Our cooperation with the Research Institute of Educational Sciences (RIES)
Prof. Martin: Part I
Our cooperation with the Research Institute of Educational Sciences (RIES) developed Lao-style, that is to say in an unplanned, offhand, and curiously successful way. It led to a most interesting partnership, with a view to future collaboration in
a) developing English teaching materials for Lao primary and secondary schools,
b) setting up and co-teaching the respective new teacher-training units (language and methodology) in summer school,
c) modernising the Curricula for primary and secondary schools in foreign language didactics and methodology.
In the next Primary School Syllabus (2018), for instance, one extra teaching hour is to be added for English per week, which calls for a revision and extension of the present course book, this time with a more learner-centered and communicative approach.
It also calls for more qualified English primary teachers. In an attempt to stops the gaps so far, many “Pedagogical Advisors” from secondary schools were given 8 weeks of English language training and 2 weeks of methodology over the summer months so they could “learn the book”. And let’s be honest: It was similar in Germany 15-20 years ago, with the notable difference that our teachers had had English lessons at school before. Some still did not like or want to speak English, as I remember from those in-service training weekends.
There are 8,400 primary and 3,800 secondary schools in Laos. It is heartening to hear that the new Lao Government is going to spend 19% of its budget on education. We hope that one of the beneficiaries is going to be the RIES so they can train more trainers and develop both their textbooks and Internet teaching materials for the provinces.
Prof. Martin, Anika Broghammer, Sara Stöhrer, David Schrep (not in the photo: Silja Schäfer))
Vice-Director Viengkham Phonpraseuth, Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin
Here is what happened in the last 15 months:
First encounters with the Lao English course book series (2015)
When the Chairman of the Angel Foundation, Christian Engel, wrote me a mail in August 2015 asking whether I would consider visiting Laos to check out possibilities for aiding the AfC-supported schools in the subject of English, I was not online, but canoeing in the Canadian wilderness. Feeling both invigorated and relaxed on my return, I felt my calm collectedness give way to an acute, heightened reaction to this mail. I instantly knew that saying “yes” to this seemingly simple invitation would mean a) getting drawn into an amazing and irresistible project, and b) that a commitment of 1-2 years would very likely not suffice. More likely tenfold.
During the ensuing weekend of googling and utubing “Laos” in an attempt to weigh up the pros and cons whilst pacing up and down my flat, I still had enough good sense about me to ask the Foundation to first send me any English teaching material that they might already have, to get an idea of which situation I might be getting myself in for.
To cut a short story shorter: Johannes Zeck politely replied that he would send me the Lao English course books asap in the post. Christian Engel wrote a second mail two weeks later asking whether I could not perhaps already start this year, in October, more precisely in 6 weeks’ time.
Of course I decided to take the plunge, books or no books. My flight ticket was sent to me, and 10 days before my departure, a copy of the Lao English course book series for primary schools finally arrived. The Lao English course book series for primary and secondary schools is compulsory for all schools in the entire country. No other course books are allowed.
It took me a while to digest what I read. Had I received this book earlier, I would have reconsidered my decision.
Subsequent meetings at the RIES (2015/16)
For my first visit in Laos in October/November 2015, Christian Engel and Johannes Zeck had organised a tight schedule. On the very first day, several meetings with Lao state officials from institutions of education took place: To begin with, we were received by Mr Noupanh Outsa, General Director in the Ministry of Education and Sports.
A little later, over lunch in an Italian restaurant, I summoned the courage to ask whether he possibly knew any of the authors of the Lao English course book series. I had the book with me and showed him the list of authors and the introduction.
In their introduction to the book, the authors state that they would welcome comments and suggestions, as the book was compiled under time pressure. Did Mr Noupanh think this was to be taken at face value? If so, would this mean that I could perhaps get in touch with someone? By way of answer, Mr Soupanh produced his mobile and phoned one of the authors – a lecturer at the English Department of the National University of Laos (NUOL) – to ask about possible meetings both with him and a contact person in the Research Institute of Educational Sciences (RIES). Within a matter of 10 minutes, two meetings were arranged for me for the very next day, one at the NUOL, one at the RIES. Six more meetings followed, three each, in December 2015, January 2016, and October 2016, and the ice was broken somewhere along the way.
For this, one sine-qua-non had been the official announcement by the then Vice-Minister of Education, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kongsy Sengmany, of his approval of our work at the AfC-supported schools. Once Dr. Kongsy had visited our schools and then declared that they would welcome any further help with the development of English instruction in Laos, RIES Director Mr Khamphanh Phimsipasom and Vice-Director Ms Viengkham Phonpraseuth welcomed us most warmly and started listing the numerous ways by which any suggestions we might have could be included in their programme.
Enter Team III (October 2016)
David Schrep, Anika Broghammer, Ms Viengkham Phonpraseuth in front of the RIES
David Schrep (Team III): Part II
After our project leaders Prof. Martin and Johannes Zeck had paved the way for a future cooperation, we got the invitation by the RIES to present our ideas for our workshop on the 20th of November 2016 – Assessing and enriching teaching material. During this first meeting we were overwhelmed by how positively our ideas for extra material were welcomed. Our hosts were especially impressed with our handicraft templates of a dice and a clock, which we had made for various use in the classroom.
Our first meeting with the RIES (15 November 2016): Khamphanh Phimsipasom, Viengkham Phonpraseuth, Ammaly Alathep, Viengkham Singvongsa, David Schrep, Anika Broghammer
Presenting our self-made material: Coloured dice, clock, speech bubbles for dialogues
In exchange, we hoped to get the teaching material that goes with the course books, because Prof. Martin had not been able to locate any up to this point.
It turned out that most of the material for the secondary schools had not been produced yet. However, in return, we were given the CD for the secondary course book 1, plus a lot of teaching material that goes with the primary course books, i.e. flashcards and audio-recordings.
The RIES team were highly interested in intensifying the cooperation with us. So, first, we shared the video-recording of our first workshop, which we had conducted at the secondary school in Ban Phang Heng. Second, we were invited to help record the audio-CD for course book 2. As this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, we accepted the invitation and got the script for Matthayom 2 (Lao for “course book 2”), featuring 89 tracks. We had one week to study the script, so we sat straight down to practice.
