Team VIII (19 February 2019 – 5 July 2019)
Team VIII (19 February 2019 – 5 July 2019)
Hello and Sabaidee everyone!
We are Team VIII in Ban Sikeud, Ban Phang Heng, and Vientiane, with different spans of work ranging from 19 February 2019 until 5 July 2019. We are all very happy to be a part of the project! After our Team introduction in February we now share on this page what our work within this project actually consists of.
Ban Phang Heng lower secondary school & primary school & Ban Sikeud primary school
Sabaidee!
My name is Elisabeth. I work at Ban Phang Heng Lower Secondary School and primary school, where I teach English to the following teachers: Ms Daovone Chanthabousee, Ms Amphaivone Chandavong and Ms Bounpheng Singhalath. With my tandem-teachers Ms Nalee Vonkhamsai (computer science) and Ms Bounpheng Singhalath (English) I also plan and prepare lessons and we then we try to implement our plans in the classroom. Furthermore, I offer “Activity Times” in the afternoon. On Mondays and Wednesdays I organise the “English Games Club“, where pupils receive English input and use the language actively in a playful way. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Mariana and I offer the Drama Club, where we practise and perform short plays. I do Singlish on Friday afternoons before everybody breaks up for the weekend.Â
My “Special Task” is running the blog together with Siegfried Hadatsch.Â
Hello everyone,
My name is Rebekka and I teach English and science at Ban Phang Heng Lower Secondary School. My first teaching task is to teach English to Ms Toukham Chanthavong. I also tandem–work with the chemistry teacher Ms Khamsee Thanbounhueang, and together with Vanessa I offer the Activity Time „Science Lab” where we conduct additional experiments for interested pupils every Monday and Thursday (see above, for example “saponification” or “how to make your own Lava lamp”, among other experiments). I also take care of four „Mopsy”classes at Sikeud Primary School. For my „Special Task“, I am responsible for the Science Lab and the Didactics Room. As the Didactics Room manager, I am responsible for the material and equipment which is needed for lesson preparation, i.e paper, laminating foil, printer, etc.
Hello or Saibadee,
I am Mariana and I am very happy to be here. I am the tandem-partner of Ms Donekeo Keositvong and Ms Souk Sindavan, which means I follow and observe their English lessons and then I help them prepare their next lesson so that their teaching can become ever more interesting and diversified. I also practise English with Ms Chanmany Thippachan and Mr Thongsing Sinnaphisith, which works really well, since both are very ambitious to improve their skills. In the afternoon, I offer three different “clubs” from Monday to Friday, i.e. the “English Games Club”, the “Drama Club” (with Elisabeth), and “Singlish“. After about a month I switched from the “Games Club” to the “Maths Club” to assist Cornelia with it. I enjoy every single session of my clubs and all the other experiences here.
Sabaidee and hello,
I am Cornelia and I am responsible for five Mopsy groups at Ban Sikeud Primary School. I also work together with my tandem-partners Ms Saysamone Singhalath, Ms Malaythong Loungsai, and Mr Noy Vienglakhone. Together with Mariana, for “Activity Time” I offer “Singlish” in Sikeud and the “Math Club” at Ban Phang Heng Secondary School. My “Special Task” is taking care of the Lending Library in the villa. I am very grateful for the experiences I make here.
Sabaidee everyone!
My name is Vanessa and I am 20 years old. I teach English at Ban Phang Heng Lower Secondary School. I enjoy working with my tandem-partners Mr Sackbong Boulapan, Ms Na Lee Vonkhamaxai, and Mr Noy Sibounheuang. In separate lessons, I work with them to improve their English skills. In addition, Mr Sackbong  and I also prepare chemistry lessons for his pupils together.
Additionally, I offer Activity Time in the “Science Lab” with Rebekka every Monday and Thursday afternoon, where the pupils get a chance to try out experiments themselves. My “Special Task” is to manage the media of Team VIII. This means I take care of all our team’s work files, also our pictures and videos, i.e. I collect and store them on a common hard drive so the next team can find and use them.
Lao-German Technical CollegeÂ
Hello there! We are Anna-Sophia, Thomas, and Siegfried from the Lao-German Technical College in Vientiane. The three of us are all very happy to be part of the project, to work at the College, and to live together in our lovely bungalow right next door to our work-place.
