Current
issues on English language teaching in Cambodia
I.
Introduction
Since
the world becomes globalized, communication, technology, information, culture,
and other socio-economical systems are shared and conducted in English. English
is used worldwide to meet the job market needs, so language becomes a tool for
linking working society to the globalization. English language, it has been
observed, has gained a remarkable popularity among Cambodian learners,
especially after Cambodia has reintegrated itself into the regional and global
community after 1993 general election. The ELT is seen as part of an
interdisciplinary curriculum; that communicative competence in internationally
spoken English has emerged as a benchmark of success; and that effective
teachers are seen as those who master both instructional and intercultural
skills, regardless of their status as native or nonnative speakers
This
paper will study on “Current issues on English language teaching in Cambodia”
which is about the key issue occurred in English Language Teaching (ELT) in
classroom in our current day. This research will conduct only some problems and
solution technique to respond on the problem. This research paper will stress
on the problems through an interviewing from native teacher and non-native
English teachers in some university’s campuses in Cambodia that use English teaching
based. This paper also attempts to find out more effective solution from
various author and scholars who are skillful on English language teaching. These
below questions are the scope and purpose of research study.
1. What
is the perspective on ELT’ classroom in Cambodia?
2. What
were the method used by native and non-native teachers in teaching English in university?
3. What
are the common issues in English language teaching in Cambodia?
From
all these scope of limitation will impose all related literature and aspects from
some authors who have written about these and I will compromise it into this
paper in order to get more understanding the phenomena of which teachers and
students think to change to get a better way of English language teaching in
Cambodia .
II.
Literature Review
A non-native English-speaking
professional’s perspective, gives an overview on the global ELT Field, on
English language teaching and learning, English language educators have realized
that many new English language learners know two or more languages and English
is not their second language anymore. With this awareness, as the educators
have to be more professional and challenging with the new trend of teaching methodology
by applying technique into their class. In this current world, there are many ways
of learning, since the rapidly growth of technology. Many English learners
learn by their own, which are videos recorded in YouTube and some others
educational language training website, which are more effective and cost saving
if we compare to the tuition fee for English class. One of other difficult
issue is the teaching approached, which have evolved from using traditional
grammar translation methods to communicative language teaching where the focus
of language teaching is on the right part of grammar rule, which is not base
where we are now
Today’s ELT classroom is now
interdisciplinary. Now many universities are focus on English program, and this
require English teachers to use cross curricular, cross disciplinary content in
teaching so the student learn both the content and English. English is not
viewed an end in itself but as a means to learn subject area knowledge such as
history, mathematics and science so far and so force. In terms of teaching
content, textbooks and learning materials have more inclusion of multicultural
content both from local and global resources to help students gain multiple
perspectives and multicultural understandings. Educational program structures
are increasingly content-based and topic put together with accentuation with
respect to both language and substance learning. The learning results or
learning measures are a lot more extensive and incorporates language abilities,
however basic reasoning, learning procedures, and related substance information
and aptitudes in reality. They emphasize both the learning process and the
product. These learning standards / outcomes are guiding the curriculum design
and classroom instruction. Today,
standards, accountability, and assessment have become a major focus of the
educational reforms in many countries in the world, including Cambodia
We will now discuss the use of
English (both GE and ESP) in relation to English language teaching and learning
(ELT) in Cambodia. English is the medium of instruction for the academic
community and especially in higher education. English used at schools or
universities in their daily lives and this does not include communication in
meetings with international participants at the work place. Thus, English usage
is socially-driven and institutionalized through teachers’ influences, everyday
conversations in teaching and learning, and the perception that it is ‘the
people’s choice’, and interactions between students furthermore, remote and
Khmer teachers inside and outside study halls. In other words, students agree
that English helps them to perform better in their studies. Students also
expressed the view that they need English to access information and Internet
resources such as reading materials, reference books and journal articles.
According to an informant from a Cambodian high school, private schools a
pervasive in Phnom Penh and provide English language tuition for students from
different levels of education. These institutions are regulated by the
government and serve the policy and agenda of providing English language
education to students. Schools are told to cooperate with these institutions
that handle English language teaching as well as use English as a medium of
instruction. They have an important ancillary role in such contexts and their
work drives the Cambodian education system
III.
