An Introduction to Teaching English Effectively in

Hannah Owh

TEACHING ESOL PROFESSOR ROBIN RHODES-CROWELL 05/06/19 1

Abstract Laos has a complicated political, social, and educational history that educators looking to teach here should be conscious of. It was not until 1953 that Laos gained its independence from

France and not until 1975 that the civil war ended, leaving the communist party, Pathet Lao, in power. Before this system was put into place, Laos was divided into regions with many dialects being spoken by the various ethnic communities throughout the country with French as the language of the elite. In recent years, there has been an increase in English learning in schools to increase globalization. Anyone interested in teaching in Laos must be prepared to overcome the challenges that accompany the recent political and cultural challenges, as well as the rurally based, underserviced areas within the country. Because English is often taught in many different settings outside of the school system, students will vary in cultural background, age, and religion as English is often a voluntary supplemental activity taken through language schools and at the level. With the varying demographics, need to be prepared to adjust their teaching based on cultural and linguistic characteristics as, especially in Laos, research has shown that the use of L1 in the classroom can accelerate English learning (Latsyanphone, 2009).

All of these considerations should be taken into account by teachers looking to teach EFL in

Laos to improve effectiveness.

Historical and Educational History In recent years, Laos has undergone many changes that have affected numerous aspects of the Laotian people’s lives including culturally, socioeconomically, and linguistically. As a potential English teacher and especially as an American, it is important to be familiar with the recent history of this country as the American government had a hand in many of the significant events. Some other things that anyone looking to teach here needs to know include some basic 2 knowledge of the educational system, English learning motivations, and the Laotian population and government.

To start, let’s begin with a little background of Laos currently as a country. Laos is a landlocked country in southeast Asia with a population of 6.7 million people. The capital city is

Vientiane and is a very urban city center, however, outside the capital, much of the country remains quite rural. Approximately 80% of the population works in agriculture mainly growing rice (BBC, 2018). The majority of the population is Buddhist however, there are many ethnic minorities living in Laos who often maintain their traditional folk religions. Not only are there ethnic and religious differences between these minority populations, but also linguistic variations as it is common for each ethnic group to continue to speak in their mother-tongues which are different from the . It wasn’t until recently that Laos imposed an official language and began teaching Lao in school to boost rates.

In 1893, Laos became a colony of the French and belonged to the French until 1953 except for a brief period near the end of WWII when the Japanese occupied Laos. Throughout this time of colonization, French became the language of the elite. Those who learned French were able to obtain reliable and well-paid jobs as housekeepers and servants to the small French population living in Laos. During this time, the French also established a formal educational system in the country. Before French colonization, the only children received was from Buddhist monks in monasteries and temples. There was no national educational system; the country also a lacked a common language, each ethnicity speaking their own respective languages. Although the French implemented a public school system, the system was based on the French school system which was largely irrelevant to the Laotian people not to mention the 3 fact that due to the lack of transportation infrastructure, the only public schools were located in the urban centers (Zeck, 2016).

In 1953, Laos gained independence from French rule which resulted in the separation of

Indochina creating the countries of Laos, , and that we have today (BBC,

2018). Immediately following independence, a civil war broke out between the communist- backed, Pathet Lao and the democratic-backed, Royal Lao government which is now commonly referred to as the Secret War (Zeck, 2016). It was a devastating time for the Laotian people as their country became the battlefield of the two world superpowers – the democratic USA and the communist . Despite the daily bombing, educational initiatives still persisted, although the school day was usually only four hours long.

By 1970, the Pathet Lao had established 43 learning centers and had already published a

3-year educational plan, the first of its kind in the country. They established Lao as the official language of the country in an effort to unify the Laotian people despite their differences in ethnicity, language, and culture. In 1975, the Pathet Lao led a coup against the Royal Lao government and seized control which ended the Civil War and reunified the entire country

(BBC, 2018). They continued with their educational plan through reformation, thus establishing a national school system that blended together aspects from both the French and Vietnamese school systems (Zeck, 2016). Laos today is still struggling with literacy rates, especially in underserviced rural areas, but since reunification and the declaration of the Laotian language, literacy rates have risen.