Hello and Sabaidee everyone!
I am Thomas, 25 years old, and I work at the Lao-German Technical College. With my tandem-partner Ms Viengkhom Phyathep, we work on the methodology of English lessons. We meet to prepare her lessons by choosing the right exercises, finding suitable explanations as well as creating additional examples and further teaching material like flashcards. Besides, I observe some of her lessons to be able to give feedback. Of course I also do some of the teaching, especially when it comes to pronunciation.
Apart from this, I am responsible for the “Elementary” teacher-class as well as for the BHS “Pre-Intermediate” student-class. In the teacher-class, I teach English to the the LGTC science teachers. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I focus on grammar and on work with our course book Top Notch 1. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I focus on conversation, collecting new vocabulary, and fluency in speaking.
In my BHS “Pre-Intermediate” student-class, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays I focus on work with the course book Top Notch 1 and on introducing new vocabulary. During “Activity Time” on Wednesdays, I teach fluency in speaking through language games. When I teach the BHS students, my tandem-partner may also observe me and give feedback.
I also work with some motivated students of the LGTC’s general mechanic section on an English-Lao-German technical dictionary1 for the LGTC.
Work here is huge fun and it is very rewarding to see the progress you reach together while working with the students and teachers, so I am most grateful for the opportunity I have here.
Hello together and Sabaidee!
My name is Siegfried and I am one of the volunteers working at the Lao-German Technical College, where I teach the BHS-sponsored Intermediate English student-classes and the Technical English class for teachers. Additionally, I continue the work of Nicole from Team VII and all the predecessors before her by working together with the English teachers at the College to create a course plan for the course book Technical English. My tandem-partner is Ms Moukdala Keomixai, with whom I do tandem-teaching in her English classes, prepare lessons, and overall support her in further refining her teaching skills. Just like Elisabeth, my “Special Task” is being the blogmaster, which means that we take care of the project blog for Team VIII together.
I am very glad to be part of this project. It is so rewarding to see your own teaching progress with both students and teacher-students after adjusting yourself to completely new surroundings, and it is an equally rewarding experience to not only be a teacher, but a learner as well – in the same vein that I teach my BHS students and teacher-students, I also learn from them. Living and working here at the LGTC has provided me with far greater insights and incentives to reflect my own way of thinking, and even after nearly two months, I feel like I am only at the beginning of this process.
Hello everybody,
My name is Anna, or “Teacher Anna”, as the students say.2 I am 23 years old and I work as an English teacher at the Lao-German-Technical College (LGTC) in Vientiane. I teach the BHS-sponsored “Beginner” English student-classes 1 and 2 and the “Beginner” teacher-class at the LGTC. My tandem-partner is Ms Akina Yadsadahuk. Together we do tandem-teaching in her classes and I also help her with the preparation for her lessons.
Besides my teaching assignment, I have the “Special Task” of being responsible for the Lending Library and the Didactics Room. Once a week I also offer Activity Time for the student “Beginner” classes 1 and 2, where we practise English by playing games and revise topics we talked about during the regular evening classes.
I  enjoy my time here in Laos very much! Living in the Bunglow is great and I am happy and thankful for all the experiences here.
Text & photos by Team VIII volunteers, with editor’s note by I. Martin
Notes
1Â Our new trilingual Technical Picture Dictionary is a collection of words for the most relevant machines, tools, and work processes for the LGTC students. The words are listed in English, Lao, and German, alongside a corresponding picture.
2 Editor’s note: When addressing their teachers – no matter if Lao or German – the pupils always use the classifier “teacher” and then the first name. In Germany, we address our teachers by “Herr” or “Frau” (“Mr” or “Ms”) and then their last name. A correspondingly polite address for “teacher Anna” in Germany would thus be “Frau ten Brink”.
The Lao word “ad’jan” is not a literal translation of the English word “teacher”, but one of the many Lao classifiers which precede nouns to classify a group or finite number of things. “Ad’jan” therefore does not only refer to teachers, but to any people for whom – in the Lao culture – young people show deep respect, i.e. teachers, older family members, or seniors. As showing respect for other people is very important in Lao culture, we also use the corresponding English classifier “Mr” or “Ms” to refer to our partners.
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