Problem Finding
Teachers
instructing students in learning English as another language often face with a
variety of common and student-specific problems. Instructing students in the
English language involves building a student's reading and speaking vocabulary
and understanding of written and spoken English language. To facilitate a
positive learning atmosphere for students and encourage them to practice and
continue to learn the language, teachers should find ways to correct these
common problems and reinforce the core information students need to effectively
communicate in English.
Going
Off Schedule
Teachers
of foreign languages may first notice that their lesson plans change over the
course of the class. Classes may progress slowly despite your efforts. Students
learning a second language often learn at different paces and generally learn
material differently. Encouraging students to practice the skills learned in
class and incorporating listening exercises, such as learning poems or parts of
a favorite story in the new language out of class, students may be able to stay
on track with your plan of instruction at a slightly slower rate. Tutoring or
other supplemental activities can allow you to assist those students who need
extra instruction on some material and maintain a close pace to the schedule
you have set.
Using
Other Languages
Another
noticeable issue for English language teachers is having students fall back on
their native language for conversation. It is often easier for students to
communicate in their native language instead of English. It is usually
frustrating for students to rethink and reword their thoughts into the new
language clearly. Diversifying your student groups so that not all of the
students in one group speak the same native language will discourage students
from reverting to their native language to communicate and encourage them to
use the one they have in common.
Real-World
Application and Dry, Outdated Text Lessons
Differentiating
between in-class speech and real-world speech application can be tricky.
Textbooks and in-class material instructing students on the fundamental aspects
of the English language and proper grammar can be stilted and very unrealistic
in terms of dialogue examples. When students are taught English as a second
language, they may assume in-class speech patterns will be the same outside the
classroom. Often, textbook language uses more uncommon or outdated terms and
phrases, which can confuse and contradict what a textbook show.
Written
Versus Spoken English Confusion
Students
may be able hear and understand spoken English but confuse sentence structure
and grammar when writing the same thing. Grammatical problems in writing is
another problem teacher face in teaching English language. It can be difficult
for students to write clearly in a second language, as their native language
may have different requirements for tenses and placement for sentence
structure. Teachers often face problems with sentence formatting and
grammatical requirements needed for writing to be coherent.
Building
Vocabulary Base
Building
up a student’s English vocabulary is one of the first issues teachers
instructing students in a second language face. Thinking about one object and
remembering two identifying names for it can be confusing for younger and older
students. Incorporating interactive lessons to identify common objects and
images is a great starting place for building vocabulary for everyday items.
Activities and practice material focusing on recognizing and using words with
the correct spelling are key elements of instructing students in English as a
second language.
IV.
Inconclusion
To my observation teacher-student relationship provide an essential foundation for effective classroom management and classroom management is a key to empower student to get high achievement on their academic performance. Meanwhile as a teacher have to be stand on the morality and teaching methodology and must respect the rule. Teacher- student relationships should not be left to change or dictated by the personalities of those involved. Instead, by using strategies supported by research, teachers can influence the dynamics of their classrooms and build strong the relationship that will support students learning. The study of current issues in relation to English education in Cambodia could provide us not only with several different perspectives to view the teaching of English at Cambodian schools, brutal so with multiple vantage points from which to better comprehend English education. This is because of the universal nature of second language learning and of the language teachers ‘professionalism. It could bear glued that this universal nature is also due to the globalization phenomena of “interconnectedness” between our politics, economy, and culture, and the fact that English acts as a pivotal part of the “global infrastructure” for information and communication today.
References
AZIRAH HASHIM, ∗. Y.
(2014). English in higher education in Cambodia. World Englishes, 506.
Middlecamp, K. K. (2017). Major
Trends in the Global ELT Field. In K. Kimura, Asian-Focused ELT Research
and Practice: Voices from the Far Edge (p. 10). Phnom Penh: IDP Education
(Cambodia) Ltd. .
Sun, Y. (2017). A Non-navtive
English Speaking Professional's Perspective. Major Trends in the Global
ELT field, 19.
Sun, Y. (2017). Major Trends in the
Global ELT Field. In K. K. Middlecamp, Asian-Focused ELT Research and
Practice: Voices from the Far Edge (p. 20). Phnom Penh: IDP Education
(Cambodia) Ltd. .