The new Grade 1 curriculum will be implemented in the 2019/2020 school year. It will represent a major change for teachers, especially their pedagogical approach
To support teachers and equip them with the necessary skills to successfully deliver the new curriculum in their classroom, the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR, with the support of the Australian Government and the European Union through the BEQUAL program, has designed a wide range of supporting activities: face-to-face training, peer learning and self-study materials including teacher development videos.
The purpose of the videos is to provide additional resources for teachers to help them develop their skills in using the new curriculum after the initial training. The videos will be accessible online for teachers to learn about new teaching techniques and to revisit key topics discussed in their face-to-face training. New videos will be added on relevant teacher development topics. The videos will demonstrate new teaching practices included in the new teacher guides for Grade 1 subjects. Topics will include classroom management, assessment, inclusive learning, professional development, using teaching resources, active learning technique and many more.
Each video will be a maximum of 5 minutes long and structured so that viewers can easily and quickly take away key messages. The first part of each video will recall the principles of active learning; the following sections will present the specific topic of the video, the equipment required and a live demonstration of the teaching technique. Each video will end with a recall of the key techniques learnt.
The first five videos are currently in production and the filming crew with the curriculum specialists from the Research Institute for Educational Sciences and the BEQUAL program were shooting last week in a real-life Lao primary classroom setting. The first video will demonstrate the management of classes outside the classroom with the example of a Grade 1 science class observing animals near the school; the second video will focus on new techniques to assess learning by rubrics with the same science class miming animals they saw outside while the teacher assesses learners.
The first training videos will be available in July 2019 and accessible through a dedicated YouTube Channel “ວິດີໂອສໍາລັບການພັດທະນາຄູ Teacher Development Videos”. Stay Tuned!