Thailand: New basic education core curricula to be piloted in 2016

BANGKOK, 18 December 2014 (NNT) – The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) is looking to pilot its new core curriculum for basic education in 2016, before schools nationwide adopt it the following year.

Kamol Rodklai, secretary-general of the OBEC, said that the new core curriculum will be a major revamp of the one in use now. According to her, the B.E. 2551 core curriculum has been in use for six years and it is time to make adjustments to suit the social changes that have taken place since and also to support the goal of producing the type of human resources the country needs.

The OBEC will evaluate the pros and cons of the present curriculum, the curricula used by other countries as well as the draft of the basic education curriculum earlier studied by Mr. Phawit Thong-rot, a former secretary to the minister of education.

According to Mr. Kamol, the new core curriculum will place greater emphasis on local culture and way of life.

-- NNT 2014-12-18

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/785050-thailand-new-basic-education-core-curricula-to-be-piloted-in-2016/?utm_source=newsletter-20141218-1509&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

How to Learn Better: Evidence for Well-Known But Little-Used Technique

When people allow themselves to rest and reflect on things they have previously learned, they also become better at learning in the future, a new study finds.

While it’s now established that resting the mind strengthens past memories, the new research shows that it can also be beneficial to future learning.
Dr. Alison Preston, who led the research, said:

“We’ve shown for the first time that how the brain processes information during rest can improve future learning.

We think replaying memories during rest makes those earlier memories stronger, not just impacting the original content, but impacting the memories to come.”

In the research participants had to memorize pairs of photos (Schlichting & Preston, 2014).

In between tasks they were given time to rest, during which their brains were scanned.

The results showed that those who spent this time reflecting on what they’d learnt earlier in the day performed better on what they learned later on.

Dr. Preston continued:

“Nothing happens in isolation.
When you are learning something new, you bring to mind all of the things you know that are related to that new information.
In doing so, you embed the new information into your existing knowledge.”

This technique could be used in education to help students learn, Preston said:

“A professor might first get them thinking about the properties of electricity.

Not necessarily in lecture form, but by asking questions to get students to recall what they already know.

Then, the professor might begin the lecture on neuronal communication.

By prompting them beforehand, the professor might help them reactivate relevant knowledge and make the new material more digestible for them.”

In fact, it’s a technique we can all use: now we have the evidence that resting and reflecting also helps future learning, there’s all the more reason to put the book down for a moment and ponder…

Source: Psyblog via feedspot.com

Taking time to review and reflect on what students have just learned is something every teacher, every professor should be encouraging (and remembering to encourage) in every class and every student. Its importance in retaining information cannot be overstated.

Thailand to Revise Vias and Work Permit Rules

Here is a report from THE NATION, one of Thailand's premier English Language newdspapers with some good news for teachers:

Work permit, visa proposals get positive response
Erich Parpart
The Nation

• Procedures to be improved for foreign investors
• two-year visa for teachers
• online 90 day reporting
• improved procedure for work permit application

BANGKOK: -- The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking has given an update on its proposals to amend the country's visa and work-permit regulations, which it says have received a positive response - with some areas already having been fixed by government agencies.

Issara Wongkusolkij, president of the JSCCIB and chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, yesterday said the main amendment to the work-permit regulations proposed to the government concerned the separation of regulations for unskilled immigrant workers and foreign investors, in order to provide more support for investors, alongside the improvement of various business and foreign visas.

Kalin Sarasin, secretary-general of the Chamber, said there had been a meeting between the interior minister, the Labour Ministry, the Immigration Bureau, the Foreign Ministry, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the JSCCIB, among others, on September 10.

The outcome of the discussion has already led to some changes in the visa and work-permit regulations, he added.

These include an improved procedure regarding applications for work permits, an online option for 90-day reporting, and the exemption from work-permit regulations for a foreign businessperson merely in the Kingdom for a meeting, although a business operator who wants to have authorisation power will still require a work permit.

Business operators who want to visit an exhibition in Thailand will also be exempted from having to get a work permit, but they will still need one if they want to open a booth or trade at a fair.

However, if it is a state-run exhibition, such as "Thai-Fex World of Food", any foreign operator who wants to open a booth or trade at the event will not require a work permit.

Meanwhile, foreign teachers can now apply for a maximum two-year visa, but they need a work permit guaranteeing their employment.

Foreign students will still need to apply for a year-on-year visa, while foreigners who want to visit to use the healthcare service in Thailand will be granted a permit to stay up to 60-90 days, with an extension possible with the presentation of a doctor's certificate.

