Teaching a Thai how to teach Thai

[syke1912]

My TGF studied abroad and speaks fluent English. She wants to teach me Thai but she doesn't know how to teach.

Any suggestions? Is there a curriculum or a text book she should be using to assist her?

[allane]

The very first thing they need to learn is courtesy and respect. That means learning not to sit there laughing their face off when their student(s) make mistakes. For your part, you need to make clear that you will not tolerate this.

[Johpa]

She should not try to teach you Thai. Native speakers without formal training make lousy teachers. On the other hand she can speak Thai to you and you can listen and try to remember words and then short phrases. Just don't ask formal questions such as tone rules because Thais do not know the tone rules any better than native English speakers know the plural formation rules in English.

[1FinickyOne]

It is sort of like teaching a GF to drive a car - - this is not a good relationship thing, to have her always correcting you, and sometimes, you will not be in the mood.

Everyone seems to learn languages differently. i learned on my own and will probably always be learning more. Some do better in schools or with tutors. Keep a notebook and learn words - transliterate them in your own style... repetition. Whatever you find works.

[Saastrajaa]

You might as well stick to more achievable goals, like getting a roomful of monkeys to type Shakespeare.

But seriously, I teach in a program in the West that teaches multiple Southeast Asian languages, and the Thais--most of whom have PhDs--are notoriously the worst teachers, stubbornly insisting on using teaching methods that were considered "current" in the West in the early 1900s (I'm not joking).

Get your detailed explanations of WHY things are said in a certain way in Thai from the many excellent reference books out there, like the Higbie and Thisnan Reference Grammar, and limit your use of native speakers to learning HOW things are said.

[HLover]

What a nightmare senario.

[asiaexpat]

Just stop using English in your conversations with her and have her use only Thai around you. You will pick up on the language just like children do. Good luck.