World Education

3rd Course: "The Teaching Profession" Leading to Graduate Diploma in Teaching

2009-01-19T18:25:18+01:00

Dr. Maria Helena Desiree M. Terre, Vice-president for Academics of the Daughters of Charity of Western Visayas, and Co-Academic Services Director at Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Iloilo City, Philippines, taught the third course "The Teaching Profession" on December 13-14, 2008. Rich in experience and knowledge being a highly awarded principal and educator (Teodora Alonzo Educator Awardee for 2005), Dr. Terre illustrated her subject matter through a true-story based Hollywood film "The Freedom Writers". The two days, including the Saturday evening schedule class for Seventh-day Adventists, were filled with touching and valuable lessons on teaching as profession. The whole class wishes Dr. Terre to come back to Bangkok for another course.

For details on curriculum, admission and schedule, please visit http://skpsc-bkk.page.tl/

There is some special arrangement for Seventh-day Adventist teachers, so please visit this link.

Comments

2nd Course Educational Management Leading to Diploma in Teaching

2008-11-18T17:58:03+01:00

A class of twenty-three (23) students completed the second course Educational Management, leading to Graduate Diploma in Teaching. Dr. Robert Galindez, President of St. Robert's Training and Management Center, with his wife, came to Bangkok on the wee hours on Saturday morning to teach his first class at First Hotel Bangkok on November 15 and 16, 2008. The class has increased its size to sixty-four percent (64%) with nine (9) teacher-trainees, including two Chinese, added to the original fourteen (14) students who received Certificates of attendance from the previous first course Principles of Teaching. The class is now becoming more international: Filipinos, Indians and Chinese.

Dr. Bob Galindez, the SKPSC off-campus director, and also President and Dean of Philippine Christian University-St. Robert's International Academy Iloilo extension, was greatly impressed with the kind of students he met at his first teaching: "what a rewarding experience for me knowing that we have students in Bangkok who are smart and indeed graduate level students." The students are happy that they have completed six (6) units already. Few more units and they will be qualified to take the Philippine teaching board exam, which is planned to be held in Bangkok in the near future. With this foreign teaching license and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching, a foreign teacher is guaranteed a teaching license by the Teachers' Council of Thailand.

The SKPSC off-campus program in Bangkok is still accepting students, especially those who want to catch up with the Diploma in Teaching which will hopefully be completed by April, 2009. The said diploma is also ladderized or credited to Master of Arts in Teaching, major in English which will be done by January, 2010, sixteen months in total.

All requirements for the recent course Educational Management are due just before the third class begins on December 13 and 14, 2008. For those interested, please decide quickly and call +66-84-672-1173 or email yllorco@yahoo.com for direct inquiry, or click here for more details.

For details on curriculum, admission and schedule, please visit http://skpsc-bkk.page.tl/

There is some special arrangement for Seventh-day Adventist teachers, so please visit this link.

More Photos:

Dr. Bob speaks...

Indian teacher-trainees from Assumption College Thonburi, Bangkae, Thailand

Chinese teacher-trainees from St. John Mary International School, Saraburi, Thailand

Tom reports SWOT analysis

Dr. Bob gives certificates of attendance in the previous course Principles of Teaching

Free lunch with Dr. Bob and Mrs. Galindez

Free snacks

Comments

Principles of Teaching: First Historic Class Leading to Graduate Diploma in Teaching

2008-10-26T16:45:25+01:00

The first historic event that happened to Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic State College's off-campus program in Bangkok was the successful class of Principles of Teaching taught by Dr. Sunny Cabinete on October 25 and 26, 2008, two weeks after the launching, orientation and enrollment at First Hotel Bangkok on October 12, 2008. The said course is leading toward Graduate Diploma in Teaching, a requirement by the Teachers' Council of Thailand of foreign teachers' certification qualifying for the granting of a teacher's license to be able to teach in any primary and secondary schools in Thailand.

Despite his hectic schedule, Dr. Gabinete responded to the eleventh-hour call of Dr. Robert Galindez, President of St. Robert's Training and Management Center, SKPC off-campus director and President and Dean of Philippine Christian University-St. Robert's International Academy Iloilo extension to cater to the need of the non-education Filipino teachers in Thailand. Without hesitation, Dr. Sunny Gabinete, the Dean of College of Education, flew from University of Iloilo, Philippines on Friday night, October 24, 2008, and arrived in Bangkok at 1 A.M., just a few hours to meet his students at 8:00 A.M. the following day.

The first class was composed of eleven Filipino teachers and three Indian counterparts. What a big astonishment that the attitude and eagerness of students were beyond Dr. Gabinete's expectations: "It surprised me that the students are eager to study, cooperative and very intelligent..." Impressed by Dr. Gabinete's being well-versed of the subject, all the students gladly expressed much gratitude to Dr. Gabinete's excellent teaching and look forward to their certificate upon his return. It was full of lively interaction and valuable stories of Filipino teachers' unique experience in the Land of Smile. One thing was clear: the students learn how to contextualize the principles of teaching in their classes in Thailand.

P.S.:

A growing number of Filipino teachers are applying for the said diploma after hearing the success of the class. Late applicants are still being accepted before the next class on Teaching Strategies begins. You may call +66-84-672-1173 for direct inquiry, or click next page for more details.

For Seventh-day Adventist teachers, please visit this link.

More Photos:

Free meals? What a privilege for the first batch!

Comments

Certification of Foreign Teachers in Thailand

2008-10-17T00:59:23+02:00

Dear Fellow Foreign Teachers in Thailand,

We recognize that The Teachers' Council of Thailand is requiring foreign teachers to undergo professional certification to be able to continually teach in any primary and secondary schools in Thailand. The process of the said certification is through any of the following:

1. 20-hour training on Thai language and culture and Professional ethics + at least one year experience + Education degree,

2. 20-hour training on Thai language and culture and Professional ethics + at least one year experience + any non-education degree + foreign teaching license

3. 20-hour training on Thai language and culture and Professional ethics + at least one year experience + any non-education degree + graduate education diploma at least one year of study presumably in Thailand or abroad.

4. 20-hour training on Thai language and culture and Professional ethics + at least one year experience + any non-education degree + Certificate of Professional Knowledge Tests for Foreign Teachers.

There seems to be no problem for those who qualify numbers 1 and 2, but it's really a problem for those under numbers 3 and 4, who will either take one-year graduate education diploma, which costs about 60,000, 80,000, 100,000, 120,000, or 144,300 Baht or pass the Professional Knowledge Tests for Foreign Teachers, which cost 4,000 Baht, but only less than 5% pass rate.

My personal experience with one of the toughest tests (Curriculum Development, Learning Management and Classroom Management, which terms and concepts are familiar to me) on Friday, October 3, 2008 (but didn't take the tests on October 4, 2008, since it's Saturday, and I'm a Seventh-day Adventist), and those of other test takers, give a definite conclusion that foreign teachers have no better option than taking a one-year graduate education diploma either in one of the colleges/universities in Thailand or abroad [as implied in Clause 3 (2) of the TCT notification].

Luckily, there is the best option among them which is offered by one of the state colleges/universities in the Philippines, Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic State College, a highly accredited state college, which granted Senator Manny Villar an Honoris Causa in Doctor of Philosophy in Institutional Development and Management, now with its phenomenal enrollment growth to more than 6,000 students in a short period of time as 18 years. It is now in its second reading at the House of Representatives to becoming Central Cotabato State University. Its program in Bangkok is offered by St. Robert's Training and Management Center in consortium with the International Academy of Management and Economics, Makati City, and is affiliated with PWU's DLC-Bacolod St. Robert's Training and Management Center, headed by Dr. Robert Galindez, the DLC off-campus dean, and also President and Dean of Philippine Christian University-St. Robert's International Academy Iloilo extension. With other off-campus programs in Hong Kong and California, USA, please remember that Dr. Robert Galindez has been able to successfully bring the off-campus program to address the need of the Filipino teachers in Thailand. Therefore, let us grab this opportunity, since there is nothing to worry about the name "Sultan Kudarat" and its reputation.

Why SKPSC off-campus is the best option? (See the attached MSPowerpoint file)
1. The shortest program accomplished by May 2009, before you can renew your work permit (and by January 2010 for MAT, 16 months; and about 24 months for MBA)
2. It's ladderized diploma can be ugraded to MA in Teaching major in English, and MBA.
3. Very Affordable with staggered payments
4. Classes are held in Bangkok on Weekends (and special classes for SDAs on Saturday nights, Sunday whole day, and Sunday evening)
5. Curriculum can be easily adjusted to the subject areas required by TCT, since it's a state university which status is like the University of the Philippines that does not require any Special Order, and the dean has the right to do so.
6. Qualifies graduates to take LET, or teaching board exam in the Philippines
7. Qualifies graduates to apply the diploma in other countries
8. It's non-thesis MAT degree is qualified for a PhD program under the new regulation
9. Accepts transfer of credits to a maximum of 12 units
10. Other opportunities (please inquire)

Please feel free to ask more (FAQs) questions for you to be able to make the best decision. Please remember the clock is ticking.

Schedule of Classes:

Classes Started: October 25, 2008 (8-4PM; To be arranged for SDAs including evening).
Next (3rd) Class: Nov 29-30, 2008.

For Seventh-day Adventist teachers, this is your opportunity without jeopardizing your Sabbath services. Please join our newly created forum site by clicking Adventist Teachers in Thailand so we can have some forum on how to be free from Sabbath meetings.

Sincerely,

Rolly Obedencio
yllorco@yahoo.com
+66-84-672-1173
http://worldeducation.blog.co.uk/

CAUTIOUS NOTE:
There isn't any question on endorsement from Philippine Embassy-Bangkok. Endorsement from the embassy is not necessary since SKPSC is a state college, which its operation is directly mandated by the law of the Philippine government. Out of courtesy, SKPSC sent an endorsement letter in the manner of a courtesy call to H.E. Ambassador Antonio Rodriguez of the Philippine Embassy, Bangkok, which was received and confirmed through LBC on October 22, 2008, a day after the embassy's advisory came out on October 21, 2008:

Republic of the Philippines
SULTAN KUDARAT POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
ACCESS, EJC Montilla, Tacurong City

October 13, 2008

Hon. Antonio Rodriguez
Ambassador
Embassy of the Philippines in Bangkok, Thailand
760 Suknumvit Road, Opposite Soi
30/1 Prakanong, Bangkok 10110
Bangkok, Thailand

Dear Ambassador Rodriguez,

We are pleased to inform you that the Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic State College, a state-owned higher education institution with office address at EJC Montilla, Tacurong City, province of Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao has concluded a Memorandum of Agreement with St. Robert’s Management and Training Center duly represented in Bangkok by Saen Sibat Co. Ltd., to pursue a collaborative endeavor in the field of education through the offering of the Ladderized Master of Arts in Teaching.

