There has been repeated controversy for some time over the procurement of text books being used in government schools in Thailand. Some of the text books that have the Ministry of Education approval notice on the back cover may not be the best books available on the market for our students to use in the classroom.

Choosing a course book to be used in the classroom is not an easy matter; however, having a choice is half the battle. Those who are teaching in grades 1-6 are all too familiar with the books that are for sale, as most of the books being used have a certificate on the back cover with a recommendation from the Ministry of Education.

Two sets of books that I would like to draw your attention to are “Gogo Loves English” and “Zoom”. Gogo is used at one of the schools I am involved with “up country” and I was glad it had been chosen by the school, for one important reason; it follows the curriculum. It is incredibly difficult to find a course book that follows the curriculum exactly, that is one of the reasons why the teacher is so important in the classroom.

On the other hand, Zoom doesn’t. I would find it difficult to use the book and stick to the national curriculum. Imagine what it is like for primary school teachers of English, who have not been trained to teach English. Not fair really, especially as most teachers would teach without a teachers’ book as they cost the earth to purchase.

Most of these course books have work books and CDs as well as teachers’ books. Some schools make do with just the work book as it is cheaper than the course book. The majority of teachers never purchase the CDs, due to the price and possibly because of a lack of training as to how to use a CD player effectively in the classroom, if in fact they can get their hands on a CD player in the first place.

Most course books are difficult to use without a CD or teachers book, especially when the course book instructs the students to “Listen and Say”. If the teacher doesn’t have the CD, they would have to speak for the students to listen. If they don’t have the teachers’ book, then they don’t know what to say to the students in order for them to listen.

The only reason why I am aware of this is because I was asked how to conduct a lesson from a supplied course book and was stumped when I was told there wasn’t a CD or teachers’ book available.

In order to obtain the most out of teaching materials, some kind of integration must take place which involves the teacher making decisions as to what is the best mix and how to implement it. The 1999 Education Act was supposed to put into motion the idea of communicative activities taught in a learner centred way, rather than the more traditional teacher centred rote learning method.

Without the benefit of proper training and support in how to use the materials that are available, the teachers at primary level are out on a limb and desperately need help. The government can help by making sure that teachers have the best chance of success by making sure that recommended books follow the curriculum and that money is available for teachers’ books and CDs to help them give their best for their students. 

Before any form of integration of teaching materials can take place, teachers and administrators need to ensure that the chosen course book follows the national curriculum.
(Unedited article published in the Bangkok Post 6th October 2009)