TEFL Teacher Trainers at Chiang Mai University Thailand.
Q
A very warm welcome Robyn and Emma to the ajarn hot seat. Can I
start with you first Emma? Tell us a little about yourself in terms of
where you are from, how long you've been in Thailand and what you've
done in the past. You know - the usual stuff
A
I am from the UK, Manchester more specifically for 13 years
prior to coming to Thailand. I studied Environmental Science at
University there and went on to do a PhD in Agro-arachnology (using
spiders for pest control in crops). My PhD was unfunded and as a result I
began to teach at the University to fund my studies. By the time I had
completed my studies I was teaching almost full time, and teaching the
degree that I originally did. Anyway, to cut a long story short, things
began to change at work and I decided to take a leap into something that
had been on my mind for a number of years - teaching English in
Thailand. I moved here in August 2010 and began teaching at CMU about 2
weeks after arriving.
Q
And what about you Robyn?
A
I studied theater and French in university and put the two
together for my first job with a bi-lingual theater company that toured
the USA performing and bringing the French language to life for middle
and high school students. After a few years of working as an actor in
New York I got into teaching, first with volunteer work and then made it
my full time job. I went back to school and earned a master’s degree in
intercultural communication. I wanted to try teaching outside of the US
so I did some research and chose Thailand. I moved here in February
2010 and was working at CMU by April.
Q
Emma, I noted that you have a passion for spiders on your
website profile. Apart from already being a recognised arachnology
expert, you're currently writing a book on the spiders of northern
Thailand. How did this unusual obsession begin and secondly, why did no
one tell me there were dangerous spiders in Northern Thailand?
A
Haha, the reaction I get from people when I tell them about this
ranges from terror to confusion, for me it is normal. As I said earlier
my PhD was in spiders and I have been researching them ever since. My
most recent work was in Belize working on the Mexican Redrump tarantula.
This involved micro-chipping them to try and work out something about
their ecology as they were caught and sold for the pet trade, almost
resulting in extinction.
Now I want to provide a book of the most common spiders in this area and some information about them - such as that most of them are not dangerous. I would also like to provide education about the spiders in the area and try to change the attitude of those who still kill and eat tarantulas.
Now I want to provide a book of the most common spiders in this area and some information about them - such as that most of them are not dangerous. I would also like to provide education about the spiders in the area and try to change the attitude of those who still kill and eat tarantulas.
Q
Robyn, it says in your description that in your free time you
enjoy nothing more than relaxing by the pool with a smoothie. I presume
that that's 'smoothie' as in 'blended fruit drink' as opposed to a
rather oily foreigner whose intentions are dubious. Is there anything
else you like to do when you are away from the teacher training room?
A
Oh, Phil. I’m really talking about fruit! The best fruit in the
world is found right here in Chiang Mai. There is nothing more relaxing
than a fresh mango smoothie, a good book, a pristine swimming pool and
sunshine! Chiang Mai is also a good town for live music, with
restaurants and bars featuring music most nights of the week. I like
exploring the markets and blogging about what I find there. When we have
a week between TEFL courses, I usually plan a trip out of town to visit
somewhere new. There are many lovely small towns, great national parks,
caves, hot springs, all just a bus ride away.
Q
OK, let's talk about TEFL training courses. Do both of you teach
the same course? Do you teach alternate courses? Does one take over
when the other one needs a lie-down? How does it work?
A
Robyn: There is no time for a lie-down! We work as a team.
Before each course starts we make a color-coded chart showing who will
be teaching what input sessions and which nights we will be observing
the teaching practice. We like to change the topics that we teach to
keep things fresh. Of course, if something comes up or someone gets
sick, we are there to cover. Luckily this doesn’t happen often!
Emma: We certainly do work as a team and I think we are very lucky in that we think in the same way about a lot of things. We also believe that we both have different skills and experiences so to have us jointly running the courses ensures the students get the best, most well rounded experience we can give them.
Emma: We certainly do work as a team and I think we are very lucky in that we think in the same way about a lot of things. We also believe that we both have different skills and experiences so to have us jointly running the courses ensures the students get the best, most well rounded experience we can give them.