Practising on our beautiful balcony
On 23 November 2016 we met again with Ms Viengkham Phonpraseuth, Vice-Director of the Foreign Language Center, and her lovely team – Ammaly Alathep, Viengkham Singvongsa, Kamphouving Inthavong, Paphavady Ekkanath, Manoly Dongvan, Vongmani, Kohnesavanh – in her office. After some small talk we were escorted to the recording studio of the RIES. Our first impression when we entered the studio certainly did not match our expectations. We entered the first room, where sound engineer Mr Khamphouving Inthavong worked at his mixing desk, which consisted of a mixing console, a computer, and two speakers. Through two squeaking doors we came into the second room, where they had a table, a few chairs, hundreds of old audio-tapes, and a microphone. We felt like in a time lapse, catapulted 50 years back in time.
Anteroom with mixing devices
Recording studio
We started the recording with a short sound check and got a short instruction by the sound engineer. In the beginning it was very hard for us to stay focused and serious. Especially, the songs and chants kept us giggling all the time, therefore we had to do the first recordings over and over again.
[Recording_Turn left at the light]
Luckily, with time we got more comfortable and confident in speaking so that we eventually managed to record one track after another.
Focused
Some tracks required more than two speakers, so Johannes Zeck and Johanna Landvogt joined us for those parts.
Johannes Zeck, Anika Broghammer, Johanna Landvogt
By the end of the day we had had a lot of fun recording and working together with an experienced group of Lao didactics experts. We are proud to have been invited to play a central role in the recording of this audio-CD and glad to have been able to support education in Laos.
Our future cooperation will include the recording of the audio-CD for course book 3, as well as a filmed sample lesson which is going to be used in the Lao teacher-training centres. We are looking forward to intensifying this cooperation between the RIES and the Angels for Children Foundation in and for the future.
Anika and David having fun in the recording studio
Contributors to the CD-recording: Anika Broghammer, Viengkham Phonpraseuth, Khamphouving Inthavong, Paphavady Ekkanath, David Schrep
… and here are more helping hands preparing the next meeting:
Sara’s hands
Anika’s hands
Text by I. Martin, D. Schrep & A. Broghammer
Photos by A. Broghammer, I. Martin, D. Schrep & J. Zeck
(One of) my personal highlight(s) by Sara Stoehrer
To write an article on one personal highlight is impossible! Instead I’d like to share one of the things I’ve started to love about Laos: the food. I wish you could all try these delicious dishes and I apologize already if I get you hungry with this article.
Here is my absolute favorite: fresh fruits!
There are all kinds of exotic fruits in Laos, fruits that I had never seen before. I got to buy these every day at our local market in Ban Sikeud, just on the road to our house.
Fruits at the local market in Sikeud
Dragonfruit
The market had actually been the last place I had gone to visit before leaving for Germany because I wanted to buy some Lao food for my family. Moreover, I had started to really enjoy using the little “passa lao” (Lao language) that I had learned during my time there, so I wanted to talk and bargain with the people there one last time.
But not only the fruits were delicious. I miss being able to “snack around” on the market and eat fried bananas, fried spring rolls, summer rolls, rice cake or a fish.
Market in Sikeud
Street food in Sikeud
Fish which is grilled in a salt crust
Laos and Southeast Asia in general are famous for their “sticky li” [stɪki laɪ] (Lao pronunciation of “sticky rice”). Instead of boiling the rice in water, they boil it in the steam of the boiling water. Due to its consistency you can form the sticky rice with your fingers, make a little ball and then dip it into different foods like fish, beef or pork, eggplant, or tomato dips and much more.
Sticky rice in the making. But where is the rice?
There it is!
There is not only a salty version of sticky rice, but also a sweet one with coconut milk, mango, and sometimes banana.
Sweet sticky rice
Other specialities are the curry they have, the different spicy salads (such as the papaya salad) and the roasted and salted cashews:
Red curry
Mushroom salad
Roasted and salted cashews
Of course you could also eat frogs or toads as I already wrote in my first impression article but I still stayed away from those. Laotians basically eat whichever animals are around, like we do. In their case, this also includes snakes, dogs, grasshoppers, birds, maggots.
Living frogs for sale at the market
In Naxaythong, the next biggest town near Ban Sikeud, there is a restaurant where you can grill your meal by yourself. You simply choose the meat, seafood, and vegetables you want to eat and then cook it all on the grill in your table. In the outer ring of the grill there is water with some seasoning in it which we used for boiling vegetables and eggs. The Lao version of raclette or fondue, in other words.
The food we chose for grilling
The grill inside the table
All in all I’ve had some great food on my plate and many treats for my taste buds!
Text and photos by S. Stoehrer
Video by A. Broghammer
New project video uploaded!
Some of the experiences Team III made in Laos can now be seen in the Team’s very own project video – thanks to our media manager Sara, who devoted some time to the editing process!
The video was first shown at the info session on 27 January 2017 at the University of Education Karlsruhe, to an audience of interested students who wished to inform themselves on the programme and especially the internship possibilities. Now the video is also uploaded on the foundation’s youtube channel and is embedded in our blog – enjoy watching!
Further videos can be found in our video gallery.
A few thoughts on how the education system could be improved – by Bounleud Sengsavangvong and Souvanh Navong
After having lived in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for three months, with another one to come, it is time to reflect on the larger framework of our work here. During my time here, my whole day revolved around the topic of teaching, education, and teacher-training. I got a partial insight into the Lao education system, a system that needs to be developed and supported. There is already a lot of help in Laos via foreign organizations from all over the world, but in my opinion the Lao teachers should not only rely on foreign guidance, and they don’t. NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that want to help Laos long-term help the people by helping them to help themselves.
The article by Johannes Zeck on the history of the formalized Lao education system points out in a detailed way that this history is still very young, so there are still many opportunities to develop and shape the way education is being understood and defined in Laos.
