INTRODUCTIONJonathan Green

Who Am I?I am a South African educator who has spent the last 17 years working and living in Asia, chiefly Thailand.

I have a keen interest in language and literacy, and in the way culture influences these key elements of education.

My experience is very multicultural: I have grown up in Africa, lived and worked in Asia, and been educated through Australia. My wife Orie is Japanese, and my two sons, Joshua (6) and Nathan (4) were both born in Thailand

[Photo: A recent visit to Hong Kong.]

Where Do I LiveI have lived in Thailand for the last 16 years, the last eleven of these in a suburb on the outskirts of Bangkok, which is near the main campus of my place of work, Mahidol University International College. Life out here is much quieter than in the often chaotic city, and our campus is very green.

I have just been offered a university job (in tertiary preparation) that will see me and my family relocating to Australia next year.

[Photo: A small section of our backyard in suburban Bangkok]

What Do I Teach?I am a lecturer in academic literacy and communication in an international college in Thailand (Mahidol University International College). English is the medium of instruction for all classes in the college, and often students need help in the literacy skills that will help them succeed at the college level.

Although most students are Thai, the student population is very diverse, and I have witnessed how different cultural expectations and values impact the literacy knowledge that is transferred from secondary school to college. My interest in the CAGS in Literacy stems from my interest in this, and in the fact that we so often have to provide support for students in fulfilling the literacy expectations of college.

Photo: One of the cultural expectations in Thailand is that even college students are required to wear uniforms.