Fighting the Tide in Thailand

Read the article that appeared in the IATEFL Teacher Development SIG Newsletter Spring 2013, Issue 68, pages 14-16.

Introduction

Having completed 24 years’ service in the British Army, I decided that my next challenge was to be an English language teacher in Thailand. After two years teaching secondary school students at a Language Center in Bangkok, I moved with my young family to a university in Udon Thani, a rural area in the north-east of Thailand.

As well as having a low level of English language attainment, I noticed that my university students had fossilised errors in their English language skills which with some care and attention, I thought could be remedied for future students at an earlier stage of their education. To this end, I set out on a series of projects at primary school level, to see if I could make a difference. Little did I know that I would resemble King Canute in my many attempts to raise the level of English language proficiency in the Isaan region of Thailand.

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