Mark Brown's blog on Ajarn.com
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California Accent provides over 300 TEFL lessons organized into 16 courses and 5 curriculums. These lessons are intended to be used by TEFL teachers in Thailand to supplement (not replace) the standard teaching materials issued by the provincial administrative organizations.
An undeserved promotion
Foreign teachers are powerless to stop problem students advancing
Last year in my P1 class I encountered a student named Oat (not his real name). Within minutes of meeting this child it was apparent that he had some sort of behavioral problem. He was extremely active, running from room to room, disrupting classes throughout the whole school. The other teachers tried to control him but it was close to impossible.
Discipline in the classroom
The 800-pound gorilla no one talks about
On more than one occasion last semester when I was teaching at the local high school I walked out of classes because I wasn't able to control an unruly crowd of 35 teenagers.
Problems with the Thai public education system
A list of almost twenty issues that certainly need looking at
I want to list some of the more egregious problems and describe reasonable solutions. Testing and implementing the solutions on a small scale will come later, if at all.
Expensive desk ornaments
Let's figure out how to fix the education system
I fully expect the majority of farang teachers to disagree with me and the approach I'm advocating. If you don't want to participate, fine, go drink a Chang and reflect upon your superior knowledge.
Why study English?
Or for that matter, why teach English as well?
For most Thai students the answer is obvious: it's a requirement. For many English teachers, especially foreign teachers, it's a job: a way to make money and keep their work visa current.
Cheating or helping?
Is it better to simply observe students and not try to fix things?
I learned a long time ago to not expect Thai people to think or behave the way we do in California. I've come to realize the futility of trying to impose Western values on this ancient culture.