This article is the joint work of my two tandem-teachers/students, Bounleud Sengsavangvong and Souvanh Navong. During our daily teacher-lessons, they asked me to help them improve their writing skills. So, over the course of one week, we started to think about suitable topics to write about. After having shared our ideas, we followed Souvanh’s suggestion and agreed to write about how to improve Lao education. Based on David Nunan’s How to teach English to Speakers of other Languages, we structured our writing and editorial work along the 13 steps, including self-evaluation, external-evaluation by the Lao teachers, and a final conference, during which we merged both articles into one.
To keep this article as authentic as possible, I did no editing in particular to it. For readability and conveying our message without transmitting any misunderstandings, I guided my tandem-teachers/students through editing certain paragraphs by themselves.
Souvanh, Dave, Leud
Bounleud Sengsavangvong: How to give poor children a chance
In Laos country, we had many ethnic groups lived together. Every group used their own language for communication in their family but when they go to other places, they have to use Laos nationality language for communication. If they use to their own language for communication. There are many people in the country hard to understanding because in our country many people live together. Some people can only communicate by speaking but they can’t read and write. They don’t have the chance to study in the school such as the children, who lived in north part of Laos. They lived in the country side villages and their village is far from school. They can’t come to school because they are different with the children lived in the big city or capital city. We had many wars in our country. Rarely we were development many things together after end of the war because it was short time and most the people in our country just the leaders and the person worked in the Army. They had the basic for education but for the public didn’t have chance to study only a few people studied in the temple or they learnt listening and speaking from the monk when they went to the temple but they didn’t have material for study. It had only a few in capital city or big city so it was a reason. It was difficult to development for our education in Laos country. Usually most people worked in the farm or they grew only rice, vegetable and feed the pet for eat in their family. If they wanted to visit their cousin in other village. They rode their bicycle to there. For their children only stayed at home with their parents. Most of the people in our country. Rarely people knew the literacy. They couldn’t read and write but now in our country. We were more development than forty years before but we aren’t successful enough. We have to development many to be better such as education, the road, academic and other things. First we should development education more higher and we should get the more chance for the children. Who lived in the north part of Laos.
The poor family. They don’t know in literacy. The Laos should have some project to each villages or every provinces. After that every head of the villages. Then they should get the list of children. Who aren’t know literacy. Next the Laos government should get the chance for these are children. I think it isn’t successful in the short time but they should start as soon as possible.
I think the Lao government should support finance for education in first step. Then they should built more school buildings for children. Next they should have enough teachers in every school. Then they should support more teaching materials for teaching. Next they should open the teacher training once in a year. They should tell them about the more skills and more technics to possible, before they will teach to the students in the classroom. They have to be sure and confident with that thing. If the teachers do something mistake, the students will be follow. This a important thing for teaching and all the teachers. The finally thing all teachers should prepare lesson before going to teach. The government should get the chance for the children who live in a poor family and who didn’t complete the basic level for primary school, secondary school and high school. The government have to do the rules for education. Every child have to study in the kindergarten for the beginner because they will can practice their writing, speaking, reading and other skills. Then if the children are 6 years old already. Every child have to study in elementary school and they have to finish this level. Then they have to continue in secondary school. Then they have to continue in high school and they have to get finished and the certificate for three levels. After that they had the basic for reading, writing others skills in education. If they use their knowledge for do some small business and learn more experience from their parents then they will be quite good in their life but if they want to more knowledge or more higher than three basic levels. They have to study continue in the college or university for up their level more higher. Then they can fine many good jobs. Maybe they can choose many jobs because it is more faster to successful in their life and they can stay to longer with that job.
So I am really sure. If the education in Laos more higher similar like with national education in the Europe. I believe and really sure. There are many things in our country will more faster in development so I think, the first step we should improve education more than others job.
Souvanh Navong: How to improve our teaching
The Lao story: Twenty years ago when I visited in Lao countryside, I saw there are many villages not enough school, so that the Lao students just studied at primary school. All the students started at primary school, twelve years old.
A school in Kasi district
A Khmu village in Kasi district
A Hmong house on the road to Luang Prabang
Countryside around Vang Vieng
Some people or family they have money, they can learn until finish secondary school and high school, but they can’t have job. Some people studied at university finish they also no have job. So that I think of Lao students not interested for learning because when they want to work in Vientiane, they don’t know how to speak English. The Lao teacher’s teaching at primary school or secondary school. Just three years for studied at the teacher training college, I think it is not enough for teaching because they have not experience. If who come to be a teacher, must studied finish master, example: the English teacher come to teaching just following the text book. When the Lao teacher work with the foreigner, they don’t know how to speak English. I think sixty years need for development of Education, and teaching. Example: in my school I think the director can speak English in this school, the director is important for working. Also the director should have experience of working with foreigner. The director must know English because in this school so, we have many English teacher from Germany or other countries. This is very important for working to getter or communicate so to get the knowledge.
If you are English teacher, but you can’t speak, what do you do? I think you must improve by yourself, then you can learn from internet, you tube, movie, read English book and from your friends, if you teaching you try to practice all the time. The Lao teacher could have a lot of experience of working with foreigner. Sometime we learning from the textbook, sometime we learning from outside after that we should have a lot of material making lesson plane, prepare very Unit, making flashcard. Grammar Map, vocabulary box, setting homework every day. Sacking understandings.
Now I think so many province we need to improve the teachers to be good teacher and the must setting homework to the students after School. The teacher must explain how to do the homework and tell students try to do by them self’s when they come to school. The students come to read and write on the board the teacher must checking understanding of lesson, so that the teacher must improve of teaching all the time. Because use the perfect of lesson. and must have lesson plan of all the unit or lesson, the teacher must teach by the ministry of Education must teaching finish the textbook and the teacher must teaching different way. Because need the students not boring, so that the teachers must have a lot of experience to be a teaching the teacher must finished study at university of Laos five years or five years, than is the good way. The students have rules for everything must improve for learning all the subjects, the students should respect the teacher, the students must have uniform and the student must know the people used the school rules if the students should do the homework every day. This way is good for learning all the time at home because learn step by step try to understanding or try to practice with their friends Now we know the students not learn, write, read, speak, practice and not interested about it of learning so that we must talking all the time and explain or compare the good things or good student from other school. Before no have English class room they are never learning ,so that some people come from countryside or some village ,they never heart English subject, they only speak Lao some students studied at primary school and stop, some students continue at secondary school and high school but they no have good job now we know the teacher is important thing the same father number two of the student because they are teaching of the students all time send to knowledge for students, after they can have good job. The teacher teach how to speak, how to draw, how to write, how to learn and how to read.
