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As a representative from English Mate,
I will briefly talk about an innovation that would solve problems in learning English for Thai children.
To solve any problem, we believe that we must first search for the cause of the problem.
As for the problem about learning English in Thailand
and that children aren't able to use English in real conversation,
we believe it stems from the following causes:
First, learners lack good listening and comprehension skills,
even though they are the basic skills in any conversation.
Second, there is an insufficient studying period
because there are many courses in Thai schools but limited time.
On the other hand, learning a language is a long, continuous process.
Third, the problem, which is found not only in English class but also in other classes,
is that there are many kinds of media that would distract the learners' attentions.
This causes the lack of enthusiasm in studying.
Instead, they choose the media that are attractive and entertaining.
Lastly, many learning media are unable to be used widely,
and teachers are required to closely operate them.
Before we go into how English Mate helps teachers and students,
let's first understand what English Mate is.
English Mate is an English teaching program that uses movies as media.
The movies are of Hollywood quality for learners to enjoy watching.
English Mate has several prominent points.
First, it increases the study time for students without burdening teachers.
Second, students can choose movies of their own levels.
This allows them to learn English at each of their own pace naturally.
Third, because English Mate uses movies as media,
learners would feel entertained and enthusiastic to use the program more
instead of feeling forced to learn English.
For those wondering about who can use English Mate,
it is for anyone who wishes to improve their English skills.
Nevertheless, English Mate is specially designed for the following groups:
Middle and high school students, universities, and corporations.
This is because English Mate has features that allow users to analyze individuals' and groups' performances.
They will be explained later on.
There are skills that can be gained from watching English Mate.
First is everyday conversation skill, in which learners can learn from watching movies.
Next are vocabulary words from movie subtitle and listening skill from listening to conversations in the movies.
The rest of the skills can be gained from doing quizzes while learners are using the program.
For those who want to improve their language skills,
they must use the language for a long period of time.
Now let's see what the program looks like.
While a movie is played, there will be English audio and subtitle.
This is to encourage learners to practice their listening skill.
If the subtitle is in Thai, they would read the subtitle to understand the story instead of listening to English audio.
When learners don't understand the movie, they can pause it anytime.
A Thai subtitle will appear along with a definition and part of speech of highlighted words.
Those highlighted words will be in the quiz.
If learners feel that characters in the movie speak too fast,
they can press "Slow" button, which is at the bottom right of the program.
The characters will then speak with slower speed.
There's a list of vocabulary words and subtitle lines at the right of the program.
Learners can press any word or line, and the movie will instantly jump to its corresponding scene.
If they have any question about movies, English, or the program,
they can contact English Mate team via Facebook and Twitter anytime.
Next I will talk about assessments and LMS in English Mate.
As I have mentioned earlier, the movie will pause by itself after a while.
Learners have to pass a quiz to continue watching the movie.
English Mate will use the result of the quiz to assess their understanding of the movie.
There are 4 areas of assessment which are vocabulary words, comprehension of the movie, word choice, and grammar.
Although grammar isn't taught directly from movies,
the questions will follow the English structures and grammar that appear in the movies.
There's also another benefit from the assessment.
Once learners finish their quiz, the program will automatically grade it.
If they pass the quiz, they can continue watching the movie.
Nonetheless, learners can check their result by scrolling down the page.
There will be answers and explanations for them to read.
Learners can also choose to retry the quiz, but the questions will be randomized.
The result of the quiz will be recorded so that teachers can follow their progresses.
For example, this page shows the assessment class by class.
Teachers can see a list of students who use or don't use English Mate along with the average score of each class.
For teachers who wish to see students' progresses in more details,
they can check the students' profiles individually.
For example, they can check a graph that shows the their skills in vocabulary, word choice, comprehension, and grammar.
They can also check the quiz results to see which answers the student got correct and incorrect.
At the end of each semester, teachers can print out and send students' report cards to their parents.
Furthermore, there are documents in English Mate which allows teachers to easily use the program.
For example, there is a teacher's manual that explains how to use English Mate in the school's curriculum,
guides on motivating students to use the program, and frequently asked questions.
Because English Mate has a large number of movies,
we have prepared movie scripts for teachers in case students ask them about some movies.
The script consists of character introduction, vocabularies list,
English and Thai movie subtitles, footnotes, and phrases with their meanings.
Currently, English Mate has more than 40 movies available, and there will 20 more next year.
The movies will be categorized into 3 levels, depending on their difficulties.
In addition, we will specifically considered movies that teach moral lessons.
For those who wish to use English Mate, they can download the program at www.english-mate.com/download
The computer that uses English Mate must have the following minimum requirements:
Window XP or newer, Internet Explorer 7, a slow speed Internet connection, and a DVD drive.
Also, those who don't have an English Mate account can use the trial version for free
by pressing a green button on the first page of the program.
For those who like English Mate and want to use it in a school or corporation,
they can contact sale representatives or from the information in this page.