2 weeks ago, a group of Australian primary school teachers visited our target schools in Ek Phnom District, Battambang Province. The Australian teachers were working alongside our Cambodian teachers to improve their teaching skills and enhance what we do in our Quality Teaching Focus Area.
Kate from Australia revises the high frequency words.
SeeBeyondBorders has been working in Ek Phnom since 2013. In this district we are implementing our Khmer Literacy Program alongside our Quality Teaching, Systemic Capability and Community Engagement Focus Area. This district is currently in the Maths Maintenance Program. An additional 15 schools have been incorporated into the Quality Teaching Focus Area this year, therefore we differentiate between “Old” and “New” Ek Phnom.
The Australian teachers assisted grade 1 and grade 2 teachers in teaching literacy and mathematics. Also, they helped to explain our weekly planner to the teachers as well as suggest alternative activities to engage students in the learning process. At the end of each lesson, both the Australian and Cambodian teachers sat together and discussed what could have been done differently, and how the lesson could be improved. They also talked about lesson planning for the next day.
The teachers are doing reflections and talking about lesson planning for the next day.
Another group of Australian volunteers worked with the principal of each school in the school vegetable garden. Prior to implementing this project, they met with officials of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture to learn agricultural methods for growing vegetables and fruit effectively. During this process, the volunteers gathered grade 1 and grade 2 students in the garden and showed them how to grow vegetables with a step-by-step approach which involved asking and answering questions about growing vegetables. They also told the students that it is their responsibility to water and take a good care of their own vegetable garden, and that our project member will return to check regularly.
Volunteers are showing the students how to grow vegetables with a step-by-step approach.
We sincerely thank all the Australian teachers and volunteers, Debra, Mel, Tom, Jenny, Siobhan, Jackie, Ingrid, Jenny, Alison, John, Susan, Kate and Shane for giving up their holidays to enhance our work in Cambodia. Every morning for the past two weeks, they worked really hard by getting up very early, travelling to our schools and assisting the Cambodian teachers. The Cambodian teachers were really happy to have worked with and learned from the Australian teachers. The Cambodian teachers also reiterated that they would like to receive more support from SeeBeyondBorders in the future as we strive to continue improving education in Cambodia.