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pedagogy
The Present System
Teachers in Laos teach the way they have been taught themselves. New methods are not always welcome. Present teaching methods focus heavily on grammar. Class time is used mainly for copying from the board and repeating in a loud voice. Unfortunately, most graduates of higher learning institutions are not competent in English communication.
Moving our bodies makes us smile. I visited many classrooms in Xieng Khouang Province and the response was the same. In this province, teachers were eager to upgrade their teaching quality so I will return to support these schools in the future.
A new system
I have been introducing a different way of teaching and call this method, “Action English”. Freed from the blackboard, the teacher introduces and drills words and phrases with students using coded gestures. Even with classes of more than 50, students are engaged, attentive and can memorize new words and phrases quickly. It works with all ages and is especially appropriate for rural classrooms that lack equipment and often electricity.
I am standardizing the gestures based on Lao sign language, another neglected language in terms of documentation and development. I plan to promote this method through texts incorporated into the school curriculum and through teacher training. If this new methodology is used widely in schools, I hope it will make learning languages easier and also promote a wider understanding of the deaf community in Laos.
