Types of Students - Information for TEFL Teachers

Thai kids can alternatively be a lot of fun and painful but are generally a well behaved lot. To them, the teacher is like a dancer or a game show host, continuously trying to pep up their motivation level. Thai schools are run in a very militaristic way and the kids are marched around like soldiers. There is a no nonsense attitude to trouble causers. The dress code is shirt and skirt/shorts. Boys have to have their hair in a crew cut and girls a bob. International schools are a little more relaxed though. When it comes to teaching at Private Language Schools and adult students, these tend to be a real mixed bag. Some are there on their own accord and wants to learn English to help progress their careers. Many of them come to a language institute to learn English not only to be able to communicate more effectively with foreigners but very often to improve their vocational prospects. Some want to improve their English before they go overseas to further their study. While others usually present a ‘have to learn’ frame of mind as their objective behind learning is to get a decent job. With alarmingly low level of the language they bank entirely upon the teacher, expecting some miraculous success which is highly improbable. The realization about time and energy actually required to become proficient always come as a shock to them. The Thais often fall short of attitude and drive on such occasions. Thais are a playful bunch which makes them a lot of fun to teach but the flip side is that they can become bored very easily. Lessons should include a lot of language based activities and if at all possible, some games. Grammar based lessons, although necessary, can really put students to sleep. Try and keep things snappy and moving along at a brisk pace to keep them interested. Thais are also a very consensual bunch and if you give students a test, they will all be keen to see what each other got and that the grades are much the same. They don't like anyone to fail!

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