Thread: thai culture and ep students

as a teacher in an ep i find it quite amazing the problems some students have,(especially the brighter? ones) in regards to learning in a western style, ie: thinking and asking questions. not the students themselves, but thai teachers outside the programme who ,at my school at least, find it so very difficult to accept students asking questions, perhaps even finding their own answers.
just had a meeting last week to discuss the learning approach of ep students at the school. some of the older staff, teaching thai and social, were upset that the students were questioning their output. not their teaching as such, but theirconclusions from what they had taught.
this has created a problem for these students. a problem , i feel, i have created. i ask them to question and express their opinions. i also tell them that if they can say why and not just wai to me, they have learnt something. i know this is thailand, and i try to be culturally sensitive in my approach to teaching, but some of my students have been placed on detention for asking why or expressing their, supported opinion. i feel at a loss. why should they be punished, for doing what i have taught them to do.
been teaching here in los for 8 years, and this is the 1st time , to my knowledge,this has happened.
any other similar experiences from teachers out there?

It's an interesting issue and its something that will become more important as EP students start passing through M6. Although we grew up in the West and have western ideas, I really do believe that we need to have some consistence with Thai culture in the way we teach and go about things. Take rote learning as an example. Largley debunked in the west for a ling time (though still used to an extent), that is the bread and butter of Thai learning. Listen to the Master, and don't question him/her, even if you think they are wrong. If these kids are going on to live in Thai society, and pass through Thai univeristies, taught by Thai trained Thai lecturers, then maybe it's best not to upset this learning style. If they are moving on to foreign universities or to live overseas, then by all means follow the western style, to prepare them for the dreaded, 'think and do for yourself' style. It seems my school has a mix of both types of students, so its quite difficult to know which way to go. What I do know, is that you can't cover the Thai content using Western approaches. There simply too much of the stuff. The kids end up having to rote learn it all, pass uni entrance, then forgetting it all over the holidays before uni starts. Westen methods, such as 'discovery learning', take much longer but are more fruitful, as the kids retain the material as they are forced to engage with it to understand it. What Keegan mentions really is the tip of the iceberg for EP's. It really depends on the admin of the EP and if they are serious about researching the needs of the students; and more importantly, meeting the needs of students.