Ajan Syvone explaining a Science activity to the Grade 2 students

(KPL) Over a third of teachers in the Lao PDR teach multigrade classes with students from two or more grade levels learning together in the same classroom. It can be a difficult task, requiring teachers to adapt their lessons and divide their attention across different grades, while ensuring all students are engaged in the learning process and can achieve targeted learning outcomes. Multigrade classes can also be rich and rewarding learning environments as students of different ages and levels share in the learning experience based on their individual knowledge and experiences.

For the newest episode of the Role Model docuseries, the TV, radio and newspaper teams from the Information Media Center (IMC) of the Research Institute for Educational Sciences (RIES) travelled to a remote village in Sing district, Luang Namtha province to meet a dedicated and talented multigrade teacher, Ms Syvone Seirsoualy. Ms Syvone teaches a multigrade and multilingual class. In the documentary, she explains her passion for teaching and her strategies to ensure her students can participate fully in all learning activities.

A multigrade and multilingual class

Associate Professor Dr Anoulom Vilayphone joined the production team during the filming “I was very impressed by Ms Syvone Seirsoualy. Her story is inspiring and shows how committed teachers can really make a difference in the learning of young students. Multigrade teaching is a reality in many schools in Laos. It is important that teachers know how to prepare and manage teaching more than one grade with students always being engaged and learning.”

Ms Syvone has been a teacher for eighteen years and a multigrade teacher for half of that time. In the docuseries episode she shares her experience and advice for teaching multigrade. Her first tip is lesson planning, she carefully prepares each lesson for both grades and notes in her lesson plan how she will adapt class activities for each grade level. She explains that it is key to keeping the students busy at all times. “I prepare special warm-up and ‘holding’ activities, so that the students from one grade are not waiting and getting bored or distracted while I teach the other grade. To achieve this, I carefully read the teacher guides for both grades and adapt the activities to suit my class group.”

Ajan Syvone Seirsoualy being interviewed by Information Media Center.

Ms Syvone also offers advice about classroom management. Practices like agreeing on classroom rules at the beginning of the year, pairing weaker students with stronger students, arranging students’ desks to suit group work or pair work activities, and creating learning materials specific to each grade are strategies Ms Syvone recommends when teaching a multigrade class.

Mr Anoulom commented “In remote villages, teachers can create a wide variety of teaching and learning materials with the resources they find locally. It helps the students relate more to the lesson and be more engaged. For her Science lessons, Ms Syvone uses local vegetables and plants, and a simple wooden scale made by her husband. The system is ingenious and easy to make. I hope other teachers will show the same creativity for the benefits of students’ learning.”

Grade 3 students enjoying a sciences activity with the wooden scale hand made by the teacher's husband.

Ms Syvone is from the Hmong community and her students are from Akha and Thai Neua communities. The multilingual environment can pose some challenges. Ms Syvone explained that “At home, my students speak a different language than Lao. Sometimes students don’t understand the lesson because all the teaching is in Lao. Because I don’t speak their languages, I use body language and images to explain the lesson. Sometimes I ask other ethnic students to help to translate any part of the lesson that a student does not understand.”

Ms Syvone enjoys teaching multigrade despite the challenges. She expressed “I love teaching multigrade. The class is always busy, there are many activities, and it is more fun than monograde. Yes, multigrade teaching is a challenge, but all teachers should be patient and try to learn and improve their teaching so that the students can enjoy learning. When I face a difficulty, I look at the teacher guide, watch some teacher development videos or ask other colleagues or pedagogical support staff.” Ms Syvone is extremely committed to her duty to her students: “If I don’t do well, my students will feel bored or will not be active in the classroom, which means I should find a way to improve my teaching!”

Mr Anoulom Vilayphone with the production team and local authorities

Ms Vanessa Hegarty, First Secretary, Australian Embassy, concluded “Australia is proud to support the Ministry of Education with producing the Role Model docuseries to tell the stories of passionate and devoted teachers. The objective of these videos is to promote and share best practices and highlight innovative ways of addressing teaching and learning challenges. I hope the stories will inspire teachers to try out the practices themselves. It will make a big difference for their students who are the future of the country.”

The story of Ms Syvone can be watched on Education and Sports TV on Lao Sat Channel 8, Khang Panya Lao and on the ວິດີໂອສໍາລັບການພັດທະນາຄູ Teacher Development Video You Tube Channel. The Role Model docuseries project is led by the Ministry of Education and Sports with support from the Australian Government and the United States Agency for International Development through the BEQUAL program. The program focuses on enhancing educational outcomes for the nation's youth, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged. BEQUAL is focused on ensuring gender equality and promoting inclusive education across all activities.

Link to watch the VDO: https://youtu.be/pfgIeUOzjzA?si=cbrZoTooawHJLaCP

KPL