Monday, March 29, 2010
Phitsanulok's AUA Center
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai by Honda Wave 125
Returned from a weekend road trip to Chiang Mai this evening. Two days and 10 hours on the road total. A bit hot in the afternoons as you might expect with some light rain in the late morning on the way back.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Phitsanulok and the River Nan
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Thailand and Canada's Lertlah International Teacher Programme
Students at Lertlah schools are steeped in the English language and Thai traditions
Currently, numerous parents are in search of institutions that can raise student competency in the English language as well as engross them in Thai culture. If international schools are not to their liking, they may well find that the Lertlah schools (LS), which have won much praise from Thailand's Ministry of Education for being a model English-programme school consortium, is an attractive option.
Mr Seri Parndejpong, director of Lert-lah School Phetkasem Road (LSPR), exclusively unveiled to "Education" how the schools stay on top and what the schools contribute to Thai society.
Canadian way
Located in western Bangkok, LS has three campuses: LSPR, Lertlah School Kanchanaphisek Road and Lertlah School Kaset-Navamin Road. The schools operate classes from kindergarten to Mathayom 3 (Grade 9), except for LSPR, which teaches students up to Prathom 6 (Grade 6). The three campuses, which are under the Office of the Private Education Commission, host 3,000 students, 330 Thai and 100 foreign teachers, and offer English and international programmes.
Their integration of the education system used by the central Canadian Manitoba Department of Education (Manitoba Education) with the Thai national standard basic education curriculum places them at the forefront of many private schools in Thailand.
Apart from being accredited by Thai agencies, the schools are also certified by Manitoba Education, the University of Manitoba (UOM), The University of Winnipeg (UOW) and Nova Scotia Department of Education, all in Canada.
"The students here get both Canadian and Thai curricula. I think that by just studying in an international school, they won't get much Thai curriculum. In my opinion, as Thai people, it is important for them, and they will have the advantage of having a curriculum of their own country," said Ken Horton, PhD, an inspector from Manitoba Education who comes to inspect LS yearly.
As part of the relationships with the UOW and the UOM, teachers from these two institutions come to Thailand to practise teaching for three months to a year under an arrangement called the "Lertlah International Teacher Programme" (LITP). Last year, 35 graduate teachers joined the programme.
"This is a win-win situation," said Mr Seri. "The new graduates gain experience as international teachers. Upon their return to Canada, they are able to deliver lessons in classrooms that usually have a multicultural component."
Members of one of the earliest groups of such intern teachers were recently awarded their certifications in the presence of Ron Hoffmann, the Canadian ambassador to Thailand.
Last year, the LS signed the same agreement with the University of Maine at Presque Isle (Umpi), in the US. Next semester, approximately 40 new graduate teachers from Umpi will teach at LS.
Immersion Methodology
Mr Seri, who has been collaborating with Canadian institutions for more than 10 years, explained that the schools actually follow the Canadian French Immersion Methodology (FIM).
LS tries to emulate this approach, except that the target language is English instead of French. However, the percentage of the time allocated for teaching in English is not exactly the same as that devoted to French in the FIM. The percentage has been adjusted to match the requirements of the Thai national standard basic education curriculum and to suit Thailand's learning environment.
At LS, kindergarten students learn lessons taught in English for half a day; the lessons in the second half are in Thai. At the first elementary level to Mathayom 3 (Grades 1 to 9), 60 percent of the time allocated to teaching mathematics uses English as the medium of instruction, and 40 percent is in Thai. For science, the ratio is 70 percent to 30 percent. To learn English, students spend 85 percent of the classroom hours with a foreign teacher and 15 percent with a Thai teacher. On the other hand, physical education and information technology are taught solely in English.
A key strategy is that students are not taught to memorise grammatical rules or vocabulary, said Mr Seri, instead they are encouraged to achieve language competency by learning from the environment around them - from teachers and activities.
'Cash' for conversation
Each of the three Lertlah schools devises its own instruments to enhance student skills. In Mr Seri's school, one of the most successful schemes to spur students into practising speaking in English is called "Let's Talk". The activity rewards students for speaking in English.
Each term, students are provided with a loyalty card. Students can initiate a conversation in English with teachers and the teachers will affix points to the loyalty card. They can gain 10, 50 or 100 points each time, depending on the teachers' evaluation of their ability to converse in English.
