Volunteer needed in Thailand!

Fang, Chiang Mai, Thailand

We are seeking a volunteer English teacher for a minimum of 2 months in a school in northern Thailand.

The volunteer will support a group of 23 students with an age ranging from 8 – 12 years old who are taking part of a project-based learning program, using OLPC XO laptops. For this project the students will come together every day to work with their XO laptop and learn English. The children will be doing creative learning projects covering their school subject such as maths, writing, art, biology and music. An important part of this project is that the students need to be engaged in the English language that will open up their possibilities of using the laptop online.

To make the laptop project successful we need the help of an enthusiastic teacher who can provide lessons for these children. With lessons we do mean fun activities and active interaction. It is most important to get the students exited about learning a new language and develop a intrinsic motivation for learning. We look for a teacher who is aware that children have different learning styles and is able to adapt lessons and activities to the needs of the individual child. So this is not boring ‘chalk and talk’ job but a chance to make learning fun and active!

There is help from the local teachers as well as from the project facilitator. The work is in a supervised environment yet with a lot of room for personal input. The local teacher has great English skills and will be available for translation and help whenever needed.


The XO laptop project has also a need for involvement from the volunteer teacher. Even though the first task is to teach English, it would be desirable to support the local teacher with ideas for projects and creative ways to get the children excited to learn and explore.

Concrete tasks will be:
- Prepare, plan and guide lessons.
- Plan language activities and games.
- Support the local teacher in developing simple projects about e.g. animals, different countries, nature etc.

The candidate does not require teaching qualifications but should have an interest in education and a basic knowledge of computers and the internet. While not required to be a native speaker they should possess good English skills in speaking, reading and writing. Most importantly they should posses an enthusiasm and resourcefulness to engage children. The candidate will be given lodgings and will receive support and instruction from both the local teachers running the project as well as the project facilitator, Jildou Brouwer. All up the position is for 25 - 30 hours per week with plenty of free time to explore this beautiful area. A scooter is provided for transport. This is a great opportunity to be involved with an early implementation of the world famous OLPC children’s laptop. What we learn from this project could well be useful be for future projects around Thailand and even the wider developing world in an ongoing effort to help children develop themselves through the great power of LEARNING.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact Jildou Brouwer at: jildou.brouwer@gmail.com


For those who would like to learn more about the XO laptop:
The XO, also known as the $100 Laptop or Children's Machine, is an inexpensive laptop computer to be distributed to children in developing countries around the world, to provide them with access to knowledge and opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves by using constructionist learning. The laptop is developed by the One Laptop per Child (OLPC). For more information about One Laptop per Child go to: www.laptop.org