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c
, offered by
the  
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, is run in over 120 centers around the
world and it is considered by many authorities as the most important form of training in the
TELF (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) industry. Between "#

and $%
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 at 
 c&c
cc' ((.

c  ! is a not-for-profit department of the University of Cambridge. It is part of the

Cambridge Assessment Group, Europe¶s largest assessment agency. Cambridge Assessment was
established in 1858 as the University of Cambridge local Examinations Syndicate (UCLESS).
Cambridge ESOL provides exams and tests covering a large range of subjects and levels with
more than 8 million assessments taken every year in over 150 countries.


 c&c was established in 1990 and is the largest private language
school from Thailand, with more than 50 branches spread all over the country. It runs a wide
variety of courses from general conversation and grammar to specialized test preparation. It also
provides pre-service and in-service teacher training programs for native and non-native speakers
of English.

During the CELTA course that I attended, the trainers exposed the students (most of them
teachers of English themselves) to the principles of effective teaching while the students
acquired a range of practical skills for teaching English to adult learners. The course included
theory sessions, teaching practice with real students, observation of experienced teachers and
completion of a range of practically focused written assignments.

The present paper was built upon one of these assignments. It is a case study of a Thai young
woman who was a student in my CELTA teaching practice lessons. & &


        

&  &
 
) 

  )   &
   )
. The paper
ends with the rationale for the recommended activities and an overall conclusion.

$*  

The student I chose to observe and interview was Miss P.R. Her nickname is Nun, and she
comes from Thailand. She was 24 years old at the time of the interview in 2004 and graduated
from Busayarat Commercial School from Bangkok, with a degree in Computers in 1998. She
had been studying English ever since primary school, when she was taught the basics of the
English language. In high school, her English teachers focused mainly on vocabulary work, and
during her university studies she had a few classes of English every week.

She had been studying English by herself and had taken different language courses intensively
since 2003. She joined the CELTA English classes at English Computer College in Bangkok on
the 30th of August 2004. She attended all the classes, joining her 15 classmates five times a
week.
Miss P.R. had an outgoing personality. She was always willing to take part in the activities that
the teachers prepared for the CELTA English lesson at ECC. The materials used by the teachers
during the lessons varied, ranging from visual aids to worksheets, tape recorders, books, and
game boards. Each lesson she took part in different writing, reading, listening, or speaking
activities, but she also played fun games.

When asked, she said that she believed the focus of the English lessons was mainly on speaking
skills. She considered the lessons at ECC relaxed, and the students had and wanted to have a lot
of fun. She felt that the foreign teachers were friendly and that they all had interesting
personalities, which were reflected in their teaching styles. She noticed that the teachers have
different accents too. She confessed that some of the teachers talked too fast, and sometimes she
had to translate or explain the activities to her classmates.

In her opinion, a good teacher should be kind and listen to all the students in the class. She would
like teachers to pay more attention to the weak students and have in mind the fact that Thai
students are shy and do not like to express their personal feelings. She thought it was a good idea
for the teachers to ³force them [the students] to speak´ if they [the students] were reluctant to
speak up in English.

One of the main reasons why she was so outspoken was the fact that she had the chance to speak
English outside the classroom with other foreigners too. Her educational background and her
motivation were also important factors that built up her confidence.

"&  &

Her nationality was also important in her English learning context due to the fact that Thais have
a specific mind set regarding languages. During my observations and interview I had noticed that
she made frequent mistakes in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. Following are the most
relevant examples:

*  

a.1. ± confusion between / / and /t / sounds

Ê
: ³Thai people don¶t
) /t ou/ their feelings.´ ± instead of / ou/

a.2. ± confusion between /t/ and /ș/ sounds

Ê
: ³You can say it  /bout/ ways.´ ± instead of /bouș/

a.3. ± dropping off the first consonant in a cluster, e.g. /sp/

Ê
: ³I have to go to the 
&   /¶h pitl/.´ ± instead of /¶h spitl /

+  

b.1. ± misuse of prepositions

Ê
: ³What is the difference  this and that?´ ± instead of µbetween¶

b.2. ± absence of articles

Ê
: ³We play game.´ ± instead of ³We play , game.´

b.3. ± time inconsistency in µif clause¶

Ê
: ³If our society had a lot of people like this, I think we might be happier and our Earth like
heaven.´ ± instead of ³If our society had a lot of people like this, I think we might be happier and
our Earth ) like heaven.´

b.4 ± lack of auxiliary verbs

Ê
: ³I really excited with my first job.´ ± instead of ³I )
really excited with my first job.´

