that's a lot of solid recommendations. if urban legend can't see the value or accept that this teacher is above par, no problem because it's this type of student that wears the patience thin.

no offense, just speaking from experience from 3 years of read/write/speaking study in a thai language school.

also, -anyone considering group study, -be advised that often, the monetary savings are not worth the loss of forward progress & one-on-one attention to detail. time is money. especially your time.

the teacher is often banking on the students following a lecture format w/ small Q&A along the way, but it can backfire if there are 1 or 2 deeply analytical students on hand who naturally want to get into every detail.

that's why it's great to study 1-on-1 and build up the knowledge within the context of your life here. try to learn how to read/write first, then speak. otherwise the fundamentals never really sink in.

My experience over the years of 'playing' with the Thai language is that the best resources are produced outside the country:
A few examples: Benjawan Poomsan Becker's beginner/intermediate/advanced books help break the tone code for me. She was born in Thailand, but spent many years in Japan teaching for Berlitz and in California teaching at Stanford. Her books/Cds are readily available in Udon.
One of my all-time early favorites at http://www.seasite.niu.edu:85/thai/ (Northern Illinois University)......detailed explanations of the alphabet, tones, grammar. MP3 sound tracks and PDF files for a wide variety of beginner/intermediate reading materials. If you want to crack the code of reading Thai, try skipping learning the alphabet first.....go to the Maani reading series at this site and begin reading Thai from lesson one. It's a big morale booster! The entire series of Mary Haas intermediate reading series with sound/pdf is also at this site.

My latest free find is at http://thairecordings.com/ A site created by a Swiss guy learning Thai. His intermediate reading series has pdf files and sound files created by Thais speaking at natural speed.

Most all these sites pattern their language in a way that emphasizes repeating vocabulary and sentence patterns.



For those who have spouses/gfs that want to learn English, google is your friend. If she/he wants to practice 'greetings' for example, google 'esl greetings' and you'll find a wealth of well-produced sites, most all with sound and pdf files. ESL stands for 'english as a second language'.

i met a BIB in Udon who spoke with an american accent, and when I asked him where in America he learnt to speak english, he said he never go to America, he hired farang video movies, and learn from watching them..so the theory of listening for an american accent as good proof of a good teacher, sort of doesnt cut the mustard.

What is an American accent? Please explain to me what an American accent is. Boston accent? New York accent? Cajun accent? Texan accent? My wife's younger sister who works Kisakorn Bankin Ban Dung learned her English singing karaoke.

merchant seaman wrote:What is an American accent? Please explain to me what an American accent is. Boston accent? New York accent? Cajun accent? Texan accent? My wife's younger sister who works Kisakorn Bankin Ban Dung learned her English singing karaoke.

Here you go MS - hope this helps. =D>



ps is "Kisakorn Bankin" the American way of saying "Kasikorn Bank in" ?

Thanks for that link, JS. My Thai 'teacher' trades off some Thai for some English lessons.......and I'm trying to break her of her terrible habit of saying heych. Yech!

Here's a handy trick for translating:
On your google search box type: translate to thai my father's buffalo is sick and he needs money

Not always perfect, but it's about as simple as it gets

fdimike wrote:The lady has a BA with a major in English and speaks the language quite well. However, lets not forget she is teaching Thai and not English.

Let us not forget also,many buy their degrees ,masters,here..Most of the Thai teachers are involved in this paper chase to improve their salaries.I don't know this girl.Maybe she gives value for money.Having said that I know many Thais with masters degrees teaching here who have no language OR teaching skills.

I can tell you to the best of my knowledge she did not buy her degree. I helped her and her classmates on several occasions to include assisting them with producing a 1 act play. I met her professor who did not impress me very much despite possessing a Phd from an Ozzie University. While she didn't impress me with her skill I don't think she was offerring a passing grade for money. I studied with her for more than a year and thought she was an excellent Thai language teacher.

mrmazinkle wrote: Let us not forget also,many buy their degrees ,masters,here..Most of the Thai teachers are involved in this paper chase to improve their salaries.I don't know this girl.Maybe she gives value for money.Having said that I know many Thais with masters degrees teaching here who have no language OR teaching skills.

And if you assume everyone with an advanced degree bought it, then you do a great disservice to the many (probably more than 80%) who actually did the work and got their degree. My wife has a Masters, and she most certainly did not buy it. Nor did her sister. As for 'teaching skills', I am not sure teachers in the West are any better anymore, but that is another subject.

KB

mrmazinkle wrote:

fdimike wrote:The lady has a BA with a major in English and speaks the language quite well. However, lets not forget she is teaching Thai and not English.

