As part of professional and course development, a 16-week action research project was carried out in one academic writing class at a university in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Twenty-four students participated in this research. Students were initially introduced to a structure of a summary-response genre, and were encouraged to read a local newspaper, The Cambodia Daily, every weekday. Each week, students were required to submit one journal entry, in which they summarized one piece of news of their interest and responded to it. At the end of the 16 weeks, analysis of the contents of students' writing showed increase in their social awareness reflected in the sources of news they read and improvement in their ability to give critical responses to news they read. Implications for the use of journal and genre approach are discussed at the end of this paper.The English Department of the University of Foreign Languages (a pseudonym referred to hereafter as ED-UFL) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia offers 4-year bachelor's degree programs in teaching English as a foreign language, English for translation and interpreting, and English for professional communication. These programs require eight semesters to complete. To enter the programs, students are required to successfully complete high school and pass the entrance examination, which puts their English proficiency at an intermediate level. They start their first year with foundation classes both in English and Khmer. For their second and third years, they take four classes all in English: Core English, Literature, Global Studies, and Writing Skills (with Research Methodology classes added to the second semester of their third year). In Year 4, their subjects vary depending on their major. This action research project arises from issues identified in one of the writing classes at the ED-UFL. The concern that students' lack of reading hinders their writing proficiency and their ability to think critically on issues surrounding them is also shared in monthly meetings at the department.
In this qualitative interpretive policy analysis case study, we examine the Cambodian government’s adoption and expansion of a Multilingual Education (MLE) program for speakers of different indigenous ethnic minority languages across five Northeastern provinces. Data include MLE policy documents and curriculum, observations in MLE schools, and interviews and focus groups with NGO staff, government officials, MLE Core Trainers, local MLE teachers, and school board members. We also analyze the nature of Khmer and indigenous language use and the nature of teaching and learning in the MLE schools and classrooms. Findings reveal significant success in establishing new schools and programs, expanding access to nearly 5,000 indigenous students, but also identify a number of challenges related to the governments’ capacity to further develop and expand MLE, with continual reliance on NGOs for technical and other support. Analyses of classroom observation data provide evidence of fidelity to the MLE model and curriculum, effective teaching and learning, and highly engaged teachers and students.
Scholars have approached identifying effective classroom strategies from a multiple of angles and perspectives. This summary provides a brief history on major considerations for effective classroom strategies in both the methods and postmethods era, including a discussion of research‐based approaches and contemporary language teaching frameworks. The entry explores the problematic assumption that strategies successful in one context can be transferred to another context, and considers the decolonization of English language teaching practices through the adoption of a postmethod pedagogical approach. The pedagogical implications section takes a closer look at the development of autonomous learners, consideration for students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and the development of reflective teaching in pre‐service and in‐service teacher education.
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