The said program is aimed at helping working students based in Thailand to pursue their post graduate studies through a ladderized approach. All subjects to be taught are based on the approved curriculum of the SKPSC.

It is at this end that we are soliciting the intervention of your Office by endorsing our Program to both local and national agencies based in Thailand for proper dissemination and promotion.

We are attaching the curriculum program for the Ladderized Master of Arts in Teaching program for your ready perusal.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely yours,

NELSON T. BINAG, Ph.D.
President

CLOSING NOTE:
As confirmed by Dr. Robert Galindez, the Philippine Embassy-Bangkok was sent a recent letter from SKPSC's Board of Trustees, whose chairman was Commissioner Umar, requesting to lift the said advisory as it may hamper the CHED program of the Philippine government in Bangkok. The advisory reached to the ears of Honorable Secretary Roque, to whom the embassy is liable to answer, and to Atty Dado, the DFA-in-charge of all consuls. Thus, Honorable Secretary Roque is pushing the embassy to lift the advisory and issue another letter of recantation which is yet to be seen. He will be in Bangkok by the first week of December to pressure the embassy of the said advisory. (It's a big question why it has taken so long to issue such letter by the embassy, though).

Please visit SKPSC-Bangkok, and take a look at its successful first and second courses.

Comments

Letter Addressed to the Teachers' Council of Thailand on Questions on the Foreign Teachers' Certification in Thailand

2008-10-17T00:34:26+02:00

Dear Dr. Chakrapat Wata:

Greetings!

May I have the privilege of requesting some answers to my queries based on the following provisions:

Quote:

Clause 2 Criteria for testing and evaluation of knowledge of the Applicants consist of:
(1) Thai language and culture.
(2) Professional ethics.
(3) Knowledge for practicing the teaching profession under Clause 5 (a) of the Regulations Governing Professional Standards and Ethics RE. 2548 (2005).

The testing and evaluation of knowledge shall be in accordance with the details attached to this Notification.

Clause 3 Any Applicant with at least one year of experience in teaching operations and the following educational qualification shall have passed the knowledge evaluation criteria under Clause 2 (1) (2):
(1) Education degree; or
(2) Other degrees with a foreign license to practice the teaching profession or a graduate diploma in education taking at least one year of study.

Clause 4 Any Applicant with at least one year of experience in teaching operations and other degrees without either a foreign license to practice the teaching profession or a graduate diploma in education taking at least one year of study shall have passed the knowledge evaluation criteria under Clause 2 (1) (2) and (3).

Clause 5 Having passed the evaluation criteria under Clause 3 or Clause 4, the Applicant shall submit the application for a license to practice the teaching profession, together with the following supporting documents within three years:
(1) Copy of the passport or any other document showing the legally valid entry into the Kingdom;
(2) Copy of the work permit or any document showing the regular residence in Thailand;
(3) Copy of the evidence showing the educational qualifications;
(4) Copy of the foreign license to practice the teaching profession;
(5) Copy of the certificate of teaching operations;
(6) Copy of the certificate of knowledge testing and evaluation;
(7) Two 1~inch full-face front view photographs without sunglasses, taken not exceeding six months.

Clause 6 Any foreigner who is a teacher in any educational institution prior to the date of enforcement of the Teachers and Educational Personnel Council Act RE. 2546 (2003) shall submit an application for a license to practice the teaching profession within one hundred and twenty days from the date of enforcement of this Notification.

The above notification seems only for any applicants who will be qualified to go through any of the three testing and evaluation criteria, but no specific mention of license to be granted to specific types of foreign teachers. It seems that the granting of license to any foreign teacher is under the discretion of the TCT.

Based on the provision above, is my understanding of the implication correct that license is granted to the following foreign teachers who have completed:

1. 20-hour training on Thai language and culture and Professional ethics + at least one year experience + Education degree?

2. 20-hour training on Thai language and culture and Professional ethics + at least one year experience + any non-education degree + foreign teaching license?

3. 20-hour training on Thai language and culture and Professional ethics + at least one year experience + any non-education degree + graduate education diploma at least one year of study in Thailand or abroad?

Is license also to be granted to the following foreign teachers who have completed the 20-hour training on Thai Language and Culture and Professional Ethics and:

4. Experienced BA graduate with more than a year of MA education units, surely more than a diploma (Clause 4)?

5. Has been a teacher anywhere outside Thailand since before 2003 (Clause 6)?

6. Any fresh Education graduate without any experience (Clause 3)?

7. Any non-graduate (i.e. no BA) foreign teacher before 2003 who failed to submit application beyond 120 days from the date of enforcement of this notification (maybe 17th day of June 2006, Clause 6)?

Hoping to receive your due consideration to the questions above.

Sincerely,

Mr. Rolly C. Obedencio

Comments

Interview on Principalship

2008-10-11T08:07:49+02:00

Interviewer: Mr. Rolly C. Obedencio
Interviewee: Ajarn Teunchai Akrawichien, English Program Head
Date: September 29, 2008
Starting Time: 4:00 P.M.
Ending Time: 4:30 P.M.
Name of School: Matthayomwatsing School
Type of School: Non-private/government Thai High School

Note: This is an interview for principals/administrators/department heads as part of the requirements of the course (EDAD 651 Online) PRINCIPALSHIP & SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT of the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies. (This interview seems to be the context of the dream about student-centered teaching.)

Below is the transcript of the interview using the ten questions below:

1. Please tell about your background, your work responsibilities, leadership roles and development, and number of years.

Rolly (R): Ok, yeah, ah, the first question’s about your background, your work responsibilities, leadership roles and development and the number of years.
Interviewee (I): Ok, I have got a BA in Education many years ago, about 35 years ago from the College of Education at that time, but now we, like, use it calling below university. At that time like a teachers’ college.
R: Oh, ah, …what university is it?
I: Um…sin…oh no, Wittayalai Witsakan Suksa, Songkhla
R: Here in Bangkok
I: No, not in Bangkok, outside of Bangkok, in the southern part of Thailand. And then my responsibility is to take care of EP program. And then I used to be, ah, like a head of foreign language department for quite a few years. And I will be the first one who start like an exchange program for the teachers and students in my school.
R: Wow, that’s quite a good experience before.
I: Yes, and then I’ve been teaching here for… how long…since …ummm…for thirty…thirty five years
R: For thirty five years
I: Yes, in this school only
R: Oh, wow really a long number of years of experience.
I: Number of years of experience, I agree.
R: Ah, Ok, that’s all probably for number one?
I: Yup!

2. What would you say if we can get back to your college days and how well do you feel that you were prepared to enter the field of teaching?

R: So, what would you say if we can get back to your college and, ah, do you feel any, ah, difference or probably impression you’d like to say how well-prepared you were to enter the field of teaching?
I: Yeah, I think that I’m well-prepared of being a teacher, but the only thing that I complain is about unprepared. I had been prepared for English teacher.
R: Ok…hehehe…not for other areas...huh!
I: But, not all the teachers are taught in English, just only the English is talking in English
R: Ahh, I see…
I: And then for quite a few subjects are taught in English. That’s it. So, do you want to know the truth? Hahahaha…
R: I would appreciate it…heheheh
I: because I think that the educational system now. They should like, ah, give more on the English teachers, because you know, that, how can the English teachers have like a wider vocabulary to teach, like, ah, to students if they don’t have like a direct experience from the school.
R: Yeah, I agree.
I: That is the problem, that’s why we have to have, like ah, foreign teachers to help us in teaching English.
R: That is teaching English in English, not teaching English in other language.
I: Yeah, yeah, because, you know, then we’d never been trained to do that, just for like, ah, a few courses that we have to use English.
R: Ok, I see. Ah…
I: Not enough, but for the methodologies I dare say that Ok, we are well prepared for that.
R: I think…Ok, I appreciate that.

3. What were the challenges in your first year of being a principal/administrator/department head?

R: Ok, regarding your first challenges in your first year of teaching, how would you say about it?
I: It’s hard to know that, to work with the, like, the policy to be the leader, because we work with different kinds of people…
R: Different mindsets.
I: Yeah, and different backgrounds. Some people are very arrogant. Some people are very self-confident. Some people are very self-esteemed.
R: Yeah, hahaha. Different types of personality.
I: Yeah, so different types of personality, and they don’t listen to each other; they think that they are the best. So, it’s hard to deal with them, but if we talk about, ah, the things that we have to do together and give them some good reasons and in a compromising way, that will be help, like ah, don’t be a dictator.
R: Yeah.
I: if you’re a dictator, people accept you at the time, but they will gossip or they will do something behind you like you know, oh, we have to do what you tell us, but you know that just it doesn’t go along.
R: That’s a good point. I’m learning now of it…hehehe
I: Yeah, because we have to like a work, but if we something that we should be strict, we should be strict according to like the rules we should follow.
R: Yeah, I see.
I: But not at, like, ah, at once. We have to gradually, you know that, lead it to the point.
R: So, ah, in summary, that is about dealing with different kinds of personalities in your first year, ah, you know, of position.
I: You need to be patient, more patient.
R: Ah, Ok.
I: More patient and trying to, like, ah, you know, gradually prove them into what you want. People don’t want to be forced to do that. If you are forced to do, it’s just to pass your time.
R: Yes.
I: That’s it. I think that if they are willing, but how can that you make people feel willing to do things is the difficult part. Yeah, it’s the challenge.

4. How would you compare those initial challenges in roles and responsibilities with those of the later years?

R: Ok, how would you compare, like the first year of, ah, being a principal or in your position in the later years, how would you compare that?
I: The first year of being, like ah, the head of, like ah, language department, and the head of EP program, you know that, because I think that, ah, we try, because if we have experience dealing with people. We know that people, some are very stubborn to do things, because they would like to do what they think that they feel more comfortable. Even they know that they are wrong, but they would like to do that. Sometimes, you know, that’s why, it’s hard for the first time, because when you have meeting, like you give them your policy, some people don’t agree with that. They’re trying to find some reasons, and then people, you know that they have some bias. They would like to do what they want. So, they show the sign that they don’t want, don’t need to work hard.
R: Ok.
I: But it’s our way. When to draw them to our point is hard, you know that. I know that, we cannot, like ah, make all the people agree what we want to, but at least the majority do what we want. I think that we are successful.
R: Ok
I: But now for EP program is harder, even harder. We have to care, you know that, not all leaders staff, they have to care for the students’ abilities. We have to care about their future. We have to have about, the, like a community and the parents.
R: So the challenge is not just managing teachers, but the students as well, you know.
I: The students and the parents.
R: Ok, ah, that’s a good thing.
I: This is the challenge.