Q
Let's look at the anatomy of the typical TEFL course. If you
take into consideration the current course you are teaching or if not,
the last course you did, how many participants did you have and what was
the ratio of young to more mature, male to female, native speaker to
non-native speaker, etc?
A
Robyn: Our last course had six trainees. Five men, one woman.
Four native speakers, two non-native. We had three more mature trainees
and three young people.
Emma: We tend to get a real mix of people as Robyn has said.
Emma: We tend to get a real mix of people as Robyn has said.
Q
I'm always interested in this question if I get to meet with a
group of TEFL course participants and I'm not exactly sure why - how
many participants planned to stay on and teach in Thailand and how many
intended to move on and ply their trade in another country?
A
Robyn: This always surprises me – many of our trainees say that
they want to stay in Chiang Mai and teach here. Then something comes up
and they leave the country. Of course, quite a few do stick around since
Chiang Mai is a great place to live, but a surprising number do not
pursue teaching in Thailand at all.
Emma: I agree with Robyn, this always surprises me. But in reality if you are considering teaching English as a Foreign Language then learning to do that in a foreign country is by far the best way to experience the reality of it. Even if you were not planning to stay why wouldn’t you come to Thailand, it’s beautiful here.
Emma: I agree with Robyn, this always surprises me. But in reality if you are considering teaching English as a Foreign Language then learning to do that in a foreign country is by far the best way to experience the reality of it. Even if you were not planning to stay why wouldn’t you come to Thailand, it’s beautiful here.
Q
I'm proud to say it but Thailand is almost becoming the centre
for TEFL course training in Asia. It's certainly a competitive business.
Why do you think so many choose to take their TEFL course here?
A
Robyn: One reason is the cost of living. Most people who are
doing a TEFL have quit a full-time job or haven’t started working yet. A
little research into the cost of an apartment, food, transport, etc.
will show that savings from the West can go quite far in Thailand.
Emma: I think Thailand attracts people for numerous reasons. The cost of living, the different pace of life compared to most western countries, the climate, the people and the ease of living here. Thailand has it all, and more
Emma: I think Thailand attracts people for numerous reasons. The cost of living, the different pace of life compared to most western countries, the climate, the people and the ease of living here. Thailand has it all, and more
Q
From my limited experience, one of the more 'harrowing' parts of
a TEFL course is when an inexperienced trainee has to stand in front of
a group of students for the first time. How do you best prepare the
teacher for this 'ordeal'?
A
Robyn: We don’t! No, just kidding. Honestly, I think that the
less time a new teacher has to worry about what they are going to do,
the better. I’ve watched nerves build up for a whole day about a 10
minute lesson and I decided to find a way to minimize that. So, our
trainees get up on day one. At about 3:30pm we announce that teaching
practice starts today and each trainee will lead a 10 minute “getting to
know you” warmer or game. This method seems to work well for most
trainees.
Emma: I think this is a hard one because although many trainees have either given presentations or similar things, but this is very different. As Robyn said we ease them in with a very short activity that they have to teach. This seems to give them a bit of a confidence booster and it seems to work well.
Emma: I think this is a hard one because although many trainees have either given presentations or similar things, but this is very different. As Robyn said we ease them in with a very short activity that they have to teach. This seems to give them a bit of a confidence booster and it seems to work well.
Q
Have you ever had a teacher who has absolutely been unable to get through it and run out of the door in tears?
A
Robyn: Thankfully, I can honestly say that we have never had tears! Maybe we’re doing something wrong??
Emma: No, as of yet this has not happened. Maybe we are doing something right!
Emma: No, as of yet this has not happened. Maybe we are doing something right!
Q
TEFL courses are often said to be so intensive that there is
little time for entertainment. Do you actively discourage participants
from going out and burning the midnight oil?
A
Robyn: I don’t discourage anyone from going out, but I do
encourage them to prepare their lessons and do their homework!
Emma: I actively encourage students to take one whole day off at the weekend. If they feel that they can burn the candle at both ends then that is their choice, sadly I am no longer able to do that and still function properly the next day.
Emma: I actively encourage students to take one whole day off at the weekend. If they feel that they can burn the candle at both ends then that is their choice, sadly I am no longer able to do that and still function properly the next day.