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English Learning and Cultural Considerations

English is not taught consistently in all public schools as there is not currently a large demand for English. It wasn’t until 2013 that Laos joined The World Trade Organization (BBC,

2018). In recent years, Laos has become more focused on becoming a globalized country and is fast becoming a popular tourist destination. These two facts have contributed to the higher demand for English especially among young people. Older people may be found speaking

French while the younger generation may speak more English (Zeck, 2016). English learning centers and international schools are emerging especially in the capital, .

Teachers should expect to teach EFL in the capital as there is still a large discrepancy in the education system between the rural and urban areas (Moir, 2019). This discrepancy can be seen in Fig. 1 below. Vientiane is the capital city with a large, urban, population, while Sekong is a rural province made up of many agriculturally based communities. Public schooling reaches

Secondary school and students can then go on to university or trade school, but as we can see from the data, especially in rural areas, student dropout rates can be high. Rural schools tend to be more underserviced and have higher dropout rates than their urban counterparts (Moir, 2019).

Many of these rural schools will not be able to offer pay for English teachers like urban schools can. 5

Fig. 1 Urban versus Rural Levels of Education ( and Data Center Laos, 2018)

As an English teacher, you will likely be teaching in an international school or in a language center though the language of instruction varies even within international schools ranging from Lao to English to French (Dorner, Gorman, 2011). Much of the teaching at language centers will likely need to be based less on accuracy and more on fluency by relying more on a Communicative Language approach (Celce-Mucia, 2014). In order to best serve your students needs for communication in English to English speaking tourists, concentrate on

English for a Specific Purpose whereas the English taught in international schools and the rare public school will need to abide by the standards of the Ministry of Education. It would be helpful for both you and your students to have at least a basic understanding of either French and

Lao as your fellow teachers may switch between these three languages within one lesson regardless of the subject. “The languages of instruction within the education system seem to vary, with English, French and Lao all being used, and it differs across schools. A mathematics teacher in the urban secondary school said all of his teaching was in French, but at times he explained difficult concepts to the students in Lao” (Dorner, Gorman, 2011, pp. 9). This is recent development in the education field commonly referred to as translanguaging where the use of 6 two languages can serve to better instill concepts in student’s minds (Garcia, 2017). This leads to another consideration that is often debated in ESOL circles – should L1 be used in an English classroom?

The Use of L1 in the Classroom

A cultural consideration to keep in mind is that that the population of Laos is incredibly diverse and is composed of a multitude of different ethnic identities. In the classroom, perhaps more so in rural areas, you may find that there are many different dialects and languages spoken within your classroom though students will use Lao to communicate with each other. Even within the majority Laotian population there are differences in culture and language based on where your students come from and live. “The most important thing that you can do as a teacher is to be aware of these characteristics that have the potential to impact what happens in your speaking class” (Foster, 2009, pg. 14). This idea that the learner is central to the classroom and should be the focus of the teacher is not a new idea. Culturally relevant is a widespread idea in education and is an extremely important idea to keep in mind especially as a foreigner teaching abroad. Culturally relevant pedagogy refers to the cultural and linguistic considerations that may affect teacher and student interactions and learning and teaching styles (Ladson-

Billings, 1995). With this in mind, teachers need to be consistently reevaluating their own cultural context in relation to that of their students. Following this culturally relevant pedagogy with your Laotian students, you must remember that the Laotian language was designated the official language quite recently and was implemented with the goal of unifying a divided country and fostering a larger identity (Zeck, 2016). Keeping this in mind, if your students seem more eager to learn Lao than English or use Lao in the classroom, you may want to think back to what

Lao means to your students from a historical and practical perspective. English is becoming the 7 language of globalization regardless of the benefits and consequences of this and are only just starting to fully emerge in Laos. But remember, Lao is the language that surrounds your students on a daily basis and is the language that unifies the country. If your students use Lao in the classroom in a way that may seem excessive to you, remember the culture of your students and what Lao means for the country, it won’t mean the same thing to everyone living in Laos.

