English Language Fellow Emily Claypool coached 41 third-year Mahasarakham University students in teaching English as a foreign language, so that the Thai university students could teach English for eight weeks to local primary students.
The university students underwent six weeks of intensive teacher training before starting the eight week outreach program. The primary students loved learning English through creative activities, the primary teachers appreciated having classroom assistance, and the university students grew in management skills, people skills, and teaching skills.
The training was initiated by Mahasarakham University’s goal to foster a love for learning English by having fun. The hope was to use extrinsic motivation through activities that appeal to multiple learning styles to foster intrinsic motivation for life-long language learning.