5. Among all the duties and responsibilities, what do you consider to be the key elements and priorities of a principal’s job?

R: Ah, let’s go to number 5, among all the duties and responsibilities, what do you consider to be the key elements and priorities of a principal’s job or department head?
I: Ah, we have, ah, about the people, the staff that we have to work with. This is the more important, because, you know that, being like, you know, a principal, we have to care about the qualifications of our staff, how well they behave, ah, the proper message of the staff whether what is their goal what to do with the students, because the result, I think, the goal is for the students.
R: Yeah, it’s not for the teachers themselves, actually.
I: No, no, no, no, everything will be with the students. You know, this is my, like ah, parallel, to think about the students

6. What do you consider to be the easiest and most difficult role and responsibility of a principal/administrator/department head?

7. How would you describe the climate and culture of your present school?

8. How do you keep both the teachers and students motivated?

9. What have you found that really helps teachers to be better teachers?

10. Is there anything that I failed to ask you that you would like to talk about or discuss in this interview?

(To be continued...I have just retrieved the file from my broken MP3 Player that is to be fixed yet.)

Comments

A Disturbing Dream to Learn from about Student-centered Teaching

2008-09-30T00:36:41+02:00

This is my second dream that gives me some lessons to ponder. I am yet to reflect on it what it was all about.

It was 3:00 A.M. of Tuesday, September 30, 2008, Thailand, that I was woken by my dream about a Japanese pedantic-known Professor, Dr. Oshiro way back in Mountain View College. (Let me scribble this dream fast before I forget). In my dream, I had a class with him about an educational course I was not sure about its specifics. With some students, I was 15 minutes late to enter the classroom that the test had been going on halfway already. I couldn't follow answering all the questions, since I missed the instructions. Some whispered the solution was mathematical. How could I know about doing that way, when the items projected on screen were just statements on facts. So, I decided not to give my test paper to the Professor, thinking that it would be useless if I gave it anyway.

After the test, all the latecomers were gathered together in one corner of the classroom. Above us was a bottle of urine purposely lying to pour urine on us latecomers. We were so pissed off why the Professor and his assistant did it to us. He then asked us questions why we were late. I answered that I had it took time rushing to the classroom after my previous teaching class. So he said, "So, you are teaching, too!" I said, "Yes, ESL in another building." "So, are you trying to justify what you have done? Are you arguing with me?" he smilingly asked and laughed.

All the other latecomers had their reasons, too. And the same questions they received "So, are you trying to justify what you have done? Are you arguing with me?"

After the test and interrogation, some classmates showed me that the answers were not necessarily mathematical, but just an interpretation of the facts. And it's up to the students to answer the questions, whether in a qualitative descriptive way or quantitative mathematical way.

The dream leaves some impression on me. I felt something that a teacher has to be considerate to the students at times, especially if circumstances demand. He has to give proper instructions, and wait for a considerable amount of time until everybody is ready in the classroom. He has to take note of the learning styles of the students, and not forcibly enforce his unbending rules.

Flashes of my Matthayom (high school) students' faces came to my mind. As if, all of them are crying for consideration, though they abused it many times. A could feel a surge of my blood into my heart turning into a natural feeling of empathy for my students. Is it for real?

I asked myself why I had that vivid and carefully made up dream by my subconscious mind. It seems like a carefully written fiction to teach some lessons.

I was tying to find some contexts. A day before that was an interview about Principalship I conducted with my English Program department head, a 35-year in service Thai national. I asked her 10 questions related to the role and responsibilities of a principal/administrator/department head. (I will post that here in due time). One of the lessons she stresses is to never force the students to achieve your goals. We sometimes give in to their needs, but gradually make your point toward your goals. Everything must be for the students--a student-centered teaching.

Comments

2nd Filipino Educators' Conference

2008-03-18T16:18:03+01:00

A group of Filipino teachers composed of Filipinos and Friends in Chiangrai, SiamPinoy, and Association of Cordillerans in Thailand met for the 2nd Filipino Educators' Conference at Ruamrudee International School, Bangkok on March 16, 2008. The theme was "Empowering the Community of Filipino Educators in Thailand through Renewed Commitment, Courage and Competence." Right after the morning Welcome Address by Ms Hedda Tan, the participating teachers busily filled out the seventeen-page questionnaire, formulated by Mr. Abel Cadias, on needs, issues and resolutions related to Filipino teachers' employment in Thailand.

In the afternoon session, the Keynote Speaker, Ms. Sue Misner, Curriculum and Professional Development Director of Ruamrudee International School, Bangkok, as introduced by Ms Hedda Tan, assured that the Filipino educators already have the commitment, courage and competence. Her inspirational talk sparked more courage on the part of the attendees to air out their concerns on employment, such as categorization of Filipino teachers as Class C, next to the Caucasian native (Class A) and non-native speakers of English (Class . Job postings of low salary on the internet, about half of the Classes A and B, and some discriminatory treatment by Thai employers, parents, teachers and students were discussed. Other issues such as the need for professional development on the part of the teacher were pointed out. Ms. Hedda Tan, Mr. L. P. Nielsen and Mr. Rolly Obedencio tried their best to answer all the questions moderated by Mr. Abel, covering on the need to organize, collaborate, and equip teachers for their work.

Dr. Edward Roy Khrisnan, Psychologist and International lecturer, talked on teacher efficacy and affective teaching with enthusiasm, making the whole group highly inspired. Ms. Sida Jarungjitpracharom of St. Theresa International College offered information on how teachers could continue growing professionally through their graduate programs.

The conference was filled with encouragement from the officers of the Philippine Embassy, especially from Ambassador Rodriguez. Consul Stevie Valera and Embassy Officer Beth and Mr. Ernie, amidst busy work week, were able to attend in the afternoon.

Mrs. Mars Sawatsewi and Ms. Melinda Agana generously sponsored the conference with their donation and help, without them the conference wouldn't have been successful. Much gratitude was indebted to them.

The objective of the conference was met, as closed by an inspiring talk by Mr. Rolly to move forward with the emphasis on the attitude which determines altitude. It was indeed a very successful conference!

____________________
Rolly C. Obedencio
MA-Religion (Biblical Studies-Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Languages)
ESL teacher, Assumption College Thonburi

Rolly has been teaching ESL in the Philippines, China and Thailand for about nine years. He has earned a Certificate in TESOL. He is presently pursuing his second MA in Educational Leadership. He lives in Bangkok at the moment.

Comments

Toward Strategies for Motivating Thai High School Students in Learning ESL

2008-03-18T13:58:43+01:00

Rolly C. Obedencio

Introduction

W. A. Ward (as cited in Thinkexist, 2007) has been popularly quoted: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” But how can a great teacher inspire students to learn, especially, ESL (English as a Second Language) if the students’ motivation is dependent on some possible factors, such as ability to understand, language proficiency level, the degree of involvement or participation in any activities related to English study, and some other factors? It has been a problem, however, among foreign ESL teachers to motivate high school students to study ESL (Cerda, n.d.; Obedencio, 2007a).

A natural query would arise, “Why are most Thai high school students unmotivated to learn ESL?” What could be the possible factors affecting their motivation to learn ESL? What could be possible strategies to motivate Thai high school students to learn ESL? It seems that there is a need to investigate the possible factors affecting motivation among Thai high school ESL students, and propose possible strategies or solution on how to motivate them to learn ESL.

This paper uses the bibliographic descriptive method. Sources are limited to secondary written documents on hard copy, such as books and other printed matters, and electronic copy, such as, the World Wide Web internet. This study does not claim to be exhaustive in its scope and methodology, but it attempts to outline some seminal facts which could be bases for further study.

Concept of Motivation

Motivation “is a reason or set of reasons for engaging in a particular behavior” (Motivation, 2007), either consciously or subconsciously, which can either be internal (i.e. self-motivation) or external motivation (i.e. motivation from others, such as teachers, school requirements, rewards like good grades, high scores, and praise) (Brown, 2002, 17). In ESL learning, motivation means “having a real purpose in learning English, or really wanting to learn English for a reason” (Brown, 2002, 17).

Some Factors Affecting Thai High School Students’ Lack of Motivation to Learn ESL

Some factors are known to be affecting Thai high school students’ lack of motivation to learn ESL:

1. Laziness to read books - Motivating Thai high school students to learn ESL is not as easy as elementary students (Stoneham, 2003), especially in getting them to read books. Reading doesn’t seem to be a good habit among high school students.

2. No-fail policy – this is perceived by most foreign teachers to be one of the causes of lack of motivation (Teaching, 2007). Students in elementary and secondary schools in Thailand cannot fail exams, thus causing the student’s lack of motivation to learn ESL (Roeland, 2005; Morales, 2007).

3. Failure to see the rewards (Brown, 200, p. 161).

4. Lack of interest in learning – this is because there is clash of interest between the students and their parents (Krishnan, 2007).

5. Fear of mistakes and ‘losing face’ (Noppakunthong, 2007).

6. Failure to see the relevance of ESL to their lives (Noppakunthong, 2007). Students’ intention was only to pass the course without realizing the importance of English speaking and listening in the real world or career and higher education (Tananuraksakul, 2003).

7. Lack of volition – Thai students only study when told to do so by a Thai authority figure, not a foreigner. Students don’t have any aspirations to learn English for whatever purposes. Besides, they will be able to graduate anyway without being proficient in English, because their administrators let them pass (Motivational, 2005).

8. Lack of listening comprehension skills in their lower grades (Prkuehn, 2007).

9. Teacher factor – a too serious teacher that gives pressure students causes a lack of motivation among Thai students to learn (Suanpang, n.d.).

10. Parents factor – this one sounds paradoxical that students study because it is their parents’ choice, but many Thai parents do not care much about their children’s homework, as indicated by their children’s absence of any homework. Students are left on their own to raise themselves (Ralphlsasser, 2007).

11. Inappropriate level of methodology and approach during their earlier grades, when for instance, they were taught past participles and arduous notes (Russellsimpson, 2007).

Proposed Strategies for Motivating Thai High School Students to Learn ESL

The following are the proposed strategies for motivating Thai High school students to learn ESL gleaned from the same level of age group from different contexts based on some factors affecting their lack of motivation to learn ESL:

1. Instill in children the desire to learn – expose the children to the rewards of learning and lifelong satisfaction (Krishnan, 2007). Create in them the desire to read books so they will develop the habit of reading, which in the long run a motivation itself.

