Abstracts - Parallel Sessions
STREAM: Accessing CamTESOL
Making the Most of a Conference: Now What?
Ms Alice Murray
Conferences can be overwhelming, especially for the novice participant. This workshop will focus on providing some guidance on how to best analyse a conference’s schedule and decide which presentations might be the most beneficial for individual teachers’ particular needs and interests. We will also discuss strategies for participating in conference presentations and workshops.
Why and How to Present at a Conference
Ms Frances Westbrook
The idea of presenting at a conference for the first time can be a scary proposition! In this 45-minute workshop we will go over the reasons for presenting at a professional conference, as well as the preliminary considerations in putting together a paper or session, including: topic choice, types of presentations, basic presentation skills and use of audiovisual aids in presenting. The goal of this workshop will be to de-mystify the presentation process and encourage more Cambodian teachers to take part in professional conferences, such as CamTESOL.
STREAM: Curriculum and Materials Development
Developing Materials and Methods from Within
This workshop considers teachers to be resources. It aims to enable them to create, adapt and localise teaching materials by drawing on and expanding their students’ and their own knowledge and experience. It will discuss their syllabuses and explore the types of texts and tasks that can be included. A modular framework that addresses different curriculum objectives and integrates a variety of texts and tasks will be introduced. Task design techniques and teaching strategies will be illustrated. These form a base on which participants can develop materials and methods for their own classroom. Examples of texts and tasks that have been used will be shared.
Making Your Materials More Learner-centred
Each group of students is different. Therefore, when we use materials made by someone else, they are unlikely to completely match the needs of our students. Yet, we teachers don’t have the time (or resources) to create our materials. How can this problem be solved? The answer lies in what the teacher does with the materials. In this practical workshop, participants will learn some techniques and activities to make our materials better fit the needs of the students. Participants will learn how to make grammar, vocabulary, and speaking tasks respond better to the students’ needs.
Observations on Adapting a Communicative Approach to ELT in Cambodia
There is a view among some that Communicative Language Teaching is inappropriate in the Cambodian context. The appropriacy is determined not only by language aspects of teaching, but also by cultural aspects of the target language, the learners’ and teachers’ cultures and the socio-cultural linguistic position of English in Cambodian society. This paper suggests that there is a need to consider the anthropological aspects of English teaching along with language aspects. It becomes clear that learner problems are often the result of having to avail of culturally inappropriate materials or contexts, rather than of using an inappropriate teaching approach. The study recognises the main sources of inappropriacy as deriving from L1 interference, different pedagogic practices and cultural distance.
Culture and Content in Language Teaching: Weaving It Together
This presentation discusses reasons for evaluating and adapting English language materials and suggests ways of doing so. The specific focus is on content, its socio-cultural orientation, and reasons why this is an important consideration.
Whereas Part One deals with general principles, Part Two provides two examples based on Book Four of the ‘Weaving It Together’ textbook series. The first example discusses adaptations made to Chapter One. The second example shows how the format and methodologies employed in the textbook can be applied to authentic material such as newspaper articles.
Creating Course Materials: A Sequenced Integrated-Skills Approach
Prof Edward Rummel, Assoc Prof Thomas Blair and Dr Amy Szarkowski
This workshop is aimed at teachers, teacher educators and curriculum developers who are interested in content, text or genre-based material preparation and programming. A wide range of language proficiency levels in a first-year university content-based class necessitated the re-writing of the course syllabus to be learner-centered. Sample materials written as the language component of the class will be demonstrated as a model. Time permitting, participants will be given the opportunity to adapt authentic texts and create learner-centred activities appropriate to their own teaching contexts.
Teaching Students to Create Their Own Study Materials
The presenter will demonstrate several practical online tools he used with students to help them create their own reading and vocabulary study materials. Through preparing study materials for their peers, students develop vocabulary, collocation skills and inferential skills. Examples of student work and development will also be provided. Although the original lessons were carried out in a CALL classroom, the presenter will also demonstrate one way in which the same exercise may be done with paper and pencil. Participants will be encouraged to discuss ways to extend and adapt the example lessons.
