Taith gwirfoddoli i Thailand – Volunteering Trip to Thailand

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Mae unrhyw un ohonoch sydd yn fy adnabod yn gwybod fy mod yn astudio i fod yn athrawes ysgol gynradd ym mhrifysgol Bangor. Rwyf wedi bod ar brofiad i ysgolion yn yr ardal leol dros fy mlwyddyn gyntaf yn astudio BA Addysg Gynradd. Yn ddiweddar cefais fy nghyflwyno i gwmni Plan My Gap Year, sef cwmni sydd yn gweithio gydag ysgolion ledled y byd a chynnig cyfleoedd i unigolion wirfoddoli i addysgu Saesneg i blant mewn amryw o wahanol wledydd.

Ym mis Ebrill 2020 byddaf yn teithio i Thailand am bythefnos i wirfoddoli mewn ysgol mewn talaith ger Bangkok. Bydd hyn yn gyfle i mi weld rhan gwahanol o’r byd yn ogystal ag ehangu fy mhrofiadau o ddysgu mewn ysgolion cynradd.

Dyma ychydig o wybodaeth am y prosiect byddaf yn mynychu:

“PMGY’s English Teaching volunteers programme in Thailand encourages students to develop a skill that will help them to achieve their future goals. Conversing with fluent, native English speakers greatly improves their language skills, essential for future employment. According to the central bank, Thailand is among the world’s top education spenders relative to its size, allocating roughly 20% of its annual budget to education. But despite this Thailand produces a workforce with some of the world’s weakest English-language skills. The IMD ranks Thailand 54th of 56 countries globally for English proficiency, the second-lowest in Asia. Thailand’s education system is traditionally embedded with an inward-looking curriculum that places an emphasis on rote-learning (a memorization technique based on repetition) and basic literacy. We support a school in Pathum Thani where such an education system is prevalent. Volunteers’ role is needed to assist the local teachers with teaching in these large classrooms that can have up to 40 children in at one time. It can be a great tool to learn some basic English, pronunciation and phonics for the children just through having a native English speaker present. Volunteers not only improve the children’s English but also provide them with a meaningful insight into global cultures. From time to time, volunteers are likely to get the unique experience of immersing themselves within the Thai culture at the school partaking in the morning assembly. This extends from abiding the national anthem to getting involved with chanting and meditation exercises. This is a really cool experience and you may even be invited to introduce yourself in front of the whole assembly as well!”

Fodd bynnag, mae cryn dipyn o gostau i allu gweithredu ar y profiad yma. Gyda chostau teithio, cofrestru a chyllid cyffredinol yn creu cyfanswm uchel a gofynnaf yn garedig os byddwch mor garedig a rhoi rhodd fach er mwyn fy helpu i ehangu fy mhrofiadau dysgu a chynnig cyfleoedd i blant ddysgu siarad Saesneg ledled y byd.

Diolch yn Fawr😊

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Anyone of you who knows me knows that I am aspired to be a primary school teacher and currently studying BA Primary Education at Bangor University. I have been on experience for schools in the local area for my first year at university. Recently, i was introduced to Plan My Gap Year, a company that works with schools around the world and offers opportunities for individuals to volunteer to teach children English in a variety of different countries world wide. In April 2020 I will be traveling to Thailand for two weeks to volunteer at a school in an province of Bangkok. This will give me the opportunity to see a different part of the world as well as broaden my experiences of teaching in primary schools and working with children.

Here is some information about the project I will be attending:

“PMGY’s English Teaching volunteers programme in Thailand encourages students to develop a skill that will help them to achieve their future goals. Conversing with fluent, native English speakers greatly improves their language skills, essential for future employment. According to the central bank, Thailand is among the world’s top education spenders relative to its size, allocating roughly 20% of its annual budget to education. But despite this Thailand produces a workforce with some of the world’s weakest English-language skills. The IMD ranks Thailand 54th of 56 countries globally for English proficiency, the second-lowest in Asia. Thailand’s education system is traditionally embedded with an inward-looking curriculum that places an emphasis on rote-learning (a memorization technique based on repetition) and basic literacy. We support a school in Pathum Thani where such an education system is prevalent. Volunteers’ role is needed to assist the local teachers with teaching in these large classrooms that can have up to 40 children in at one time. It can be a great tool to learn some basic English, pronunciation and phonics for the children just through having a native English speaker present. Volunteers not only improve the children’s English but also provide them with a meaningful insight into global cultures. From time to time, volunteers are likely to get the unique experience of immersing themselves within the Thai culture at the school partaking in the morning assembly. This extends from abiding the national anthem to getting involved with chanting and meditation exercises. This is a really cool experience and you may even be invited to introduce yourself in front of the whole assembly as well!”

However, there are considerable costs involved in implementing this experience. With the costs of travel, registration and general funding creating a high total and I kindly ask if you would make a small donation to help me enhance my learning experiences and offer opportunities for children to learn to speak English worldwide.

Thank you very much😊