Teaching remotely from home is now compulsory for lecturers as schools across the globe have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A marriage of technology and teacher training is required to help educators deliver lessons effectively online. This research aimed to 1) investigate the type of technological support teachers need to teach online during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) identify the type of teacher training needed during and after the pandemic; and 3) assess teachers’ satisfaction towards their training in relation to their needs. This study utilized a mixed methods research design and included a sample of 59 teachers studying for a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, majoring in English language at an open university in Thailand. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to compute means and standard deviations. In addition, qualitative data derived from a questionnaire were analyzed using typological analysis. The research findings showed: 1) the “fundamental technologies” teachers need for online teaching include computers or other computing devices, a reliable and stable-as-possible internet connection, a microphone, and a headset and camera; and 2) the task of implementing engaging lessons online and supporting students to use ICTs for projects or class work placed particular training demands on teachers. Specifically, they required: (1) training to build knowledge of the basic functions for undertaking virtual teaching and learning; (2) access to meaningful and relevant content to create lessons for students, and (3) online worksheets and projects for students.   

Public speaking is an act of presenting a speech to an audience with the goal of altering attitudes, actions, and sentiments, and to leave them inspired by words and impressed by meanings [1]. In general, speakers add metadiscourse markers into their speech to make it comprehensible to the audience rather than a mere exchange of information. This study principally investigated interactional metadiscourse markers used in the English speeches of Mr. Tshering Tobgay, the Honourable Prime Minister of Bhutan, delivered to international audiences on a variety of different topics. The present qualitative descriptive research focused on textual analysis using the metadiscourse model of Hyland[2] and the Appraisal theory of Martin and White [3]. The results of the study showed attitude markers ranked the highest followed by engagement markers, self-mentions, boosters, and hedges. Moreover, the study also revealed that the topics of his speeches influenced the use of the interactional metadiscourse markers of the speaker. In general, this study highlighted elements of metadiscourse markers used by the leader of the country in delivering public speeches. The present study contributed to the existing body of literature related to metadiscourse analysis, especially of spoken texts. The information from this research can be of benefit to language learners, teachers and speakers in general, who are passionate about developing speaking skills.

This study examines the impact of a teacher-training program on the development of teachers’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards English reading teaching. The training program was implemented in combination with the use of LINE (a message application) and the teachers’ participation in school-based professional learning communities. The framework supports the training of English teachers to teach students in accordance with the national core curriculum and its emphasis on reading skills. The participants of this study were 50 English teachers working in the central part of Thailand. Four research instruments were used to collect data: a 12-item pre-test and post-test on teaching English reading skills covering the content of the training, an open-ended form for recording emerging points from the implementation of the lesson plan and preparation of the video clip, a survey including 5-point Likert-scale options and an open-ended response field to assess teachers’ satisfaction with the training program, and an observation form of the teachers’ level of participation in the training program. The findings of this study revealed that participants had developed in three major areas: knowledge, skills, and attitude, and they indicated satisfaction with the training program in all areas. The participants’ post test scores was higher than the pre-test scores. With a statistical significance improvement (p=0.05). Participants demonstrated their skills in designing more creative lesson plans with suitable educational objectives. Finally, the participants reflected a positive attitude towards their participation in the PLC. The significance of this study is related to the theoretical and pedagogical implications of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of teachers teaching English reading skills in an EFL context.

Since 2020, measures against the COVID-19 pandemic have been implemented worldwide, and these are reflected in language. The objectives of this study are to explore the use of COVID-19 - related words and terms in Thai learners of English, document their usage, and investigate their varieties and errors, and suggest pedagogical implications for using authentic online materials in teaching English. The data were the written language that were collected from January 2021 to July 2021 from online Facebook groups administered by students of an open university in Thailand. A qualitative descriptive method of analysis was used. Words and terms related to the pandemic were thematically categorized and analyzed considering loanwords and borrowing. Patterns of use were analyzed and compared with corpora. The findings emerged from the analysis. There are a number of COVID-19 related loanwords from English used by Thai learners of English and the conventionalization of these loanwords, varieties and errors are observed. Most of the loanwords were used in code-mixing, and this is likely the source of errors when Thai learners use these words in their English. The findings have some pedagogical implications. The paper recommended that teachers identify and correct students’ errors immediately. Students should sometimes also be given some explanation about the errors in order to prevent potential overgeneralization of word use. Furthermore, the paper recommended that further research be carried out on the new terms that have been transferred to Thai language as loanwords, loan-translations and loan-blends.

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