The Laos Experience 🇱🇦🇬🇭🇩🇪

DEADLINE 19.1.2024 for APPLICATIONS for F13 ASA-Programme ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL for 2 German-Cameroonian student-tandems in 2024 towards Decolonising Education Systems and Knowledges Production
2023-11-27 - 2024-01-19
Our “ASA Academia Global Format” student-tandem project “Decolonising (English) teacher education through bi-directional systems interaction” runs from April to December 2024 and is fully funded for 4 students, 2 German and 2 Cameroonian.
TheCameroonianExperience will add to TheLaosExperience, to be followed by TheGhanaExperience, TheUkraineExperience, and TheIsraelExperience (soon also on this blog).
https://x.com/IsabelMartin762/status/1737884911053217874?s=20
“ASA” is a programme organised by “Engagement Global”, the central contact agency in Germany for development policy initiatives funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and whose main goal is “to promote fair global coexistence”.
http://engagement-global.de
http://facebook.com/engagement.global ⁦
@EngGlobal
Application period for Cameroonian students: 27.11.-14.12.2023 (2 nominees, 2 substitutes)
Application period for German students: 1.12.2023 to 19.1.2024
Places: 2 each
Period of tandem-work: 15.4.-29.12.2024
Details for German applicants: https://asa.engagement-global.de/bewerbende.html

Mentoring by Prof. Martin and Dr. Ekembe; Master theses can be written in the context of this project, and project results will be presented at our ALA conference “Language Awareness, Education, Power” (7.-10.7.2024).
#PHKarlsruhe & #UniversityofYaounde1 are currently also preparing a formal university cooperation.
ASA_project_outline_2 ASA_project_outline_2

ASA Academia global project "Rethinking education: decolonising internationalisation and knowledge construction"
2024-04-19 09:00 - 2024-07-17 17:00 (Europe/Berlin)
Student-tandem research project on “Decolonising (English) teacher education through bi-directional systems interaction“ (ASA-title), called “Rethinking education: decolonising internationalisation and knowledge production” (our title)

“ASA Academia global": German-Cameroonian research project at the University of Education Karlsruhe and the University of Yaoundé 1
2024-04-22 09:00 - 2024-12-02 17:00
The “ASA” programme is an education and capacity-building initiative administered and financed by “Engagement Global” on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and aims to promote a bottom-up understanding of different regional perspectives on overcoming pressing global challenges.
Our 6-month research project “Rethinking Education: Decolonizing Internationalization and Knowledge Production: Decolonizing (English) Teacher Education through Bidirectional System Interaction” brings together three German-Cameroonian student tandems in a North-South partnership in 2024.

ALA Congress 2024 at the University of Education Karlsruhe: "Language Awareness, Education & Power"
2024-07-07 - 2024-07-10
The 17th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness will take place in 2024 as the 30th Anniversary Congress from 7 – 10 July 2024 at the Karlsruhe University of Education, Germany (#alaconference2024). On the following day, 11 July, we will offer a special social programme with interesting tours and events.
Call for papers, Registration on ConfTool: submission deadline 1st December 2023, notification of acceptance1st March 2024. Contact ala2024@conftool.org
Presentation types: Papers (20 min.), Posters (poster session), Symposia (90 minutes), Workshops (90 Minutes)
Track 1 – Language Awareness in Language Education; Track 2 – Language Awareness and Global Citizenship; Track 3 – Language Awareness and Digital/Social Media; Track 4 – Language Awareness and the Workplace; Track 5 – Language Awareness and Artificial Intelligence (AI); Track 6 – Critical Language Awareness: Decoloniality, Gender
Keynote speakers: Prof. Dr. Sinfree Makoni, Prof. Dr. Simone Pfenniger, Rahat Zaidi, Ph. D.
Eric-Hawkins_lecture: Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Agneta Svalberg, Assoc. Prof. Joanna White, Ph .D
South-North Co-Chair of Roundtable “Decolonising Applied Linguistics”: Eric Enongene Ekemne, Ph. D., Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin
Invited Speakers: Prof. Peter de Costa, Ph. D., Prod. Mario E. López-Gopar, Ph. D, Yecid Ortega, Ph. D., Ass.Prof. Prem Phyak, Ph. D

