Abstracts - Parallel Sessions

STREAM A: Methodology & Macro-Skill Teaching

Session 1:

Peer Correction of Spoken Language

Mr Chan Virak

The teacher is said to be the most effective corrector of students’ spoken language in Cambodian English classes. However, with the increasing number of students in a class, there is a need for the teachers to transfer some of this correcting job to their students. This stimulates active, cooperative and independent learning.

A short presentation will begin this workshop to show the importance of peers in the process of spoken language correction. Then a short activity will further illustrate how the participants may make possible the peer correcting process in their own classrooms. Finally, a short discussion will focus on how individual teachers can adapt the activity for their classes.  

Session 2:

Teaching Reading Interactively

Mr Keuk Chan Narith

To what extent do teachers of English in Cambodia help students process their reading comprehension interactively in the classroom? To respond to this question, this workshop will provide an insightful and practical strategy for teaching reading comprehension interactively, KWL. Its rationale and procedures will be considered. The participants will experience how to encourage learners to formulate reasons for reading and to predict the reading content by questioning what they want to read in the text. They will also explore a model of teaching KWL with a transcript. At the end of the workshop, the participants will reflect on the practicality and usability of the technique so that they will be able to apply it effectively.

STREAM B: Curriculum & Materials Development

Session 1:  

Supplementary Material for the New Headway

Mr So Phea, Mr Cheng Kimsan, & Mr Choum Tival

In Cambodia, the New Headway series by John and Liz Soars is widely used in high schools, private schools and in tertiary institutes including ITC. However, we in the English Section at ITC have some problems with the series because we think the focus is not Cambodian enough and consequently students do not relate to a lot of the text. This presentation will outline supplementary materials which we have developed for the Pre-Intermediate textbook which are designed to address this problem.

Session 2:  

The Preparatory English Language Course

Ms Pamela Hughes

The “Preparatory English Language Course” is an activity based course for use in Grades 4/5/6. It can be used by teachers with only limited English skills and requires minimal resources. It is currently being piloted in Kampot and Rattanakiri Provinces and the results are very positive. The PELC also covers methodology that can be transferred to other subject areas. It enables all pupils to access the secondary textbook “English for Cambodia Book 1” in Grade 7, supporting the Ministry requirements. The workshop will include part of a demonstration lesson.

STREAM C: School Management

Session 1:  

The Challenges of Foreign Language Policy Development

Mr Prak Polla & Mr David Howes

Learning and teaching English has grown rapidly in Cambodia since the mid-1990s. Both government and private providers are playing important roles in this area. The MoEYS has faced significant challenges in attempting to meet this burgeoning demand for English.

This paper will examine the dilemmas facing policy makers in attempting to construct an effective and equitable framework for the delivery of foreign languages, especially English, in the school sector. Policy developments in Cambodia will be compared with those of other countries, as will the potential for public-private partnerships.

Session 2:  

Developing a Standardised Lesson Plan.

Mr Meng Seng Heng

This workshop will demonstrate the shape of a standard lesson plan for teaching English in the Cambodian context when the lesson is drawn from resources other than a textbook. In particular, the Presentation Practice and Production (PPP) lesson format will be seen as a framework for teaching. Participants will be able to recognise the shape of the standard PPP lesson plan and be able to identify strategies in conducting each step effectively.

STREAM D: Testing

Session 1:  

Important Aspects of Testing

Mr Ul Run

This presentation will raise participants’ awareness about testing used in Cambodian secondary schools and the types of considerations essential to test writing. Different item types are identified and compared in relation to their advantages and disadvantages in both logistical and academic terms. This analysis will be extended in practical suggestions for test writing. Participants will take away with them an enhanced ability to write fair tests that are thoughtfully administered. 

Session 2:

Student Beliefs About Causes of Failure

Mr Koun Chamroeun

This talk reports on the findings of a small-scale study with Cambodian students aged 18 to 25 about the perceived causes (attributions) of their failure in studying English at a private language school in Cambodia. The results indicated that those students ascribed both external and internal dimensions of attributions to their failure. The common external attributions were task difficulty, teaching, and school administration/ management, while ability and effort were commonly reported for internal dimension. The findings suggest that these attributions have a very strong relationship with students’ expectations, motivation, and affective domains for their future academic success.