Purn gave me timetable and told me I'd be working with Grade 4, 5 and 6. Age range, that's about 8 years old to 13 years old. I'll be teaching 12 hours a week, no more than 3 hours a day. Very happy with all of the above!
My Grade 5's I teach with Purn, and my Grade 4 and 6's I have with another teacher - Lamduwan. (that is how you pronounce her name, not a clue how you spell it).
Good news. Lamduwan - as lovely as she is - really cannot speak English, let alone teach it! Turns out the teacher that left on the day I arrived was the other English teacher, and Lamduwan is just temporarily covering. So basically, those lessons are down to me. Eeeeeek!
Grade 4's hard at work.
My first lesson was with Purn, and I learnt a lot about the teaching methods in this school from that lesson. It is very different from England. Not better, not worse, just different. They are very keen on sticking to text book work, and do a lot of written work and some 'I read out, you repeat'. This is great on the one hand - many of the kids would be able to write essays in English. However, if you asked them out loud 'what is your name', they often get a bit stumped. I think 80% of the time they don't have a clue what they're writing.
I must admit I was glad to see they had a text book for me to work from - it gives me something to go by to make sure I'm not teaching them stuff they already know. But I think the reason I'm here is to get them speaking, not writing. I think it's impossible to successfully learn a language that is going to be of use to you in the real world, unless you practice actually speaking it. So, decision made - rather than powering through the text book, I am taking one page at a time and making sure not only they understand the words fully, but can pronounce the words properly too.
Didn't really know where to start teaching this page...
Whilst I'm on the topic, I think pronunciation is actually the most valuable lesson I can teach them. Yesterday, I was working from the text book and teaching my Grade 6's about places you can come in a race (e.g. first, third, ninth etc.). As you English readers of this blog will be aware, this involves a lot of 'th'. Now since being here, I have noticed just how different the Thai and English language are. Obviously every language is different, but to learn Thai I'd have to learn to write in a completely new way, learn an entirely new alphabet, and make sounds my mouth have never been trained to make before. The amount of times in the last few weeks students have told me there names and I can't physically make the noises they make is crazy!
Well, 'th' is one of those noises for them. They have never made the sound 'th' before.
I decided that rather than moving on to a new topic, it would be more valuable to try and teach them the difference between 'th', 'ch' and 'f' - as it certainly is not a lesson that a Thai teacher would be able to give.
It was absolutely hilarious. Myself and the students were in fits of laughter during half an hour of poked out tongues and saliva everywhere! But they seem to have finally mastered it, and are now the only kids in the school that can pronounce my name correctly! HAZARRR!
Making the 'th' noise with Grade 6!
My worst nightmare teaching is the thought of them being bored and switching off. School really doesn't seem that long ago for me, and I remember very clearly on many occasions teachers talking at me for an hour, losing interest, and realising I haven't actually heard a word they've said for the past half an hour. In fact, it still happens now in lectures. In my mere four days of teaching, I have found that the best way to keep them interested is definitely by making everything into a competition. Grade 4 are doing body parts at the moment, so instead of reading them the passage about 'My Body', I did the obvious British thing to do - Simon Says and Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. All three lessons I've had with them so far I've started with a quick game of Simon Says, and have slowly eased out doing the actions with them... result, they still no which body part to touch!
Body Parts with Grade 4, amazing Art right? (Also note 'Teacher Roo' - Grade 4 have not mastered Ruth yet!)
I tested them on body parts by getting them to all draw aliens depending on what I say (e.g. '6 arms'). After each instruction they passed their alien to the next person, and then draw the next instruction (e.g. 'green hair') on the new picture in front of them. The aim was for every picture to be the same by the end of the instructions I gave, which they were! Yay!
With my lovely Grade 4's.
It is the most rewarding feeling, knowing they are actually learning and you are actually making a difference, and all the while they are enjoying themselves. They were bent over backwards laughing at the aliens by the end of the lesson (I'm loving how easily amused they are - so am I). After all this anticipation and excitement over the 'New White English Teacher' coming to Bannoenthong School, it would be such a shame if they didn't enjoy having me and didn't look forward to my lessons. Would be a waste of mine and their time. I'm loving making the classes more interesting - it's great for their learning and my sanity!
Hands up!
I've discovered the beauty of the photocopier, so am planning on maybe making some crosswords, word searches etc. I also want to start putting what I teach them into context; so getting them to have conversations about their body parts for example. AIM: for them all to chat to me in English when they see me around school, instead of shying away worried they'll say something wrong.
For now, I am throwing myself into it. It's difficult, especially with the language barrier, but I'm really, really enjoying it :)
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