Thailand embarks on program to ensure citizens speak English

[HooHaa]

Funny, all those neighboring countries that should have thought of this 20 years ago. 

 

Oh, wait...

[gk10002000]

There are many fully qualified native English speaking people that would be quite content to live and work in Thailand.  For example, I am approaching semi-retirement, and would love to and almost did move to Thailand to teach.  I would love to work a little less than full time, tutor on the side, have several months off between semesters, etc.   I am also an engineer with a few degrees and I am sure I could help out with any High School or introductory college level classes.  My needs are modest.  I don't even need to save for retirement since my retirement accounts are set aside and growing just fine, and I have USA Social Security kicking in in a few years.  If Thailand offered more reasonable pay, modest benefits, etc.  they could attract and keep some fine English teachers and other subject matter teachers also.  Nothing against the backpackers and young tour the world types that stop in Thailand for a while to teach, but I think if Thailand could find a more attractive and easier to work with package, it would help.

[gk10002000]

They need to focus less on the technical details and stress every day usage, getting plurality correct, gender correct, and things like that.  Trying to teach 6 and 7 year old kids what a past participle is or what the passive voice is, comes across as just noise.  Heck, it was noise to me when I was in school as a kid!  Common every day conversation and practice would be more helpful

[michaellee]

5 hours ago, nuakmuaynina said:

I wasnt teaching there, was visiting my soon to be ex husbands family, I speak a bit of thai yes, but I find the southern accent very hard to work out sometimes! no one spoke English at all, was an interesting place...I was quite the novelty..

Yes, indeed the southern dialect is so different, I stayed for a week the apartment rentals were not cheap almost as pricey as bkk, that place is good if you have someone otherwise you on your own with no communication at all. I'm asian so i blend in more easily and my thai's are pretty good so no problem there buying food. May I ask are you Thai or Caucasian? 

[michaellee]

All they have to do is, make it a mandatory to speak ENGLISH in school, no if or but about it, that's the only way they can learn english spending 7 hours a day for the next 12 years. I came from a non native speaking country, but we spoke only English in class as well as outside the english classroom plus we had to study 3 other languages which were native. But then learn English language for what?? Thai language dee mak mak!!

[boomerangutang]

I have a Burmese friend who speaks English as well or better than any Thai (who has not resided in an English-speaking country) I've met in the past 34 years.  He's never been outside of Shan State. He learned by listening to BBC and pop records and conversing with English speakers.    Yet, because he has no degree, he can't get a job teaching.  It's probably similar scenario in Thailand.   Teachers in Thailand aren't promoted on the basis of skills, but rather for other reasons (payment, who they know, seniority, family connections, etc.) - too many to articulate here.

[chrisinth]

15 hours ago, Squeegee said:

The stupid claim of "Within 10 years" shows how ridiculous these Thai tongue waggers are.

 

Hopefully most native English teachers have moved on from Thailand already so the Thais get a reality check.

 

Oh.

I thought they were going to keep the individual in primary school for 10 years and the individual would be proficient after that time.

 

That might work.....................

[Borzandy]

16 hours ago, colinneil said:

When i saw this post i nearly spilt my glass of water

They are going to improve English speaking in schools !! joke of the week.

Most so called Thai English teachers cannot string a sentence together.

So what chance have the kids got????? NONE.

So what chance have the kids got???  speaking thaiglish

[Balance]

When I first came to Thailand my wife's friend asked me to be a native speaker in her English class.  Let me point out that while a great person her English proficiency was and is 1.5 on a scale of 10.  There were 12 sixteen-year-old kids in the class.  It took 30 minutes to get any of them to say more than good afternoon. Then, moving on to questions I posed two of them could answer.  Turns out one learned her English at a farang hotel and the other's sister was married to a Brit.  

 

The most striking thing is that they were not motivated to learn English; they simply did not see any benefit even though one of their classmates was working in a highly paid job at a hotel.  