David Schrep
I’m very impressed by my two Lao teacher-students. I am very thankful for all their hard work and the effort they have put into this project over the last months – and indeed, since this project started, in October 2015. Their joint article details from their own perspectives that Lao education needs to be further developed, and they also name some concrete steps which should be taken in our particular sector. We look at these issues as opportunities – opportunities to change something and to help other people. We are very grateful to have these opportunities and to be able to have an impact on the education in this wonderful country.
Text by: B. Sengsavangvong, S. Navong, D. Schrep
Photo by: S. Stoehrer
“Would you like to eat [səʊp]?” First pronunciation workshops at the LGTC – 11th and 24th November, 2016
“Would you like to eat [səʊp]? [səʊp] really? Don’t you mean [suːp]?”
When we saw to what extent our Lao English learners were facing difficulties in English pronunciation, we decided to set up a workshop in this field. As Prof. Martin had already remarked, English pronunciation would not only need practising on sound and word level, but also on sentence level, where stress, linking, and weak forms play an important role in English. In a (much) later step, one would address issues such as elision (contraction of sounds) and epenthesis (addition of sounds) in connected speech.
Welcome to the workshop!
Power point presentation: General introduction to pronunciation
We decided to start with the most basic unit, the phonemes, and split up the workshop into two parts to avoid an overload and to ensure understanding. The first workshop took place on the 11th of November, 2016, at the LCTG. We worked for three hours in the afternoon, focusing on the following issues:
- plural “–s”, [-s], [-z] and [-iz],
- “th”-sounds, [ð] and [θ],
- [l] and [r] sound,
- voiced and voiceless final obstruents, [-p]-[-b], [-t]-[-d],[-k]-[-g], and [-f]-[-v].
We started the workshop with a power point presentation, in which we gave a general introduction to English pronunciation. To raise awareness for the importance of correct pronunciation, we performed some funny misunderstandings by mixing up sounds in minimal pairs, like “I like to drink bear [beər]” instead of “I like to drink beer [bɪər]“. We had the laughs on our side and the participants were hanging on our every word.
In the new Electrics Building
Raising awareness for pronunciation among the listeners
After the presentation we split the big group up into four smaller work groups. We had planned beforehand exactly who would be together with whom in which group,to make sure that each group would consist of speakers of different levels. This was especially helpful for the beginners, as sometimes a quick translation into Lao just makes life easier and speeds up the process. The four groups worked at four different stations and moved on to the next one after half an hour of theoretical and practical input: Every station was chaired by at least two of our colleague-volunteers who made sure that everyone got individual attention and feedback.
Ambitious participants…
…and volunteers
Working on pronunciation is hard work for the speech organs, but also for the brain, which is why we took a little break of 20 minutes between the first and second half. Thanks to the financial support by BHS we were able to offer some refreshments and snacks to the workshop participants.
Refreshments and snacks sponsored by BHS
Fully refreshed and motivated we started into the last hour of the workshop. Especially the station with the “l” and “r”-sound was hard for our learners. Lao speakers invariably have problems a) pronouncing the [r] sound and b) then distinguishing the sounds [l] and [r]. They often use [l] instead of [r] because modern spoken Lao does not have a [r] sound. Usually when you see a “r” in transcribed Lao it should be pronounced like an [l]. The [r] either goes back to an old Lao or Thai transliteration.
![Practising [l] and [r] with the help of chop sticks](https://i0.wp.com/www.thelaosexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/8.jpg?w=906&h=604&ssl=1 "8")
Practising [l] and [r] with the help of chop sticks
The second workshop followed two weeks later on the 24th of November, 2016, when we worked on two further issues:
Second workshop on 24 November 2016 at the LGTC
- [v] and [w] distinction
- initial obstruent devoicing (IOD: [p]-[b], [t]-[d],[k]-[g], [f]-[v], [dʒ]-[tʃ])
It was a smaller workshop but still not less important. The issues we worked on were IOD and the [v-w] distinction. Both of the topics are essential as, for example, the pronunciation of th letter “v” in Lao is closer to the English [w]-sound than the [v]-sound. (And for us Europeans it is hard to discriminate this Lao sound in the first place, of course.)
All in all we all enjoyed the workshops a great deal, that is to say us, Denise and Lena, our irreplaceable volunteer helpers, as well as our participants.
Participants of the first workshop on pronunciation at the LGTC
Our thanks go to our motivated students, our helpful volunteers, BHS for the delicious refreshments, and of course to Prof. Martin from the University of Education Karlsruhe, for her support in theoretical and practical questions. Without their help, the realization of this workshop would not have been possible!
Koptschai-lai-lai (thank you very much)!
Text by L. Wink & D. Burkhardt
Photos by J. Zeck, L. Wink, D. Burkardt
One day in the rice field of Souvanh Navong
Rice is the basic staple of the Lao people. Besides the well-known steamed rice, which we also have in western countries, they grow the so-called sticky rice (Lao: khao niao). Growing and harvesting rice is such a common cultural practice that there even is a lesson in the English course book for lower secondary schools about this topic.
How rice is grown
Many Laotians have their own rice field in addition to their daily profession, as does Souvanh Navong. As it is the time of the year when the rice is harvested, he invited us to visit him on his rice field. We joined him and his day-labourers, who work for 70.000-100.000 LAK (Lao Kip: ກີບ) a day, and helped them to collect the rice. On our way to his house, we found his self-made and helpful sign to guide us.
To give you an impression of how we spent this day in the rice field, we welcome you to click through our photo story. As Souvanh would say: “Normally I am a teacher, but today I am a farmer.”
Souvanh’s self-made sign
Where is Souvanh?
