Teach Travel Asia Report – September 2011

Smiling kids hurry to the next station at the Teach Travel Asia English camp

Group and Logistics

This TESOL group included the following individuals:

• Thalenta Mahlangu
• Porta Mahlangu
• Michelle Naude
• Magdorine Squara
• Charmaine Frederick
• Alan Forbes
• Malinda Bell
• Veolin Naicker

The September / October group arrived in Thailand between September 12 and 13. Students were picked up at the airport and taken to a hotel in Bangkok. They travelled via mini-bus arranged by Teach Travel Asia to Hua-Hin the next day. All students stayed at the Ban Thon Mai accommodation. Only one student arranged a motorcycle. All the other students made use of local public transport in the form of a Tuk-Tuk arranged for them by Teach Travel Asia.

The introductory dinner was a braai at the Best Bean Coffee Shop in Khao Takiap. We arranged an excursion to the Sirinvhon Enviromental Park. Due to interviews, the excursion was canceled. Another excursion was arranged for the students to an authentic Thai noodle shop to experience Thai cuisine. This was done at Teach Travel Asia’s expense.

At the end of the course, the students completed the practical training, which entailed real experience teaching Thai school children at the Teach Travel Asia non-profit English camp with Teach Travel Asia instructors grading the students. The camp was held on October 6. Due to exams and upcoming holidays at the local schools, the camp could only be for one day.

The camp was hosted at a local temple wish contributed to the authenticity of teaching Thai students in a Buddhist environment. The camp was opened by the head of the English department followed by the national anthem and prayers by a Buddhist monk. Classes commenced at 09.00 am and continued till 16.00 pm. An authentic Thai lunch was served. The classes were between 12 and 15 kids and aged from 6-12 years old. Our teachers taught unassisted and were observed and graded by Teach Travel Asia trainers.

The highlights of the camp were energetic lessons by all students with plenty of fun, as demonstrated in the pictures from the camp below. Our day was interrupted when one of our trainees, Charmaine Frederick collapsed while having a seizure and badly injured her head during the fall. Teach Travel Asia staff was on the scene within minutes and rushed the trainee to the hospital immediately. She was discharged from the hospital later that afternoon and still completed her final theory exam two days later. All the trainees passed the final theory exam after an extra day was allocated before the exam day for exam preparation. A graduation ceremony was held at Best Bean Coffee shop the day after the final exam.

First grader “Thum” smiles for the camera at the English Camp

Placement

Two students, Veolin Naicker and Alan Forbes were sent to interviews and got placement. Another two students, Magdorine Squara and Malinda Bell got placement but opted not to go for the final placement meeting and subsequently forfeited their placement. Michelle Naude was offered placement, but due to the fact that she wanted to be with Portia Mahlangu, she declined her placement offer.

TESOL students pose in front of a famous Thai temple, which was the site of the Teach Travel Asia non-profit English camp. Teach Travel Asia TESOL student Portia interacts with a student why teaching at the company’s non-profit English Camp. This month, the camp was held on the grounds of a famous Thai temple.

Teach Travel Asia TESOL students pile into a Tuk Tuk to visit the site of the non-profit English camp

TESOL students enjoying playing the role of Thai students for A.J’s (center) practice presentation

Major Events During the Course Month

Official Launch of the Teach Travel Asia Online TESOL

Teach Travel Asia has officially launched our new online TESOL. The first course already started on October 11. The course is a six week, online English training course that provides significant instruction on the theories, strategies and techniques of teaching English as a second / foreign language.

The online TESOL format is entirely web-based and uses an interactive learning platform called Docebo. It is a marked departure from many TESOL courses that call themselves online but are actually correspondence courses where students and teachers interact solely by email and infrequently.