STREAM: EAP and ESP
Critical Thinking - Analysis and Evaluation
In this presentation Helen will describe a text analysis approach to teaching Critical Thinking. She will discuss the following questions - What is Critical Thinking? Why do students need to be taught how to think critically? What strategies can be used to teach students to be more critical in their thinking?
These strategies will include:
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Analysis of reading texts to identify thesis statements, arguments, conclusions
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Identifying facts, opinions and arguments and distinguishing academic from non-academic texts
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Evaluating arguments
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Expressing opinions on an issue backed by evidence
The emphasis will be on reading critically and being able to write critically about an issue.
Surviving a Crash Course in Academic Writing: The Strength of Genres and Scaffolding
This paper describes an EAP writing course first taught at Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) in 1999. The course was designed to help relatively low-level writers attain higher-level academic writing skills, all in the space of approximately three months. The process involved a generic approach to writing (i.e. focusing on description, explanation and argument) supported by various stages of scaffolding. As scaffolding was phased out, the learners’ writing was surprisingly lucid. Although grammatical errors persisted, control of the genres (and related typical grammatical features) helped ensure comprehensibility. Subsequent use of this approach in Australia has produced similar results.
STREAM: Methodology
Take Time to Personalise
Coursebooks and materials taken from supplementary books are the tools of the ESL teaching trade but this often leads to topics and themes being distant, culturally-biased and not directly relevant to students’ lives and interests. Moreover, how can we be sure that the grammatical and lexical items covered in a coursebook are addressing the needs of our students? The aim of this workshop is to provide teachers with practical strategies to personalise learning by incorporating our number one resource, the students themselves, not only in class activities, but also in materials content.
Anecdote Telling Inside Out
This workshop will look at the rationale behind including anecdote telling as an authentic speaking practice activity in language classes. The workshop will demonstrate how the use of anecdotes allows students to become accustomed to handling extended discourse in familiar, personalised contexts. The workshop will draw on current research, including the effects of planning time (Foster) and task repetition (Bygate), and the methodology used in the coursebook “Inside Out” to set up and support students in anecdote telling activities. Teachers will leave the workshop with a clear idea of how they can integrate personalised, extended speaking activities into their classes.
Using Groups and Pairs to Develop Listening and Speaking Skills
This workshop will focus on the use of groups and pairs to create an environment for learner to learner listening and communicative activities. Demonstrated methods will include interviews, information reporting and critical listening skills using songs. Participants will be expected to actively join in the demonstrated techniques.
Acquisition Through Action
Research highlights positive associations between second language acquisition and physical activity. My presentation will suggest that as second language acquisition is a cognitive process and as natural links exist between physical fitness, accelerated cognitive development and improved academic performance, using specifically planned and structured physical activity as an aid to the acquisition of an additional language is a logical development. Practical methodological examples and ways of using activity to acquire language (eg. in physical education classes or games playing in schools) will be presented. Named ‘Acquisition through Action’ (ATA), this method’s title provides partial explanation of its purpose.
The Context and Approaches Involved in the Teaching Process
This workshop will ask teachers of English to look at self-assessment of teaching the English language, by examining key principles or components in the aspects of the communicative approach method. The teachers of English will be able to assess how well they use the communicative approach in their teaching of the English language. They will also consider how to develop students' critical thinking, decision-making and capacity to perform tasks, based on key principles of effective teaching.
Questionnaire Writing: Developing the Four Macro-Skills
Mr Chea Theara, Mr Chea Kangarith and Dr Alan Klein
Communicative language teaching (CLT) emphasises listening, speaking, reading, and writing within content- and task-based activities. Teaching students to develop and implement a questionnaire is an excellent method for using the CLT macro-skills. This presentation will discuss the various language and academic benefits for students in learning to design an effective survey. The presenters, two Year Four students in a BEd (TEFL) program, and their lecturer, will demonstrate the process involved in completing this student-centred activity. There will be a focus on the essential steps, including the original brainstorming, writing and editing, problem solving, and group work necessary to develop a final product.
