Tales from the Desh

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For one hour during a technical training session for a group of 26 Peace Corps trainees, the ELF discussed practical approaches to designing an English language course at a secondary school in Turkmenistan. Because of his own experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in the region (Uzbekistan) and his understanding of the severe constraints that the average volunteer’s lack of experience and training places on the success of such an endeavor, the discussion focused on a simple step-by-step approach to course design for the average Central Asian classroom. Despite the approach’s foundation in established and proven methodology, its design pre-supposes that the average volunteer is less likely to put into practice a plan that gives the impression of being too complicated or “academic,” but that volunteers (in general) are also granted enormous freedom at their schools to conduct classes as they best see fit. As a result, the plan is simplified and reasonably free of academic rationalization, but also takes advantage of the volunteer’s relative autonomy.

First, the ELF laid out a plan for a detailed (but informal) needs analysis during which the volunteer observes classes, talks with teachers and students and examines course materials, all to be done with the help and guidance of his counterpart. This analysis concludes with the compiling of a list of useful communicative situations and grammatical structures to be taught to his students over the next 2½ months (the average length of one academic term in Turkmenistan).

Next, the trainees were instructed how to organize these situations/structures on a calendar in a way that both allows enough time for each to be taught and practiced and which also provides flexibility for adjustment to unexpected or difficult-to-plan-for issues such as truancy, poor motivation and institutional/professional constraints. For example, the communicative situation “asking for permission to use the restroom (MAY + SUBJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENT)” might be planned for a three-hour lesson. Because the average class week in Turkmenistan is 45 minutes per day for six days, the trainees were encouraged to allot six or seven days for a lesson such as this so as to allow breathing room for on-the-go adjustment. But they were also reminded that they will know their students and their schools best, and that they should be trusted to make such decisions on their own.

Finally, the ELF encouraged the trainees to both informally monitor the progress of their students during the term and provide formal assessment at regular intervals throughout. Again, the approach is simplified, and the trainees were told to monitor their students by simply paying close attention to their reactions to the lessons. The volunteer can ask himself: Are my students enjoying themselves in class? Are the lessons moving at a reasonable rate? Do the students appear to be acquiring what they have been taught? If problems arise, the volunteer can easily make changes to his course plan during the semester with regard to speed, sequencing or lesson planning. As for formal assessment, the ELF was aware that teachers in Turkmenistan are often allowed (or required) to write their own tests, which again offers the volunteer a great deal of freedom, this time to create his own authentic forms of assessments. Little time was available to discuss formal assessment during this discussion, but the ELF encouraged the trainees to create assessments that closely mirrored communicative uses of the target structures/situations and to use personal judgment and the advice of their counterparts and other volunteers to make final determinations. Assessment results should be used to help write the course plan for the next term.

At the end of the session, the ELF gave to each trainee a set of detailed instructions for course design along with a sample schedule and lesson plan. The handouts contained the ELF’s contact information in case any of the trainees had questions or concerns about what had been discussed.

Most importantly, however, the trainees were reminded that they are not expected to perform teaching miracles. Problems will arise. Mistakes will be made. They will more often feel overwhelmed by their situation than in control of it. The ELF encouraged them to take advantage of the experience of their counterparts, their fellow volunteers and also the Peace Corps office and the ELF himself in Ashgabat as they planned and implemented their course design.

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