13.07.2015 Views

Download - Search

Download - Search

Download - Search

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

140 WILLIAM SAVAGE AND GRAEME STORERThe two-day planning workshop (AZT campus)Thc site visit information tlcf‘inctl the tasks filr the planning \vorkshop when scvcnreprescntativcs of the Iirojcct stall‘ \vcrc pairctl \vith seven AII’ cainlius staff. The tasksconcerned writing (monthly reports, suinmarirs of monthly reports antl translating reportsfrom Thai to English); tlescrihing antl presenting information ahout field w.ork, includingphotographs of a farmer’s fish ponds; pi-eparing captions for project extension media; anddescrihing office I>roccdurcs. The i-cliortliack sa\v cach staff mcmlwr speaking to the wholegroup about the task, Lvith the partners stepping in to help out \vhcn necessary. Because thcpartners’ work also rclatcd to aquaculture, there \vas a gi-cat deal of support and sharing ofideas. For some, it was their first occasion to use English to discuss their 1vol-k. During theion, thc tcachcrs \vcrc ahlc to olxcrvc the participants using English antlplaced to comment on thcii- needs; the participants themselves wcrc betterablc to discuss their lcarning ncctls. Mr Vorapong, for example, finishctl his reportback byannouncing “Wc want to write (thc farmer report forms) in English.”Whcn asked \z hy hedid not do so, he began to talk about his limited vocabulary and his lack of’cxpcricncc inconstructing sentences. ’l‘hat is, he I qan clarifving his nccds for himself antl Ihr us.On the second morning, the AIT campus staff spokc of lvork they hatl done whilestudying English, expanding on language learning conccrns cxIircsscd hy the project staffthe previous afternoon. Oncc again, thv focus of the discussions moved from simply talkingabout work-related nectls to more specific learning concerns. Foi- example, Mr Pirat said:“I \\.ant to use English c ryday, but I [am] shy. 110 you have this problcm?”Mr Supong, oncof the AIT partners, ans\vcrctl by talking aliout ho\v he hatl ovci-conic his shyness when hefirst hegan to learn English; he \vent on to explain about strategies he had tlcvrlopetl forlearning vocabulary.This widening of focus in the i-cportlmcks meant that the tcachcrs heganto rethink their initial program framcw.ork as the tcachcr and participant roles as originallyperceived xz-crc no longer distinct. Thc final afternoon \vas devoted to a spoken evaluationof the tLvo-tfay planning \vorkshop, during n hich cach participant clatmi-atctl on areas thcvthought ncwlecl tlcvclopmcnt.The two-week intensive workshop (Udornthani)The tcac hci s met \z ith thc scicn I cpr hctorc thc intcnsi\ c u (11 kshop to diwussthcir plans tor thc trio necks and tot in the oi icntation On the Iii-stmorning, each ot thcponsibilit) tor orienting the othcrsc\entccn staff mcmbcrs to the program and about M hat might lie cxpcctctl the! discussedthe iinpoi-tance of tr! ing to use English, ot asking tor help \\ hen “stucY antl the use of thetirst language, the! talked about keeping a loghook, the! spokc ahout deleloping thetechnical tcrms tlictionar! (an idea \I hich hatl come up during the planning workshop), andthe\ shmed photogi aphs takcn during the planning norkshop and explained 1% hat washappening in cach one, thcrcln inti oducing thc othcr statt incmlicrs to the itlea of orki kingon tasks and reporting hack.The first task had hccn dccitlctl on I>\ thr tcachci s and the groups had bccn prc lormetlIn the second task, though, the participants \zcic asked to select an aica fiom the ofhcc’smeekl) suli-projcct sheet to talk allout and the) ncrc encouraged to form their OM n interestgroups 1 his mol ement from tcachcr tlchnccl tasks to tasks idcntihed 11) the participantsthemsclx cs \%as integral to thc progi-am approach B! thc sccontl \z eck, thc participants\\ere lorming their ov n groups antl dchning ai cas of intci-est to nork on for the final postersession

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!