2. Even if there seems to be a no-fail policy among schools, emphasize the desire to learn without being dependent on this policy by using intrinsic motivation, such as the value of learning ESL in the real world.

3. Let students visualize the reward of learning ESL. Students could be asked what it is that they see in the near future as a result to English study.

4. Have a Parent-teacher’s association so that things regarding their children’s interest can be discussed and that the children and the parents’ expectation meet at the center.

5. Create an atmosphere of confidence and congeniality where each one may take the risk of speaking up without being afraid of making mistakes. Emphasize to them that mistakes are fine as long as they speak up.

6. At the beginning of each term or semester, students could be motivated by asking them the relevance of studying ESL. You may take note of this or record this on video and tell them that you show it to them at the end of the term whether they meet their intention or not.

7. Foreign teachers may be proactive in the classroom that they are an authority figure too as the local Thai teachers, and that they can suggest to the students that they go to the library or do their homework. They may seek support from the Thai teachers in exercising such an authority among students.

8. Even if listening comprehension is expected of the lower grades, it is not too late to train secondary (Mathayom) students in their listening comprehension. Skills that have been missed in their earlier years can be made up at this level. Increase their level of exercise until they reach their appropriate level in listening comprehension.

9. The role of the teacher is very important in motivating students. The value of “Sanuk” (fun) among Thai students should be put in mind so an ESL teacher has to be fun all the time, thereby avoiding the tendency of being serious.

10. Use a variety of instructional methodologies suited to ESL teaching and learning. Vary them each week or as often as the need arises to change strategies.

11. Spark the students’ motivation at the beginning of every lesson (Waxler, 2007). Inform the students about the objective (Ross, 2007).

12. Use critical thinking questions, which don’t necessarily need a right or wrong answer to get them interested (Waxler, 2007).

13. Motivation breeds competition – open multilevel competition has been reported effective to students’ motivation to study ESL (Noppakunthong, 2007).

14. Use music to teach (Waxler, 2007). This is very appealing to young people of this age.

15. Use video – use short clips, but be wary of getting it abused or misused (Waxler, 2007).

16. Relate what students are learning to what is going on in the "real world" (Waxler, 2007).

17. Use technology or rather, have the students use technology to learn. Have them create podcasts, videos, web sites, brochures etc. (Waxler, 2007).

18. Use an audio-lingual method by teaching the spoken language through dialogs, drills, mimicry and memorization (mim-mem) with an attention of correct pronunciation (Tananuraksakul, 2003). Begin with a controlled dialog which introduces only a few new vocabulary items. Let students listen to the dialog as a whole from a tape cassette, a CD or a teacher. Let them repeat it sentence by sentence, and act it out or do a role play as a whole group and then smaller groups. After that, let them drill grammatical points connected with the dialog, for instance, polite questions employed in requests. The drills practice a structure repeatedly with some variation of vocabulary based on the assumption that language is habit formation. Tananuraksakul gives some examples of drills:

1.
Teacher:
What language do you think it is?
Students:
It is Spanish. (Cued by a Spanish song)
Teacher:
What language do you think it is?
Students:
It is Thai. (Cued by a Thai song)
Teacher:
What language do you think it is?
Students:
It sounds like Japanese. (Cued by a Japanese song)
Teacher:
What language do you think it is?
Students:
It sounds like Chinese. (Cued by a Chinese song)

2.
Teacher:
What language do people speak in Brazil? …repeat
Students:
What language do people speak in Brazil?

Teacher:
Germany
Students:
What language do people speak in Germany?
Teacher:
Korea
Students:
What language do people speak in Korea?

3.
Teacher:
In Brazil, people speak Portuguese… repeat
Students:
In Brazil, people speak Portuguese.
Teacher:
in Germany
Students:
In Germany, people speak German.
Teacher:
in Korea
Students:
In Korea, people speak Korean.

4.
Teacher:
Who is the girl on the right? …repeat
Students:
Who is the girl on the right?
Teacher:
on the left
Students:
Who is the girl on the left?
Teacher:
in the middle
Students:
Who is the girl in the middle?
Teacher:
in the back
Students:
Who is the girl in the back?

19. Give students a chance to succeed from the simpler level to the higher ones (Topper, 2007). Their success in the lower level gives them motivation to succeed in the higher level.

Conclusion

Motivating Thai high school students has been a challenging job for an ESL teacher. A teacher has to understand the concept of motivation for him/her to understand some factors affecting the lack of motivation to serve as basis for proposing strategies. The proposed strategies are not exhaustive, but are guiding strategies to motivate students in their own level, learning styles and context. Further studies should be done in this area using action research or survey to determine a more objective data on the subject.

References

Brown, D. H. (2000a). Principles of language learning and teaching. 4th edition. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Brown, H. D. (2002b). Strategies for success: a practical guide to learning English. New York: Longman.

Cerda, H. (n.d.). In An overview of the TEFL situation in various countries. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~nx6h-ykt/overview3.html

Krishnan, E. R. (2007). Lack of motivation or lack of interest. Bangkok Post, July 24, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2007, from http://www.bangkokpost.net/education/site2007/cvjl2407.htm

Morales, A. (2007). Breaking the controversies behind Thailand’s “No Fail” Policy. Ajarn. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from http://www.ajarn.com/Filipino/articles/nofail%20policy.htm; http://www.siampinoy.com/ed-exchange/breaking-the-controversies-behind-thailand-s-no-fail-policy-5.html

Motivation. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved December 16, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation

Motivational Issues. (2005). Tesall. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from http://www.tesall.com/international/index.pl?noframes;read=2163

Noppakunthong, W. (2007). Zealous to speak English. Bangkok Post, Sep 11, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2008, from http://www.bangkokpost.net/education/site2007/cvse1107.htm

Obedencio, R. (2007a). A case of unmotivated students: Grade 9/5B. Retrieved December 16, 2007, from http://worldeducation.blog.co.uk/2007/11/29/a_case_of_unmotivated_students_m3_5b~3368827

Obedencio, R. (2007b). Challenges for a “non-native” (L2) esl teacher. Retrieved December 21, 2007, from http://ajarn.com/Filipino/articles/challengesforanonnativeteacher.htm

Prkuehn. (2007, December 7). Motivating Mathayom students [Msg 1]. Messages posted to http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/classroom/27102-motivating-mathayom-students.html

Ralphlsasser, (2007, December 7). Motivating Mathayom students [Msg 11]. Messages posted to http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/classroom/27102-motivating-mathayom-students.html

Roeland, P. (2004a). A week in the life a[sic] an English language teacher. Retrieved December 20, 2007, from http://www.ajarn.com/Contris/philiprowlanddecember2004.htm

Roeland, P. (2005b). The magical land where students cannot fail exams. Ajarn. Retreived January 7, 2008, from http://www.ajarn.com/Contris/philiproelandnovember2005.htm

Ross, J. (2007). Designing Lessons for EFL Listening Comprehension Classes. English Teaching Forum. Vol 3, p. 30-33

Russellsimpson. (2007, December 7). Motivating Mathayom students [Msg 6]. Messages posted to http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/classroom/27102-motivating-mathayom-students.html

Stoneham, N. (2003). Dare to read. Bangkok Post. Retrieved December 21, 2007, from http://www.bangkokpost.net/education/site2003/cvjl1503.htm

Suanpang, P. (n.d.). Students’ experience online learning in Thailand. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from http://www.stc.arts.chula.ac.th/cyberethics/papers/Full%20paper-Pannee.doc

Tananuraksakul, N. (2003). Classroom-based research report on “The Effects of Audio-lingual Teaching Method on the Freshman Students’ Listening and Speaking Skills at South-East Asia University”. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from http://www.sau.ac.th/main/research/report.pdf

Waxler, A. (2007). Strategies for motivating students to learn. Ezine Articles. Retrived December 21, 2007, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Strategies-for-Motivating-Students-to-Learn&id=863582

Teaching in Thailand Guide. (2007). Teach Asia online.com. Retrieved December 21, 2007, from http://www.teachasiaonline.com/pmwiki/index.php?n=Main.TeachingInThailand

Thinkexist. (2007). William arthur ward quotes. Retrieved December 9, 2007.

Topper. (2007, December 7). Motivating Mathayom students [Msg 10]. Messages posted to http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/classroom/27102-motivating-mathayom-students.html

Comments

Toward a Christian Leadership in a Catholic Educational Institution

2008-03-18T10:16:59+01:00

Rolly C. Obedencio

Introduction

Among the many theories or models of leadership and management which share some common characteristics, emphasis and descriptions, it is a challenging task for a leader to use either one or a combination of several models, or use his/her personal model to be employed in his leadership context. Hence, this writer proposes his personal model called “Christian Leadership.” The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to formulate this writer’s personal model of leadership and management, and (2) to propose an implementation plan of this model in the context of a Catholic educational institution. The purpose of the study is achieved through the following plan: analysis of the context, definition of the proposed model, and its implementation plan.

Analysis of the General Context

General context in this study refers to the organizational, religious, and socio-cultural contexts. The following is a short description of this context.

The institution where this writer is currently employed as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher is governed by St. Gabriel Foundation of Thailand, a prestigious century-old private Catholic educational system led and managed by Brothers. The general motivation of the system, as claimed, is service toward the poor through excellent quality education (St. Gabriel Foundation, 2001). It is interesting to note that none of the philosophy, vision, and mission statements mentions about Jesus’ commission. It shows some weakness and arouses a question whether this is the right vision.

With Permission from ACT

Assumption College Thonburi, where this writer currently is working for, is one of the sixteen schools governed by St. Gabriel Foundation of Thailand. Perhaps it has the second largest population of students among these schools, around 5,000 students (St. Gabriel Foundation, 2001), next to about 20,000 students at Assumption University in 2006 (Charmonman, 2006). The students are predominantly Buddhists. The school’s vision was verbalized by the outgoing director during the last meeting on April 27, 2007: “to be the number among schools in Thailand.” This vision is incongruent to the vision of St. Gabriel Foundation of Thailand, which is service.

Both the director of the college and the head of Foreign Language Department are Brothers, Catholic priests. The Thai faculty and staff are mostly Buddhists. The forty-three foreign teachers are a mixture of interdenominational faiths, such as Roman Catholics, Baptists, Church of Christ, Church of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist, and other unknown groups. This religious atmosphere which is seemingly interdenominational gives a fluid occasion for Christian leadership to reach out the neighboring Buddhists and other groups.

