Week #9 (semester 2)

Learning Reflections

Seminar in English Language Teaching

       Today is the ninth week that two last week ago I did not learn because they are final week and University athletic event. In this class,  the teacher taught about English-Teaching Problem in Thailand and Thai teacher's Professional Development needs and assigns us to discuss in group. I got many knowledge about causes of failure of Thai learner from the teacher as following;

Causes of Failure 

     1. unqualified and poorly-trained teachers

     2. poorly-motivated students

     3. learners of mixed abilities in overly large classes

    4. rare opportunities for student exposure to English outside of class time.

     5. teachers' heavy teaching loads

     6. inadequately equipped classrooms and education technology

     7. the university entrance examination system

  8.teachers' insufficient English language skills and cultural knowledge

     9. lack of qualified teachers because of overloaded burden, their teaching styles start to fossilize into ones of rote-learning, teaching grammar and translation with Thai as the medium of instruction, teacher-centered classroom activities, spoon-feeding.

       Next, I discussed with friends about English-teaching problems in Thailand and Thai teachers as following;

1. Teacher: There are 5 problems

   

   1) teaching writing

   2) incorporative learning into English

   3) their own minimal use to English

   4) teaching listening & speaking

   5) using games & songs effectively in English class

2. Students: There are 8 problem

   

   1) Students not having practice English enough.

   2) lack of chances to use English outside classroom.

   3) Students not have enough English skill.

   4) thinking into Thai before translate into English.

   5) Having problems with listening & pronunciation

   6) lacking of patient

   7) Having about writing

   8) Lacking of confident in English

3. Curricula and textbook

    

   Teacher don't understand detail of the Curricula and textbook.

       Today, I found that teaching English in Thailand depend on many problem between the teacher and the students. So, I think this is the problem that cannot solve these problem in Thailand. As I will be the teacher in the future, I think the teacher is an important to find the way that make the students to good at English and motivate them ready to use English language to communicate with other people in asean.