Is this him? – No
There he is! On his Lao-style tok-tok
Collecting the rice heads
Starting to work
A bumpy ride on the tok-tok
It is not as easy as it looks
Souvanh and the day labourers fill the trailer
Souvanh is the boss here
Throwing the rice heads from the trailer onto the pile
Threshing the rice in a rented machine
Helping on the pile of rice
It snows rice in Laos!
Taking the time for a piggyback ride
Laughing is healthy
Gathering rice in a pouch
Unpeeled rice
David wearing a white pouch – ready for storage!?
The result of a long day’s work
Thank you from all of us, Souvanh!!
All in all we harvested 600 kg of rice that day. This supply feeds Souvanh and his family (5 people) for three quarters of a year. He told us that they need approximately 70 kg per month.
Text by S. Schaefer & D. Schrep
Photos by S. Stoehrer & A. Broghammer
Hooray to picture books!
On Thursday, the 5th of January, 2017, we (Silja and Sara) met with the four primary school English teachers to do a workshop on picture books. We had decided to do this workshop because picture books are a great resource for language learning and teaching. Among other things they are motivating, challenging, and fun, and they can help to develop a positive attitude towards the target language. Every class consists of students with different learning styles: Haptic, visual, and aural. Reading a picture book is a holistic experience which includes many senses and therefore caters for these different learning styles.
Welcome to our workshop
Picture books from the Lending Libraries at the two primary schools
Furthermore, picture books present cultural information, or, as Ellis & Brewster say, “picture books are a window on culture” (Ellis, Gail & Jean Brewster, 2002) due to their authenticity, being written for children from the target language and presenting cultural customs and ways of perceiving the world. So, even though – or because – the teachers and pupils here in Laos do not get to travel and experience different cultures first-hand, these books are a great means to show them a little bit of the world outside of Laos.
Our interested audience: Bounpheng, Lathsamy, Phovang (“Noy”), Mittaphone (“Mit”)
We started our workshop with the question: “What is a picture book?” To help our tandem-teachers find a definition we showed them a picture book and a text book to enable them to work out the differences between these two book types. To start with, they mentioned that there are pictures and just a little bit of text in a picture book.
What is a picture book?
Next, we performed a short sample lesson on how to – and how not to – work with a picture book, which you can see in the following video:
After that we spoke about our presentation and we asked them to point out what is important when working with a picture book. As you have (hopefully) noticed, Silja gave a bad performance on purpose, which helped our audience to see what is necessary for the pupils to understand the book. What they found out is depicted in this picture:
Mindmap on how to read a picture book
For the second part of our workshop, the four teachers were asked to practise and then read a picture book out aloud to us. The challenge was to use as many of the techniques collected beforehand that make reading a picture book an intelligible and pleasurable experience for the listeners. Here are some impressions:
In the first video you will see Mittaphone “Mit” Sichampa, who did an excellent job at including her “pupils”:
Mittaphone “Mit” Sichampa reads “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” by Eric Carle to us
In the second video you can see Lathsamy Chanthavongsa reading the big book “Monkey Puzzle” by Julia Donaldson:
Lathsamy Chanthavongsa reads “Monkey Puzzle” by Julia Donaldson
In the third video you will see Phovang “Noy” Inthavong, who gave a nice introduction to the book “Princess Smartypants” by Babette Cole by talking about the cover, which should be the first step in reading a picture book. Moreover, she did not read the book but told the story in her own words, for which she also adapted the level of the text to the language level of her “pupils”.
Phovang “Noy” reads “Princess Smartypants” by Babette Cole
The last video shows Bounpheng Singhalath reading “Snore!” by Michael Rosen. She used some great sound effects to make the story more interesting and to make it come alive.
Bounpheng Singhalath reads “Snore!” by Michael Rosen
All in all, we enjoyed a fabulous workshop together with lots of laughter, great picture books, and a growing interest in reading.
Text by S. Schaefer, S. Stoehrer
Photos and videos by I. Martin, S. Schaefer, S. Stoehrer
Reference:
Ellis, Gail & Jean Brewster (2002). Tell it again: The New Storytelling Handbook for Primary Teachers. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
A day in the Lao life of Johannes Zeck
On the 25th of November 2016, we, Pauline and Kerstin, had the honour of following Johannes Zeck, the AfC/BHS project leader, everywhere for one day. We documented everything and decided to display this day in form of a “photo diary” so that you can partake in his exciting life, too. Please have a look:
8.00: Ready to go to Vientiane – Johannes Zeck gets into the car
8.05: Driving down the dusty street
8:15: Quick stop at a Chinese stall to buy Sepak Takraw balls for the Ban Sikeud pupils who are now students at the Lao-German Technical College
Street view
8:55: Arrival at the LGTC
9:00: Meeting with Saythong Insarn and Vacki Wangyeng – planning the new curriculum for the general mechanics (German: “Maschinen- und Anlagenführer”)
It seems to be very difficult
9.40: Updating the programmes for the visits of Lars Engel on the 6th of December (Managing Director of BHS and board member of AfC) and Christian Engel (Managing Director of BHS and Chairman of the AfC board) on the 9th of December in Laos
10.20: Searching the dormitories for our former Sikeud pupils
10.30: Handing over the Sepak Takraw balls and the sponsored volleyballs from BHS Shanghai
11.10: Visa extension in the Visa Center of Vientiane
11:45: Grocery shopping at the Bounthauy Supermarket
12:10: Lunch at the PVO Vietnamese Restaurant
13:00: Way back home to Ban Sikeud
14:00: Handling accounts in the afternoon
Office work not finished yet at 6:00 pm
Text & photos by K. Petter and P. Kern
My personal highlight – by Pauline Kern (& blog article no. 100!)
During my 3-month stay here in Laos I’ve had so many personal highlights that it is rather difficult for me to pick out a special and only one. My daily work with the pre-schoolers and the teachers who do not teach English were in any case my daily highlights. To look into the smiling faces of the Lao people every day gave me the feeling to be in the right place at the right time. I’ve made a lot of new friends, dived into the Lao culture and therefore had a stay full of joy and happiness.
Nevertheless, there is one day I will always remember and cherish all my life because it reflects perfectly the kindness, warmness and sweet way of thinking of the Lao people.