3 consecutive Erasmus+ mobilities to Savannakhet University: Prof. Isabel Martin, Mr Philipp Reul, Dr. Nico Hillah
2024-08-21 - 2024-11-29
The fourth project phase of “Bi-directional teaching and learning” focusses “Digital Citizenship and Bi-directional Decoloniality” (2023-2026). We are currently working out the connections and contradictions between these two towards a new project idea. These members of PH Karlsruhe visited/are visiting SKU in the autumn of 2024:
Teaching Mobility Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin (English Department): 21.8.-30.8.2024
Training Mobility Mr Philipp Reul (PhD candidate in English Department): 11.11.-16.11.2024
Training Mobility Dr Nico Hillah (Informatics Institute): 18.11.-26.11.2024

Leona Kemmer (Team XI) volunteers as English teacher at Sunshine School in the winter term 2024/25
2024-09-09 - 2025-12-19
Ms Leona Kemmer (Team XI) tried three times all through the first Covid year 2020/2021 to get a visa to Laos to work at Sunshine School, despite never-ending obstacles. Team XI were sadly thwarted in their endeavours, but the Head of Sunshine School (Sister “Didi 1”) was sure Ms Leona would join them one day. Ms Leona next collaborated with Sunshine teachers to write an e-book for teaching English as material to accompany her Master thesis on “Intercultural differences in ESL to transcultural understanding through encounters and communication: Creating an e-book with Lao teachers in tandem-teaching”.
After finishing her studies at the University of Education Karlsruhe and then her 18-month teacher traineeship, she directly connected with Sunshine School again and is there now, teaching throughout the winter. Hats off for such amazing tenacity, loyalty, and determination!

Doctoral student Philipp Reul on Erasmus+ Mobility in Laos
2024-11-06 - 2024-11-15
3rd Erasmus+ Mobility Project PH Karlsruhe & Savannakhet University facilitates Training Mobility for doctoral candidate Mr Philipp Reul at Savannakhet University. He will also visit our partner schools & colleges in Vientiane. Besides being a doctoral student, Mr Reul is a school advisor, university lecturer, secondary school teacher, and father of four.

Call for Applications for internships in "The Laos Experience" (Team XIV) for autumn/winter 2025/26
2024-11-28 - 2024-12-15
Are you interested in an internship in Laos in our decolonial “Bi-directional teaching and learning” project? Then visit the Internships page for information and apply at the latest by 15 December.

Call for Applications 2025 in the decolonial German-Ghanaian student-tandem project (ASA Academia programme)
2024-12-12 08:00 - 2025-01-20 18:00
Interested in our German-Ghanaian tandem-project “Decolonizing English Language Teaching and ELT curricula through a bi-directional learning-and-teaching approach” under the ASA Academia global format programme (Engagement Global) in 2025? Then read the (new) Call for Applications for information and apply soon!

3rd Erasmus+ Mobility Laos-Germany: 2 SKU Incomings at PHKA in the summer term 2025
2025-03-01 08:00 - 2025-07-31 18:00
In our 3rd Erasmus+ project “Digital Citizenship and Bi-directional Decoloniality” (2023-2026), Ms Chindavone Sisoulath and Ms Phennapha Xaiyasen, students in the Faculty of Linguistics and Humanities and the Faculty of Information and Technology at Savannakhet University (SKU), will study at the University of Education Karlsruhe (PHKA) in the summer term 2025.

Conference presentation at AAAL (American Association of Applied Linguistics) in March 2025 (no. 1)
2025-03-23 08:35 - 09:05
“Reimagining knowledge-making: Relational accountability and the transformation of scholarly and academic practices”. American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Conference “Relational Accountability in Applied Linguistics”. Language and Ideology. Prof. Sinfree Makoni & “Un-booking” group (27 scholars including Isabel Martin).

Conference presentation at AAAL (American Association of Applied Linguistics) in March 2025 (no. 2)
2025-03-25 08:05 - 09:05
“Cameroonian-German decolonial encounters in English language education: An auto-ethnographic exploration of North-South student-tandems”. American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Conference “Relational Accountability in Applied Linguistics”. Roundtable. Dr. Eric Ekembe & Prof. Isabel Martin.

