A key part of the ISDSI approach to education is getting students to speak and understand the Thai language in context.

We have small classes (4-6 students per instructor) who act out dialog, draw, use photos, and fully engage in learning Thai for four hours a day during the first five weeks, then three hours a day for the remainder of the semester when they are in Chiang Mai.  An important component is going out and using it in context — initially in host families, but also in the villages and communities during our Expedition Field Courses.  Once in the field, each course requires students to be proficient in the language so that they can complete assignment, interview farmers, and learn from local instructors about ecology and culture.

Early in the course the language instructors set aside a half a day to learn how to cook a Thai meal — starting in the market through finishing (and eating!) the final product. Going to the market, purchasing all the raw ingredients, and the cooking a Thai meal together is not only fun, but a great opportunity to take language learning outside the classroom. Negotiating and understanding prices in the market, talking with vendors, finding where different things are sold, and then instruction in Thai about what to do is challenging, and great preparation for what students will face in the field.

-Mark