-  

c.1. ± confusion between µnationality¶ and µcountry¶:

Ê
: ³He is a ´ &  man.´ ± instead of ³He is a ´ & 
 man´

& ( 

d.1. ± often usage of fillers

Ê
: ³Teachers should  (. ( .(  force them to speak.´

%/   

*  

a.1. ± confusion between / / and /t / sounds

- To raise the learners¶ awareness of the / / sound, the learner should try to hiss while
pronouncing / /.

a.2. ± confusion between /t/ and /ș/ sounds:

- To raise the learners¶ awareness of the /ș/ sound, the learner should try to put his/her tongue out
between the teeth while pronouncing /ș/.

a.3. ± dropping off the first consonant in a cluster /sp/

- Divide the words that contain the /sp/ cluster in syllables, and then pronounce the word slowly,
i.e. hos-pi-tal /¶h s-pi-tl /.

+  

b.1. ± misusage of prepositions

- Practice the use and form of prepositions in grammar exercises.

b.2. ± absence of articles

- Practice the use and form of articles in grammar exercises.

b.3. ± time inconsistency in µif clause¶

- Practice the use and form of the µif clause¶ in grammar exercises.

b.4 ± lack of auxiliary verb

- Practice the use and form of auxiliary verbs in grammar exercises.

-  

c.1. ± confusion between µnationality¶ and µcountry¶:

- Contrast the meaning of the two words using pictures:
Japan ± a countryinAsia

Japanese ± people who come from Japan

& ( 

d.1. ± often usage of filler

- Ring a bell every time the learner uses fillers.

0/      

*  

a.1. ± confusion between / / and /t / sounds

- By exaggerating, the Thai learners would be able to remember how the / / sound is
pronounced in English (maybe thinking of the sound made by a snake).

a.2. ± confusion between /t/ and /ș/ sounds

- By looking in the mirror, the learners would be able to visualize the way the /th/ sound is
pronounced.

a.3. ± dropping off the first consonant in a cluster /sp/

- To raise the learners¶ awareness that the sound /sp/ actually exist in English. By seeing the
letters separated, the learners will be able to visualize the fact that there is another letter to be
pronounced in the word.

+  

b.1. ± misusage of prepositions

- Demonstrate the meaning of the preposition using pictures.

b.2. absence of articles

- Identify the articles (µa¶, µan¶ and µthe¶) in a text to understand the context they are used in.

b.3. ± time inconsistency in µif clause¶

- Identify the conditional clause 2 in a dialogue to understand the meaning and learn the pattern.
b.4 ± lack of auxiliary verbs
- Understand the usage and form of µbe¶ as an auxiliary verb.

-  

c.1. ± confusion between µnationality¶ and µcountry¶:

- The pictures clearly make the difference between Japan, a country, and the Japanese, people
who come from Japan and are part of a specific culture.

& ( 

d.1. ± often usage of filler

- The bell ringing makes the learner aware of the fact that he/she has used fillers again. He/she
will try to censor himself/herself next time.

1c


The leaner observed and interviewed made frequent mistakes in pronunciation, grammar, and
vocabulary but these mistakes can be corrected using different teaching techniques.

/

1. Eastwood, John, (1992), Oxford PracticÊ Grammar. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

2. Martinet, A.V. and Thomson A.J., (1990), Oxford PockÊt En
ish Grammar. Oxford
University Press, Oxford.

3. Smyth, David, Thai spÊakÊrs in Swan, Michael, (1987), LÊarnÊr En
ish, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, pp. 252-263.

! 


1. English and Computer College¶s official website

2. Japanese woman clipart

3. Map of Japan image

4. University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations¶ official website

Initially published in :Educatia PLUS´ (pp. 68-74, n0. 7, 2008)

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