[soalbundy]

There is also the problem with Thai's not wanting to read, even their own language. I have read all the 'Harry Potter' books in Thai and have them at home, i have tried time and time again to get my stepdaughters to read them without success, they consider reading as a punishment, when my eldest step daughter (at that time she was 15 ) saw me reading a Thai book i heard her whisper to her mother,''Why does he do that'' as if i was whipping myself. My British/Thai son at 9 years old has the same attitude,at one time he was better at reading English than Thai because i resolutedly forced him now i have to force him to read Thai. 

[dieseldave1951]

16 hours ago, oilinki said:

I'm curious how many hours do other non-English speaking countries teach English in primary and secondary schools? 

 

judging by the rankings most countries allocate more hours, unless there is an element of don't want to learn falang language in students,

students that for years that have been told that westerners are here as second class will not suddenly feel he urge to communicate. 

ever noticed how the very young Thai kids look at westerners total beusement, i just wonder what teachings have to be over come first, 

  

[metisdead]

Baiting posts and replies have been removed. 

[dieseldave1951]

41 minutes ago, chrisinth said:

 

Oh.

I thought they were going to keep the individual in primary school for 10 years and the individual would be proficient after that time.

 

That might work.....................

diden't the thai government chuck most of the english teachers out stating they have will recall old thai teachers to teach english 

[arrowsdawdle]

350 who are deemed to be the cream of the crop....

 

Didn't know the Ed. Minister and the little general had that many cousins.

[arrowsdawdle]

What Thais cannot conceive is that Thais teaching English to Thais is like Brits teaching Thai to Brits.

[PremiumLane]

17 hours ago, orchidlady said:

They were supposed to have done this last summer with British Council. What happened?

 

This is that program - they have been training the master teachers. A friend of mine has being doing the course with BC and said it has been really good

[Hedghog]

English language for most Thais,is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, Hedghog said:

English language for most Thais,is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

I wouldn't say that, i read once that a secretary who could read,write and speak fluent English could command the same salary as an army general.

[todlad]

16 hours ago, Gary A said:

I have to agree that the government has a LONG way to go. Myself and a friend of mine are native English speakers. We met the head of the English teaching department and an English speaking Thai friend of ours. He asked us if we would be willing to help out his teacher friend by being in his class a couple times a week. I have no patience for kids and immediately declined. My friend was considering it. We were both shocked that the head teacher could no way speak intelligible English. My farang friend was given some sort of contract. It was in Thai. The teacher was not capable of telling my farang friend what the contract said. He then also declined. Without proper teachers, there is no chance for the kids.

 

Native speaker of English? Which country? Maybe you were so excited when you wrote this comment that you forgot to proof read it.

 

Otherwise, the children at that school have had a lucky escape.

[JAG]

11 hours ago, michaellee said:

HAHAHAHA!!! This is very funny.  I did two classes and the Thai students are hopeless, they don't pay attention ,they think Thai language is the Master of all languages, they are not interested have no passion in learning another language, even basic english words I ask them what is "Breakfast"? seriously they replied MAI ROO for grade 4. 

Well probably no one had taught them what "breakfast" meant.They are 10 remember.  Coincidentally, last week I taught a lesson on 

"Mornings" to P4 and P5 classes.

 

A4 size cartoons on the board to illustrate waking up, taking/having a shower, getting dressed and going to school. Introduce the vocabulary that goes with each cartoon, and list the words alongside the cartoon. A simple worksheet to practise and confirm the vocabulary, and describe in their own words their morning routine, finally 15 minutes of the children talking, referencing the board and the worksheets. Delivered with smiles and a lightness of touch - they are 10 year old children after all.

20% will come away with 3 or 4 words, 20% will chatter away about what they ate for breakfast, and the rest will at least be able to say: "I wake up at 6 o'clock, I shower, I eat cereal for breakfast...."

Do that sort of thing every week for a year, make it fun, and most of them will end up with some basic English. 