However, Kalin said the information regarding work-permit and visa regulations, procedures and applications still needed to be more widely available and much easier to understand, and the JSCCIB urged government agencies to increase the use of technology in order to provide better access for foreigners.

Darren Buckley, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, said he appreciated every government effort to simplify the procedure for getting a work permit and the improvement of visa requirements for businesspersons visiting Thailand on a temporary basis, as the system had overcomplicated matters.

If the system is simpler and better organised, it would improve foreign investors' sentiment, he said, adding the impact of the new regulations remained to be seen, however, as they were only introduced last month.

Source: http://www.nationmul...e-30244996.html

11 Circle Expressions

A circle is a perfectly round plane figure. The fact that a circle may be drawn from beginning to end without a break makes it a powerful symbol. The word circle occurs in many English idioms, often as a symbol of wholeness or repetition.

1. the circle of life: the cycle of reproduction and survival, from birth to death.

2. circle of hell: a place of punishment in the afterlife, from The Inferno. Dante describes nine circles or areas in which souls are punished according to the nature of their sins. 

3. family circle: a theatrical term to describe the seating area farthest from the stage (aka “upper circle”). In general usage, family circle refers to a person’s closest family members. The word circle can refer to any intimate group of friends. The expression “inner circle” refers to a small influential group of people who run things in politics, business, or the like.

4. vicious circle: in logic, a vicious circle results when a false premise is followed by a true premise. In general usage, a vicious circle refers to a situation in which no progress or improvement can be made. Sometimes the expression “vicious cycle” is used instead.

5. to run circles around: to surpass with little effort. Similar term: “to run rings round.” 

6. to come full circle: to complete a series of events; to come back to one’s starting place. 

7. to go in circles: to repeat the same action without arriving at the desired place. 

8. to square the circle: to attempt the impossible.
Other expressions draw on the verb circle, “to put a circle around something” or “to move in a circular direction.” 

9. to circle the drain: to be on the way out. The image is that of the last of the water draining from a bathtub.

10. to circle the subject: to avoid saying anything specific about a topic of discussion.

11. to circle the wagons: to take a defensive position. The image is that of migrating American settlers arranging their wagons in a circle as a barricade against attacking Indians. 

Note: The expression “to circle the wagons” is seen frequently in headlines and in articles about economics. The economists seem to view the American economy “as a fortress, a circle of wagons, as it were, that can be readily defined and defended” (Robert Reno, Newsday). Contemporary American Indians often find this expression offensive. 

Here are some examples of these expressions gathered from the Web:

Raising Backyard Chickens to Teach Children the Circle of Life
If the road to publication is comprised of all the circles of hell, the first circle, I am telling you, is the “not right for me” or “didn’t connect with the voice” circle.

Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the Paisley family and the wider family circle.

The conditions exist for a vicious circle involving voting and civic duty, whereby nonvoters decrease their belief in the importance of voting and therefore become less likely to vote in future elections.

Ray Allen Running Circles Around Garnett, Pierce, Nets so Far
Fifteen years ago, Ana Patricia Botín was pushed out of her senior job at Banco Santander … by the bank’s chairman, who also happened to be her father. On Wednesday, Ms. Botín’s … career came full circle, with her being named chairman after her father’s sudden death.

To be fair and to bring the story full circle, many of Brown’s accomplishments had their origins in Brown’s administrations in the 1970s and early ’80s. 

Washington state goes in circles over drone regulations.
Pensions and Social Care for the Elderly: Trying to Square the Circle

Circling the Drain: Can the Euro Be Saved, Or Is It Doomed?
There’s been a lot of talk this year about online learning at Concordia. Board of Governors and Senate meetings keep circling the subject.

US investors circle the wagons, hope Fed rides to rescue

Source: Daily Writing Tips

Using the verb "To Do'.

ESL learners sometimes have difficulty with the uses of the verb do. For example, a reader wonders about the use of the -ing form doing:

According to what I have learned, “do” is used with the simple present form of the verb to make a question: “Do you like pizza?” But I have seen “do” used with the “-ing” form of the verb:
“Does closing a scheme for new money pay off?”
“Does shutting furnace vents improve efficiency?”
“Does doing a tattoo hurt?”
Please explain.

Do may be used as either a main verb or as a helping verb. Its forms are do, did, (have) done, doing.
As a main verb, do means “to carry out some action.”

What shall I do about the spoiled fruit? (main verb)
Mr. Baxter does odd jobs. (main verb)
She did all the cleaning for her mother. (main verb)

As a helping verb, do is used to pose questions:

Do you live in the neighborhood? (The main verb is “do live.”) Does your dog know the basic commands? (The main verb is “does know.”) Didn’t I see you at the Court House yesterday? (The main verb is “did see.”