It was the day of my 26th birthday. After I got up, my German flat-mates and co-volunteers wished me a happy birthday and gave me a wonderful birthday card, which was handmade in Luang Prabang, Laos. It shows a silhouette of a man working in a rice field.
Birthday card showing a silhouette of a man working in a rice field
So I arrived feeling already happy at Ban Sikeud primary school in the morning to do my Mopsy lessons, and my joy grew even bigger when I got a lot of compliments from the teachers about my new sinh. I had bought the fabric at the “morning market” in Vientiane and got it sewn by a local seamstress here in Ban Sikeud. After my Mopsy classes Linda came dancing towards me and sang “Happy birthday to youuuuu”, hugged me and wished me all the best for the next year of my life and my time in Laos.
My Lao sinh
In my Mopsy lessons I distributed the packages of “Haribo” (German “jelly bears”) I had brought with me from Germany for every child, which made them very excited and happy.
Then I took my bicycle like every day and rode it to Ban Phang Heng Secondary School to do English classes with my teachers. When I entered the classroom everybody from Group I was there and everything was really quiet. I started the lesson and began to wonder whether they had forgotten about my birthday when there was a knock at the door.
My “come in” was swallowed by the voices of all the teachers of Group II entering the classroom with a lovely birthday cake, all of them singing for me, turning off the lights and asking me to blow out the candles. I was so overwhelmed that I could barely say a useful sentence. Moreover, I really had to fight off my tears. But the surprise was not over yet: After I had blown out the candles the teachers gave me one present after the other so that in the end I had a big plastic bag full of pretty things to take home with me after school. It was very impressive to see how much the teachers enjoyed giving me a birthday surprise – they were smiling all the time and Saysamone Singhalath told me: ” We are so happy! We have never had the chance to do a birthday surprise for a German teacher. It is the first time and we are so happy that you are happy!”
Birthday surprise- selfie
Birthday surprise
We decided to eat the cake after school at 4 o’clock with leisure and then set off to Ban Sikeud Primary School by motorbike because I wanted to show them our library there. We sat down at the table and I read out the picture book Something else by Kathryn Cave & Chris Riddel to them. The main topic of the picture book is excluding other people. When I read it out aloud I felt that the teachers could not really sympathize with the main character or rather understand his problem of being mobbed. And indeed, I have not experienced any such problems in Laos during my time here. I think, like in most Asian countries, collectivism is held in high esteem in Laos and is more important than individualism. I could therefore easily imagine that the community does not have the same problems that we have in Europe. I asked Bounleud Sengsavangvong for his opinion and he confirmed my impression.
Book “Something Else” by Kathryn Cave & Chris Riddel
I’ve noticed as well that there are nearly no fights between the children on the schoolyard or in the playground and that it is very rare that children cry. I really appreciate the Lao way people interact with one another.
At the end of my guided tour through our “English Lending Library” I showed them the shelf where they could find the story books and “Easy Readers” for adolescent or adult English beginners and asked them to borrow one book each. I wanted them to read one (slim) book each at home and then to prepare a book presentation about it. The teachers liked the task and for most of them it was the first time they were ever going to read an English book.
In the afternoon we ate the cake and played volleyball together and I couldn’t stop smiling throughout the entire day- it was the biggest birthday surprise I had ever had in my life! It is impossible to say how thankful I am (not only for this special day but for the whole stay in Laos) and how much I appreciate these people – my friends.
Playing volleyball together
Playing volleyball together
Two weeks later the teachers presented the books they had borrowed on my birthday from the Lending Library. The results were very good and I was impressed by how much work they put into their book presentations. You can see the results here:
The kooky circus show by Kooky Keader
Sam and the sunflower by Maria Cleary
The leopard and the monkey by Richard Northcott
The snow princessby Leonora Fröhlich-Ward
Let’s draw shapes by Kay Bentley
Can I play by Rick Sampedro
The clever tortoise by Gerald Rose
Rumpelstilskin by Sue Arengo
Back page of Rumpelstilskin by Sue Arengo
The ugly duckling by Hans Andersen
The kite by Rick Sampedro
And here ends my tale of my personal highlight in my life and work in Laos. I will never forget my time in this wonderful country and I want to thank everybody who made this stay a unique experience!
Text and photos by Pauline Kern
Our first impressions of a whole new world – by Silja Schäfer and Thorsten Feldmann
It had been several months since our graduation from the University of Education Karlsruhe and we were very excited to start our journey halfway around the globe to Laos. In several meetings we prepared ourselves with the help of Prof. Martin (English Department PH Karlsruhe) and Johannes Zeck (Angels for Children Foundation) for our stay in a whole new world. Eventually, we boarded the plane on the 19th of September in Frankfurt/Main looking forward to the new impressions and adventures to come.
Monitor in the Airbus 380
Cabin
16 hours and one change of plane later we arrived at Wattay Airport, Vientiane. We encountered the first warm welcome on a poster by the local brewery.
Welcome to Laos!
We passed the immigration counter and, with new visas in our pockets, were met by Prof. Martin and Johannes Zeck, who picked us up to bring us to our new home.
But before we left the airport, we had our first encounter with a Lao ATM (cash machine). It turned out as a big surprise. 2 million maximum!? Within a minute we were happy millionaires. But appearances can be deceptive:
70 cent in KIP
Reaching our final destination Ban Sikeud, we were astounded by the impressive house in which we were going to spend the next few months.
Our new home
Just as impressive as our house at the end of the village was the road that leads up to it. Every morning and afternoon we were confronted with new and surprising adventures in our attempts to reach our schools. Passing a puddle the size of a small lake – it’s the rainy season – made it hard to reach our destinations clean, but see for yourself.
On our first weekend, some of the Lao teachers suggested that we could go swimming in a nearby waterfall. Happily we accepted the offer and started the Sunday on the back seats of their motorbikes with which they had picked us up in the morning for a lovely day trip. It turned out to be very exciting, because it was our first time on the back seat of a motorbike on dusty and bumpy Lao roads. 40 minutes later we arrived at a beautiful resort with a lot of bamboo huts spreading along a river. The waterfall was not really the size we expected, but still very beautiful.