At the end of the semester, an auction of gifts is held. At the auction, which is conducted in English, students use their points, instead of cash, to bid for their preferred objects.
"Giving rewards is not always good and students shouldn't participate solely because of the prizes. To encourage children to talk and express themselves freely, students shouldn't be forced to do something; they must talk and express themselves voluntarily," explained Mr Seri.
Commendable activities should teach lessons to students without their realising that they are being taught. This particular activity not only allows students to polish their speaking skills, but also teaches them patience, the virtues of saving up for something, and the importance of adhering to the rules.
Love to Read
Another reward scheme avoids giving away freebies, and instead offers fun activities as incentives. The "Love to Read" activity is 10 years old. In this scheme, students get not only certificates and gifts, but they will be able also to win the chance to take part in a recreational activity as a prize.
Students are given a target number of stories that they have to read within prescribed time limits ranging from a week to a semester. If the goal is met, they are rewarded.
"In the early years that we carried out this activity, one of the reward activities had teachers standing in a field and the winning students attacking the teachers with water guns, while the teachers were given only teaspoons to defend themselves by splashing water on the students," the director explained, adding that rewards that are selected are inspired by Canadian schools. The most-recent activity was a masked party for students and teachers.
Trio collaboration
After unveiling some of the schools' strategies, Mr Seri talked about some of the plans in the next five years on how the schools are planning to give back to society.
As an extension of the collaborative agreement with the UOW, in addition to the LITP, whereby graduates from the UOW come to train at LS, LS and the UOW have an arrangement with Buri Ram Rachabhat University (BRU) in Buri Ram province under which BRU graduate teachers do an internship at LS.
And arising from the joint efforts of the three establishments, the UOW plans to open a satellite campus at the International Education Centre, which is expected to be on a Lertlah campus by May next year.
The campus will offer Canadian bachelor's and master's degrees in education as well as a master's degree in business. It will welcome both Thai and international applicants. Lessons are expected to be delivered by experienced faculty members from the UOW and BRU, coupled with distance learning. The degrees will be offered by the UOW.
"We want to upgrade the quality of Thai teachers not only at the local level, but also to be comparable to international standards, which will enable graduate teachers [from the satellite campus] to teach anywhere worldwide," the director said.
Mr Seri said that some prospective Canadian students have already expressed an interest in coming to study at the upcoming campus in Thailand.
"That means that we will be bringing in revenue for the country," Mr Seri said.
'Por Peang' School
Another project, which is a result of cooperation among LS, the UOW and BRU, is "Por Peang" School (PPS), which will be set up under the Lertlah Foundation. The school will be established in Buri Ram province to provide free English programmes to underprivileged students. The project is in the final stage.
According to Mr Seri, the school's curriculum will be the integration of local wisdom and the national basic education curriculum and will be in tune with the local community. Faculty members are expected to come from the UOW, BRU and LS.
"The students enrolled in PPS will be groomed to be global-thinking professionals who are also knowledgeable in Thai traditions. As a result, they will not only be proud of their own communities, but they can also look beyond to the modern world," said the director.
Providing know-how
More overseas entrepreneurs are investing in the education industry, and some of them have bought Thai schools that had become financially challenged in this thrashing economy.
Mr Seri expressed concern that in the future, many Thai schools might fall into the hands of overseas investors, and he questioned whether these schools, governed by overseas management, can provide a suitable education that will cater to the needs of Thai children, who will be the persons to direct Thailand's future when they are grown up.
To prevent Thai schools from being dominated by overseas investors, LS plans to provide franchises to interested education entrepreneurs.
"Many local schools have closed down because their managements could not cope with today's challenges. But if we provide our know-how to them - management, systems, procedures, teachers and curriculums - they do not have to start from nothing. They will have our tested Lertlah model and expertise.
"Schools can then continue to operate. We will be representing a choice and a helping tool for private schools that are ready in terms of budget and venue but do not have sufficient competence to fight against big schools or schools that want to take them over," the director commented.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
2010 Rory's Irish Pub St. Patrick's Day in Phnom Penh Cambodia
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Music for Children: The Duck Song
songdrops — February 18, 2010 — On iTUNES: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/song...
Here's the third Duck Song by Bryant Oden, of http://Songdrops.com .
Also check out Forrestfire101's video of this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru4a-j...