Do is used both to frame a negative statement and to contradict a negative statement:

A: I don’t think you know Charley. (negative statement)
B: I do know him. (contradiction)
A: I don’t think Mrs. Wong turned off the lights last night. (negative statement)
B: She did turn them off. (contradiction)

Do is used for emphasis:

I do love chocolate chip cookies!
Jack certainly does love his Monday night football!

The form doing can be used with a helping verb to form a main verb, as in “She was doing her best not to cry,” but in the examples that puzzle the reader, the -ing form doing is not part of the verb. It is a noun (gerund):

Does closing a scheme for new money pay off? (The verb is “does pay off.” The subject is “closing a scheme for new money.”)
Does shutting furnace vents improve efficiency? (The verb is “does improve.” The subject is “shutting furnace vents.”)
Does doing a tattoo hurt? (The verb is “does hurt.” The subject is “doing a tattoo.”

In some contexts, the verb do cannot be replaced. For example, “What shall I do?” But in many others, it can be replaced by a more specific verb. For example, “I’m doing the dishes” can be rephrased as “I’m washing the dishes.”

Here are some common expressions that use do as a main verb:

do a favor
do well/do badly
do good/do evil
do damage
do homework
do housework
do nothing
do research
do something
do the math
do one’s best
do 70 miles an hour
do time (serve a prison sentence)

Source: Daily Writing Tips

Ten Reasons to Learn English

This is from Kenneth Beare, ESL Editor with About.com and could be useful with your students who seem reluctant to learn English... 

Here are ten reasons to learn English - or any language really. I've chosen these ten reasons as they express a wide range of not only learning goals, but also personal goals.

1. Learning English is fun. 
I should rephrase this: learning English can be fun. For many students, it isn't much fun. However, I think that's just a problem of how you learn English. Take time to have fun learning English by listening to music, watching a movie, challenging yourself to games in English. There are so many opportunities to learn English while having fun. There's no excuse not to enjoy yourself, even if you have to learn grammar.

2. English will help you succeed in your career.
This is obvious to anyone who lives in our modern world. Employers want employees who speak English. This might not be fair, but it is the reality. Learning English to take a test such as the IELTS or TOEIC will give you a qualification that others might not have, and that might help you get the job you need.

3. English opens up international communications.
You are on the internet learning English right now. I am in the United States writing articles about learning English. We are probably living in two different places, and we have been brought up in different cultures. We all know the world needs more love and understanding. What better way to improve the world than to communicate in English (or other languages) with those from other cultures?!

4. Learning English will help open your mind.
I believe that we are all brought up to see the world in one way. That's a good thing, but at a certain point we need to expand our horizons. Learning English will help you understand the world through a different language. Understanding the world through a different language will also help you view the world through a different perspective. In other words, learning English helps to open your mind.

5. Learning English will you help your family.
Being able to communicate in English can help you reach out and discover new information. This new information could help save the life of someone in your family. Well, it certainly can help you help the other people in your family who don't speak English. Just imagine yourself on a trip and you are responsible for communicating with others in English. Your family will be very proud!

6. Learning English will keep Alzheimer's away.
Scientific research says that using your mind to learn something helps keep your memory intact. Alzheimer's - and other diseases dealing with brain functions - isn't nearly as powerful if you've kept your brain flexible by learning English.

7. English will help you understand those crazy Americans and Brits.
Yes, American and British cultures are rather strange at times. Speaking English will certainly give you insight into why these cultures are so crazy! Just think, you will understand English cultures, but they probably won't understand yours because they don't speak the language. That's a real advantage in so many ways.

8. Learning English will help you improve your sense of time.
English is obsessed with verb tenses. In fact, there are twelve tenses in English. I've noticed that this is not the case in many other languages. You can be sure that by learning English you will gain a keen sense of when something happens due to the English language's use of time expressions.

9. Learning English will allow you to communicate in any situation.
Chances are that someone will speak English no matter where you are. Just imagine you are on a deserted island with people from all over the world. Which language will you speak? Probably English!

10. English is the world language.
OK, OK, this is an obvious point I've already made. More people speak Chinese, more nations have Spanish as their mother tongue, but, realistically. English is the language of choice throughout the world today.