Premiership English
This paper looks at using the topic of English Premiership football to motivate and develop teenage learners of English, particularly in their reading and ICT skills. The paper covers the series of articles by the presenter which are published fortnightly in the Bangkok Post, and also a British Council project linking Thai and UK schools through football-based English and ICT assignments. Use of the articles and assignments in the EFL classroom, and the type of language and skills which can be developed through their use, are also included in the presentation.
Developing Listening Comprehension Warmers and Closers
This workshop/demonstration will present listening comprehension exercises that can be used as a warm-up or during the last ten minutes of class. Students will find them enjoyable, and consequently the class will become livelier. During the workshop, various types of exercises will be presented. Participants will then be asked to form pairs or small groups and develop their own variations of the exercises.
The listening exercises require nothing more than a white/blackboard and pen and paper. The exercises can be shortened or lengthened to fit the time constraints. They can be simplified or made more difficult to suit the level of the class. Finally, the exercises are by and large quite easy to develop. There is a useful handout for all participants in this workshop.
Seven Exercises to Help Improve Students’ Speech
Participants will be guided through seven exercises and will understand how to implement each effectively in their classroom. In some exercises students work together as a whole, while in others students work in pairs. All have elements of collecting information and then reporting to another student.
Topics covered in these exercises are 1. irregular verbs (have you ever …?) 2. time words and tenses (yesterday, next year, most Sundays) 3. question words (who, what, can, have, did …?) 4. discovering similarities and differences 5. collecting information via an interview 6. the vocabulary of wallet realia 7. presenting people, places, and events.
Picture-based Communicative Vocabulary Lessons and Games
This demonstration lesson will model an easy format for teaching vocabulary and basic grammar with minimal materials using the communicative method in a traditional context. It focuses on teaching vocabulary in context and using all four English skills within a thematic unit. The lesson can easily be reproduced for different vocabulary themes and only requires the use of pictures, which can be of various forms. The methodology used reinforces communicative skills by requiring students to use the vocabulary and associated grammar structures in a variety of formats and interactive activities, which involve higher level thinking skills at each step.
Approaches and Techniques for Teaching Grammar: Explicit or Implicit?
On observation, it would seem in Cambodia that grammar teaching is one of the key components of the course syllabuses and classroom teaching activities. In this workshop, two major approaches to teaching grammar (deductive and inductive) will be introduced. Sample techniques showing how each approach works will be provided, and also advantages and disadvantages of each approach and technique will be elaborated. In addition, this workshop will look at various factors (e.g. students’ linguistic and cultural backgrounds) which influence teachers’ decisions in adopting an effective approach to best fit their teaching context and situation.
Using the Senses to Maximise ESL learning
This workshop will demonstrate how to teach second language learners through a consistent medium of doing, seeing and hearing the inputs of the lesson. The workshop will start off with the example of teaching articles (always a problem with oriental students). The participants will be engaged in a process of using shapes and picture formation to learn when we use 'the' and 'a' (for first and second mention). This will progress into learners taking over the teaching (using the principle that when you have taught something to a fellow student it enhances your self-esteem and strengthens your learning). The journey goes on into other aspects of article use. Participants will then review the teaching process and discuss ways of applying it to ESL teaching in general.
Personalising Language Practice: Integrating the Four Skills
In this workshop Lance will introduce and engage participants in various practical classroom language teaching strategies. These strategies aim to integrate the four macro-skills of language use, whilst personalising the content. Participants will reflect on how to use these strategies to facilitate language learning opportunities for their students and take away ideas for their classes for the following teaching week.
Defining Words - Building Vocabulary
One of the most difficult tasks for teaching beginning or intermediate learners is building vocabulary. Adding new words means not only memorising new sounds and spellings, it also means attaching definitions to those sounds and spellings. Sometimes there is no problem with the definition because there is a word in one’s own language which roughly corresponds to the English word. Yet, even in those cases, there are much better ways of building up one’s vocabulary than memorising word lists. This workshop will begin by discussing the nature of definitions and then will recommend four fun activities for building vocabulary.