Let us not forget also,many buy their degrees ,masters,here..Most of the Thai teachers are involved in this paper chase to improve their salaries.I don't know this girl.Maybe she gives value for money.Having said that I know many Thais with masters degrees teaching here who have no language OR teaching skills.

I don't know who you are mrmazinkle, but you are wrong.

Let's turn it around though...

Let us not forget also, ...most Farang come to Thailand without any language OR teaching skills and think they are the greatest teacher alive after doing a four weeks' impossible-to-fail (online) basic 'teacher' training course. Then brag about themselves on fora.

Frankie 1 wrote:

mrmazinkle wrote:

fdimike wrote:The lady has a BA with a major in English and speaks the language quite well. However, lets not forget she is teaching Thai and not English.

Let us not forget also,many buy their degrees ,masters,here..Most of the Thai teachers are involved in this paper chase to improve their salaries.I don't know this girl.Maybe she gives value for money.Having said that I know many Thais with masters degrees teaching here who have no language OR teaching skills.

I don't know who you are mrmazinkle, but you are wrong.

Let's turn it around though...

Let us not forget also, ...most Farang come to Thailand without any language OR teaching skills and think they are the greatest teacher alive after doing a four weeks' impossible-to-fail (online) basic 'teacher' training course. Then brag about themselves on fora.

I stand by my statement and can see your argument too. Don't know what a 4 week teaching course is though..

KB_Texas wrote:

mrmazinkle wrote: Let us not forget also,many buy their degrees ,masters,here..Most of the Thai teachers are involved in this paper chase to improve their salaries.I don't know this girl.Maybe she gives value for money.Having said that I know many Thais with masters degrees teaching here who have no language OR teaching skills.

And if you assume everyone with an advanced degree bought it, then you do a great disservice to the many (probably more than 80%) who actually did the work and got their degree. My wife has a Masters, and she most certainly did not buy it. Nor did her sister. As for 'teaching skills', I am not sure teachers in the West are any better anymore, but that is another subject.

KB

If you read my post it says many....Where you pluck your 80% from is anybody's guess..maybe you have access to all the statistical data..I don't..I only draw from personal experience.

mrmazinkle wrote: If you read my post it says many....Where you pluck your 80% from is anybody's guess..maybe you have access to all the statistical data..I don't..I only draw from personal experience.

I do not know what 'many' means to you, but to me, it usually means a large percentage. Your usage may vary. Some people count one, two, many.

I get my number from talking with my wife and her family, and listening to their friends. Does it happen? Sure. Is it prevalent? I don't believe so.

But then I may just be another hoodwinked farang in paradise. (that's a joke, in case you missed it)

KB

Mod Note: The subject is Thai Language for Foreigners.....let's try to get back on topic.

KB

I would hate to disagree with you on the point of prevalence but I am going to do so. "Buying" a degree in this country is as common as sticky rice in Isaan. Add to that wide spread plagerism (witnessed first hand), paying someone to write your thesis - also witnessed first hand are all part of the "education" game here in Thailand. Students trading sex for grades is so common it's a joke. If the opportunity presents itself take a peek at some of the "text books" being used at this so called university here in UT. I promise you will be dumbfounded especially when you see the author is a Thai with a Phd. I don't think you can say all Thai's buy (in one way or another) their degree but I would be willing to bet the numbers will floor you.
Not long ago Isaan University not far from Khon Kaen was nearly shut down for selling degrees. Hundreds if not thousands of graduates supposedly had their degrees withdrawn and their teaching credentials cancelled. Khon Kaen University which is supposed to be a highly regarded institution was also invloved in a similar scam (quickly hushed up) several years back.
It's a pretty sad situation and it begins in elementary school.

Have people tried out this school for 'Thai Language for Foreigners'

Would like to keep up with the Thai that I have so far learned.

malc123

Malc,

I am currently studying with Chuan.

I study two days a week (1 hour class)
Each lesson is split between conversation and reading.

Johnny

can anyone please tell me where the lessons are taught...also what time blocks? will be in udon in jan and feb my wife and I are traveling with 23 year old grandson, only his 2nd trip to Thailand and he wishes to learn real thai from a teacher not the mix of issan that my wife and I speak....thanks in advance for your help john

farlong68 wrote:can anyone please tell me where the lessons are taught...also what time blocks? will be in udon in jan and feb my wife and I are traveling with 23 year old grandson, only his 2nd trip to Thailand and he wishes to learn real thai from a teacher not the mix of issan that my wife and I speak....thanks in advance for your help john

As far as I know there are only individual private lessons, no groups/classes.

There are a lot of Farang in Udon, but not enough Farang in Udon who are interested in learning Thai. So, usually there are not enough students to form a group/class.