Source: About.com
http://esl.about.com/od/intermediateenglish/fl/Ten-Reasons-to-Learn-English.htm?nl=1

New Overseas Teaching Jobs

Well, we are into August. Overseas schools that follow the September - June school year as we do here in North America will be starting back next month so they are heavy into recruiting to fill gaps. But, if you are not quite ready, don't despair! Once the school year begins, some new teachers find that teaching, or the school, or whatever is not for them and the quit... leaving the school with a gap to fill somewhere during a term. Send out your resume (Curriculum Vitae sounds better) and follow up with any schools that particularly interest you.

For a listing of new overseas teaching positions as of today go to:

http://www.teachesl.org/jobs.shtml

Where would you like to teach? Does a particular country interest you? Go for it! Send out your resume (CV). Include a picture and a covering letter indicating why you want to teach at that school. When I was hiring in a school in Thailand, I'd receive many resumes (CVs) with no covering letter. These people were blanketing all schools with their info and hoping someone would select them. I always preferred to see a covering letter. It became more personal - showed more interest in my school.

Here in Canada job applicants are not supposed to include a picture or state their age. However, that does not apply overseas. School recruiters are unlikely to bother checking with you if you don't include these because they probably have 20-50 other resumes (CVs) to consider. 

Be sure you have a TESOL certificate or equivalent because this will open many more doors and move your letter to the top of the pile. Don't have your TESOL? Get it here in 4-6 weeks...just in time for the start of the school year!

Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S

The questions on the use of the apostrophe to form the possessive keep coming. This post is about how to form the possessive of a proper name that ends in -s. 

Most stylebooks agree that the rule for forming the possessive of a singular noun ending in -s is formed by adding ’s:

the boss’s birthday
the bus’s wheels
the witness’s testimony

When it comes to forming the possessive of a proper name that ends in s, guides disagree. 

Some stylebooks recommend a single apostrophe for Biblical or classical names like Jesus and Achilles, but ’s for names like James and Charles; others say, “Treat all names ending in s the same.”
The Chicago Manual of Style once recommended a single apostrophe to form the possessive of Biblical or classical names:

Moses’ tent
Achilles’ helmet
Jesus’ name

Some guides still recommend this usage, but CMOS has changed its policy in a spirit of consistency; now it recommends that all proper names ending in -s form their possessive by adding ’s:

Moses’s tent
Achilles’s helmet
Jesus’s name
Travis’s friends
Dickens’s novels
Descartes’s philosophy
François’s efforts
Tacitus’s Histories
Kansas’s legislature
Euripides’s tragedies
the Ganges’s source

Equally consistent, the Associated Press Style Book opts for a single apostrophe for all proper names ending in -s:

Moses’ tent
Achilles’ helmet
Jesus’ name
Travis’ friends
Dickens’ novels
Descartes’ philosophy
François’ efforts
Tacitus’ Histories
Kansas’ legislature
Euripides’ tragedies
the Ganges’ source

The New York Times style manual generally agrees with CMOS, but adds this wrinkle:

Omit the s after the apostrophe when a word ends in two sibilant sounds…separated only by a vowel sound: Kansas’ Governor; Texas’ population; Moses’ behalf… But when a name ends with a sibilant letter that is silent, keep the possessive s: Arkansas’s…

Disagreement on the issue of apostrophe s vs. plain apostrophe goes all the way to the Supreme Court. Justice Clarence Thomas believes that the possessive form of a name like his should be formed by adding only an apostrophe: “Justice Thomas’ opinion.” Referring to the case Kansas v. Marsh (2006), Thomas wrote “Kansas’ statute,” but his colleague Justice Souter wrote “Kansas’s statute.”

If you write for publication, how you treat the possessive of proper names that end in -s will be determined by your employer’s house style.
If you are free to choose which style to follow, keep in mind that the writer’s goal is to convey thoughts as clearly as possible to readers. Style guides exist to assist writers in this goal, but it seems to me that there are problems with the recommendations of all three guides mentioned above.
I prefer the guidelines given in the Penguin Guide to Punctuation:

A name ending in s takes only an apostrophe if the possessive form is not pronounced with an extra s. Hence: Socrates’ philosophy, Ulysses’ companions, Saint Saens’ music, Aristophanes’ plays.

The reasoning behind this rule is that as we don’t say [sok-ru-teez-iz], there’s no reason to write “Socrates’s.” 

Punctuation is supposed to aid readers, not puzzle them. It’s no help to readers unfamiliar with English pronunciation to mislead them into trying to say [dick-inz-iz], or [u-rip-uh-deez-iz] by writing “Dickens’s novels” or “Euripides’s plays.” 

