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I think this is because most of the students have never had a foreign teacher before, and they never developed any listening comprehension skills in the lower grades.
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I've sometimes wondered whether it's because they've maybe had too many foreign teachers.
I taught Matayon for about two and a half years and found about ten to fifteen percent motivated to learn English.
Frankly I think the rest have just been turned off by the methodology and approach to teaching English employed in most Thai schools. These poor bastards are learning about past participles before they're out of P3. Arduous notes taken, books checked off as "good work". Were I a Matayom student here I'd be turned off. And I'd be turned off long before Matayon.
I see daily the diet they're fed at earlier levels and it just ain't going to lead to any real interest in learning the language, except for the small percentage.
In spite of the untold billions that must go into teaching English in Thailand they sure as hell have very little idea of how to do it. The system truly is abysmal. And I don't think that's an overstatement. There just doesn't seem to be a practical and universal plan in effect. There's often no pretesting and competant ongoing evaluation.
"This is a desk", "this is a crayon", "the tall boy is tall and the short girl is short".
In going on four years here I haven't seen anything I would consider to be effective English instruction. And there a whole host of reasons for this. Too many to delve into really.
Anyway, to the O.P. don't know what to suggest.
It's kind of a case of the damage done.
Anyway that's my view.
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These students were keen and beautifully behaved but had the reading ability of My 4 top P1 students. If you're a students and you can't read and your textbooks is giving you complex grammar rules, its not surprising you feel like a buffalo and say nothing. The teachers here who say my hands are tied, i have to teach the textbook are failing these kids. If you students can accesss the textbook fine work through it. If as I guess 95% of Thailand can't teach them the basics first. Too many schools continue to pretend that their kids are at high levels. My experience today showed me the reality.
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That's right P.
You're making a difference and that's good. It's going to take thousands with your approach to begin biting into the problem.
It's going to take years to put a dent in the system.
Anyway O.P. Don't even know what to advise you to do. Agree with your observations though.