Teaching Without Tefl Certificate?

[Hermano Lobo]

Also, being fluent in Thai helps A LOT. Funny, as my instuctors at my TESOL course said the opposite, as do most teachers that can't speak Thai.

Being fluent in Thai, surely must be helpful? Berlitz used to(maybe still do), have the system where only the language being studied, was spoken in the classroom. I have known people being taught Spanish this way back in the late 1960's. But styles and fashions have changed quite a bit over the years. I do know what is the current thinking on the best method to teach a language.

TESOL ? Do you know how this compares with a TEFL or the now more popular CELTA ?

Teaching must be like any discipline? Getting the qualification or degree is only the first step.

Having a degree or a TEFL/TESOL does not guarantee one can convey knowledge successfully or be a good teacher. I think that has more to do with natural ability? : DISCUSS

Edited October 5, 2006 by Hermano Lobo

[PeaceBlondie]

Nothing guarantees anything. You could have a Ph.D. or three, and be lousy (tho it's doubtful). Heck, I still have an infection which an M.D./M.P.H. double-board certified surgeon couldn't figure out. I think I'll have the street sweeper do my next surgery. If you wish, I'll translate something from Ugarit to batsi-kop, although I'm illiterate in both.

My first and last children both want to teach, and have natural ability and desire to teach. But the one with a BA, an M.Ed. and 18 years' successful experience, teaches better than the 9th grade dropout who's a waitress. There are exceptions to everything, including this one.

But seriously, when you take an intensive course in Xioilwology, to make you Xioilwologize better, chances are you'll be better than if you hadn't taken the course.

[Hermano Lobo]

Nothing guarantees anything.

The English teachers out there will have a field-day with that one !

Creative post, however.

[Robski]

Spot on Neeranam, that's the answer I've been waiting for. I dont have a uni degree, just a willingness to do something different and where better to start from scratch than Thailand. Cheers.

[PeaceBlondie]

Nothing guarantees anything.

The English teachers out there will have a field-day with that one !

Creative post, however.

Grácias, brother wolf. At first, using an Hispanic touch, I wrote "Nothing guarantees nothing." I think no in batsi-kop is mayook, but I don't know nuttin' about Ugarit..

As for teaching illegally, or teaching to ill eagles: earlier this year, before the now exonerated John Mark Karr incident, I practically encouraged people to follow my example of teaching without a work permit. Now, I don't do either. Up until now, we only know third-hand rumours about people who got in trouble for breaking Thai employment laws, teaching English. I think Dylan was right: the times, they are a-changin'. Then again, mayhaps not; let's all go buy Maybachs.

[Hermano Lobo]

Nothing guarantees anything.

The English teachers out there will have a field-day with that one !

Creative post, however.

Grácias, brother wolf. At first, using an Hispanic touch, I wrote "Nothing guarantees nothing." I think no in batsi-kop is mayook, but I don't know nuttin' about Ugarit..

As for teaching illegally, or teaching to ill eagles: earlier this year, before the now exonerated John Mark Karr incident, I practically encouraged people to follow my example of teaching without a work permit. Now, I don't do either. Up until now, we only know third-hand rumours about people who got in trouble for breaking Thai employment laws, teaching English. I think Dylan was right: the times, they are a-changin'. Then again, mayhaps not; let's all go buy Maybachs.

PeaceBlondie,

You are the first to refer to me as Brother Wolf 10 out of 10 !

I often get called Herman !

[PeaceBlondie]

Certamente, you can call me Shirley.

I assumed that speaking Spanish would be of no use, teaching English in the provinces. Yet, I found Thais who had spent a year in Latin America, and an exchange student from New York City whose parents were Ecuadorian.

You never know which life experiences will come in handy during a lesson, or in the staffroom. The third and fourth times that I crossed the Continental Divide on a motorcycle was at La Junta, in western Chihuahua, near the Old Order Mennonite colonies. You never know when the Thai teachers of English will ask, "Ajarn PeaceBlondie, what does this Spanish word mean, junta? And why doesn't coup end with a /p/ sound?"

[Hermano Lobo]

Certamente, you can call me Shirley.

I assumed that speaking Spanish would be of no use, teaching English in the provinces. Yet, I found Thais who had spent a year in Latin America, and an exchange student from New York City whose parents were Ecuadorian.

You never know which life experiences will come in handy during a lesson, or in the staffroom. The third and fourth times that I crossed the Continental Divide on a motorcycle was at La Junta, in western Chihuahua, near the Old Order Mennonite colonies. You never know when the Thai teachers of English will ask, "Ajarn PeaceBlondie, what does this Spanish word mean, junta? And why doesn't coup end with a /p/ sound?"

Bpen kon ajarn ?

Now do you pronounce it ?Yunta, Junta (as in January) or KKhunta ... as in the sound of a steam locomotive. The 'u' has an 'ooh' sound. Argentines have a funny way with the 'Y' in Mayo(May not mayonnaise). They pronounce it Majo. As in Madonna's nick-name Madge.

The Mexicans were confused with all my th sounds, as in Gracias... Grathias.

I am sure you have seen the film Motorcycle Diaries? I have also read the book.

Wonderful film !

[araiwhat]

No.

A native English speaker spouting off some Thai doesn't make a difference to Thai students by way of "getting cheated out of the few extra words in Englsih that might have otherwise fallen out".