On the other hand, you may be able to use this language to your advantage. In a case study by Soulignavong Latsanyphone, it was found that the use of the student’s L1 in the classroom enhanced the understanding and accelerated the learning of English at the university level (Latsyanphone, 2009). By using their L1, teachers were able to explain concepts and translate examples in a way that accelerate student learning. Keep in mind that teaching English is not just about language acquisition but also about building a “sphere of interculturality”

(McKay, 2002, pp. 95). Students need to be able to draw comparisons between the culture of the

English language and their own culture of the Lao language. Encouraging the use of L1, similar to the idea of translanguaging to solidify an idea for students bilingually, in the classroom is one method of encouraging this (Garcia, 2017; Latsanyphone, 2009). Laos has undergone periods of occupation and colonialization where French and Japanese have been forced on the population

(BBC, 2018). English however, is being forced in a different way. Because it is the language of globalization those looking to gain cultural and economic capital need to learn English, English is not a language that is completely voluntary. The demand stems from economic growth potential and so it is important as a teacher to understand the motivations of your students to learn English and respect their L1. Without creating a sphere of interculturality, you may find yourself teaching a language of colonization rather than a language as a tool and method of alternative communication. 8

Assessment Strategies

You may be tempted to apply general learning characteristics of students in the East like

China and Japan, but this will not help you nor your students in the long run (McKay, 2009, pp.

107). In doing so, you are not accounting for the huge amount of diversity within Laos which will have an impact on your students learning styles and your method of teaching. If you stay away from making generalized conclusions and enforcing stereotypes about these students, you will be able to reflect upon your teaching a way that can serve the students as individuals. This type of individualized attention has the potential to affect assessment of your students in particular. According to John Dewey, there are three concepts of reflective teaching that include: open-mindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness (McKay, 2009, pp. 615). Keeping these three concepts in the back of your mind while teaching will be better than attempting to generalize learner characteristics according to stereotypes about your learner’s demographics.

Assessment is a huge part of teaching and has the potential to destroy student confidence.

Keeping the concepts of reflective teaching in mind, you will be able to create assessment strategies that serve your students individually by reflecting in-action, for-action, and on-action

(McKay, 2009). For example, generally speaking teachers teaching in east and south Asia often describe their students as being quiet in the classroom (again take this broad generalization with a grain of salt). With this in mind, a high-risk oral activity like giving an explanation on the spot, may stifle a student’s desire to participate as they may be afraid to be incorrect or talk too much.

Rather than employing a high-risk activity, it may be more beneficial to employ passive assessment where observation acts your main form assessment in a way that doesn’t stifle student confidence. This may also be a good time to use the idea of translanguaging by allowing your students to solidify their thoughts in their L1 to gain confidence and then transferring these 9 ideas to English (Garcia, 2017). This could potentially help your students with fluency but again, passive assessment would be most beneficial in a situation like this.

The most important concepts to remember when assessing your students who may come from a variety of different backgrounds and educational levels, especially if you teach in a language center, are the three concepts of reflective teaching by John Dewey and always checking your assumptions about the risk association of your activities. Some activities may seem low-risk to you but may be high-risk to your students (McKay, 2009). Assessment of your students is closely tied to assessment of your own teaching methods and these two ideas should be in constant rework in order to better serve your students. With a variety of backgrounds including Lao, Khmu, and Hmong each with their own languages, religions, and age groups, these two ideas become even more important as your student classes will vary from year to year.

Teaching Opportunities in Laos

Now that we have covered the history of the education system, how English fits into the educational system, and some cultural considerations that are important to keep in mind, how does one go about teaching in Laos and what should you expect? To start, most English that is taught in public schools, , and international schools will vary in curriculum. For example, at the university level, students will be focusing on academic writing and accuracy whereas in language centers, students will be focusing on fluency in English for a Specific

Purpose. There is no consistent English learning curriculum or standard due to the discrepancy in resources and instruction levels throughout the country. As a teacher, you will find much more opportunity if you have TESOL certification and will also boost your pay as qualification is tied to your pay. With a TESOL certification you can find jobs in international schools, training 10

English teachers, the universities, language centers, and ESL schools mostly located in

Vientiane.

