Cambodia English School Higher Education

Basic Teaching Resources

 

This section is just to give you some ideas about how we teach. Please note, there are not many resources at the school that are available to you so you are encouraged to fund raise and be prepared to improvise and be creative! In preparation before coming to the school please have some simple icebreaker games and songs. This will help you to get to know the children and create a bond. There are plenty of ideas if you research online. Plan for all ages and abilities but don’t worry about overloading yourself. You can pick things up as you go along and other previous volunteers are happy to inspire. We encourage all volunteers to lesson plan before each class.

If you have completed a teaching course or TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) this will greatly assist you in the experience.  

 

If you have children’s books to donate please do bring them with you, the school does have a few books but we could always do with more! If possible, get yourself a Khmer language phrasebook to help translate words from Khmer to English and vise versa, this always helps with communication especially to the less able children. Plus you will learn how to speak a few words in Khmer, which always helps in a new country!

 

Teacher Logbooks  

 

Each log-book has detailed descriptions of what the classes have been learning for the past few months. Please write in the logbook after every class so the next teacher knows what you have been doing.English for Children - This is a beginner level book used for the lower level classes. We have around 4 books that the volunteers share and use for inspiration.

 

Lesson Template

 

• Introduction (5-10 minutes)

• Greeting - Introduce teachers and write names on the board

• Write down day and date

• Review yesterday’s topic

• Explain the lesson focus for the dayFirst half of class (~35 minutes)Workbook/Lesson content

• Break (~15 minutes) Second half of class ~30 minutes Songs/games to practice things learned in the first half

• Before home (~10 minutes) Summary of daily lesson

 

Teaching Tips

 

Preparation before class: Please read through the class logbook to familiarise yourself with the level the class is and everything they have learned so far. Use the lesson template on the next page to structure your lesson. Make a positive effort to learn the student names.

 

During class:

 

• Keep your language simple and make sure the students understand what you are saying.

• Active repetition works well so students can practice pronunciation

• Speak slowly, clearly and loudly.

• Be authoritative. A lot of these kids are used to seeing a lot of teachers come and go and may not listen to you at first. You have to be positive, at the same time firm but still kind.

• Repeat and review everything you teach multiple times using multiple methods. For example, ask your students to copy something off the board then have them reinforce what they learned through games, speaking or writing.

• Use body language, expressions and drawing to help the younger kids learn.

• Use the English-Khmer dictionaries to have the kids translate and write words on the board in Khmer.

• Write step by step instructions on the board for each exercise so the whole class knows what to do.

• Refer to the classroom rules if the kids aren’t paying attention. Clap and have them repeat to regain their attention.

• Regroup your class when their attention is wandering by doing energizers 

• Good Icebreaker games always help

• If the themes in the Headway books are culturally inappropriate, use the same format of teaching but change the content to something the students can relate to.

 

End of class:

 

Write detailed reflections in the class logbooks. This helps handover to future volunteers when you leave and provides a progressive and consistent learning environment for the students. The following are important to highlight:

 

• The number of students in class

• What you taught and the method of teaching (activities, games, explanations)

• How the students performed (talk about the whole class and any individuals that may be struggling)

• What you think you could have changed to make it better/more clearIdeas for future classes if it is your last day.

• Behavioral observations- students who may be struggling, acting out, students who shouldn’t sit next to each other, etc.

 

Log Books

 

It’s imperative that you fill out log-books every evening (or after every class) so that the teacher who follows you once you leave knows what you have been teaching the students.

 

Other Volunteering Options

 

If you prefer not to teach, you can also participate in one of the various construction or gardening projects that CESHEO usually has going during the dry season. You can play games or sports with the children and even just speaking and interacting with them, aids their learning. There is always hand on physical work like building if there are any, painting or gardening that needs to be done and it’s important that the school grounds stay well maintained. There is a big litter/plastic problem and education in this area is strongly encouraged. Volunteers who prefer to do other work usually arrange their schedule once they arrive at CESHEO as it depends heavily on which programs are happening at the time and how much funding is available.

 

Currently CESHEO is trying to raise funds for a sustainable drinking water system – this does not only benefit the school but also the neighborhood. There is a big wastage of plastic happening from water bottles and we wish to develop a more sustainable and environmental friendly way of providing water. We are also trying to raise funds for a new library. We always need assistance with social media and other online tasks. If you have an eye for Photography, Web Design, Web Marketing, or simply want to help by keeping our Facebook/Twitter/Blog up to date then we would much appreciate your help. If you have a flare for social media, this is something that must be done daily in order to raise awareness about our schools and what we are doing. Please do share any photos or videos you have on the CESHE Facebook page.

 

Where your money is going:

 

You are no doubt aware that there is a lot of scamming and exploitation of the volunteering tourism industry, with this in mind we would like to be as transparent and straightforward as we can regarding how your money is spent. Here is a breakdown of costs associated with hosting volunteers. 

 

We charge $60 per week (5 days) for accommodation at CESHE which includes 3 meals per day of Khmer food when volunteering at the school

 

** Average price per person is $336 while staying at CESHEO for 1 month (28 days)

** Cost prices are rounded and approximated as accurately as possible and are updated regularly to reflect economic changes. Some prices such as food are variable costs where as things like the house rental is a fixed cost.

 

This also doesn’t include the costs for airport pickup, police checks prior to arrival, and many other small costs included in hosting volunteers.

As you can see, we actually host volunteers at a small loss as we believe volunteers are already giving up their time and energy to come and help and we shouldn’t charge them too much, hence why we encourage fundraising, we don’t want you to be left out of pocket!

We are still one of the cheapest volunteering options in Asia and charge NO volunteering fees, admin fees, application fees and do not require that you donate to the school to apply to the program.

 

We also encourage volunteers not to end their stay once they leave, we hope that volunteers will have a memorable experience while at CESHEO and continue to fundraise, donate, and share our story so that we can continue helping the children of Cambodia.

 

Living Expenses Price Comparison

 

Based on Agoda Prices, and experience living in Siem Reap here is a breakdown of what a budget backpacker would usually spend to stay in Cambodia for a month, this is so you can compare the cost of an average visit with the cost of a volunteering visit.

 

Item                                                            Monthly Cost ($USD)                                    Daily Cost ($USD)

 

Cheap Backpackers Dorm Room                     $120 - $150                                                 $4 - $5

3 Meals at cheapest local restaurants$180 -     $240                                                           $6 - $8

3L of water per day$30 -                                $60                                                            $1 - $2

Transport in Siem Reap (1 trip per day)           $30 - $60                                                    $1 - $2

 

Total                                                            $360 - $510                                                $12 - $17