College of Education Professor Sue Shore has returned home from Lao where she co-delivered an orientation program to a group of teachers, who later this year will visit the Northern Territory on a professional study tour.

Professor Shore and Batchelor Institute’s Dr Michele Willsher presented a “pre-departure workshop” to 15 Lao educators in Vientiane as part of an initiative to promote quality primary schooling for Lao children through professional learning.

“It was a practical workshop designed to develop a common language and understanding for participants in an Australia Awards Fellowship program, which CDU will host in Darwin in May,” Professor Shore said.

“We spoke at some length about cultural awareness, academic orientation and travel and accommodation logistics.”

Professor Shore said participants included curriculum writers, resource staff and senior education leaders.

“We want them to tap into Australian education system expertise in multi-grade and multi-ability teaching, supporting language learning across the curriculum, multimedia and digital strategies to support primary schooling, and flexible approaches to remote delivery.

“Primary schools in Lao operate in diverse language and cultural settings, as do schools in the Northern Territory.

“This and other similarities are at the heart of the collaborative learning necessary to strengthen national education systems,” she said.

The program is funded by the Australian Government’s Australia Awards Fellowship program to strengthen partnerships and links between Australian organisations and partner organisations in developing countries.