STREAM: Motivation
The Use of Games in the Communicative Classroom
This workshop examines the use of games in the communicative classroom to promote language learning and oral fluency. It explores the rationale behind using games in the classroom and why they have become an integral part of communicative classes over the past decade. The participants will then engage in various types of communicative games before a brief question and answer session. The participants will leave with a selection of activities and ideas they will be able to implement immediately.
Using Humour: The Spice of Effective Teaching
“The students didn’t seem to be interested in my lesson at all.” Such a comment is often heard among teachers during their discussions after class. Most teachers who have taken a course in Teaching Methodology are probably still aware of one of the qualities of a good teacher, which is having a sense of humour. Although teaching and learning may be a serious business, that does not mean there is no room for fun during the learning process. In this regard, humour is a valuable teaching tool for creating an encouraging classroom atmosphere. This paper therefore identifies the importance of using humour, the opportunities for incorporating it in the classroom, and suggests its appropriate use.
Using Art, Drama and Music in the Classroom
Mr Randall Livingston and Alan Bowman
Students learn English more effectively when a broad spectrum of activities is used in the classroom. To supplement curriculum requirements, drawing, acting and singing help students express their own ideas in new ways.
Participants will be shown how we have used these three mediums to improve student communication. Drawing visual aids in presentations helps students better organise ideas for their audience. Acting parts of Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot allows students to gain confidence and work on gestures and intonation. The use of songs has also improved our students’ intonation, rhythm and use of work liaisons.
STREAM: Professional Development
Promoting Reflection in Teaching
The teachers’ role has changed in profound ways, and teaching in today’s classrooms requires professionalism, skills, knowledge that teachers in the past did not require. Therefore, teachers are required to work in more collaborative and collegial ways with colleagues to build professional development. Reflection is one of the most important parts in the teacher’s world of work.
This workshop will focus on some self-reflection techniques such as Journal writing and peer observation to encourage reflection in our own teachings.
The Impact of Teachers’ Beliefs and Educational Experiences on the EFL Classroom: Practices in Secondary Schools
Mrs Presentacion Maano Fong and Dr Jeremy Jones
The purpose of this paper is to report on an investigation into the beliefs and educational experiences of secondary EFL teachers in Macau, China. The chief questions addressed are - What beliefs and educational experiences do the teachers have and how do they influence teaching? To what extent are conceptions about effective teaching and learning influenced by the social and work environment? Results show that teacher education has a strong influence on teacher beliefs. Since the issues raised in this paper are likely to resemble those in other educational environments in the world, the authors will promote discussion of the generalisability of the results, especially in the Cambodian context.
Creating Better University English Programs for Cambodia
This workshop will show that there is an alternative to the current trend of every university in Cambodia copying one another’s BA and MA English programs. First, a comparison of the programs currently in use in Cambodia against a suggested model will be highlighted and the workshop will demonstrate how to address this discrepancy. Participants will be actively encouraged to discuss the proposed programs and make further suggestions. Participants should leave with a greater sense of confidence and willingness to create a higher standard of university programs for Cambodian students.
The Mekong: A Living Classroom
Mr John Eyles and Mr Merin Waite
John Eyles and Merin Waite will present lessons learned and pathways forward from a pilot project run in 2004 linking high schools in Thailand, Lao, New Zealand, Singapore and Cambodia via the Internet. The project is called Mekong Living Classroom and can be found at http://www.livingclassroom.net/mekong/wiki
The presentation will look at the future of online community building tools for the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Particular focus will be placed on their usefulness in teacher training and running student-centred community-based projects that focus on sustainable action.