Socio-culturally, this writer is directly in contact with most foreign teachers and just a few hours with students daily. He spends most of his time in the faculty room where there is a mixture of an international culture among foreign teachers composed of Westerners, Africans, Indian, Chinese, and largely Filipinos. The Thais in the room are the two super-visors and two caretakers. The atmosphere seems quiet and formal as each teacher looks busy planning the lessons in front of a computer. As if everybody is careful not to make some mistakes in the presence of the supervisors. There is an element of much respect, though, especially in front of the Thai superiors. Talking is limited most of the time. Teachers do not exactly know each other very well on a personal level. Only during lunch time that teachers break the impersonal atmosphere, but then they tend to be in small groups. Towards the end of each day, most Filipino teachers tend to speak their vernacular, thus breaking the atmosphere of formality and influencing other teachers to speak their respective language too. It is at this time that teachers start knowing each other on a personal level, thus an opportune time for Christian witness.

The atmosphere in most classes is very opposite, though. Thai culture is fun-loving called “Sanuk”. Adamson (2003) observes that “Sanuk” is influenced by Theravada Buddhism, which also influence the learning and behavioral aspect of the learner. It is very important that “those who have integrated sanuk into their activities may then be viewed as having ‘intrinsic’ motivation” (p. 8). Foreign teachers are to be careful not to touch the head of the students, not to point using one’s foot, not to step on a coin, to remove footwear inside a house or a temple, to be respectful by showing “wai” to the elderly and those in authority (Culture of Thailand, 2007), and not to display of public affection as in hugging and kissing (Syles, 2007). Respecting this culture and being sensitive to these customs may help ease in exercising Christian leadership.

Proposing a Christian Leadership Model

Christian Leadership is very closely similar in its concept and characteristics to R. K. Greenleaf’s (as cited in Hine, 2006) servant leadership model. The term “servant” has to be changed to “Christian” to address the critique raised by McCrimmon (2007) that “servant” is misleading because it is slavish or subservient. Luke 22:24-27 is often misunderstood by many, because it seems to say about a leader being a servant in the sense of a slave. A careful reading of the original Greek text, however, shows that it does not say anything about Christ’s changing status into a servant/slave. It is, however, a sheer teaching demonstration of how to become a humble minister/deacon and an emphasis or adoration of Jesus’ divinity which is greater than anybody else sitting at the table:

(24) A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. (25) But he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. (26) But not so with you; rather the greatest (Gk. “ho meizon”, the eldest) among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves (Gk. “ho diakonon”, deacon, minister, an official who has the control in rendering helpful service). (27) For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves (Gk. “ho diakonon”, deacon, minister, an official who has the control in rendering helpful service)? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves (Gk. “ho diakonon”, deacon, minister, an official who has the control in rendering helpful service) (NRS Luke 22:24-27, NAS).

Clearly, Jesus was humbling the hearts of His disciples (v. 26), so they wouldn’t consider themselves as great as the dominating/controlling kings of the Gentiles (v. 25), but a humble deacon/minister or an official who has the control in rendering helpful service (v. 26), while directing His disciples’ attention to the greater leader—Himself—who was demonstrably ministering to them (v. 27). Jesus didn’t literally make himself a slave (Gk. “doulos”, bond servant), but a minister/deacon (Gk. “ho diakonon”, a church servant or an official who has the control in rendering helpful service) who is greater than the one sitting at the table, because He was their Lord and Saviour (Luke 2:11). He merely demonstrated the humble spirit of a servant, who looks after the needs of everyone. Therefore, it was a sheer teaching demonstration of Christian/ministerial leadership, and not a servant/slave leadership.

The same idea is seen in two passages:

But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (Gk. “diakonos”, minister, deacon, an official who has the control in rendering helpful service). (Matthew 20:26, KJV). (This means let him be great in helping or service.)

And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant (Gk. “doulos”, a slave or bond servant being controlled by another person). (Matthew 20:27, KJV). (It means let him be a follower.)

This model shares some characteristics of servant leadership as what Patterson, Redmer, and Stone (2003, p. 5) outline as influence, vision, trust, credibility and competence, delegation, honesty and integrity, modeling and visibility, service, stewardship, communication, persuasion, pioneering, appreciation of others, encouragement, teaching, listening, and empowerment, and what Advanced American Communications (as cited in Hine, 2006) lists as empathy, healing, awareness, conceptualization, foresight, commitment to the growth of people, and building community.

The mission of a Christian leader is to preach the Gospel of all nations, making them disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19). He has to be a minister in whatever area he is engaged in and whatever context he is in (see Chadwick, 2003).

Since a Christian leader is minister/servant, there should be no feeling of superiority or inferiority between him/her and the members. Everybody is treated equal, as members are leaders in their own right too. Leaders and members are all the same parts of the body whose head is Jesus.

Based on the analysis of the context above, Christian leadership model may also be implemented in a Catholic educational institution which claims a Christian by name and service. Since the motivation of the governing body is service, while the local school is “to be the number one”, then the objective of this model is to apply the principles of leadership to align both visions of the St. Gabriel Foundation and Assumption College Thonburi and make it realization. Hence, it is ideal that the leaders of this institution learn and realize how to be real followers/servant/minister of Jesus in reaching out the people inside and outside of the school.

A plan in implementing this Christian leadership model can be carefully carried out either formally or informally. Formal and explicit plan is not within this writer’s jurisdiction since he is not in the management position to do so. Should he be granted this vested leadership role in the future, the following plan may be taken. First, there should be a redefinition of the philosophy, vision and mission of the school or of the specific domain this writer will be assigned from the top level to the bottom. Second, it is important that the leaders and members of the school know where they are in reference to their philosophy, vision, and mission. Some kind of inspirational talk, promotion, or leadership workshop will do with some definite purpose and results. Third, the leader has to exercise patience, tact and prudence in effecting change and carrying out new plans that it respects both international and Thai cultures. With a tone of humility and inspiration, he has to grab any chance when the administrators open for some suggestions in a meeting. He has to make everybody a part of the suggestions that the credit will be given to them instead of him. Fourth, it is important for this writer to exercise caution in any situation at any time he is with the international group of teachers, and especially with the Thai staff, supervisors and students.

This writer, however, can do some kind of informal plan to carry out the leadership role in his own capacity as an ESL teacher. His exemplary life in all aspect is an inspiring influence to the foreign teachers, Thai administrators and staff and students. He may influence the administrators through close interpersonal interaction on a close personal level, such as friendship, being active in all the activities, starting from a small leadership activity until it naturally grows into a more defined leadership role. It may be faster to carry out plans when one is at the top position, but it is not impossible to carry out exercise leadership even when one is at the lower level, though. It may be called groundwork, or grass-root operation or leadership. Obtaining a position is not the goal of exercising leadership and implementing plans, but focusing on and realizing a vision, which is meeting people’s real need to realize the vision of the organization, is what compels leadership to function.

Since there is a regular monthly social meeting among faculty and staff, this writer has to take this privilege of influencing everyone with his mission in the aspects of time, foods and drinks, recreation, entertainment, disposition and attitude. He has to be ever ready at all season to give the reason of his faith. Dr. Neil Chadwick’s Christian Leadership Charge (2003) will be a lot more helpful.

Any plan can be evaluated periodically. It is important for this writer to evaluate his leadership daily, weekly, monthly, by term, or annually. He may make some evaluation or achievement chart to determine how close he is to the goal and vision.

Conclusion

Several steps were taken towards Christian Leadership in a Catholic educational institution. Analysis of the general context shows some incongruence and weakness between the vision of St. Gabriel Foundation of Thailand, which is service, and that of Assumption College Thonburi, which is to be number one. The diverse religious culture, predominantly Christian groups such as Roman Catholics, Baptists, Church of Christ, Church of Latter-day Saints, and Seventh-day Adventist, gives a fertile opportunity to reach out the neighboring Buddhists and other groups. The seemingly fusion between international and Thai cultures gives a fluid occasion to exercise Christian leadership roles.

Due to some degree of ambiguity of the servant leadership model and diverse other models, a personal model of leadership and management has been proposed: “Christian Leadership” instead of “Servant Leadership” with practically common attributes of Servant leadership. Due to this writer’s limitation of leadership role, the model and its implementation plan remain a proposal until a more definite leadership position will be assumed. This low-level position, however, does not deter him from exercising his leadership within his capacity.

A more thorough study on the subject is necessary to obtain a complete picture of the context and its appropriate leadership model. More specific plans should be formulated and carried out in a top-level leadership position to make its implementation definite.

References

Adamson, John. (2003). Challenging beliefs in teach development: potential influences of Theravada Buddhism upon Thais learning English. Asian EFL Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2007, from http://www.asianefljournal.com/sept_03_sub2.JA.pdf

Chadwick, Neil. (2003). Christian leadership charge. Retrieved May 6, 2007, from http://www.joyfulministry.com/lcharge.htm

Charmonman, Srisakdi. (2006). Elearning and human resource development. Unpublished position paper, World Teacher Conference, Impact Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand on October 6, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2007, from http://www.charm.au.edu/SCPaper/WorldTeacher6Oct06.doc

Hine, B. N. (2003). Selected monographic resources on servant-leadership. Retrieved May 5, 2007, from http://www.greenleaf.org/Mono_Resources06.pdf

McCrimmon, Mitch. (2007). Critique of servant leadership. Retrieved April 13, 2007, from http://www.leadersdirect.com/critique.html

Patterson, K. et al. (2003). Transformational leaders to servant leaders versus level 4 leaders to level 5 leaders—the move from good to great. Unpublished paper presented at CBFA Annual Conference, October 2003, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA.

St. Gabriel Foundation of Thailand. (2001). Retrieved May 5, 2007, from http://www.sgf.au.edu/background.html

Styles, Megan. (2007). Thai culture: some dos and don’ts in the land of smiles. Retrieved May 6, 2007, from http://customsholidays.suite101.com/article.cfm/thai_culture

Wikipedia. (2007). Culture of Thailand. Retrieved May 6, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Thailand#Customs

Comments

A Midlife Crisis?

2008-01-21T13:45:38+01:00

By Rolly C. Obedencio

I was in Thailand. It was 4:30 AM, Saturday, January 19, 2008, when I was awaken by my subconscious mind due to a series of dreams which themes centered on age, achievement, need for communication, family and worries about the shortness of life. I was trying to understand why I felt like my heart was exploding as if something was burning inside, ready to explode like a bomb. Images of middle-aged and post middle-aged people, such as my friends, family and relatives suddenly flashed across my mind, urging me to give them a call to communicate with them about some issues at this age, perhaps in the hope of trying to understand the meaning and purpose of life. I was trying to understand why my heart was pumping so hard and seemed to be full of worries, perhaps stress. I don’t understand why I should have that much stress in the early part of the morning.

