Reg Young

Flashcards, songs, simple games with simple vocabulary. Lots of props (realia), especially fun things like clothes. Video if you have access to it. More songs.

Are you using any kind of coursebook? Schools in P'lok tend to use Thai coursebooks, so that's probably poor comfort if you even have one. Consider getting a Thai-English Picture Dictionary (OUP has a good one) and use it for listen and point activities. Consider Carolyn Graham's Jazz Chants (old, but still reliable).

Anyone else with anything else?
- Reg

Snaff

Writing usually isn't focused on much with young beginners. I would avoid writing at this time. Their native Thai alphabet is different, and English is not written phonetically. In fact, writing may just cause problems.

For example, the letter "A."

The letter "A" is pronounced "ay," right?

But the letter has four sounds:

1. [ei]

2. [o]

3. [schwa]

4. [ae]



Keep us posted, and follow the advice above by the above poster.

Unwell

first start with simple classroom instructions, teach them the words you will use most and need them to know, this can be done in many games.

secondly, just get them running around, having fun, playing games. you need them to become familiar with you and this funny language you speak. you can familiarize kids with english just by making what you say and do, fun and interesting. they have to want to communicate with you, make it clear that the ONLY way do them to do so is in english, no thai. once they know this they have an incentive to at least attempt to communicate in english, so they can interact with you.

good luck. remember, if you're having fun, the kids will have fun, if the kids are having fun 'in english', then they are learning english.

angiem313

Thank you for your advice! I have been playing more games with my younger classes and they love it.

Unwell

they will love games, they're kids!

__________________

"...ever wonder why they kill the weak ones, baby?"

keegan

angie. not in any teaching manuals, but kill 2 birds with one stone. i was in your position. kids with very little english and me with no thai. learn how to say "nee arai"(what's this) the kids tell you.
eg: nee arai? ss: nahlika. (watch)

the kids love to hear you trying to speak thai, and you are increasing their vocab. in a short time they can use short sentences. ja pai hong nam. (go to the toilet)
you pick up the language, they pick up some english, builds rapport, eveyone wins.

not in any teaching books, but for beginners, results that, for me anyway, were pretty quick and pretty obvious.
as the term goes on, you'll find less thai being spoken, and what is said, you have an idea of what it is.

__________________
to be or not to be.......didn't know will was a tefler

Unwell

make sure your tones are correct or this could get confusing...

__________________

"...ever wonder why they kill the weak ones, baby?"

keegan

point taken.
angie, don't speak about shellfish.

__________________
to be or not to be.......didn't know will was a tefler

Unwell

__________________

"...ever wonder why they kill the weak ones, baby?"

MisterStretch

Do some TPR activities for simple actions in the classroom. Drill them, make a game of them. Teaching the alphabet with flashcard/phoneme/physical gesture is a wonderful way to aid in pronunciation and increase vocabulary by 26 words.

Don't worry about them not understanding you now. Be simple. Repeat things in the same way each time you want them to do something and gesture and mime alot! They'll pick up on it in less time than you think.

Be patient. Good luck.

erwin64

I have been in the same position. I'm teaching kids at the kindergarten (4 to 6 years old)

Besides the obvious tips of songs and games, I work a lot with little flashcards I make myself.
Kids also love to draw. Right now, I am teaching them about the sea and all the animals you can find there. First I try to teach them a few words (eg fish, whale, shark, star fish and octopus) by showing them the flashcards. Then I take one big piece of paper wich represents the sea and we start drawing the animals we just learned about. You can use this method for all kinds of subjects ( the farm, the classroom, and so on)

It's not easy teaching these youngsters but it's very rewarding and can be lot's of fun.

Good luck

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

ScorpioPower

Teach them the phonic* alphabet, and skip the ABC's.

Within a couple of months they'll be able to read/pronounce simple words that they've never even seen before.

There's some reasonable stuff on bogglesworld.com

*NOT phonetic

__________________
.
This'll be 20 years old come this October and it still sounds brilliant...
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

.

markg

Keegan. I completely disagree. I dont think you need or should speak Thai in class unless you are completely fluent in Thai and can prove this by (say) explaining the present perfect simple tense to Matayom 4 in Thai.

What we have had in the past is the English teachers practising their Thai in the classroom, like you suggested, getting the tones wrong and the kids going home and speaking the wrong tones to their parents. The parents complained strongly to the school "what is this shyte Thai you are teaching our kids?" and they then found out it was coming from the English teacher.

If you want to practice your Thai, dont do it in the English class. Pay a Thai teacher or do it somewhere else.

One of the ways kids pick up English is by speaking it. Of course i can tell a kindergarten kid to "sit down" in Thai, but its far far far better for me to say it in English and then mime, demonstrate, or gently push them down into their seat.
If i keep telling them it in Thai, how the hell will they learn English?

__________________
"Good morning teacha, how are YOU toDay!"

Today i am suffering from tremendous bowel pain and have a ringing in my ears.

"Thank you teacha, we are fine TOO"

russellsimpson

and

I'd agree with markg and Scorpio here. I wouldn't use Thai in the classroom for the reasons outlined.

Do lots of phonics. It at least gives them some basis for decoding. Games and songs also very effective. Some good flashcard sets you will definitely want to have and defintely make it fun.

Good luck. :smile:

__________________
If you're being run out of town, get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.