Teachers In Laos To Get English Training

[Flashermac]

THE ENGLISH Language Institute of China (ELIC) in cooperation with the Laos Ministry of Education and Sports will implement the first ever English language teacher training programme for in-service secondary English teachers.

 

The training programme for secondary school English teachers will start this month.

 

Some nine native English speaking teachers from America and Canada will teach and train 130 teacher trainees from four of the most impoverished districts - Vientiane province's Meun, Hinheup, Vang Vieng and Maed.

 

A memorandum of understanding signing ceremony for the programme took place at the ministry last week and was attended by Lytou Bouapao, deputy minister of Education and Sports.

 

The MoU was signed by Sisouk Vongvichith, director general of the Secondary Education Department from the Ministry of Education and Sports, and Linda Doeden, a |professor at ELIC English.

 

ELIC instructors and Lao teacher trainees will convene for a month-long training course using a government issued secondary English language curriculum at the Teachers Training College in Keun village, Thoulakhom district, Vientiane.

 

This pilot programme will showcase one complete year-cycle of a proposed three-year training programme for Lao secondary school English language teachers serving in the most impoverished districts nationwide.

 

At the end of an intensive summer course, teacher trainees will return to their districts to try out the newly acquired methods and strategies. Each term (winter and spring) the programme's master teachers will travel to each trainee's districts to conduct three days of follow-up workshops that aims to encourage the transfer of lessons learnt into daily practice in the classroom.

 

According to the MoU, improved English language instruction will help Laotians engage more readily in the world's economic community, which is vital for national growth. Additionally, improved English language instruction will enhance Laos economically and politically when there is full integration of the Asian Economic Community at the end of the year.

 

English education is needed from primary to tertiary levels and the MoU will improve the quality of secondary English language teaching and in turn firm up the English learning and teaching base.

 

ELIC first began its involvement in Laos in 1996 through a partnership with the Ministry of Finance. In 1998, ELIC began a long-term partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports and the National University of Laos in Vientiane.

 

ELIC currently serves in universities and teacher training colleges at Pakse district, Champasak province, and the provinces of Savannakhet, Luang Prabang and Vientiane with plans to expand to Xieng Khouang, Saravan and Luang Namtha Teacher Training Colleges in the near future.

 

In China, there will be an increase in the number and quality of teachers in rural areas in the next five years, according to a State Council plan released last week.

 

The measures include forming multiple channels to select teachers for rural areas, improving the living standards of the teachers, helping them to get more training and setting up a reward system for them, according to the five-year plan.

 

Xu Tao, director of the Education Ministry's Teacher Education Department, said the plan has the crucial aim of promoting education equality among different regions.

 

"By raising the number and quality of teachers working in rural and impoverished areas, we hope to narrow the gap in educational resources so that children in under-developed areas can have as good an education as their peers in developed areas," Xu said.

 

The party and the State Council, China's cabinet, has made nurturing high-quality teachers for rural areas a priority.

 

During his visit to Beijing Normal University last year, President Xi Jinping said western and rural areas are being short-changed in education, and efforts must be made to change that situation.

 

According to the plan, a system will be set up to grant material rewards to teachers who have worked in rural areas for one to three decades.

 

Village teachers will receive a lot of training, especially on teachers' ethics, as well as on the application of information, communication and technology in daily teaching.

 

The plan also promised to improve the living standards of |village teachers by offering them stipends, comprehensive social insurance and even dormitories or apartments.

 

To expand the sources of village teachers, Xu said, the ministry would encourage universities across the country to nurture students as candidates.

 

"As a reward, candidates who finally become village teachers can earn their college tuition fees back after working for a couple of years," he said.

 

The ministry will also encourage excellent retired teachers from urban areas, with measures such as financial incentives, to give lectures and lessons in rural and impoverished areas, Xu added.

 

Some provinces and regions, such as Guangdong, have already started taking action in this direction.

 

Luo Weiqi, director of the Guangdong Provincial Education Department, said the tuition-refunding policy had attracted more than 40,000 college students to work as teachers for pre-schools and primary and middle schools in the province's underdeveloped areas.

 

"I believe that with the implementation of the five-year plan, more professional and high-quality teachers will join the efforts to create a better education for children in rural areas," Luo said.

 

However, Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences, said increasing the number and improving the quality of village teachers is just the starting point to promote quality and equality in Chinese education.

 

"There are still lots of things to be done after that to ensure that children from urban and rural areas enjoy the same education resources and services," he said.

 

http://www.nationmul...g-30263826.html

 

 

WTF?

[Coss]

At the private school where I did a bit of teaching, the two cute lady teachers would often sit in the back of my class, I sure just to listen to my accent, coz they never said "Hello Hansum Man"

[Flashermac]

They were trying to figure out what language you were speaking.

[Dumsoda]

...and too "sheepish" to ask.....LOL

 

There'll never be another "EWE"

 

 

55555 :neener: :neener: :neener:

[Coss]

yes yes very amusing

[waerth]

Dont worry Coss. It was just to make sure that the young students would not throw themselves at your feet offering you all kinds of favours deemed a no no in the communist hail state.

[Coss]

Well they are a very friendly people