Questions For Teachers In Thai Schools

[BKKstan]

Do you have any say about how you teach or do you have to follow their plans?What do you do about disruptive and/or uninterested students?Are you satisfied with the results of your teaching?

Edited July 16, 2006 by BKKstan

[meadish_sweetball]

Moving this topic to the Teaching in Thailand forum.

[toptuan]

I have taught for for years in two different Thai educational institutions. In both cases I was given only the class name--not even a short description. That's it. No textbooks, no curriculum guide or outline. It was all up to me. Hard to develop a curriculum from scratch (time-consuming), but wonderfully free and unencumbered by restrictions of any sort. It's an open door for disaster to a lazy or incompetent teacher coming in (and we've had those).

What do I do about disruptive and uninterested students? Make my classes so lively and interesting, it even draws in these fringe students. When I see that sort of initial disinterested response (and disruption stems from disinterest, usually), it makes me work that much harder. I have had two disruptive students in four years who never "came around." Both were ultimately ostracized by the rest of the class who DID want to learn. I felt bad about losing them, but was glad to save the other 49 students.

I am never satisfied with the results of my teaching. I believe my students can always learn more and better, were it not for my limitations as a teacher and human being. At the end of every detailed written lesson plan, I have a "follow-up" section which I fill out after every class. It's a self-evaluation section of how I can improve my teaching for that particular lesson/unit. The day I stop filling that out, is the day I stop self-improving, and should hang up the towel for (early) retirement.

Hope this feedback is of some use to you.

[PeaceBlondie]

I taught matayom (secondary) school for two years, different schools in the same province. I was sometimes given a sort of general outline (not worthy of the big word, 'curriculum'), and a suggested text. I was hardly ever observed or supervised, but the Thai teachers have their ways of finding out, and I was successful.

One kid (in the back row, a big 13 year old) started being unresponsive until I memorized his name and discovered both his parents were teachers. Then he behaved, for fear that I'd tell his parents. The truly unruly are so rare you needn't worry about them.

I'm very satisfied with my teaching. I tried hard, planned ahead, worked smart, improved, usually did what was on my lesson plan, and kept smiling.

It can be very rewarding.

[mijan24]

I have taught for for years in two different Thai educational institutions. In both cases I was given only the class name--not even a short description. That's it. No textbooks, no curriculum guide or outline. It was all up to me. Hard to develop a curriculum from scratch (time-consuming), but wonderfully free and unencumbered by restrictions of any sort. It's an open door for disaster to a lazy or incompetent teacher coming in (and we've had those).

What do I do about disruptive and uninterested students? Make my classes so lively and interesting, it even draws in these fringe students. When I see that sort of initial disinterested response (and disruption stems from disinterest, usually), it makes me work that much harder. I have had two disruptive students in four years who never "came around." Both were ultimately ostracized by the rest of the class who DID want to learn. I felt bad about losing them, but was glad to save the other 49 students.

I am never satisfied with the results of my teaching. I believe my students can always learn more and better, were it not for my limitations as a teacher and human being. At the end of every detailed written lesson plan, I have a "follow-up" section which I fill out after every class. It's a self-evaluation section of how I can improve my teaching for that particular lesson/unit. The day I stop filling that out, is the day I stop self-improving, and should hang up the towel for (early)

retirement.

Hopefully this positive post will not be dilated by the regular "low post count", "lack of credential" detractorRead into this what you will!!

This has to be in the running for the "Teaching"post of the year!! It certainly gets my vote - no doubt the regular detractor will post the expected negative comment- lets try ignoring it this time.

Edited July 16, 2006 by mijan24

[Scott]

I've taught at the same school for close to 10 years. Went from basically a song & dance routine to a full-blown curriculum with textbooks. It's taken time. A lot of teachers (in Thailand) don't realize that when we are hired it is because they don't know what to do--thus no curriculum.

As far as misbehavior goes, I try to keep an eye on the class. If quite a few kids are misbehaving, then it is usually partly my problem--not interesting material etc. This said, in every course, there is stuff that isn't interesting but has to be taught.

I don't really discipline unless a student is actively acting up i.e., disturbing others. If they are just not doing their work, that is their problem. If they are disruptive, they have to stand up. If that doesn't work, they have to stand at the back of the classroom, if that doesn't do it, then they have to go in the hallway for 5 or 10 minutes.

Most students are pretty good and reasonably easy to control. The most disruptive and troublesome often are bad because they don't understand the lesson at all--really far behind.

[Ijustwannateach]

Sounds like you fit in well in your schools, TT- cheers!

I'd say your technique is exactly what TEFL classes need. Dour, sarcastic, impatient, or strict teachers aren't going to get very far in the average government classroom.

[Loaded]

A lot of teachers (in Thailand) don't realize that when we are hired it is because they don't know what to do--thus no curriculum.

Certainly true for many of the schools who have had few falang working for them before. Thai teachers teach in a completely different style to a falang TEFLer or Uni lecturer, most of us know Thais learn by rote, and we have gone through an educational system that encourages original thought and creativity. Thai teachers have also been told over the last few years that they must use student-centred teaching methodology but the have never received the necessary training to confidently put this into practise. I think for these reasons that Thai teachers are suffering at the moment through lack of support and are insecure about what they should actually be doing in the classroom - hence, maybe, passing the buck to the falang.