ພາສາລາວ
Students doing a science group activity with flashcards
In this new training video, teachers learn how to set up and manage pair and group work to engage students in meaningful peer-learning activities
Since 2019, the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR, with support from Australia, has been producing teacher development videos to provide teachers with guidance and real classroom examples of the new teaching and learning approaches in the improved curriculum. The new active learning methodology is based on engaging students though practical activities, problem solving, and critical thinking.
Pair and group work is a great way to encourage active learning as they require students to collaborate on learning activities. Through pair and group work, students work together and discuss and exchange ideas. This helps them to build their confidence and develop teamwork and communication skills. Pair and group work is also a great way to encourage peer support and help students to learn to work cooperatively with one another. Pair and group work encourages students to take a more positive attitude to learning which in turn can have a positive impact on learning outcomes.
Pair and group work is also beneficial to teachers since it allows teachers to observe students as they apply new knowledge and skills. Through observing students working in pairs or groups teachers can assess the extent to which students understand the lesson content and whether the planned lesson objectives have been met.
To support teachers in their duty to ensure all students in the classroom are engaged and participate, the E-learning team from the Research Institute of Educational Sciences has released a new teacher development video on this topic. The video was produced with the support of Australia through the BEQUAL program. It was filmed in classrooms in a remote district in Xiangkhouang Province to show real examples of the techniques in practice. The video is also dubbed in Sign Language to be more accessible for teachers who teach in Lao sign language.
Students working in pairs during Lao Language lesson
Teachers practicing a science activity to prepare students group work
Ajan Khamchan Lattayord, Deputy Director General of the Research Institute of Educational Sciences said: “One key way for teachers to facilitate active learning is through pair and group work. All lessons in the new primary curriculum incorporate activities which require students to work in pairs and small groups. This is why our E-Learning department with Australia’s support produced this new video on Setting up and managing pair and group work”.
The video guides teachers and trainers through the four main steps of pair and group work. The first part of the video shows how to organize and plan a pair or group work activity including preparing the different resources needed. The second part gives tips on how to set up the activity and ensure that groups are balanced and inclusive. The third part demonstrates how the teacher can monitor and support students. The final part is about discussion and reflection activities that can be used at the end of the lesson to encourage students to share and reflect on their learning. The video show examples of different pair and group work activities which teachers can implement in Lao Language, English and Sciences and Environment lessons.
By working in pairs and groups students are exposed to new ideas and can learn from their peers. Students can learn to value and respect each other’s differences and through communicating with each other to complete a learning task. Students can develop more complex language and thinking skills. Pair work and group work can help students achieve more and can also help foster strong, positive classroom relationships.
The video is released via the ESTV – Education and Sports TV Channel on Lao Satellite 8, on Khang Panya Lao and on the ວິດີໂອສໍາລັບການພັດທະນາຄູ Teacher Development Videos YouTube channel.
With more than 2.9 million views, the ວິດີໂອສໍາລັບການພັດທະນາຄູ Teacher Development Videos YouTube channel launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Education and Sports with the support of Australia, through the BEQUAL program, is a great success. It contains training videos and audio materials for primary teachers, teacher trainers, and pedagogical advisor staff. The videos cover a range of subjects related to the new curriculum and the new active learning pedagogical approach. Teachers use them to prepare lessons, improve their teaching method, and learn or review a specific technique. They also play the audio tracks containing music, songs, and English stories to students in the classroom.
Link to watch the VDO
