Summary of English Teaching/Learning Problem in Cambodia

These kids are in Grade 3. They have been studying in a kindergarten school using the Montessori program which is great. They are fearless and ready to participate which is remarkable and quite unusual for our shy Khmer people! Great!

Nevertheless, there is still a problem related to the way English has been taught to them so far.

They can recite (pretty monotonously) numbers from 1 to 100

BUT

They don’t know what the numbers correspond too!

If you show them 4 fingers they won’t answer “four” automatically.

In fact, when we teach English, we just do the opposite of what we should do.

Let me give you an example: 

If you show them 2 pens and say “there are 2 pens” and then show them 4 pens and say “there are 4 pens” that makes sense:

1-      They can see the pens

2-      They can see the number (2, 4)

3-      They can use and understand the use of “there is/are"

4-      You can even add the question “How many pens are there? “In that case you don’t have to teach any “grammar” but make the link between “How many” and the number of pens in the answer evident. 

They acquire the language rather than learn it. The grammar rule for the singular or plural of to be can be taught years later! 

Learning a list of numbers is even counterproductive and finally pretty useless. 

On these photos, they are playing a game where they must make groups according to what the teacher says when the music stops. They have fun too which is an important factor in the learning process.

And, for fun, at the end of the game, all the kids must join together!