connie's space

Toward the end of April, I had just completed the last lesson of the Book 2 Let’s Go series which our Center uses for our younger learners. Book 3 was next on the agenda but starting it with only 2 weeks before we closed off our 12-week course was not the best option. Better to start Book 3 with the new term.

Naturally, my 8 girls (no boys) were giggling with delight, thinking for the next 8 classes they’d have nothing to do before the certification day and Laos New Year holidays. On Monday, March 30th, they gleefully entered the classroom expecting me to either do review activities or maybe they could just go outside to play in the courtyard area.

Think again, kids!

What none had realized was that I’d been working for several weeks on creating, what is called in my field, an authentic language learning experience. This is where we use the language not in a classroom situation, but in real life.

The Center’s neighborhood is full of embassies, meaning foreigners live and work in our area. Restaurants, Laos shops and small grocery stores all have English-speaking staff to accommodate us whose Laos skills are quite poor or non-existent.

One of the most popular of these stores is the Chinese ice cream and cold tea drinks’ chain, MiXue.

MiXue is the largest cold drink chain in the world, having even surpassed McDonalds and Starbucks in the number of establishments. Their first store in Laos opened in 2021, serving affordable, high-quality cold drinks in the region.  Food is not offered but numerous cold tea drinks, fruit juice concoctions, ice cream cones and ice cream sundaes.

All throughout this capital city of Laos, Vientiane, and also in larger towns in the country, MiXue storefronts can be found in our popular city malls or scattered along various streets. When it comes to the Center, we have a MiXue just 1 minute’s walk from us. It’s one of the first stops for many of our students as they saunter away from schools and make their way to us fro their English classes.
We have a strict rule about no food or sugary drinks in the classroom. A majority of our students are starving after school, naturally, and can’t resist grabbing up food items before class. They often come sauntering through our gates for their 4:30 or 5:30 p.m. lessons quickly eating their roadside stall goodies (skewered sticky rice balls, chicken drumsticks, French fries), spooning in their ice cream treats or sucking down their fruit drinks before class begins. Those that aren’t finished either quickly share with friends, entering the room later, toss what’s left in the trash or ask Suher (our caretaker) to place in the Center’s big refrigerator for after-class pick-up.

When Suher asked me if this was OK, I said, “Of course! But they must ask you in English: ‘Ajan Suher, can I please keep this in the refrigerator?’ No English; no fridge use. “

Now even our 7-year-old ABC beginning English students can say that phrase at the drop of a hat.

Ice Cream Customer and Cashier Dialogues Learned, Practiced and Memorized

As for my students, the two ice cream dialogues I created took several days to learn. After my 8 completed memorization of both being a cashier and a customer, who was ordering vanilla, green tea or mixed ice cream cones, I arranged a visit to Mixue during our class time.
“My treat” was one of our new phrases and, naturally, this was indeed my treat!

Before we visited, I had a sit-down with the manager and 2 staff concerning the necessary use of English for these young learners. They received our dialogue and knew the time and day we were coming.

For my class, it was Connie’s instruction of “No English? No ice cream!” that put them on their best behavior.

As you can see below, the success of the venture was felt by all involved, even the staff whose manager was pleased by their language efforts.

A Thank you To the Staff

As a thank you to the staff and manager for their help, I brought cookie gifts the next day to present. Mookie, one of our cashiers, received my offerings. She mentioned how much she enjoyed learning and speaking English but there were not many opportunities for her to do so.

My Ice Cream Lesson leads to Free Classes

Due to her remarks, and Shaloom’s enthusiasm for teaching higher level adult learners, both of us decided to plan a special weekly free English evening to begin in May. This was to be only for adults who wanted to improve their language skills. We planned to have two sessions running simultaneously: Shaloom would have higher level learners who would be led on debating topics.

I would be doing lower level learners with discussion topics. See below an example of my session, an English Corner of sharing. (Click on all below images if you want to see them enlarged)

Santi, my office manager and teacher of the ABC learners, created an amazing flier for us.

This was posted on Facebook as well as sent out via our WhatsApp channels to all our friends. We even made hard copies which Shaloom, Santi and I began distributing around college campuses, restaurants we patronized, barbershops and beauty parlors we passed on our motorbikes, international hotels and guesthouses in the city, and various shops we often visited. I even handed out my advertisements at our village’s government office center as well as in my neighborhood’s outside market where I do my vegetable and meat shopping.

The result?

We are into Week 4 of our free classes and we now have anywhere between 10 – 15 adults joining us, mostly women. Not bad for a small vocational center. Plus the word is spreading and those attending will be bringing friends, if they haven’t already.

And who is diligently a regular attendee? None other than Moukie, our Mixue employee who so kindly greeted my students and spoke to them in English.

Now that is a successful language learning experience, one which reverberates onward long after the lesson is over.