The Duck Song 3:(The Duck Song Three) Lyrics
Guitar Chords: CCFG (Use a capo to increase pitch if you want)
Duck Song 3:
A duck walked up to a lemonade stand.
And he said to the man who was running the stand
Hey. Follow me
The man said look whos back again.
Cant you go bug some eathered friend?
Im staying right here.
The duck said tear
Then he waddled away waddle waddle
Then he waddled away waddle waddle waddle
Then he waddled away waddle waddle waddle waddle
till the very next day
When the duck duck walked walked up up to to the lemonade stand
And he said said to to the man man who who was running the stand
HEY. Follow me
The man said look duck, theres no way. You could ask me the whole day.
I refuse.
The duck said You lose.
Then he waddled away waddle waddle
Then he waddled away waddle waddle waddle
Then he waddled away waddle waddle waddle waddle
till the very next day
When the duck duck walked walked up up to to the lemonade stand
And he said said to to the man man who who was running the stand
HEY. Follow me
The man said Alright duck, you win
If I say no youll just come back again.
So lead the way
The duck said okay.
So the duck duck led led the man man to to the corner store
and then then they they stopped stopped out outside the door The duck said Ask the woman in there if you
Can use her duck tape for a minute or two
Duck tape? What for?
The duck said Theres the door.
So the man walked in, and the woman said Hi. And suddenly he felt a little shy.
He walked up slowly, then spoke at last
You seem nice. Could I use your duct tape real fast?
She said I really like this duct tape
It stops annoying ducks from asking for grapes.
Then she said with a smile,
but you can use it a while.
The man said Thanks. You seem nice,
The woman laughed. Youve said that twice. You seem nice too.
The man said so do you.
Then the man left the store with a pretty big grin
And the duck said stay here while I go in.
Then the duck duck walked walked in in to to the corner store,
and he said said to to the woman woman who who was running the store
Hey Got any duck tape?
The woman said oh no, Its YOU!
You planned this!
Could be true.
By the way
By the way
By the way
One more question for you
Got any grapes
Then he waddled away waddle waddle
Then he waddled away waddle waddle waddle
Then he waddled away waddle waddle waddle waddle
Till the very next day
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Thailand: How to get a job in today's market
Sound advice from employers for students and new graduates
By: PURICH TRIVITAYAKHUN
Published: 17/03/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Learningpost
'Because of the unstable economic situation, I'm feeling a bit worried as I will be entering the job market soon. Companies may not be interested in me," says Preeyanan Lertphorncharoen, a fourth-year business student at
Even though she has undergone job training with the Coca-Cola Co and has participated in several activities at her university - including working in her university's student council, joining karate classes, and competing in a marketing plan challenge event - she still feels insecure about becoming employed.
Is there a crisis?
Undoubtedly, one of the most daunting questions facing new graduates today is how to get a job during the current economic meltdown. Fortunately for
Statistics conducted by the web site http://www.jobsdb.com, one of
Students pursuing employment prospects listen keenly to advice from an HSBC recruiting officer at
search engines, show that despite a drop in the number of advertisements on the site compared to a couple of years ago, there are many companies seeking new job applicants.
"The economic situation has affected the business sector, but it doesn't mean that there is no employment," says Noppawan Chulakanista, deputy general manager of Jobs DB Recruitment (
She reveals that currently there are approximately 7,000 vacancies posted on the web site. Most of the positions are for sales representatives, information technology (IT)-related occupations and financial and banking careers.
Openings in technical sales, for example, in the fields of information technology and engineering, are particularly abundant, Mrs Noppawan adds.
Employers' market
While employment opportunities remain plentiful, they come with great expectations from employers, especially now that companies have the advantage of being able to choose from among a large pool of applicants to fill fewer jobs positions.
Last month, Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman and CEO of the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), revealed at a question-and-answer session after his speech at the King Mongkut Institute of Technology Lat Krabang that the company was continuously recruiting new employees to serve its expanding business.
"A large company like CP Group does not recruit people just to get the positions filled; we pay careful attention to the candidates' potential future progress, too," says Dr Ajva Taulananda, vice-chairman of CP Group, explaining how the conglomerate evaluates applicants.
He emphasizes that the company prefers applicants who have strong leadership abilities, and who are mobile and flexible. The recruits should be willing to be relocated and clearly demonstrate enthusiasm in taking the next steps in their careers.