Conference presentation at CIES (Comparative & International Education Society) in March 2025
2025-03-25 16:30 - 17:45
“Researching de-/coloniality in diverse geopolitical contexts: from (g)localizing English language teaching to digital platform collaboration” is our new project combining decolonial research and praxis in ELT, Applied Linguistics, Informatics, and (teacher) Education. The South-North-East team includes partners from Germany, Laos, the USA, Ghana, Ukraine, and Poland so far.
Our CIES presentation in the “Teacher Education and the Teaching Profession SIG” is delivered by Dr. Chris Yaw Kwaah and Dr. Monika Popow. Co-authors: Prof. Isabel Martin, Dr. Nico Hillah, Lanta Ketoukham, Rebecca Dengler.

"ASA Academia global" 2025: 2nd student-tandem research project (Team XV)
2025-04-22 08:00 - 2025-09-30 18:00
Our German-Ghanaian tandem-project (#1107) under the ASA Academia global format programme (Engagement Global) with 6 full stipends for 6 months (April to July in Karlsruhe, September to December 2025 in Cape Coast), led by Dr. Christopher Yaw Kwaah and Prof. Isabel Martin, works towards Sustainable Development Goals #4, #10, #16, and #17. The main research activities for Team XV are decolonizing ELT, teaching materials, and English curricula at school level.

Conference presentation at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in April 2025
2025-04-24 09:50 - 11:20
“Decolonial Approaches to the Teaching of English and World Languages”. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting “Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Education Renewal”. Transformations in Teacher Education Policies, Research, and Practices. Ass.Prof. Michele Back & “Innovations in the Teaching of English and World Languages from a Decolonial Perspective” book group (including Rebecca Dengler, Miaoxing Ye & Prof. Isabel Martin).

Open House "World Dance"
2025-05-16 19:00 - 21:30
World_Dance_Open_House_16052025 on Friday, 16 May, 19:00-21:30
This event is sponsored by the Liesel Hermes Foundation. Prof. Hermes, a former President of the University of Education Karlsruhe, attended a previous Open House years ago and was immediately convinced of our TTTA approach (Teaching Through The Arts).
No previous experience necessary, everybody welcome!

Workshop "Calling and teaching World Dances" (part 1)
2025-05-17 10:00 - 17:00
Professional Caller Andreas Hennecke teaches students to call and teach world dances for their English classroom. The focus in part 1 is on Calling. Guests are welcome!
Our thanks go to the Liesel Hermes Foundation for sponsoring this event.

Guest-lecturer Dr. C. Y. Kwaah (University of Cape Coast, Ghana) at University of Education Karlsruhe in "Global Teaching" (DAAD) project
2025-05-26 08:00 - 2025-05-31 18:00
Dr. Christopher Yaw Kwaah from our partner university UCC visits PHKA as guest-lecturer under DAAD-funded “Get Ready for Global Teaching” project and presents “Decolonizing English Language Teaching (ELT) in the Postdigital Age: Toward Peace and Equity in Education”. This presentation arose from joint research in our South-North-East group “Researching de-/coloniality in diverse geopolitical contexts: from (g)localising English language teaching to digital platform collaboration” (Laos, Germany, USA, Ghana, Ukraine, Poland).

"Communities of Practice in mobility programmes: Learning opportunities" presentation by Philipp Reul
2025-05-30 10:00 - 11:30
Philipp Reul is a teacher, teacher educator, lecturer, father & doctoral candidate. He will present his findings about learning opportunties and outcomes in the bi-directional project “The Laos Experience” to the current Ghanaian-German “Community of Practice” in Karlsruhe (ASA project 2025). His work is based on the “Framework of Mutual Engagement” after Wenger-Trayner: “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” The Framework comprises Activity, Relationship, Sense of Belonging, and Agency.

Workshop "Calling and teaching World Dances" (part 2)
2025-05-31 10:00 - 17:00
Professional Caller Andreas Hennecke teaches students to call and teach world dances for their English classroom. The focus in part 2 is on Teaching. Guests are welcome!
Our thanks go to the Liesel Hermes Foundation for sponsoring this event.

