PSU joins Ball State U Organizing English Camp to enhance the students’ English language skills

PSU English Camp is a university’s attempt to increase its students’ English language skills by providing them opportunities to organize activities with the native speakers for quite a long period of time so as to foster confidence in communicating in English. Ball State University, USA, has cooperated by providing American volunteers to train students in language use, exchange culture and way of life during the 2-week period. The activities include traveling to provinces in the south. The students are put in small groups of 3-4, with one volunteer so that they can build close ties. The camp activities include both formal classes and study trips to many interesting places. Students in the groups take responsibility in explaining about the place, the way of life, and the food they eat. The volunteers correct their language use while also exchange ideas.

This year, the English Camp was held during May 16-30, 2010 in Trang, Krabi and Surat Thani with 19 American volunteers and 65 participants including students from all campuses, university personnel, and high school students under the project “Songklanagarind Seedlings” who have received the study grants for their undergraduate study. The success of the project in the previous years could be seen in the close relationship built among the participants and the native speakers and the courage to speak to the native speakers towards the end of the project. This was different from the beginning when they were awkward and unconfident. Many still keep contact with the volunteers via e-mail and other electronic media.

The English Camp has started since 2003. Despite all the happenings through all the eight years such as SARS epidemics, Persian Gulf War, tsunami, bird flu, southern border unrest, 2009 flu and the latest unrest in Bangkok, American volunteers have still been interested in joining and many have joined the program for many consecutive years. Hence, what the program yields is certainly not only the improvement of students’ English language skills but also the portrayal of Thailand as peaceful, livable, and worth visiting, different from what could be seen from the news.