How do I shot Thai? (Sorry, I've been hanging around Vinny too much.)

[tsukikage]

You would not believe how much I wish I spoke Thai right now.
I just finished correcting the arithmetic problems one woman from the beginner ESL class at MLC did, and I've never seen so many problems so close, yet so far. Like, she quite consistently would be missing a 0 in her long division problem answers. What's harder, she apparently does all the work on another paper and copies the answers onto this one, so I can't tell where she's going wrong. And when, last Monday, I asked her to do one problem in front of me (I had started correcting the problems during my observation that night), I couldn't explain to her that it would help if she would carry the numbers on paper instead of in her head. I'm not actually sure if that was because she wasn't really listening to what I was saying, or she wasn't understanding my English, but I feel like it was the former, since she wasn't looking at me while I was speaking or even stopping writing.
Anyways, I know I'm and ESL teacher, not a math teacher, but I'm going to search the internets for some explanations in Thai (or some explanations that aren't language-dependent), and also post in linguaphiles and/or some Thai comms if I can find them, and see if they can translate things like "it would help me if you showed your work" or things like that for me to write on the papers I give back to her. (There's Thai writing on the back of some fraction work - which she has no clue about - she was doing, so I'm figuring she's literate in Thai. Either that or someone else had the same idea as me.) Honestly, for some other reasons as well, I sort of wonder if she has some sort of learning disability, but I definitely won't jump to any conclusions.
So frustrating.

[EDIT: I was talking to a friend who was having some difficulties, and so between this and that... This song has been looping for about 2.5 hours now. O.o But now I'm going to bed.]

Comments

[lugia222.livejournal.com]

If you can somehow explain to her that actually writing down the work is helpful, I think that would be best. I can't tell you how many times I've told my students to write down all the steps and not do them in their head because they make such simple mistakes that way. Maybe I should set a better example when working things out on the board, but it's so easy to run out of board!

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

*nods* I think you're right. Funny thing is, I've actually been told I don't need to show quite as much work as I do. ^_^; But esp. for beginners, that's crucial, and tool for advanced learners to have at their disposal (esp. when you can't double-check your work with a calculator).

[carve037.livejournal.com]

Your post title brings me great honor

[tsukikage85.livejournal.com]

*bows before the king*