In my dream, I was looking for my childhood cousin, who is about as old as I am; yet, I was taken aback the way a group of people told me who I was looking for. They said, “Are you looking for Gil Gabatan, that 50 year-old engineer who has about half a dozen kids in Australia?” I was stunned. What! He is 50 years old, and I’m now 49 years old? Am I this old? I cannot accept that. I’m just 36. Uh! I’m turning 37 this year. That’s totally unacceptable to me.

So I got up and looked at myself at the mirror. I posed for about two minutes trying to read some lines on my face as if they tell a lot of stories about my past and future.

I felt like giving several people a call. I wanted to call Steve, a colleague, who is about 39, to tell him, “Steve, I think I understand why you are behaving like that, and meeting an individual after another, and yet you aren’t satisfied even you have had many already, besides your family back home in the Philippines. I think you are so lonely. I feel like there’s a very big urge in you to communicate. You seem to be looking for understanding for that feeling of uneasiness, restlessness, perhaps insecurity, or inadequacy. Loneliness has become the result of not having enough people to talk with about the issues of life at your age now.”

I wanted to call Tom, another colleague of mine, who is about 30, to tell him, “Tom, I think I understand why you seem to be obsessive learning a new hobby—tennis. Besides your own reasons of fun, exercise, and others, maybe you are trying to occupy your mind with something that has been pushing you to do—the need of achievement while you are still young and able.”

I wanted to call a very close friend, who has just turned 35, to tell her, “I think I understand why I said ‘we’re running out of time’, and why I keep on longing for much longer time to be with you, to talk with you about many things—perhaps to understand why I’m behaving this way when I’m in the middle period of my life. I don’t understand why my need for communication, expression and understanding is so much and strong, like there has never been this much need to communicate in my life before. I don’t understand why thoughts of unfinished business, unfulfilled dreams and ambitions of the past flashed across my mind, as if I’m trying to understand the purpose of life, and whether I have done much for myself, for my family, for people and for God.”

Suddenly I thought of my wife who is 25 years old, and my baby who is 1 year old and 4 months, and told myself, “You two are very young, and the need for exploration is so strong, yet you seem to be taking life easily without pressure as if life is so long. I wish I were like you two.”

Then I felt a very strong urge to call my dad who is in the Philippines, who is 60 years old already, to tell him, “Dad, I’m turning almost 40 now and 50 ten years from now, and then 60, as old as you are, after another 10 years later. I’m no longer a baby, a kid, an adolescent, but a maturely grown middle-aged person. I’m so sorry dad. What have I done in my life? I still have some unfinished business to do. My dreams have not been achieved yet. I don’t understand why I’m still looking for a perfect family, a perfect life and a perfect future. I’m not perfect, either, and there’s no perfect thing in this life. I’m sorry for my failures, mistakes, and weaknesses. I missed talking with you about many things, like we used to do, from evening till morning every weekend before. I think I understand why you had that very strong urge to discuss things with me, and fantasize about many things you could have done, yet you wish that I could do them. That need in you to communicate was so strong that time. I can feel it now, because I’m having it now, too. I remember you said, ‘a midlife crisis.’”

I sobbed while writing this. Is this some sort of a midlife crisis—too much need to communicate: express the unexpressed, finish the unfinished, fulfill the unfilled, achieve the unachieved and understand the understood?

Another two faces came to my mind: My cousin named Jesus, a successful banker, about 50 years old, who told me that he felt the same thing before, as if a heart attack the last time we met in Mindanao Philippines, about 10 years ago; and Loida, a seemingly deeply religious and spiritual colleague of mine, who is about in her 40s, who I often see every morning having face of sleepless nights, probably caused by insomnia.

I was reminded by my close friend that even a priest she met has had this chronic stress for about 40 years since he was 40, and that some people died of stress or heart attack while having this crisis. She has been through the same experience, and that the need to find a therapist is great, to help her understand these issues.

But then I thought of God that I miss Him so much, and that I thought I have decided to give my life to Him, and that He is always there to go with me all the way, like He has been with me throughout my life, teaching me lessons in the hard way. He is the best Friend. I wanted Him to tell me why I still have this worry of counting my days backward, starting from 80 or 70 or 60 years old. Why I have this much preoccupation that life is so short and uncertain, while I believe I have put my trust in God? Oh, please, where are the sanest men in the world? Help me to understand the purpose of my life. Is this perhaps a mid-life crisis, or just the result of eating dinner late at night? (Take time laughing, just in case you are. I mean it…really!)

Ponder something…

God wrote in the Bible: “RSV Psalm 90:12 - So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

For articles regarding midlife crisis, you may read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-life_crisis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_the_Mid-Life_Crisis
http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/tt/t-articl/midlife.htm
http://www.lessonsforliving.com/midlife.htm
http://lifetwo.com/production/midlife-crisis-book-top
http://www.malehealth.co.uk/userpage1.cfm?item_id=125

Comments

A Case of Unmotivated Students: Grade 9/5B

2007-11-29T10:16:44+01:00

by Rolly Obedencio

Every time I come into this class, I feel like so alarmed as to what appropriate strategy I have to use to fit their level and learning style. I always ask myself what could be the reasons behind their behavior? Am I missing something? I have exhausted all means and strategies. I always devise, revise and innovate my methods which are very much effective in other classes, but of no avail among Grade 9/5B students. Every time I get out of the class, I feel like I’m a complete failure as a teacher. I feel tired and disillusioned, whereas I’m full of energy, enthusiasm and inspiration in all the other classes.

It’s commonly said that a great teacher inspires. How can I inspire them when they don’t understand well? How can they understand when they don’t know how to read well? How can they read well when they don’t like to read? How can they like to read when they don’t participate in any activities related to English study? What do they always clamor for? They clamor for watching movie and fun. Why? Is ELT all about watching movie and fun? How have they got that idea? Have they been told that foreign teachers are transitory and are the source of fun? Have they been informed that foreign teachers don’t take ELT seriously? If ELT is to be always fun and entertaining, how much fun and entertainment they get from other classes taught by the local teachers? At the continuum between Fun/entertainment and seriousness, at what degree is the students’ practice and attitude towards ESL class? At the same scale, how much degree is that towards other classes?

If I only knew the factors affecting their lack of motivation to study, I would be able to move on. It seems that I need to define the problem, ask researchable questions, formulate hypotheses, design methodology and instrumentation, collect, analyze and interpret data and write a report. For now, these are just the available ideas that have occurred, so far. Perhaps, there will be more later.

Comments

Challenges for a “Non-native” (L2) ESL Teacher

2007-11-29T00:20:52+01:00

Challenges for a “Non-native” (L2) ESL Teacher
Monday, 29 October 2007

Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) can either be a chosen or a fortuitous career. For many, TESL has been a chosen profession planned since before entering college, to finishing courses leading to a baccalaureate degree in TESL or its related degree in education until landing a TESL job. For some, TESL is a result of their serendipitous discovery in quest of their calling, a case of this writer, a second language speaker of English (L2), or the so-called “non-native” speaker of English (which is commonly interchanged with the ambiguous “non-native English speaker”).

Below is my personal account of the challenges I have met as an ESL teacher, coming from a different perspective. Some teachers of similar experience may find this article meaningful. Any positive implication elicited from reading this brief memoir is sufficient for me to say, “mission accomplished”.

I was introduced into TESL profession through what I call the “backdoor”, when a group of Koreans in a graduate school in the Philippines approached me to teach them English conversation to supplement their English grammar courses for Michigan Test sometime in 1999. I told them that I didn’t have any formal training in TESL or its related field, and that my degree was purely in the area of theological education, particularly Biblical Studies (Old Testament emphasis). These Koreans assured and gave me confidence that I had the skills and proficiency in teaching a language, even ESL, since some of them had seen me teach a Biblical Hebrew class (when I was temporarily requested by our professor to teach a group of masters and doctoral seminary students while he was on vacation in the USA for several weeks).

Consequently, I took the challenge. Sweat dripped from my scalp when I found out that TESL is different from teaching Biblical languages. While teaching biblical languages is confined to grammar, vocabulary, syntax, reading, exegesis, translation and interpretation, ESL seems to be more student-centered in developing language skills. I thought the ordeal was just for a few days. More sweat rolled down my younger baby face then when more Korean parents introduced their children to me. Oh, my! My limits were tested, as these Korean kids didn’t know ABC. I was forced to use common sense in catering to the needs of these young learners, groping into darkness in search for appropriate strategies and activities suited for their learning styles and needs. (Teaching graduate students seemed easier, though, because I could easily identify myself with them). There was no translator, so I was forced to use a Korean-English-English-Korean dictionary, photos, gestures, games, and other visual aids. They easily learned if I used their “Hangul” (the Korean alphabetic writing system) and its transliteration into English alphabet when they asked how to pronounce words. Some kind of bibliographic and experimental research was needed for me to grasp some basics of TESL. I learned to adapt to the level of these kids in a short period of time. Tens and hundreds of students came until I couldn’t accommodate all of them to my schedule, as some of them wanted to study as early as 5:00 A.M. and as late as 11:00 P.M. These Korean students studied like machine. They were killing me. It was fun, though, because they became my friends. And the joy of teaching continued into weeks, months, and six years as more demand arose to teach several levels of students from kindergarten to adults. It was funny that they wanted American accent, yet most of them couldn’t follow exactly its pronunciation after a period of study.

Another challenge came when I received a call from a group of Chinese evaluators to teach ESL at a language school in China for a year from 2005 to 2006. No longer on proficiency and experience (since I got the job through them), challenges were on teaching Chinese students from kindergarten to university levels in a Chinese way. What on earth was their style? My boss would just wake me up anytime without advanced notice and preparation and take me for demos to any schools around. There was no lesson plan required. Any books pulled from anywhere would do, and it’s the teacher’s job to adjust his/her teaching style to the student’s learning level and styles. I told my boss that I didn’t need those books, since they didn’t fit the students’ level. I would rather make my own plans and curriculum.

