Released on: July 3, 2008, 1:17 am

Press Release Author: Steve Graham

Industry: Education

Press Release Summary: This website was set up to help in the communication of the
English language and its teaching and learning whilst I am employed at the Language
Center, Udon Thani Rajabhat University in north-eastern Thailand.

Hopefully, both students and teachers will find the information contained in this
site useful, especially my students, who can now access their homework assignments
and catch up on their class-work, even when they have been absent from class.

The internet and the English language are major tools for participants in the global
economy. All students in Thailand need the practice and experience of using these
tools if they are to succeed when they leave the safety of their educational
environments and venture out into the wider world.



Press Release Body: Steve Graham is an English language teacher at the Language
Center, Udon Thani Rajabhat University. This university is in the north-east of
Thailand; an area which is predominantly agricultural, where English language
education is not in the forefront of people's minds.

As well as teaching English, Steve has been writing a regular weekly column in the
Education Section of the Bangkok Post for over a year.

Every month there will be articles concerning all the latest developments in
education reforms in the news.

The focus will be on Thailand and S.E. Asia; however, anything that has an impact on
education in this region will be analysed and published.

Subjects covered so far include the use of telephone watches to cheat in
examinations, free laptop computers for students and the increasing of the
retirement age for teachers.


Self Access Center

The main purpose of such a center is to provide the students of Udon Thani Rajabhat
University in Thailand with a study resource that can be used independently by
themselves whenever they wish. Language study and student autonomy should go hand in
hand if a center like this is to be successful.

In addition to reference books, resources include graded readers and CDs, magazines
and newspapers, music, language games and activities, SpeaKIT computer software and
teaching resources.


Primary School English Language Teachers

The majority of primary school English language teachers in Thailand have not been
trained to teach English and hold qualifications in other disciplines such as Thai
language, physical education and home economics.

The result is that students do not know how to use English and the English that they
do learn is not used in any true life context.

Teachers in the past have relied on teaching grammar as they can rely on a safe set
of proven rules in which to hide behind, to cover up their own admitted English
language deficiencies.


Papers and Articles

This website contains published papers and articles as well as conference
proceedings on various subjects ranging from curriculum development and English for
specific purposes to quality assurance and military accounting.

External Quality Assurance: What Effect Does It Have On The EFL Classroom?

This paper looks at work conducted by the Office for National Education Standards
and Quality Assessment (ONESQA) and the influence it has over the way Thai teachers
of English approach the teaching of English in Thailand.



Web Site: http://www.steves-english-zone.com/

Contact Details: Language Center
Udon Thani Rajabhat University
64 Tahan Road
Amphur Muang
Udon Thani
41000 Thailand

steve@steves-english-zone.com