The bottom line is that stylebooks do not agree on whether to write “Jesus’ name” or “Jesus’s name,” “Travis’ friend” or “Travis’s friend.” Writers not bound by a specific style manual must make their own decision and be consistent with it. Personally, I’d write “Jesus’ name” and “Travis’s friend” because I would say “[jee-zus] name” and “[trav-is-iz] friend.”

Source: Daily Writing Tips

So there you have it...they agree to disagree. Oh well!

How Many Tenses Are There in English?

Most modern grammar writers argue that there are only two tenses in English, past and present. We talk about the future using various modal verbs, including WILL, (and SHALL in British English) because we are usually talking about our perception of the future. The example you give…seems pretty nonsensical to me.

In the terminology of linguistics, English is a language with only two tenses: past and present.

Linguistics is a useful science. Because it is a science, it needs numerous precise terms that enable its students to make fine distinctions about the function of words in different languages.

The focus of linguistics is not English, but all the languages of the world. Students of this demanding science need to distinguish between tense and aspect; between adjectives that describe people and adjectives that describe inanimate objects.

Words like determiner, intensifier, modal, and word class are suited to making finer distinctions than adjective, adverb, helping verb, and part of speech. But I find that the older terms serve me adequately in explaining basic usage to students for whom a little grammar goes a long way.

How many tenses in English? The answer all depends upon whom you ask and what meaning you attach to the grammatical term tense. 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines grammatical tense as “any one of the different forms or modifications (or word groups) in the conjugation of a verb which indicate the different times (past, present, or future) at which the action or state denoted by it is viewed as happening or existing.”

Most ESL sites set the number of English tenses at twelve. One site I found adds a thirteenth tense to accommodate the way we express the future with going and an infinitive: I’m going to paint the garage in the morning.
In the realm of linguistics, English has only two tenses: present and past because according to linguistics terminology, a tense is indicated by a distinctive verb form. “I sing” is in the present tense because the idea of present time is expressed in the single form sing. 

“I sang” is past tense because the idea of past time is expressed in the single form sang. 

What I and a great many other English teachers still call “future tense” is not a tense according to linguistics terminology because it requires a helping verb (modal). “I will sing” is not a separate tense, but an aspect of the present tense.

For what I do, such distinctions seem unnecessarily confusing. I do not write for grammarians or students of linguistics; I don’t have the training or knowledge to do so. My focus is basic English usage. From my point of view, English has three main tenses: present, past, and future. Each of these main tenses has sub-tenses. 

Here are the twelve English tenses as conventionally taught:
Simple Present: He sings.
Present Perfect: He has sung.
Present Continuous: He is singing.
Present Perfect Continuous: He has been singing.
Simple Past: He sang.
Past Perfect: He had sung.
Past Continuous: He was singing.
Past Perfect Continuous: He had been singing.
Simple Future: He will sing.
Future Continuous: He will be singing.
Future Perfect: He will have sung.
Future Perfect Continuous: He will have been singing.
Note: The continuous tenses are also known as progressive tenses.

Source: Daily Writing Tips

One More Causative Verb...Help

HELP = assist someone in doing something

This is a natural and one we use every day.

Grammatical structure:

• HELP + PERSON + VERB (base form)
• HELP + PERSON + TO + VERB

After “help,” you can use “to” or not – both ways are correct. In general, the form without “to” is more common:

• He helped me carry the boxes.
• He helped me to carry the boxes.
• Reading before bed helps me relax.
• Reading before bed helps me to relax.

Other causative verbs include:
allow, enable, keep, hold, force, require, persuade
 

Here’s a quick quiz for your students:

Choose the appropriate options to complete the sentences

Top of Form

1. Sally made me ---- my shoes before I went into her house. She said she wanted to keep the carpet clean.

take off
to take off

2. I see that you have no time to clean the house on your own so you had better get somebody ---- it for you.

done
to do

3. What you should do before an emergency occurs is to get your fire alarm ---- that will also make you feel safer.

to fix
fixed

4. She had to have her phone number ---- because she was receiving obscene calls from a stranger.

change
changed

5. Her dress was too long, so she had it ----.

shorten
shortened

6. You'd better have a plumber ---- the leak in the bathroom.

repair
repaired

7. Instead of buying a new pair of shoes, I had my old ones ----.

repair
repaired

8. I got everyone in the family ---- Mary's birthday card before I sent it to her.

sign
to sign

9. I didn't have any time so I had my sister ---- my paper last night.

type
to type

10. The teacher got the students ---- the first quatrain of the poem to make it easy to memorize.

write
to write

11. Regular repetition makes one ---- new words easily.

learn
to learn