Questions – Teachers’ Perceptions and Classroom Practices
Mr Le Cong Tuan and Mr Nguyen Hai Quan
In this study, we examined how EFL teachers’ perceptions of questions affected the reality of their classroom practices. Questionnaires were delivered to 20 EFL teachers at Cantho University (Vietnam) to investigate their knowledge about the use of questions. Six teachers were interviewed and six classroom observations were conducted to study how teachers actually practise asking questions in their classes. The study revealed that teachers with more profound knowledge about questions and their underlying principles were more efficient in terms of frequency, variety, and appropriateness of questions used. The implication is that teachers need to be equipped with fundamental understandings about questions in the classroom.
STREAM: Teaching Reading
Making Reading More Fun for Cambodian Students
Cambodian students find reading hard work. It’s no wonder they may not be interested in reading as much as they should. In this practical workshop, participants will learn some ways to make short stories and graded readers more enjoyable. Participants will learn a lot of activities to awaken their students to the joys of reading by creating a supportive and active atmosphere in the class. Techniques for using reading as a fun springboard for speaking, listening, and writing will be shown as well as how teachers can create materials for reading with little time or resources.
Getting Away from the Textbook - An Alternative Approach to Teaching Reading at Intermediate Level
Mr Kruy Virak and Ms Cecilia Johnson
Traditionally, most Cambodians don’t have a reading habit. Therefore reading exposure of any kind is of benefit to them. These days most Cambodians need to read for academic purposes, and therefore it is important for them to acquire the ability to deal with complex academic texts. The aim of this workshop is to suggest an alternative approach to teaching reading, that is to concentrate on and emphasise reading skills rather than simply reading for comprehension. This workshop is aimed at intermediate level, but the approach could easily be adapted for higher or lower levels.
Short Stories: Motivating Learners to Read
Using literature in ESL/EFL classrooms has become more popular in recent years. Some teachers use various types of literature genres such as short stories, novels, storybooks, narrative stories, poetry, and so on, as a content-based teaching approach. They do this in their language classrooms to improve their students’ four basic language skills and to keep their students motivated and interested in the lesson.
This paper explores the use of Chicken Soup for the Soul stories for developing language skills and particularly focus on reading. These stories are based on life’s issues, difficulties and experiences, and the characters’ responses to them.
STREAM: Teaching Speaking
Effective Activities to Help Adult Learners Achieve Native-like Fluency
Mr Keuk Chan Narith, Mr Chhoeung Kiriroath and Mr Ek Chanboreth
It has been widely observed that children from immigrant families eventually speak the language of their new community with native-like fluency. However their parents, like many adult learners of English, rarely achieve such high levels of mastery of the spoken language. This workshop will look specifically into the relation between ages of acquisition and English language development. Participants in this workshop will experience how second language learners acquire the second language and whether they achieve native-like fluency. They will also reflect on how they, as teachers of English, can help those adult learners to succeed in Second Language Learning.
A Case Study of English Speaking Problems Encountered in Cambodia
Mrs Sou Boramy and Mr Dek Sovannthea
Students often encounter three common problems when learning to speak English as a second or foreign language - pronunciation, accuracy and fluency.
This paper presents the findings of a study which was conducted at the English Language Support Unit (ELSU) of the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). The study aimed to investigate problems encountered by Cambodian students when speaking English and the techniques and activities that the teacher could use to help them to speak English in the class. The study used questionnaire data, classroom observations and interview data. The findings of the study suggest that linguistic competence (pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary) is the biggest problem encountered by students. Apart from this major problem, students also encountered problems such as ‘lack of confidence’, ‘lack of ideas’, ‘lack of partners’ collaboration’ and ‘lack of strategic competence’. The study also throws light on the types of techniques and activities that could help Cambodian students to speak English in the class.
Principles and Practice of ‘Gap’ Speaking Activities in the Communicative Classroom
This workshop introduces the concept of speaking gap activities to promote oral fluency in the communicative classroom. It presents the three main types of gap activity: the information gap, the opinion gap and the solution gap and how they are used. The participants will then engage in all three types of activity followed by a brief question and answer session. The participants will leave with a selection of gap activities they can photocopy and use immediately in their classroom.