The impact comes from the headache of having to listen to someone relentlessly butcher their language day after day with vocabulary by Nana Wittalaylai and pronunciation by Soi Cowboy University. There are some who haven't attended these fine schools, but it's pretty clear to me (seen five years of these embarrassing muppets, albiet many are my friends . Better to muzzle everyone and sacrifice whatever arguable small learning value for the "Patong Farang" Thai language "expert's" clear potential to issue headache after headache.

But, speaking with "ThiEnglish' is useful. There was some meathead that used to sit in my area that would say shit like, "Did you look the book?" to students and Thai teachers. (fuchs sake).

Odd, you feel speaking Thai in an English class should be encouraged??

My reasons why in general this isn't a good idea and shouldn't be encouraged (there are valid exceptions):

1. If students know they can communicate in Thai to their teacher, they will. Avoiding communicating in English.

2. Often there is no easy direct translation between Thai and English. For example, English uses verb tense to convey meaning with respect to time context, but Thai (in general) uses adverbs of time. Vocabulary often doesn't directly translate: how often have you been asked what 'krienjai' means in English.

3. The teacher is a model.

4. Parents expect English to be used - they're paying!

5. EPs are promoted as, well English Programmes, and the expecation of students and parents is that education will happen only in English.

6. Consistency in every English classroom.

I do agree that when you're teaching anubahn and you need the little darlings to sit down, shut up and open their books before studying, Thai may be a better medium to give the instruction.

Agreed, although I believe it was Neeranam who felt that an ability to speak Thai was an advantage. The kids are not there to speak Thai in your class, they need all the practice in speaking English that they can possibly get if they are to progress. If you speak Thai to them, they will, naturally, reply in Thai. Of course understanding Thai is a different matter and may well be an advantage. But the teacher should always use English in class except with the very tiny ones.

[Hermano Lobo]

watarai-

Therefore you advocate the old Berlitz , target language only in the classroom ?

If you are a teacher do you use this method. With success ?

Edited October 7, 2006 by Hermano Lobo

[johnnyk]

Also, being fluent in Thai helps A LOT. Funny, as my instuctors at my TESOL course said the opposite, as do most teachers that can't speak Thai.

Being fluent in Thai, surely must be helpful? Berlitz used to(maybe still do), have the system where only the language being studied, was spoken in the classroom. I have known people being taught Spanish this way back in the late 1960's. But styles and fashions have changed quite a bit over the years. I do know what is the current thinking on the best method to teach a language.

TESOL ? Do you know how this compares with a TEFL or the now more popular CELTA ?

Teaching must be like any discipline? Getting the qualification or degree is only the first step.

Having a degree or a TEFL/TESOL does not guarantee one can convey knowledge successfully or be a good teacher. I think that has more to do with natural ability? : DISCUSS

TESOL is now a currently fashionable acronym for what many still call TESL. Idea is that English may not be the second language (SL) for the student, s/he could be multilingual so the acronym has become SOL (Speakers of Other Languages).

A TESOL is only as good as the course/institution that offers it.

We've all seen the ads promising people a TESOL certificate and opening the wonderful world of language teaching for only $1000 or so and three days of their time.

Other TESOL/TESL certificates can take a year full-time, for eg. my TESOL required 325 classroom hours, 11 courses and 40 hours of observed teaching.

CELTA is a Cambridge University-designed and supervised course given at many locations around the world and only by Cambridge-vetted and approved institutions. It is only about a month long but very rigorous (people actually fail) and is recognized worldwide.

CELTA doesn't guarantee the holder is a decent teacher as the above statement says. It does reasonably guarantee that the holder knows some theory and has knowledge and techniques to help people learn English. It sure doesn't guarantee the holder can put it across effectively, no paper can do that.

As far as I know Berlitz still uses the old-time technique of ramming language into people's heads with drills and repetitions.

IME, English-only in the classroom is the way to go alhtough I can see the probs with low-level and very young learners which is why I prefer to teach 18 years and up and corporates best of all.

Edited October 10, 2006 by johnnyk

[Neeranam]

IME, English-only in the classroom is the way to go alhtough I can see the probs with low-level and very young learners which is why I prefer to teach 18 years and up and corporates best of all.

Likewise, I'd never teach kids - I did my time a few years back - nightmare!

From what I've seen, those diplomas are good for guys entering the 'dancing white monkey' scene.(they can make great flashcards!) The TESOL/TEFL are better for the language school.

Using Thai can be very useful for classroom management, especially if your the 'dancing white monkey' in a Pratom/Matayom School without an assistant. Also, I've found myself in a university, teaching classes of 100 that couldn't speak basic English. There are many dangers -

1- thinking you can speak Thai when you can't.

2 -speaking too much.

3 - sometimes a direct translation can be forgotten easily.

I only speak English to my own kids though. Although it is very useful being able to understand what they're sometimes finding difficult to get across.

When I was a kid learning French from some guy who couldn't speak English, I thought 'why the hel_l should I learn this when he can't speak my language' and we spent the whole time slagging the poor guy off. Does this sound familiar?

[johnnyk]

My daughter's French teacher simply cannot speak French and I wonder how the hel_l she ended up 'teaching' it.

[Neeranam]

I speak to my daughter's English teacher in Thai!

[johnnyk]

I speak to my daughter's English teacher in Thai!

Look on the bright side, I guess her teacher isn't a drunk backpacker!