Teaching in Udon Thani

Rufus that may be so, but with r4espect the post was really about generalisations, there may be some ( I mean some ) good TEFL courses, but my experience is that most Farang teachers I have met if they have a TEFL get it from a 4 week course which would give them a Certificate whether they were good or not.
The real problem is that while Thailand wants its students to excell at English in order for them to be able to pursue further education elsewhere or even to seek and get a well paid job using their Englsih skills, the sad fact is that unlike the new measures setting a benchmark for not only Thai but also Maths and the Sciences, English does not get a mention hence it is paid lip service by the current establishment.
No matter how we dress it up English is a poor relation in teaching circles and is paid scant attention.
Anmother interesting fact is that many students I have met learn CVomputor Studies and in some cases Accountancy and other business studies utilising English or in some cases purely Thai, but then the Tests/Exams are held in English, the poor student really has no idea what is going on. last night I was shown a Accoutancy project which detailed quite explicitly the workings of a small business in the USA, listing pitfalls and cask flows and the meaning of Money in the business world. Now considering I am English I found it quite detailed and I had to read it at least three to four times to understand the reasoning and in some cases the points being made. The student a mere 24 year old did not even understand the first page let alone would she be able to write a Treatise on the subject , which was what was required.
Eventually Thais will understand speech although important reading and comprehension is equally so otherwise all that grammar is simply lost on the students.

"A man's errors are his portals of discovery." (James Joyce)

The main problems for Thai people with learning English are the lack of exposure to the language outside the classroom (Harry Potter only speaks Thai), the lack of confidence of using the language, and the fear of making a mistake.

This can rusult in "avoidance behaviour" (as they call it in second language learning research).
In the classroom most Thai students learn the right structures, but don't learn to use them. So they start thinking:
"I mustn’t speak unless I know for sure what I’m going to say is absolutely right."
"My teacher isn’t listening to me, but to my language."

Although a lot of students have actually learned a lot of English already, they never use it in daily life, never hear it in daily life, and when somebody suddenly starts speaking to them in English their reaction is pure panic.

However, this doesn't mean that they are stupid.

nkstan wrote:I would ask all the teachers ,and parents ,on UM,tell us of any students they know that have benefited from English instruction within the Thai school system through high school.After 12 years they can not hold a reasonable conversation in English!

First of all, there has to be a reason/purpose for them to use English, otherwise they won't. And they are not able to understand an English speaking person, bacause they aren't used to hearing one.

I saw good results in the international faculty of Ramkhamhaeng university when I was there last year. All degrre courses are in English (and more or less at Western level) and Thai isn't allowed in the classroom.

When the Thai students arrive there for their first semester of study, they are in shock and awe. But after a couple of weeks/months they are already able to keep up with the other (international) students ...because they have to.

Well KP, I taught in Thailand and teach in Lao. All the lessons in our school are in English. We have had some Lao students get scholarships to the London School of Eco and Political Science, numerous universities in Australia, Canad and the States.

Frankie 1 wrote:

nkstan wrote:I would ask all the teachers ,and parents ,on UM,tell us of any students they know that have benefited from English instruction within the Thai school system through high school.After 12 years they can not hold a reasonable conversation in English!

First of all, there has to be a reason/purpose for them to use English, otherwise they won't. And they are not able to understand an English speaking person, bacause they aren't used to hearing one.

I saw good results in the international faculty of Ramkhamhaeng university when I was there last year. All degrre courses are in English (and more or less at Western level) and Thai isn't allowed in the classroom.

When the Thai students arrive there for their first semester of study, they are in shock and awe. But after a couple of weeks/months they are already able to keep up with the other (international) students ...because they have to.

They have to pass the TOEFL to gain entrance into the International faculty,which is very difficult for Thai students to do unless they have been in International schools prior to entering University.The have Intensive English classes for students unable to pass the TOEFL.But it seems most keep taking these IE classes for a long time before their English is at a level that will allow them to learn from English language instruction only.

My 19 yr. old stepdaughter has failed the TOEFL two times.even though she studies English 5 hours a day.A student that hasn't been instructed in English through High school,doesn't have an academic vocabulary sufficient for learning at University level instruction in English and knows nothing about writing papers!

"They have to pass the TOEFL to gain entrance into the International faculty"

This is not quite correct on a number of grounds. There is no "pass" to TOEFL; you get a score which is required for tertiary entrance. Further TOEFL is not the only accepted test score. Finally, if students get a good score on the ICGSE or A or AS levels in English, (if the school offers these courses), this is also accepted as university entrance qualifications.