Bamboo huts on the river
Waterfall
We conquered one of the huts and made ourselves comfortable. At first, the conversation was a bit stiff because we didn’t really know each other, but as the minutes flew by the stiffness went and we enjoyed a fun round of cards together.
Card game
Our new Lao friends rented a paddleboat and we took turns pedalling, exploring the river and making first contact with the river as “accidentally” some of us dropped out of the boat.
Silja has fun in the boat
Already wet, we decided to go for a swim fully dressed, as is the custom in Laos. We were told that they swim in clothes because it is too cold in swimsuits or shorts (34°C!!). We were surprised by the fact that some of them never learned to swim and therefore we took the chance to offer swimming lessons. In return they showed us how to perform a proper somersault. Our first tries were quite amusing.
Chanpasong somersaults
Thorsten somersaults…
… and flies!
Back in the hut our new friends bought some traditional Lao snacks for us. We had our first exotic fruits, delicious “sticky rice” in bamboo sticks, and corn. Just before a heavy rain came down, we left the river on the motorbikes and drove home to have dinner in a restaurant near our villa. Here our company ordered their favourite traditional Lao food such as papaya salad, ginger chicken and Tom Yum soup, which gave us a first authentic taste of Laos. Accompanying the food came some bottles of Beerlao, which gave us – once again – a warm welcome.
Sticky rice
Fun at the restaurant
We are very happy to have found so many new friends in such a short time here and feel very welcome. The next few months with them are likely to turn into a beautiful time.
Text and photos by T. Feldmann & S. Schäfer
Video & photo by I. Martin
How I became an English teacher in Laos – Essays by Donekeo Keosiththivong and Souksakhone Sindavan
I would like to introduce my two outstanding English teacher students from Phan Heng Secondary School: Ms Donekeo Keosiththivong and Ms Souksakhone Sindavan. Both young women are gifted and highly motivated teachers who want to improve their English language skills. They have to try hard to improve their pronunciation since the English language is so different compared to the Lao one. Working together with them means having a good time repeating words that are difficult to pronounce, amongst all the other things.
In one of our teacher lessons, we practised their creative writing skills, and these short auto-biographical sketches are the result. (In the following lesson, we worked together on the original versions and corrected some of the grammatical mistakes they had made.)
Souk has only been a teacher at Ban Phang Heng Secondary School for a short time, but got on well with the students and the teachers from the very first day.
Donekeo has been an English teacher for more than four years at my school in Sikeud now and already worked a lot with the prior teams of the Angels for children foundation.
Teaching a foreign language as a professional is a hard thing to do in Laos because it encompasses many roles and tasks. Therefore, it makes me more than happy to support these two enthusiastic teacher students in improving their language proficiency. A good learning atmosphere is fortunately no problem thanks to their high interest in learning and their openness to laugh about their own mistakes. It makes me very happy to say that they are not only good students but also have become close friends of mine.
Donekeo and Souk: English teachers of classes 1 and 2 at Phang Heng Secondary School
Teachers of English: Two Lao and one German
The creative writing task during our teacher lesson was to write an essay about “how I became an English teacher“. Here is what they wrote:
Souksakhone Sindavan
I was born on August 6th, 1994, in Kangsand village, in Naxaythong District, Vientiane Capital. There were 5 people in my family such as my parents, older brother, older sister and me. My house was small. My father was a teacher. He worked at Ilay high school and my mother was the housework. When I was 6, my father took me go to Ilay Primary School, but I cried a lot because I didn’t want to study. So my father told me: “You should study and you get to know new friends.“
Souk: 2012 at primary school, aged 11
When I was 10, my older brother finished study at high school, so he had to continue to study and he decided to become a soldier because he liked this job. And he left home to study at Xiengkhoun Province for 3 years. And I missed him so much. When I was 12, my older sister finished study at high school. She didn’t want continue to study. When I was 18, I finished at Ilay high School and my father told me:“ Do you want to study at National University of Laos?“, “Yes. I did“ I answered. And he was very proud of me because he wanted me to be a teacher.
Souk in secondary school
2005 at secondary school, aged 17
So I decided to study an English teacher because I wanted to speak English very well and help students communicate with the foreigners. When I was 19, my father died because of the cancer. I was very sad and didn’t want to study, but my mother told me: “You should continue to study because your father wanted you to be a teacher“. So I had to study for 4 years. On September 24th, 2016 I got a certificate and my family was very happy and proud of me.
24 September 2016: Graduation Day at the National University of Laos
Souk in our English teacher lesson
Donekeo Keosiththivong
I was born on January 19th 1993, in Naxaythong District, Vientiane Capital. My family was poor. We didn´t have a car, a big house or cows. We have only chickens and ducks. My father Sukun worked in Sikeud Secondary school. My mother, Sengchun was a houswife. My brother, Subun was born on April 22th 1998. We lived in Phonesavanh Village in Naxaythong Disctrict, Vientiane Capital.
When I was five years old I started to study at primary school in my village. I walked to school with my friends every day. I got money from my parents. I got 500-1000 kip a day. I used to swim in the river near school. When I was eleven to thirteen years old I studied in the old Sikeud Secondary school. The school didn´t have enough materiall to learn, not many sports. I rode my bicycle to school with my friends every day, but I was happy very much. Me and my friends ran, walked, played in the field behind the school in the break.
18 June 2013: Donekeo and friends on her Graduation Day
When I was fourteen to eighteen years old I studied in Naxaythong High school in class five. In class six I got a motorbike. In High school I had extra lessons from 5:30pm to 8:00 pm. In the vacations I stopped the extra lessons. I worked in a clothes factory to earn money. I wanted to help my parents. Three months later I stopped to work and started to learn on September, and I was going to extra lesson again. When I finished to study in high school I wanted to examine the National University of Laos and medical, but I couldn´t pass my exam. I felt depressed and thought I couldn’t work with the government.
One week later my father asked me: “Do you want to be a teacher?“I said:“I worry to not pass my exam and I can´t be a teacher.“ One day later I decided to do the teaching exam, so I could pass my exam. I learned in Dongkhamxang Teacher Training college, English language for two years.
