Dear NIETS
An open letter to The National Institute of Education Testing Service
I had hoped to send this letter to you directly but I suspect your offices are besieged by angry protestors, frustrated with corruption and incompetency. So it seemed a better idea to write you an open letter. I am writing this in the hope that this year's O-NET (Ordinary National Educational Test) examinations will better assess the Mathayom 6 students than previous efforts have done.
Surviving the CELTA
Tips and advice for taking a four-week program
Before I signed up for an English teaching certification class, I spent 50+ hours reading about all my options. Maybe it is because it was the first big step in moving to Thailand, but also because I wanted to get the most for my money and time.
A 'one of a kind' camp
Organising the perfect English camp for students
Last term, I tried a different kind of camp. The theme was "Enhancing English proficiency in preparation for ASEAN 2015 through games and dance." I can say it was great because my students said that it was the most enjoyable camp they had ever been on
A word of warning!
Postbox letter from Anonymous
We had the bad luck of finding a great school in Trang, but our agent wasn't really up to scratch!
An overview of teaching in Thailand
I thought this might be of benefit to new ajarn readers in particular
I was asked to fill in a questionnaire by my old university on the topic of teaching English in Thailand. Although it was intended to encourage applicants to take a Thai study program in Germany, the information might be useful for those teachers thinking of coming to work here in Thailand.
It's been a great adventure
Postbox letter from William Putnam
It’s been a fantastic year. I have lived in Southeast Asia since September 10th, 2012. I was not sure I was going to work as a teacher when I arrived. I viewed my travels here as a long vacation. However, once I realized I liked it here, I began to look for jobs so that I could stay longer.
Why is English so poor in Thailand?
Students are simply just not 'taught' here
Recently I read an article that stated adults in Thailand are ranked 55th from a list of 60 countries on their English proficiency skills. From what I have seen as an English teacher working in government secondary schools over the last 10 years, I'm not surprised,
Thailand teaching stuff - November 2013
More links of interest to teachers in Thailand
I think all bloggers have a duty to make sure that their writing is as factually correct as possible. Before the very first keystroke, a blogger needs to ask themselves a serious question - am I knowledgeable enough about this topic and am I communicating the correct information?
Teachers playing games in class
Is it a case of too much monkeying around?
Games can reinforce what has been taught earlier in a lesson and can be used as a filler or as a reward for good work. But to expect foreign English teachers to spend the majority of their time entertaining students, especially adults, is, to me, just not right.
On having an English room
The advantage of having your own classroom space
I consider my classroom to be an extension of my house. After lunch, I can lock the door and take a little nap. Or I can watch my favorite movies and news broadcasts from The Philippiness. It's so different from the days of old when I didn't have a room and I had to bear the heat and noise of the library or the clinic or other 'makeshift classrooms'.