Decoloniality Praxis in Karlsruhe: decolonial English lessons at secondary schools
2025-07-01 07:45 - 2025-07-09 13:00
One outcome of ASA Academia project #1107 is teaching three different English lessons to different 9th grade classes at Sophie-Scholl Realschule and Gemeinschaftsschule Illingen over one intensive week. The three tandems of Team XV and their local student-partners from the “Decoloniality Praxis” seminar (Prof. Martin) prepared lessons on “Representations of and attributions about Africa in English textbooks”, “Language as a power tool and “Critical Language Awareness”. An official Press Release by PHKA will cover this.

"World Dance Calling" in Karlsruhe: "AccepDance" lessons at primary and secondary schools
2025-07-02 07:45 - 2025-07-11 13:00
In Prof. Martins’s new seminar “World Dance Calling”, students first experience world dances and then learn to call dances themselves. They will now apply their Caller skills in several English/sports/music/ethics classrooms of Sebastianschule Neuthard, Albert-Schweitzer-Schule Muggensturm, Sophie-Scholl-Realschule and Gemeinschaftsschule Illingen. Two teachers already booked this as an ongoing project under the title “Akzeptanz” (AccepDance) and “Zusammenhalt” (“holding together”) for their schools’ “Peace & Democracy Education” schemes.

"ASA Academia global" 2025 Team XV Phase 2
2025-09-22 08:00 - 2025-12-19 18:00
After Phase 1 at PH Karlsruhe, our German-Ghanaian tandem-project (#1107) under the ASA Academia global format programme (Engagement Global) continues from September to December 2025 at UCC in Cape Coast. We work towards Sustainable Development Goals #4, #10, #16, and #17 and have planned many school visits. The research activities for Team XV are decolonizing ELT, teaching materials, and English curricula at school level.

DAAD "Get Ready for Global Teaching!" at PH Karlsruhe (2025-2029)
2025-10-01 08:00 - 2029-12-31 18:00
With the new Get Ready for Global Teaching! project at PH Karlsruhe, we institutionalize and expand our international collaborations. With our partners in Ghana, Israel, Cameroon, Lao P.D.R., Norway, the UK and the USA, we will focus on global inequality, colonial thought patterns, and post-migrant societies. Through direct exchange, future teachers will further develop their cultural and linguistic awareness, reflect on key issues and challenges of our time from a global perspective, and design educational processes in diversity- and discrimination-sensitive ways.

Volunteer for Team XIV at Sunshine School
2025-10-06 08:00 - 2025-11-28 18:00
Our next PHKA volunteer Ms Meike Becker will work at Sunshine School in the winter of 2025 (Team XIV). 4 new places for 2026/27 are advertised by the PHKA International Office, the application deadline is 1 December (details in announcement below and on StudIP).

ASA Programme 65th Anniversary Jubilee
2025-10-09 16:00 - 21:00
65 years of ASA work to celebrate! Watch the jubilee video about the development and impact of the ASA programme, and a video showing our 2025 group getting prepared for their work.

"World Dance" Open House
2025-11-07 19:00 - 21:30
Our second “World Dance Open House” evening is a trans-generational fun & learning experience combining sports/dance, music, and English. No entrance fee, no prior knowledge or skills necessary; finger food welcome. Caller Andreas Hennecke, Prof. Martin and 20 students from the “World Dance Calling” seminar welcome you all!
World Dance Poster for 7.11.2025

"World Dance Calling" Workshop 1
2025-11-08 10:00 - 17:00
Part 1: Basics for Calling

Call for Applications 2026 internship in Laos
2025-11-16 08:00 - 2025-12-01 18:00
New Call for Applications for internships in Laos (2026) in Team XVI: Call_for_Applications_2026_TheLaosExperience. Inform yourself at the “International Day” on 19 November, 11:30-14:00, in the Foyer of PHKA building 3, or write to our International Office PHKA (io@ph-karlsruhe.de). The application deadline is 1 December 2025.

"International Day" at the Unviversity of Education Karlsruhe
2025-11-19 11:30 - 14:00
11:30-14:00: Visit the “Laos” table and talk to previous volunteers. 4 places for internships are available at Sunshine School and the Lao-German Technical College in the winter term 2026/27, with funding. Counseling is available as from 9:30.
