Teaching in Thailand
As a teacher serving with the United Church of Christ in Thailand, I have recently encountered two opportunities to grow my skills. The first opportunity took place at a Christian Volunteer of Thailand retreat in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, which is in southern Thailand along the gulf coast, from August 16-22. At that retreat, I learned new ways to approach lesson plans, how to more effectively manage a classroom, and how to better deal with distractions that arise in the classroom.
As a teacher serving with the United Church of Christ in Thailand, I have recently encountered two opportunities to grow my skills. The first opportunity took place at a Christian Volunteer of Thailand retreat in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, which is in southern Thailand along the gulf coast, from August 16-22. At that retreat, I learned new ways to approach lesson plans, how to more effectively manage a classroom, and how to better deal with distractions that arise in the classroom. I also learned about the difference between giving effective praise and ineffective praise. Effective praise is more specific about what a student did, where ineffective praise is just saying “good job.”
The second opportunity was when an instructor came to the school where I teach in Udon Thani to show the Thai and foreign English teachers the Rosetta Stone software. In this seminar, she discussed how the English language became as prominent as it is and why it is important to learn English. At this time, there are major challenges with the beginning of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (ASEAN), which is supposed to take effect next year. One of the biggest is that English will be the language used to communicate across a number of Asian countries, so many people will need to learn how to speak and read in English. After we learned the Rosetta Stone software, we discussed possible target groups, whether they be office staff, security guards, vendors, teachers, etc. After we specifically detailed our own plans, we shared them with the group and we all discussed possible pitfalls. The plan that was chosen at Udon Christian Wittaya School is that my roommate and I would teach the software to the teachers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the month of November. The plan that was chosen for Udon Christian Suksa School (where I teach two days a week) is that two of the English teachers would teach the software to the teachers during lunch break this coming semester. Exciting times are happening in Udon Thani, and I am glad to be a part of helping people prepare for the change.
Benjamin R. Ewert, member of Congregational United Church of Christ, Harlan, Iowa, serves with the Church of Christ in Thailand. Ben serves at the Udon Christian Wittaya School in Udonthani, Thailand. His appointment is made possible by gifts to Disciples’ Mission Fund, One Great Hour of Sharing and you special gifts.