STREAM: Teaching Writing
Getting Students to Write
How to help language learners write another language effectively is a big issue. It demands a creative teacher. This workshop will lead participants to build up strategies of writing skills. At the end of this workshop participants will be able to adapt similar methods with various tasks. The presenter will demonstrate how to apply teaching-learning cycle strategies in scaffolding learning.
Teaching Process Writing through Schema
This workshop will encompass: (1) an overview of schema theory; (2) a review of classroom-based research in schema building in two populations of writing students, Khmer and Arab; (3) application of how to design schema building models and activities in L2 English writing materials and; (4) a bibliography on publications for schema research and process writing text books.
Teaching Narrative Writing through a Genre-based Approach
This workshop will specifically spotlight teaching of narrative writing through a genre-based approach, an approach which observes how language enables us to construct meaning to fulfill social functions of communication. The audience, preferably teachers and lecturers teaching English at advanced levels, will experience a mini-lesson in which purposes, types, text organisations and language features of narrative texts will explicitly be displayed and demonstrated. They will leave the workshop with a lesson plan of teaching narrative writing that can be adapted for their individual writing classroom.
STREAM: Testing
Creating an Effective Placement Test for Cambodian Institutions
This workshop will examine how imperative it is to have effective placement testing. First, it will take a look at one or two of the various options available (and in use in Cambodia). Then, the inadequacies of these tests will be highlighted. A discussion of what makes a good placement test will follow and a model will be presented for discussion. If time permits, participants can have a go at designing their own mini-test to hopefully foster a desire for institutions to create worthwhile tests.
Cambridge ESOL English Teaching Awards
Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards provide a comprehensive professional framework for English teacher development in the region. A range of certificates and diplomas are available for English native speaker teachers. The Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) is an introductory certificate for local English teachers. It has three modules: language and background to learning and teaching; lesson planning and use of resources for language teaching, and; teacher language and classroom management. The In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching (ICELT) is for practising teachers. It has components in: language for teachers; teaching observation and practice, and; methodology.
Language Testing: Designing an Effective Exam
Mr Nin Savuth and Mr Pich Pheak Tra
There is no doubt that we teachers of English are familiar with the commonly used term test. However, we still encounter numerous problems stemming from designing tests for our students. Having seen how test development “anxiety” affects our professional lives, it is crucial to make ourselves more aware of test development. This presentation will cover such aspects as the definition, purpose, and qualities of a good test. A sample assessment – the development of a speaking test - will accompany the presentation.
STREAM: Using Technology
Internet Technology as a Teaching Resource, Professional Development Source and Teaching and Learning Community
Many English teachers have limited resources and few English speakers/teachers in their communities to share ideas with. This session will introduce the Internet as a teaching community forum and teaching resource. There are many opportunities for professional development and contacting ESL teachers online. Authentic and ESL materials available on the net are also useful for teachers with an Internet connection.
The presentation will address bulletin boards, ESL discussion lists, free email, ESL sites and using news and educational sites for materials development. Around 100 useful websites will be listed. The focus will be the Internet for teachers, rather than students.
Integrating Information Technology into English Language Teaching
This paper reports an investigation into innovation and change relating to English language teaching and information technology. Firstly, an innovative in-service program helping teachers develop IT skills in relation to their pedagogical context is described. Then an empirical study into the effect of the program on the teaching practices of a group of 1800 English teachers who took part in the program is reported. Qualitative and quantitative data are presented which highlight the factors that both facilitate and impede IT implemenation. Finally, practical hints are provided on ways in which teachers can empower themselves in the area of information technology and language teaching.
Setting Up and Using ILT in TESOL
This session will address ways in which ILT (CALL) can be introduced and integrated swiftly and cost-effectively into ESOL teaching programs both in the classroom and in self-access. This assumes IT facilities are available, and in self-directed learning for students with IT access, without requiring a high level of IT skills for staff. Using existing knowledge and establishing some basic principles for future development allows ILT to become an integral part of the learning process. This brings the benefits that the technology is rapidly developing for learning, without imposing a burden of specialist training.