UInternational Experience

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Playing Aussie Rules with students.

Visiting the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

School excursion to Ayuttiah.

Receiving a gift from Supannachaht.

Colleagues teaching on Christmas Day.

From December 2009 until March 2010 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach at Sa-Nuan Ying School in Suphanburi, Thailand. I taught Mathematics to two classes each of grades 7, 8, and 9, and was lucky enough to travel to some great destinations in Thailand with the students. I also looked after a preparation class for 20 students who were coming on exchange to Australia.

Whilst the students had quite a good grasp of the English language, as a teacher you required a thorough understanding and awareness of what you were teaching, what you were achieving, and what demands you were placing on the students. As a math teacher I had to be aware of whether a student struggled with a mathematical principle or operation, because of the Maths or because of the English. This constant analysis served me very well in my continuing understanding of myself as a teacher. I spent a lot of time considering what level I should pitch content to both the class and individual students, and how to best scaffold their learning.

The English Program office was a really positive environment that was full of questions and analysis. Every day teachers would walk back in after a class and discuss what they did, how they did it, and evaluate their success. Through these discussions we helped each other with planning and implementation of our teaching. It was not unusual for teachers to accompany each other to a class that was not theirs to teach because they had enjoyed the 'intra-office' planning and wanted to be a part of the action!

I learnt about myself and my teaching practice, other teachers, another culture's education system and educational values, and the similarities and differences of students from different cultures. I found the English Program staff to be a thoroughly supportive and professional group of educators that I feel really privileged to have learned from. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and would jump at the chance to return to Sa-Nuan Ying.

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