Donekeo and her family at the Xiang Khoun Temple in Vientiane
During the time when I was eighteen to twenty, I realised that I know a lot about many peoples life. I got many friends from different provinces to study at the college. The second term in year two on February from the 6th to the 9th of April in 2013 I had a training in the countryside. I got a lot of experience in teaching. I saw the student´s life and I know people lived in the mountain. They were very poor. They walked to school which was far away from their houses. The road was uncomfortable and I pitied them. These things made me know that English language is the gate and the students future and for the country. Now I wanted to be a teacher and changed my idea to help students everywhere. I want my students to know English well because the futures country. And Laos PDF became a member of ASAIN. We should know international languages to communicate with foreigners in the future. So they can develop our country to civilisation in the future and I love teaching students.
2015: Donekeo and Monika (volunteer teacher at Phang Heng Secondary School)
The teacher is bringing light to the students everywhere in the world. Then I finished the training. I went back to my collage and I got a certificate in teaching in 2013 from that time I am working at Sikeud Secondary School.
Donekeo, teaching English in class 2/1
Text and photos by A. Broghammer, D. Keositthivong & S. Sindavan
Pre-Christmas visit #1: Board member of “Angels for Children” Lars Engel in Laos
Despite his full schedule as one of the two managing directors of BHS Corrugated, Lars Engel (board member of AfC and brother of Christian Engel) visited Laos for two days during a business trip to Asia. The foundation staff and the (still complete) Team III were highly honoured by this opportunity and had prepared a diverse programme.
Lars Engel, who arrived on the evening of 5 December and had not visited Laos for two years, found himself happily surprised by the development of the AfC schools, the “Teaching English in Laos” project, and the Recruitment and Training Programme of BHS Corrugated at the Lao-German Technical College.
During his full-day schedule, with AfC project leader Johannes Zeck, he visited the LGTC in the morning of 6 December and met the Deputy Director Mr Khamsavay Gnommilavong (the director Mr Somlith Virivong was on a two-week training mission in Houphan province at this time) and Mr Saythong Insarn, the coordinator of our cooperation, as well as the with heads of the six vocational sections and the administration. Together with Mr. Khamsavay and Mr. Saythong a tour was made in all sections of the LGTC, where Lars Engel also met the new BHS classes which started their training at the end of September.
Despite the heat of 30 degrees in Laos, Christmas feelings arose when both classes handed over BHS Christmas cards, signed by every apprentice, to Lars Engel, together with a red-and-white flower bouquet. During his visit in the mechanical section a BHS Corrugated banner was unveiled by the head of the section, Mr. Khamseng, to inaugurate the new tool and equipment cabinets of the company in the section, which is to logistically support the training courses.
After this tour in all the sections, the group also met Lena Wink, our German teacher of English, at the LGTC (unfortunately our other teacher, Denise Burkhardt, could not be present as she had to extend her visa in the morning), who rolled out her work with the LGTC English teachers and trainers, her lessons with the BHS apprentices, and the English “Activities”, such as the two new “Conversation Clubs” for teachers and students.
Lars Engel, Khamsavay Gnomminlavong, and Johannes Zeck visit the BHS mechanical students at the LGTC
The mechanics class
Phonesavanh Chachueyang, CNC specialist, speaks with Lars Engel
Lars Engel receives a Christmas card from Soksay Fakfuengchai
Flowers from the electrical class
Lars Engel meets the BHS electrical class
Teachers and staff of the LGTC
Lena Wink talks to Lars Engel about her work at the LGTC
The BHS mechnical section and some members of the electrical class
Following the visit at the LGTC, Lars Engel and Johannes Zeck drove to Sikeud, to have lunch with Lars Engel’s aunt and chairwoman of AfC, Madame Gerlinde Engel. She had prepared amongst other things her world-famous cucumber salad – yummy as always!
The programme continued in the afternoon by visiting the three AfC schools, meeting the volunteers of Team III, the Lao teachers, and also by participating in the new “Conversation Club” of Anika and David, with more than 25 pupils from the secondary school. Lars Engel was positively impressed by the development of the schools and the English spoken at the schools, both by the teachers (and not only the English teachers) and the pupils.
After a quick coffee break in the villa of Team III, the whole team and Lars Engel drove to the Mercure Hotel in Vientiane, for the annual AfC staff Christmas dinner. This was attended by the directors of the three AfC schools and their spouses, Mr Khamsing and Mrs Souksada Nanthavongdoungsy, Mrs Bouangeun “Linda” Hanthavong, Mr Sai and his wife, and Madame Gerlinde Engel. Although Christmas is of course not celebrated in Buddhist Laos, Lars Engel took over the role of Santa Claus and handed over Christmas cards to the AfC staff and his aunt Gerlinde Engel, after which ceremony the delicious buffet was opened.
Mr Khamsing and Madame Gerlinde Engel present their new ideas for the primary school in Phang Heng
The new classroom in the primary school Phang Heng for the pre-school children
The pre-school pupils
Gerlinde and Lars Engel (and Mr Khamsing) in class
Lars Engel participates in the “English Conversation Club”
“Oh the…”
“…grand old Duke of York”
“He had 10,000 men. He marched them down to the top of the hill, and he marched them down again!”
Anika and David recount their impressions to Lars Engel
Since Thorsten and Pauline were to leave on 8 December, the joint dinner was also the last opportunity to take a picture with all volunteers of Team III (only without Julia and Juliana from Sunshine School) together with the foundation staff – and the festively decorated Mercure Hotel was the best location to do so!
After taking a lot of group photos it was time to say “good-bye”, and then the team brought Lars Engel back to his hotel in Vientiane, since he had to leave early in the morning for his next stop in Asia.
Lars Engel hands Christmas cards to the AfC staff
… and to his aunt, Madame Gerlinde Engel
Festivities in the Mercure Hotel
Team III in the lobby…
… on the stairs…
… having…
… fun!
Team III appreciated his visit very much, and the project leaders are looking forward to his next visit – maybe in the spring, when he can meet up with Team IV?
Text & Photos by J. Zeck
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