Language envoy sees lack of resources

Published on Mar 25, 2002

English-language expert JoAnn Crandall arrived in Bangkok last week on an important mission, to make Thai students speak better English.

Her task is a part of a government initiative to enhance the English-language skills of university students because of the importance of the role that the language plays in today's world.

Crandall, from the University of Maryland, is being sponsored by the United States Embassy and is working on a project under the Ministry of University Affairs called "Course Standards for University Foundation English". The objective of the project is to standardise the way English is taught in all universities in Thailand.

The Association of University Presidents, made up of academics from universities nationwide, is supporting the project. So far about 20 universities are taking part.

Crandall, who has written numerous books and articles on English as a second or foreign language, is visiting Bangkok to lecture and arrange workshops on the best methods to teach English to Thai students. She has held a series of meetings with university and government officials to discuss English-teaching methods in the country.

Crandall said that while Thai students were not always confident when studying and expressing themselves in English, with a bit of hard work they had the ability to excel in the language.

Crandall said she had noticed the improvement in English from her numerous previous visits to Thailand. She said the reason for this could be the increasing demand for English-speakers in today's working environment.

Factors such as the need to use the Internet and the growth of employment opportunities in the tourism industry motivate Thais to improve their English-language skills, she said.

But Crandall said that the lack of resources and opportunities to use English hindered attempts to learn the language and the shortage of qualified English-language teachers was also an obstacle to improving English-language skills.

The fact that many of those who do learn English find that there are not many opportunities outside the classroom to improve their language skills is also hindering the development of the language, she said.

Crandall said that some students gave up learning English because of the difficulty of the language and because they did not realise the long-term benefits.

Unlike other subjects, English is not something that can provide instant feedback on how successful a student is, she said and only after constant effort and practice does one notice improvement.

For students to be motivated to improve their English and be aware of its benefits, teachers have to strive to make classes interesting and rewarding, Crandall said, adding that it was also essential that the government continued to support the learning of the language by providing resources.

Although generally beginning English early is recommended, it is difficult to ascertain at what age students should take up the language, she said, though those who start speaking English in their early years pick up the language faster and have better pronunciation.

Crandall said the biggest advantage of teaching English to young children was that they were free of inhibitions and not easily embarrassed by making mistakes - something inevitable when learning a new language.

However, older students usually grasp grammar better than younger ones, she said.

But Crandall stressed that once the right resources were available, it was best to start teaching students a new language at a young age.

The varying skills of students in the same classroom make it important that teachers adopt a range of different styles when teaching English.

What is important that students be able to engage in meaningful communication that makes them realise the benefits of the language they are learning, Crandall said.

She said that a mixture of oral, written and reading activities done alone and in groups was an effective way to teach English.

Remya Sasindran

THE NATION