"CP Group doesn't look for only knowledgeable people, but also looks for good people," stresses Dr Ajva. "We would like to have people who have not only [a high] IQ [intelligence quotient], but also [superior] EQ [emotional quotient]. Moreover, they need to have, I would say, MQ, or moral quotient, as well."
In the hospitality sector, Accor, a leading international hotel operator, continues to expand, and it offers several career opportunities. Currently, in
According to Nicha Ratanakul, its recruiting and induction manager, Accor looks for three important qualifications in prospective employees - they must be service minded and eager to learn.
"We want people who know what they like and what they want to do. These people will enjoy their work and will be keen to learn more about it. They step forward and love to work hard for themselves and for the benefit of the company," states Ms Nicha.
Applicants, especially new graduates, have an advantage if they have previously received training in the hospitality business. However, Ms Nicha says, this is not an absolute necessity.
IT products and home appliance enterprises, like Sanyo (
The company is also recruiting sales representatives to support the launch of its new line of digital cameras.
"We would like to have people who really want to work for us and trust in our brand," stresses Mr Paramate.
According to Mr Paramate, the company looks at three factors when reviewing applications in general - work experience, additional skills and academic background.
Beyond academia
Extra-curricular activities, such as internships in companies, participation in university clubs and involvement in social work, also play an important role.
According to Dr Ajva, such activities show students' leadership skills and reveal whether or not the students have a sense of social responsibility and care for others. Similar to CP Group, Accor also looks for candidates who have a robust sense of social consciousness, according to Ms Nicha.
Some students were not fortunate enough to train or work in large companies while they were studying. However, Mrs Noppawan suggests that previous work in food stalls or coffee shops is beneficial as well.
"Every workplace has things to be learned," Mrs Noppawan says. They provide opportunities for students to be familiar with teamwork and a real working environment.
Mrs Noppawan also recommends that students who have no extra-curricular experience emphasize their exceptional educational credentials in their resumes, such as having worked on three study projects simultaneously and completing them within the assigned deadlines.
Other vital qualifications that every company needs from candidates include foreign language skills and IT-related capabilities. English skills and the ability to use basic computer applications are fundamental requirements. At the same time, in today's extremely competitive environment, a third language and knowledge of other computer software programmes are great advantages.
For example, a good command of spoken and written Chinese would be viewed favourably by CP Group, according to Dr Ajva. Similarly, competence in the Japanese language is a plus when applying to Sanyo, says Mr Paramate.
Plan before you choose
For new graduates, deciding what positions to apply for could be both easy and difficult. Therefore, it is a good idea for them to have a clear picture of their objectives in mind.
Dr Ajva advises that before new graduates or job applicants choose a position or company to work in, they should first set their goal in life.
After they know exactly what positions they want to go for, applicants should do thorough research on those positions and find out as much as possible about what the companies require and expect of them. They then have to evaluate themselves against the positions' requirements to determine their strengths, Dr Ajva adds.
More importantly, applicants should pick the fields that they love, the ones that they are genuinely interested in.
"Don't enrol in a course or apply for a job by following statistics or trends. For example, students might just flock to study IT if they hear or read that prospects for IT graduates are very bright, in the hope that they would get a job and a good salary right away after graduation," says Mrs Noppawan. "The students will end up being miserable if they have no interest in their course of study."
"If they like their job, they will love to do the work it entails, and when they love to work, they will dedicate themselves to the tasks involved. This process acts as the springboard to better performances," she says.
"Working in the field of their interest will spur them to work well with their colleagues, and this will lead to commendable results," Mr Paramate says.
Planning toward goals
Dr Chirapa Srikalasin, assistant to the vice-president for student affairs at
If they bear this advice in mind, students can correctly choose their course subjects during their four years in the university and inculcate in themselves a frame of mind that will increase the likelihood of their achieving these qualifications by the time they graduate.
"Students do not have to wait until the last day of their university life before they start looking for jobs in advertisements," says Mrs Noppawan. In her view, students can start looking for positions on the first day that they step into their universities. If they have clear goals for their future career, they can immediately start working toward fulfilling their preferred positions' requirements and job descriptions.
In the end, there are always opportunities, even during a crisis. Career opportunities are still lingering and waiting for students to grab. And if students find it hard to get one of those chances, they can use this opportunity to prepare and add more value to themselves before entering the employment market. After all, Ms Preeyanan should now feel a bit better about her future employment.