Same game
Generalisations and stereotypes
Six months of hindsight have brought about a small epiphany on teaching English as a foreign language – it’s the same game wherever you go. The most striking differences in teaching come with a change in age group or class size, not nationality.
On your marks, get set, go!
The legendary school sports day
Preparing for sports day in England for most involved rain, Tiller the Hun sports knickers and humiliation as you feebly attempted each event. In Thailand, hours in front of MTV was the compulsory training attendance. I was so born in the wrong country.
Classroom discipline
How to keep students in check
The first step in maintaining classroom discipline is to find out exactly what the overall school disciplinary procedure is. Somewhere, a school should have a published discipline policy and you need to obtain it.
Negative expectations
And their role in language learning
My turn as an agony aunt for the masses. Compassion is just one of my many virtues.
Summer camps
Heading out into the great wide open
A users guide to what to expect when 130 pre-teens hit an out of season 3 star hotel.
Choice tests
The sheer joy of multiple choice
Over reliance in Thailand. All roads lead to a,b,c or d. When speaking to Thai students it's often best to give them a choice of 4 responses to each comment you make.