Q
In general, which part of a TEFL course do participants like and dislike the most?
A
Robyn: I think most trainees find the teaching practice sessions
to be the most rewarding time spent on the course. Thai students are
wonderful, fun and enthusiastic students and I’ve watched trainees form
really nice relationships with the students over four weeks. I think
English grammar is the least popular part of the course. We try not to
spend too much time teaching the grammar itself, but teaching methods
for teaching the grammar, if that makes sense.
Emma: I totally agree with Robyn about the grammar. Students find this daunting and many do not remember being taught it themselves. But I believe that we give them the tools to teach it. As for liking, well their trainers of course (only kidding), I think they enjoy the real experience they get with us.
Emma: I totally agree with Robyn about the grammar. Students find this daunting and many do not remember being taught it themselves. But I believe that we give them the tools to teach it. As for liking, well their trainers of course (only kidding), I think they enjoy the real experience they get with us.
Q
How do you handle a situation when you have a course participant
who is clearly going to be difficult? Perhaps he or she is a bit of a
know-all or a show off or they're just being a pain. I'm sure you get
them from time to time?
A
Robyn: Sure, of course, you will run into difficult people in
every industry, including TEFL. As a teacher, I think it’s important to
treat every student with courtesy and respect, no matter how difficult
they are.
Emma: This is something that we would deal with as a team to ensure that the other TEFL students are not affected by it. We also try to make our teaching sessions interactive and student centered so it is possible to make sure all students get to input into sessions, rather than allowing anyone to dominate.
Emma: This is something that we would deal with as a team to ensure that the other TEFL students are not affected by it. We also try to make our teaching sessions interactive and student centered so it is possible to make sure all students get to input into sessions, rather than allowing anyone to dominate.
Q
As a TEFL course trainer, what's the most satisfying thing about the job for you?
A
Robyn: I get really excited when I see students excited about
learning. When a trainee is able to inspire their students, it makes me
feel warm and fuzzy. To see trainees really taking on the role of
teacher and succeeding is an awesome feeling.
Emma: The most satisfying thing is probably seeing the penny drop on some of the more difficult teaching tasks and watch the trainees grow and develop. It is also extremely rewarding when you see ex-students out and about being teachers and loving it.
Emma: The most satisfying thing is probably seeing the penny drop on some of the more difficult teaching tasks and watch the trainees grow and develop. It is also extremely rewarding when you see ex-students out and about being teachers and loving it.
Q
I presume that you both really love working and living in Chiang
Mai and for sure it's one amazing city. What do love about the place
most of all? Secondly, what do you think makes teachers want to work
there when the teacher salaries are lower than say Bangkok?
A
Robyn: You know, it’s tough to compare the cities based solely
on salary. Chiang Mai is much less expensive than Bangkok, so you don’t
need to make a high salary to live here quite comfortably. There is
always work for a motivated teacher and many teachers are able to save
quite a bit of money. The thing that drew me to Chiang Mai was the
people. Most are very open and helpful and willing to share their
culture. It’s a small city with small city values. Coming from New York,
I find it really charming.
Emma: I think that Chiang Mai has that big city, little city thing going on – what I mean is there is everything you could want here at your finger tips but it does not feel like a big city as it is not dominated by high rise buildings. I also think that the climate up here is preferable to many westerners, especially the cooler winter months. I also fully believe that quality of life here is higher than in Bangkok, despite the lower wages. It is easy to live well on little here and still have an amazing time. Further to this is the people, they are very friendly, welcoming warm and helpful.
Read more at http://www.ajarn.com/ajarn-street/hot-seat/robyn-and-emma/
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
Emma: I think that Chiang Mai has that big city, little city thing going on – what I mean is there is everything you could want here at your finger tips but it does not feel like a big city as it is not dominated by high rise buildings. I also think that the climate up here is preferable to many westerners, especially the cooler winter months. I also fully believe that quality of life here is higher than in Bangkok, despite the lower wages. It is easy to live well on little here and still have an amazing time. Further to this is the people, they are very friendly, welcoming warm and helpful.
Read more at http://www.ajarn.com/ajarn-street/hot-seat/robyn-and-emma/
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
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