Peace Corps does not currently serve in Laos and so, teaching in rural settings would be a difficult thing to achieve unless you speak Lao fluently. However, there are many schools that are willing to overlook the TESOL (similar eg. TEFL, CELTA) certification due to the lack of resources, however, these will most likely be volunteer positions. If you are looking to make money, teaching in Laos is not for you as even the paid positions that require a TESOL certification do not pay a huge amount. The pay scale can vary greatly depending on where you are teaching and what qualifications you have. For example, some positions will be voluntary, others may be through organizations like ELIC where the teacher must pay the organization to be placed as a teacher in Laos for x amount of days (ELIC). For the most part however, your pay will be between $500 and $1500 per month which, considering the cost of living, is plenty (Lake,

2016). International schools will provide the most salary however, there will also be more qualifications necessary as opposed to smaller schools outside the capital that will pay less but may be willing to overlook certain qualifications (teachinternational.edu, 2017).

In some countries, it is common for the school to provide housing, pay for airfare, arrange for your visa, and even give teachers a stipend. However, in Laos, because of the low economic status, this is not the case. It will be rare to find a situation where housing, airfare, and the visa is all taken care of for you before you go unless you teach at an international school where you may be able to negotiate your contract more than at under-resouced schools outside the capital. Because of this, you must be prepared to negotiate for yourself and ask questions, so you know exactly what is included in your contract, especially when it comes to applying for a visa as not all schools will be able to sponsor your work visa. However, obtaining a visa in Laos 11 is relatively easy as the Laotian consulates can help you. There is also an online visa system which will be launched in June 2019 that will allow foreigners to apply for a tourist visa in a very short amount of time online where the consulate will then process your request which grant you access to the country for 30 days in the case you need to travel to the consulate before you can obtain your work visa (visalaos.com).

Teaching in Laos can be a little unorganized and may seem a little far fetched but if you do your research, negotiate your contracts, and be proactive about the requirements, it is very possible. One of the reasons that Laos is launching its eVisa in 2019 is to promote tourism and bring foreigners into the country by making it more accessible. That being said, the English demand is rising making now a great time to teach in Laos! There are many organizations like

ELIC and TeachInternational that can help you through the process of finding a teaching job but making sure you can negotiate things like housing, health care, and hours are important. There are so many opportunities in Laos with the growing need for English instruction so paying money to go teach should not be something that is necessary. Even volunteer positions may be negotiated to fulfill your needs. That being said, just to reiterate, now is fantastic time to teach

English in Laos where you will have the chance to enjoy the country known for its rich culture, relaxed attitude, and natural beauty.

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References

Angles for Children. (2017, September 21). Education in Laos (Part II) - Parallel education systems during the civil war. Retrieved from http://www.thelaosexperience.com/2017/09/17/education-in-laos-part-ii/ Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Snow, M. A. (2014). Teaching English as a second or foreign language. Boston: Heinle Cengage Learning. Dorner, D., & Gorman, G. E. (2011, May 31). Contextual Factors Affecting Learning in Laos and the Implications for Information Literacy Education. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ935871 Education Policy and Data Center Laos. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.epdc.org/country/laos García, O., Johnson, S. I., Seltzer, K., & Valdés, G. (2017). The translanguaging classroom: Leveraging student bilingualism for learning. Philadelphia: Caslon. Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). This Issue: Culturally relevant teaching. Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 150-151. doi:10.1080/00405849509543673 Lake, W. (2016, December 28). Teaching English in Laos. Retrieved from http://blog.about- esl.com/teaching-english-laos/ Latsanyphone, S., & Bouangeune, S. (2009, August 31). Using L1 in Teaching Vocabulary to Low English Proficiency Level Students: A Case Study at the National University of Laos. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1083092 Laos Business Visa | Laos Work Visa Requirements. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.visalaos.com/business-visa/ McKay, S. L. (2002). Teaching English as an International Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Moir, A. (2019, February 26). Teaching English in Laos. Retrieved from https://www.tefl.org/en/blog/teaching-english-in-laos/ What can you expect as a TESOL teacher in Laos. (2017, December 14). Retrieved from https://teachinternational.edu.au/some-like-it-hot-laos/ Zeck, J. (2017, September 21). Education in Laos (Part II) - Parallel education systems during the civil war. Retrieved from http://www.thelaosexperience.com/2017/09/17/education- in-laos-part-ii/