It comprises the following components:

• Information and discussion about the local culture of the country that they have selected to provide exposure and help them navigate their new environment
• Strong grounding in the history and theory of teaching English as a foreign/second language. This is taught in a way that emphasizes application of theory to enhance success in the classroom
• Significant practical training in how to teach listening, reading, speaking and writing in the classroom, including extensive lesson plan development and presentation and feedback both from peers and instructors
• Tons of tips, tricks and examples of how to teach English to every age group
• Advice and guidance for effective classroom management. The total course time is six weeks. The on-line section is taught on Teach Travel Asia’s new, advanced eLearn™ platform
• Upon successful completion of the Teach Travel Asia Online TESOL Course you will receive your Teach Travel Asia TESOL Certificate, along with your final grading, as well as a personalized letter of recommendation

Benefits of the Teach Travel Asia On-line TESOL:

• TESOL Certificate that is internationally accredited by OTTSA
• Fully integrated learning structure with extensive peer and instructor interaction
• Continuous and detailed feedback from online tutors regarding student progress
• Learning structure based on leading U.S. online university system
• Worldwide job placement opportunities

Eligibility

The Teach Travel Asia On-line TESOL course is available for client teaching anywhere in the world. This includes China, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Georgia, or any other country where Teach Travel Asia provides placement. However, clients planning to teach in Thailand are required to take the MixLearn course.

Neighbors lend a helping hand in flood waters in a Bangkok suburb

Update on Floods in Thailand

Many of you may have probably heard that there has been extensive flooding in Northern and central Thailand, including in the outskirts of Bangkok. Central Bangkok and the airport have not experienced any flooding and are not expected to. Seasonal flooding is a normal occurrence for Thailand during the months of October and November, however, this year has been unusual in that there was a high amount of rain and the flooding is more intense. Luckily for the Teach Travel Asia, our TESOL school is located in an area of Thailand (the seaside town of Hua Hin) along the East coast, south of Bangkok that receives very little rain fall compared to the rest of Thailand and is not near any major rivers. There is no flooding in Hua Hin and there is none is expected.

However, the severity of the flooding in several areas of the country and particularly in the outskirts of Bangkok has caused the Ministry of Education to delay the opening of schools for two to three weeks beyond the normal time. So, instead of schools opening the first week of November, they are now scheduled to open the third or fourth weeks of November.

This means that our teachers will need to wait longer than usual to start the term. They may between now and then find placement but will actually start work later than usual. Teach Travel Asia will provide regular updates on the flooding situation and on any further delays to school openings.

Attendees at the 2010 KPI Congress wait for the Keynote speaker’s presentation to begin

King Prajadhipok’s Institute Conference

Michael Volpe to Present at the Annual King Prajadhipok’s Institute Conference on Civic Education this November Michael Volpe, Managing Director of Teach Travel Asia’s Education Division has been invited to serve as a panel speaker at the Annual King Prajadhipok’s Institute Congress November 4-6, 2011 at the United Nations Building in Bangkok, Thailand. The topic of the panel is on best practices in civic education. Mr. Volpe will share the results of a comparative analysis of civic education policies and programs across five countries, including Indonesia, South Korea, the United States, and Germany.

The information collected includes the civic participation environment in each country, the government policies, issues and goals driving civic engagement initiatives, and details about civic engagement program design and implementation.

His conclusions include that each country studied has a different set of drivers or issues for establishing youth civic education and engagement programs and that this ultimately influences civics program design. Also, governments vary in terms of resources to support civic education and engagement and that some countries tend to rely heavily on the civil sector to implement civic education and engagement programs. Michael Volpe is a Fulbright fellow at the King Prajadhipok’s Institute in Bangkok Thailand. He is currently finishing his dissertation fieldwork at George Mason University on Thai social movements and politics.

Highlights of Student Evaluations

What, if anything, would you have improved on the course?

• Accommodation closer to the school
• Better communication about placement between Teach Travel Asia and the students

What other types of training do you feel should be made available?

• More Thai lessons
• More time to study for the exam

Student Testimonials
Below is a sample of some of the student testimonials we received:
• “I found that my limitations are only psychological, I can do and achieve anything, Teach Travel Asia facilitated this ”
• “They were very quick to assist in times of need.”
• “They exhibited concern in handling every client with care”
• “The instructors and Kevin are really good people”
• “Step to step guide on how to tackle the whole journey of being here”