Programme. The head of department has 14 years of teaching here and in tertiary education in the UK.

I guess your daughter is studying at Pimandek if she's with English First. The guy who has the franchise of this school for Chiang Mai was charged with fraud, connnected to educational business, at Mae Ping Police Station October 11th 2005 - you can check yourself by visiting the station with a Thai speaker as the charge book is open to the public. I suggest you speak to EF's country manager about him and the programme. The owners of Pimandek, I believe, are in complete ignorance of his behaviour.

Thanks for your reply. You are correct my daughter does go to Pimandek. In general I am very happy with this school. Her Thai language skills have improved out of site and they do seem very professional here. Her Maths has improved considerably as well. She was in a government school prior to Pimandek which was terrible to say the least.

As for your remarks regarding English First , I have told my wife who will visit the Police Station later in the week to confirm what you have said. Once she see's this for herself she will talk to the Pimandek Principal. I hope they are not complicit in the fraud as my daughter likes this school quite a lot. I would be surprised if they were as they seem so above board.

My daughter actually started studying with English First on their special programme during the last holidays just passed. Do you know what has happened since then?

Appreciate your Info.

JT

I'll pm you the name of the EF guy for when your wife goes to the policestation.

The owners are lovely people who are not aware of the negative behaviour of the EF guy. The school has a very good reputation for discipline and morality; and from your daughter's own experience she is benefiting greatly from being there. There is nothing negative to say about the school or its owners.

[leo53]

JT65, you are correct in that phonics (or phonetics, as some call it) is the preferred method for teaching reading. The other methodology is called "whole language" and is based more on recognition of the structural shape of the letter as opposed to the sound that the letter represents. Children who learn by rote or shape recognition have difficulty "sounding out" a word -- they must remember the look of each and every word. People who learned to read by letter shape often will tell you they don't enjoy reading, experience it as work rather than pleasure, and are slow readers.

Anyway...I would recommend the program "Hooked on Phonics." It has been successful for a number of years and is designed to be fun for children.

[JT65]

JT65, you are correct in that phonics (or phonetics, as some call it) is the preferred method for teaching reading. The other methodology is called "whole language" and is based more on recognition of the structural shape of the letter as opposed to the sound that the letter represents. Children who learn by rote or shape recognition have difficulty "sounding out" a word -- they must remember the look of each and every word. People who learned to read by letter shape often will tell you they don't enjoy reading, experience it as work rather than pleasure, and are slow readers.

Anyway...I would recommend the program "Hooked on Phonics." It has been successful for a number of years and is designed to be fun for children.

Hi , thanks for your reply and the info. I have looked on the web and can see that the program looks quite suitable. I could teach her with my wife, who speaks English very well, here at home. Do you know if this program is available in Thailand , and if so where could I purchase it?

Appreciate your time in answering my questions.