 

Now I'm not trying to claim that I am a paragon amongst teachers. I have a degree, a TEFL certificate, limited Thai, a couple of years experience and I enjoy doing it. No pedagogic qualifications, and a healthy cynicism about my colleagues, Thai and NES. Some are good, some are not. You'll find that in any school in the world. What I am suggesting is that the aim in the OP is realisable given the right approach over a sustained period. Will they be prepared to make it work? I don't know.

 

@Michaellee,  I'm not having a go at you, I'm really not. If you're interested PM me and I will send you the lesson plan, cartoon cards.whiteboard plan and worksheet.. 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2016 by JAG
Bl**dy predictive text.

[todlad]

6 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

I wouldn't say that, i read once that a secretary who could read,write and speak fluent English could command the same salary as an army general.

 

That is likely to be true. In just about every country I have worked in, anyone with good command of English is ranked highly in the job stakes. Good for them.

 

There is a problem, however: a good command of general English is rarely sufficient for technical work. How many new words and phrases do professionals learn and use? 20,000 in medicine, I believe: correct me if I am wrong.

 

I know in my own area the "rule book" comprises about 5,000 pages!

[jerojero]

Yep 28 masters to train re-educate 250,000 teachers.

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, todlad said:

 

That is likely to be true. In just about every country I have worked in, anyone with good command of English is ranked highly in the job stakes. Good for them.

 

There is a problem, however: a good command of general English is rarely sufficient for technical work. How many new words and phrases do professionals learn and use? 20,000 in medicine, I believe: correct me if I am wrong.

 

I know in my own area the "rule book" comprises about 5,000 pages!

Yes that is true, i know from my own experience, although i speak fluent German i had a few difficulties when changing jobs in Germany from the air con industry to the car industry but getting the technical jargon correct is child's play if you are fluent in the language, it seems to come to one without really trying.

[rkidlad]

For all those who say most Thais don't need to know English, you're looking at it from your own comfortable point of view.

 

Same as people who say "Wow! That Thai lady is so nice. She makes 300 Baht a day and she's so happy and always smiles. I wish I could be like that". Well, go on then! Be like that. Go and work for 300 Baht a day. No? Not interested? There's no reason why this woman is earning so little other than greed from others. 

 

I'm sure there are many poor people who are perfectly happy. Good for them. But if your government aren't going to educate you properly and enlighten you, English can help. English opens so many doors. All the people you can communicate with - all the knowledge written in the English language. 

 

My missus travelled abroad a lot as a kid and got fed up of not being able to communicate. Always had a tour guide. She was so curious (as all children and adults naturally are) she got obsessed with English and the outside world. She's from a good family but was sold English as something that makes you appear more 'hiso'. She was never sold English as something that would open a new world and different way of thinking.

 

English is the world's diplomatic language. There has to be one and it happens to be English. I'm lucky as it's my first language, but I won't apologise to you if your first language isn't. Life isn't always fair. Build a bridge and get over it. 

[Broeno]

 

Deputy Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin unveiled a plan this week that calls for drastic changes to the English language curriculum in school.

 

And ten years later he woke up and saw that nothing had changed. Oh it was just a dream.

[Boatfreak]

17 hours ago, oilinki said:

I'm curious how many hours do other non-English speaking countries teach English in primary and secondary schools? 

 

I had 4 hours a week in Belgium, 4 hours of French and two hours German.

[dieseldave1951]

36 minutes ago, todlad said:

 

Native speaker of English? Which country? Maybe you were so excited when you wrote this comment that you forgot to proof read it.

 

Otherwise, the children at that school have had a lucky escape.

[Paul Laycock]

Listen up all English teachers, fees up for next term/year.

[fish monger]

Quote

 

Reminds me of that old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but.........................

Thais, overall, have no interest in learning English.

[timewilltell]

17 hours ago, soalbundy said:

I read an article in an English newspaper that said 20% of British adults had the reading ability of 8 year old's, the worst in Europe, their inability was only surpassed by the USA so perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on the Thai's

Thats because 40% of British children are immigdants!