When TDSO – Teacher Development Support Organization began training English teachers in rural Cambodia many years ago, the goal was practical: to help teachers teach more effectively with the limited resources available to them. More than 1,000 teachers later, that work has produced something never originally planned, a pedagogical approach now being adopted beyond Cambodia’s borders.

 

On 6 December, 20 Laotian teachers and teacher trainers graduated from an intensive programme in English teaching methodology in Siem Reap. This was not a standard training course. Participants worked with Transferable Pedagogical Approaches (TPA), a framework built from Cambodian classroom experience. The principle is simple: teaching techniques proven in language learning, including active participation, meaningful practice and immediate feedback, work just as effectively in other subjects. TPA gives teachers adaptable tools, not fixed scripts.

 

The graduation was attended by Mr Chan Tola, Director of the Department of Teacher Development (នាយកដ្ឋានកិច្ចការវិក្រឹតការ TDD) at Cambodia’s Ministry of Education (MoEYS Cambodia), and Mrs Xayalinkkham Khamphat, Deputy Director of DTE (Department of Teacher Education) MOES, Lao PDR, which clearly signals that this work is becoming embedded in regional educational infrastructure rather than operating alongside it.

 

“This partnership demonstrates our joint commitment to improving the quality of English teaching across the region,” said Mrs Khamphat.

 

The 20 graduates return to their institutions not only as stronger classroom practitioners but also as ambassadors equipped to lead professional learning communities with their colleagues.

 

For TDSO, this is proof of concept, showing that a methodology built for Cambodian classrooms can indeed travel.