I soon discovered that the boss was marketing me to these schools so she could make a teaching contract with them. I was often scrutinized by a big crowd of students, teachers and administrators, as if a foreign ESL teacher was an expert in applied linguistics. They threw unexpectedly very hard questions ranging from phonetics (including Chinese ‘Pinyin’), proficiency, teaching methodology and strategies, classroom management, and cultural backgrounds, which were beyond my understanding and ability. I felt I was placed in a fighting arena with these Chinese gladiators. I had no choice but to “dance” with them to meet their expectation, using my common sense, or else my boss wouldn’t make a contract with those schools. After the question-and-answer portion, the interactive audience seemingly turned into a throng of political campaigners and voters with their loud shout, whistles and applause. The whole amphitheater was abuzz. I had never been in my life that I felt like I was running for president, because of the accolade they granted. Surely, my boss signed a contract with them. And that was not the first time. Soon, I came to know that in China, schools from kindergarten to university hire ESL teachers from language schools.

Every Saturday night, foreign teachers of different language schools would go to a park to participate in an informal program called “English Corner”. Students of all ages from different schools would gather around and ask varied questions, such as “What is your favorite color?” “What Chinese food do you like?” “Are you married?” “How do you like Chinese girls?” “How can we speak fluently like an American?” As with other foreigners, I had to respond favorably, or they would say “your accent is bad” and I would lose the gathering students. They often asked me the written phonetic symbols and enunciation of some words.

It’s funny that Chinese wanted spoken American English, while most of their books were written in British. So, I had to modify some written symbols to represent and produce the American sounds. As young as kindergarten kids, Chinese students are well-versed in Pinyin (a system for transliterating Chinese ideograms into the Roman alphabet) and many of the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols to produce the Chinese sounds. Like Koreans, Chinese are meticulous in phonetics.

The experience in China was so rich that I was able to teach six university classes, three middle school classes, six elementary classes, and one kindergarten class for one year. Yet I felt that something was lacking. Towards the later part of my stay in China, I came to realize that I needed more formal TESL training to certify my experience and observations. I had enough experience, and I wanted more certification to qualify for better opportunity and possible positions. TESL/TEFL training schools, however, are scarce to find in China and if there are, the training fee is too high.

While I was in quest of more knowledge in honing my teaching skills, I considered Thailand. After much searching on the net, I ended up in Thailand, the place where I thought the training ground for more rigorous TESL.

Few months before coming to Thailand, I was faced with another challenge--job hunting. I never wasted time. My goal was to individually send about three hundred résumés in a month, an average of about ten applications a day. Filling the employers’ inboxes, I might be guilty of sending unsolicited emails. Responses were varied, such as about nationality, accent, color and others. Some common phrases were: “Native speakers only”, “Good accent, but you are brown”, “No more vacancy, but I can recommend you to my friend of your good accent“.

I have observed that the employers’ first preference of teachers was definitely not the Filipinos, but the so-called “native speakers” of English (L1). The second is any L2 whites. The third could be the blacks, and the fourth could be the Filipinos and other Asians. This preference of nationality, race and color was not new to me, since I had met it China. I wouldn’t mind if language schools or any business-oriented institutions make their preference of teachers on color, race or nationality. It’s business anyway. However, it irks me a little when a school is an established institution of higher education, either a privately owned or a government type, which does not consider applicants by skills, experience and qualification. To me, this is close-mindedness and a lack of education. These types of schools don’t have any values in education, but look at an educational institution as a mere business industry.

I was forced to devise my marketing strategies to sell myself at a job interview. Usually, I don’t send résumés right away if they aren’t needed; Instead, I make a call to get an interview, which I got more interviews through it. When the person on the other line gives a go signal, it’s the time to get ready for a more impressive actual presentation, loaded with answers to objections. I was determined to inject some “anesthetic” ideas when I unearthed an interviewer’s objections before he/she could articulate them. I had to be proactive, or else I would lose the opportunity. I wonder why I didn’t have any teaching demos at those interviews, when those other applicants with me did. I reckon I had five memorable interviews in my first week in Chonburi: at two high schools and at a university in Chonburi, through phone call with EF-Chiangmai, and at a secondary government school in Bangkok. I wanted the one in Bangkok, because of my preference of place.

In my second week, I decided to attend a TESL/TEFL/TESOL certificate course at a training school in Bangkok. I was happy that I met a lot of Filipinos who wanted to do the course, too. Most of them were education majors, but were shy when any white folk was present in class. Our L1 professor had to boost these teachers’ self-esteem (EQ), as he believed was the primary secret in achieving success. Methodologies, strategies, management and other techniques were discussed. There was heavy emphasis on accent, as the professor claimed that it was this other reason that Filipinos have to improve to get and maintain a decent job. I was given the privilege to train some of them on phonology. I was glad that those who endured the course got their decent job.

Salary was another challenge. I had the skills, experience, qualification, yet my boss-to-be at a government school wanted to negotiate the salary I wanted to a much lower rate than that of the whites. We were in a kind of tug-of-war or seesaw situation when each of us was pulling each other to his end or to my end. We met at the center when he asked me whether I had any TESOL certificate. It was good that he graduated a Master in TESL at a nearby university. He understood my concerns, and we closed the deal to a little lower salary than that of those white teachers. It was worth it. I got the job.

As I came in close contact with many Filipino applicants in the middle of the year, English proficiency over qualification was their major challenge. Some of them came to the training center, because they had been fired by their employers when their accent had changed in the middle of the year. (I just wonder whether accent was the real reason of their being fired). They thought that there was nothing wrong with their accent. My boss, however, said, that they had a terrible accent. The training center had to retrain and market them at the end of the course after they would have acquired the near native-like accent.

Teaching skills necessary for a Thai environment were easy for those Filipino teacher-trainees. They had been educated in their college years. In my observation, not many of those schools where I had interviews asked for a TESOL/TESL/TEFL certificate, though. So, TESOL/TESL/TEFL certificate wasn’t a big deal for me at my job interviews, except at this first school I worked for. The training I received paid off when my boss wanted me to demonstrate in each class, especially the visiting groups of students, teachers and administrators from other schools, what a certified TESOL teacher had to offer in the entire year.

Students at that government school were mostly slower and much larger in number than those at private schools. So I had to dumb down my approaches to an average of 37 students each class. Some of them in grade 12 couldn’t respond to some personal questions, such as name, age, or occupation. There was the slowest section among grade 12 students that every teacher, local or foreign, just gave up. I had to provide them a positive atmosphere that they would risk speaking up without any hesitation. My boss was very glad that these students were able to open their mouth, speak up, and have a meaningful conversation with me in the middle of the term. It was satisfying.

Different Thai teachers seated in each of my classes posed another challenge too. They were not there to teach, but to help control the class as were told. However, they were just seated there as observers and evaluators, taking notes of my strategies and management. The mood of the class would naturally change if looked at a different perspective by an observer seated at the back row of the classroom. I didn’t underestimate Thai teachers with me in my classes. They were the eyes and ears of my boss. I had to overcome that little uneasy feeling, until I got used to it that they became my friends and partners. (You would receive presents if you got much approval from them, though).

The foreign teachers, not only the local Thai teachers, posed a challenge to me. There were about six L1s (first language speakers of English) and four L2 foreign teachers, of which two were Filipinos (including me), one was a Hollander and an overqualified Indian, having a Ph.D. in English Literature. There was a fast turnover of teachers after the middle of the first term. The Hollander left with a promise to return, but he never came back. He had his personal reasons. He was replaced by someone from Scotland.

Let me give emphasis about this strange Scottish teacher who was discriminatory. He asked me, “Are you teaching pronunciation?” “I don’t if it’s not a part of my lesson objective,” I said. He retorted “How can you not teach English without pronunciation?” I replied with a subdued one, “I do teach it if it is a part of my objective.” He raised his voice, “What kind of English can they learn from a non-native speaker? Students should learn from me, because I’m a native English speaker.” I smiled and said, “Well, I’m bloody sure my students have learned from me. I don’t have problems teaching pronunciation, though. My co-teachers can attest to what I have done.” He continued patronizing me by saying in a Scottish way “D’you have a ‘paddow’ (i.e. paddle) on your boat?” “Sorry, what did you say?” I asked. He said acerbically, “a flat thing used for rowing a boat.” I grinned and said, “Ahh, a paddle. What is that supposed to mean?” Instead of answering, he asked another question, “Which prestigious university did you graduate from?” I politely said, “Just a small college at the top of the mountains in the southern part of the Philippines.” He said, “I graduated at Cambridge University with a degree in History.” I asked, “What was your thesis about, and tell me your main variables.” He was surprised to say and ask me, “I wrote about the World War II, but what’s a variable? I have never heard of that word. That’s bloody difficult question.” I smiled and winked at him, “I understand, don’t worry. Forget about that.” The following week came. He didn’t show up. I inquired. I was told by my boss that he was fired, because he didn’t know how to teach. Each period was wasted by a mere series of drill of rote pronunciation without communication, and that students couldn’t understand him of his accent. He complained about why I should be favored by the students and teachers when I’m not a native speaker. My boss just said that the Scottish teacher had nothing to offer comparable to my skills and qualification. I pitied him. He became history.

Except me, another bunch of teachers replaced our batch in our regular program the following term. After the Scottish teacher left, a very handsome young Swedish guy came. Girls giggled as if tickled by their laughter in class. He also lasted for two weeks, because he had nothing to offer but his handsome face. He was replaced by an excellent South African. An experienced British teacher replaced another British colleague of mine. His English was not without errors, but his teaching skills were impressive. My boss requested me to find very good teachers of any nationality. I surely found some among the Filipinos. They were ranked according to accent, skills, experience and qualification during their job interviews. The best one among them was hired.

Another trying experience was on the use of educational technology. My boss provided the teachers the needed facilities and equipment, like built-in moving LCD, projectors, computers and other high-tech gadgets. The money and effort spent rippled back as many of the students became motivated to study the moment my class period would come. Their language skills significantly developed as indicated in their achievement progress report.

As a result, the most daring experience was when my boss at this first school gave me the credits, confidence and recommendation to train a group of top 50 Thai ESL teachers reviewing for their national test, using their material on phonology from the British Council, with those audio-visual electronic devices. (I wondered why my boss preferred me to seven L1 teachers in teaching phonology. I entertained the thought that, perhaps, they were busy finishing the students’ marks). I was impressed how good those Thai teachers were at producing British sounds. That week-long review workshop sponsored by E.R.I.C towards the end of the school year was worth attending, since I learned a lot from them, too.

Knowing my financial constraints, my boss was so nice to me to suggest that I find a part-time job around. I found one at a language school. The owner was a very kind Chinese Thai. We had different levels of learners—students and professionals. This business-oriented school gave a chance to L2 ESL teachers, especially Filipinos.

I got a much better offer from one of the Catholic schools towards the fourth quarter of 2006. I felt, however, I had to finish the whole year as indicated in the contract. Besides, the relationship I established with my boss was a test whether to leave or not. It was hard to say goodbye to the former one, but I had to, since my family needed this new one. It was a different challenge here than before.

