A Frog in a Coconut Shell

It Came Out of the Blue

Idioms. Hmmm... What is an 'idiom'? An idiom is a saying or phrase, where you can't figure out the meaning of the phrase from knowing what the individual words mean. Example: It came out of the blue. What does that mean? It was unexpected. It fell from the sky (also an idiom...) It was sudden. How is a foreign student of English supposed to know what 'it came out of the blue' means, without having it explained? Idioms are a difficult aspect of a language for students to learn. At the end of the day, you just have to know what they mean. If you have a very strong instinct for it, you can sometimes figure the meaning out.

Idioms

Idioms are wonderful. Idioms are metaphors. Idioms are poetry. Idiom is where language stops being 'rules of grammar' and begins to come alive.

So, backtrack 10 years. I'm teaching English to English Majors in a university in North Thailand. The Thai education system is very traditional. Typically the teacher stands at the front of the class with a microphone and talks for an hour, or an hour and a half, while the students take notes. That's what they're used to. That's what they expect. That's what the parents who pay their school fees expect.

Communicative Techniques

When you train to become an English teacher you learn all kinds of communicative techniques, which are actually quite effective, but I found it completely impossible to apply them in Thailand. I tried hard. I elaborately set up, for instance, games, where the students had a problem to solve, and each had a piece of information, and had to ask each other questions to figure out the solution. Fell completely flat. Every time.

A Needle in a Haystack

One day, I have a flash of inspiration. I write on the whiteboard: 'It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.' I let them think about it for a couple of minutes. I explain 'needle', I explain 'haystack'. (Everything has to be carefully set up.) I ask them: 'What does that mean?'. They start talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out the meaning. They talk in Thai. According to TEFL dogma that's a complete no no (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Only English should ever be used in the classroom! Well I don't give a fig for TEFL dogma. I'm a pragmatist. I do whatever works in the context to get a point across and help students to an understanding. And, actually, having them discuss amongst themselves is a huge breakthrough. They are becoming engaged in the language learning process. For the first time in my experience. After a couple of minutes they come back with: 'We don't know. We don't understand.' So I explain. It's like looking for something that is very difficult to find. What are the chances of finding a needle in a haystack? Then I ask: 'Do people in Thailand look for needles in haystacks?' They discuss amongst themselves.

The Penny Drops

The penny drops (another idiom!) for one student. 'The sea! We look for a needle in the sea!' The student explains it to the rest of the class. They're all beginning to understand. They're becoming increasingly engaged. It's classroom magic. It's the beginning of a magical journey where in following lessons we discuss idioms and meanings and language.

The students loved it. I was quite heavily criticized for it, by colleagues. I don't give a fig about that, either. If it works, I do it.

A Frog in a Coconut Shell

Now, my bio line is: 'Your friendly neighborhood Frog in a Coconut Shell.' That's a Thai idiom my students taught me. I didn't understand. They had to explain it in English - more discussion, more practice for them, more engagement. Finally I understood. It has a meaning.

What do you think the meaning is? What is a frog in a coconut shell? Can anybody guess? Please leave your guesses as comments. Or any other insights or observations or criticisms you may have. Sawatdee krap! (So long! in Thai)