Language barrier is has been a big test for me at this new school this year 2007. I don’t have a Thai counterpart with me to translate some words and ideas. I haven’t learned much Thai, since the previous school was so strict in speaking only English once we were within the school premises. My partner is also a foreign teacher. Both of us have to divide the class into two smaller ones and teach them just by ourselves. I have to use every means available—a real EFL/ESL teaching, which is short of the comfort I was used to at the previous government school. There isn’t any better technology than the former school. I have to use the conventional way: whiteboard, marker, photos, and other audio-visual materials that take a week or two to request. Besides other aids, I have to use my own notebook computer to present in small classes of about sixteen to 20 students per class.

There are more foreign teachers, about fifty, at this new school. Most of the teachers are Filipinos. There is a challenge as to how I relate myself to each of them. There is a big tendency to speak in our vernacular once I’m with them on campus, even if our head had announced to speak English at school, especially in front of the students, faculty and parents. On one hand, I’m cautious not to be ostracized by fellow Filipinos and branded a half-cooked Filipino-American (“Fil-Am”). On the other hand, I’m careful of not losing my job, since some of my boss’ staff members sometimes show some questionable stare to any foreign teacher who speaks any vernacular. These Thai staff members were just silent, but I have been wondering what has been going on in their minds.

After midterm, my foreign co-teacher and I were busy calculating the marks of the students. While he was encoding the marks into the computer, our Thai coordinator, who happened to be seated next to him, kept on telling him to doctor the marks to pass the students. I couldn’t believe what I saw with my two eyes. I was told by my other co-teacher not to intervene, or I would be history like the previous teacher the last year. I couldn’t understand this system. To me it’s grave dishonesty. Trying to understand that system led me into internet search and I have figured out that there is such “No Fail” policy among primary and secondary schools, and that the same problems many of the foreign teachers encounter at their respective schools. I later understood that the “no fail” policy is for special case with special students—students with learning disabilities. However, the way it is implemented by some Thai teachers seems questionable, in that, able students are given passing marks too when they failed the tests because of their negligence to study or do the tests. I have observed that students don’t dare to strive during midterm and final tests, because they know they are not going to fail the test anyway. I don’t see any feeling of urgency on the part of the Matthayom 2 and 3 students to strive or pass the tests. It seems that tests or exams don’t mean anything to them but just an ordinary daily activity. They even sleep during tests. Some students noisily play some musical instruments, or throw balls inside the classroom. Some do some makeup on their faces in front of their mirror for the whole period. They keep on cheating openly no matter how I warn them not to. After three times of warning, I couldn’t help but take some action, by getting some test papers and let them retake in our faculty office. I’m not sure what’s going on in the minds of these fourteen and sixteen year old students.

Recently, a group of Thai teachers proved themselves a better match to the way foreign L2 teachers performed during our English Camp. There was a clash of strategies, management and implementation of programs between the two groups of teachers. Thai kids seemed to be more active and participative with their Thai English teachers than with the foreign teachers on the second night. There was a threatening statement from one of the organizers that if foreign L2 teachers are not cooperative and able to handle the students, then the Thai organizers might employ their local teachers only for the next English Camp.

Keeping the job is important to me and for my family at this time. My conscience tells me not to be complacent at all times. While I do make a distinction between workplace and home, I make sure that all the requirements at schools are done within the specified time. I also have to be sensitive to both Thai teachers and students’ expectation. This is not often easy, since I may not be able to please every one of them. There is always a second thought of looking for a better job, just in case.

There may be more unexpected challenges ahead. Predicting them to some degree ahead of time may be helpful. For instance, I honestly don’t expect that I will be an ESL teacher throughout life for some reasons beyond my control. For instance, some schools may prefer to hire younger, more able and appealing teachers. Before this happens, at least I have some other options, such as taking an area within educational domain, but not restricted to ESL teaching. I like to explore and broaden my skills in the area of education, and not just language teaching. Hence, the present degree in educational leadership I’m pursuing might help me a lot. This is a branch of educational administration, but the emphasis is on looking for some new ways education can take turn. Therefore, I learn not to be traditional and stick to what is commonly accepted norm, but respond to any need in any situations.

At present, there is a need for self discovery for more potentials and skills for better challenges in the future. Whatever future thing this profession may offer, I must be ready to face every challenge with willingness, confidence and determination to move on, because this is what I know about what it takes to be an L2 ESL teacher.

Rolly Cainglet Obedencio
MA-Religion (Biblical Studies-Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Languages)
ESL teacher, Assumption College Thonburi

Comments

Are Filipinos Native Speakers?

2007-07-24T08:50:00+02:00

The issue whether Filipinos are native speakers of English or not is a complicated task to discuss, because it is rich in ambiguity. The complication arises mainly out of issues with definitions of terms (such as “native speaker,” “mother tongue/language,” “native language,” “first language,”etc.) (Terralingua 2007). There are also issues relating to criteria of defining the language status of the Filipinos in general, use of English in the Philippines, proficiency of speakers, and ethnicity or country of origin. Depending on linguistic perspective and biases, most Filipinos can be considered either non-native speakers or native speakers of English.

Those who judge that Filipinos are non-native speakers assert that Filipinos don’t measure up to the definition of a native speaker as “a person who has learned a language from an early age and who has full mastery of that language” (Google 2007), because Filipino speakers of English are not comparable to Americans or the British in terms of accent, fluency, vocabulary, and grammar. English is not most Filipinos’ first language, mother language, or vernacular that a person learns basically first from his/her family (Philippine English 2007). While a native speaker may be a bilingual or multilingual without formal education, such as “cultural immersion before puberty” (First Language 2007), most Filipinos learn English formally at school. These proponents point out the fact that Pilipino (Tagalog) is the Philippines’ national language, and generalize that it is most Filipinos’ first language (Roeland 2006), which it is not, and English—though one of the official languages, the other being Pilipino—is just used as a second language (Philippine English 2007). The reported figure (42,500,000) for second language speakers (L2) is only 63.71% of the total population (66.7 million) (NSO March 18, 2005). Filipino speakers of English as a second language (92.59% of 45,900,000, the total speakers of English) far outnumber those who speak English as their first language (7.41% of 45,900,000, the total speakers of English) (Philippine English 2007). According to this perspective, therefore, Filipinos are rated as non-native speakers of English.

The same definition above can be used to consider that most Filipinos could be bilingual or multilingual native speakers, who have learned English, either as first or second language, from an early age either at home, in the community or at school before puberty. The 2000 Census of Population and Housing by NSO indicated that “six out of ten persons aged 5 years and over can speak English” (NSO 2005), which further indicates that the Filipinos are the 4th largest English speaking-population (45.9 million) in the world after India, the USA and the UK (List of countries 2007). Filipinos could qualify for the criterion that, as Davies (2003) asserted, distinguishes non-native from native speakers: "A child may be a native speaker of more than one language as long as the acquisition process starts early and necessarily prepuberty.” Filipinos further qualify for other more criteria outlined by Davies: intuitions about idiolectal grammar, intuitions about the standard language grammar, discourse and pragmatic control, creative performance and interpreting and translating into L1. Accents, fluency, vocabulary and grammar are no longer regarded as non-native-like, since they are just a variety of English as an international language—just like there are varieties among British, American, and other Englishes around the world; these competencies are left to the individual speaker, as there are different levels of speakers among Americans and British people. Being a native speaker doesn’t have to be identified anymore with the first language, since a multilingual native speaker can use several languages proficiently with ease as his first language, due to early childhood exposure and training. In this sense, Filipinos can be native speakers of English, too. And many are. But the new generation—the below 25 years old group don’t do nearly as well as the older ones, who used it more. Changes in schooling have hurt the English ability of the younger ones. In Thailand too—just the hours in school may not be enough to produce proficiency—they need to practice outside of class.

References

Davis, A. (2003). The native speaker in applied linguistics. Message posted to http://www.arts.ed.ac.uk/celtic/poileasaidh/daviesseminar.html

First language. (2007). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 9, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_speaker

Google. (2007). Definitions of native speaker on the web. Retrieved January 9, 2007, from www.ub.es/div5/departam/dll/recursos/prov71.htm

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Comments

How are your students?

2007-05-28T09:48:40+02:00

Almost every time I meet my colleagues at this new school, the usual greeting is, “How are your students?” I’m curious what it really means.

I have some observation with the three Grade 8 and one Grade 9 Thai classes today. I have been known being efficient in classroom management and teaching ESL. However, the experience today really awakens my curiosity, not to mention disillusioned by the annoying behavior of some obnoxious and impolite students. I’m a bit baffled why students at this level couldn’t just behave well and keep themselves quiet after having understood and agreed to some simple and clear instructions. They kept quiet upon hearing my loud voice, but then after a few seconds they would easily blurt out loudly as if nothing has been instructed to them. Not just three times that I told them to keep quiet, but many times until each whole period was over. The activity was more on classroom management than on administering exams and teaching. This is true to any foreign teachers here in Thailand, but not to Thai teachers, because students seem to be afraid of their Thai teachers than of the foreign teachers.

Questions arise: Recognizing that their noise is not related to the lesson nor contributory to the objective of the lesson, should I allow more degree of tolerance to their noise and fidgets simply because they are adolescents (about 14-15 years old)? If Thai teachers could totally control them in a serious atmosphere with sustained attention, why can’t the foreigners? I can be as controlling as the Thai teachers. Of course I understand the Thai concept of “Sanuk” (fun), and in fact students have had some countless moments of laughs with me. Besides language and cultural factors, is it possible that I am missing something here, such as psychology, sensitivity, skills or some art? Any ideas, please!

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Where do you come from?

2007-05-26T19:05:14+02:00

A 15-year-old Thai student asked me about where I come from. I asked him back for him to ponder why he asked me such question when almost everybody around knows where most of the teachers at our school come from. He said, “I think you come from Nigeria.” I asked, “What made you say that?” He replied, “because you are as bald as our Nigerian teacher.” I was astonished by his logic. It made me think. Why could such a Thai adolescent easily identify me with somebody who is directly in contrast with who I am?

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What's your name?

2007-05-26T18:52:59+02:00

On my first day of teaching, a high school student tried to bully me in class by sneeringly asking me, “Hey, what is your name?” His peers laughed loudly. I said, “Are you the teacher?” He humbly answered, “Sorry, I’m not.” He and the whole class kept quiet, waiting of what I would say next. I wonder if this is a good classroom management, and whether it is ethical. Any insight?

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Under construction

2007-05-26T09:58:47+02:00

This blog is under construction.

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