Proven strategy: Kamleshwary sharing her approach at the JALT Conference.
GETTING pupils with low English proficiency to expand their vocabulary can be a challenge for teachers – the children often struggle to retain the new words they learn.
But Kamleshwary Krishnasamy, an English Language teacher at SJK(T) Batu Caves, Selangor, found a method that has turned things around for her remedial pupils.
Her action research on the Look-Say-Cover-Write-Check (LSCWC) strategy, which she employed to help her Year Four remedial pupils overcome persistent struggles with basic English vocabulary retention, won approval at the recent Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) International Conference 2025.
Her participation as a presenter at the event, held in Tokyo, Japan, from Oct 31 to Nov 2, follows her success at the 33rd Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (Melta) International Conference in September, when she won the Basil Wijasuriya Best Teacher Presenter Award for an outstanding presentation about her research.
Kamleshwary noted that many participants were intrigued by how such a straightforward, structured approach could effectively support remedial learners’ vocabulary retention.
“Educators from nations like Australia, South Korea and Japan, whose students faced similar difficulties, found a sense of common understanding, and many indicated they would like to modify the LSCWC method for their own settings,” she said in a Dec 5 press release.
Kamleshwary, who took part in the JALT Conference under the sponsorship of the Financial Industry Collective Outreach (Finco) and Melta, said attending the conference significantly broadened her perspective on global literacy practices.
“I had the chance to hear educators from all over the world discuss their varied perspectives on literacy, especially how reading and writing are related to creativity, culture and identity.
“I discovered that literacy entails the development of critical thinking, digital awareness and intercultural competency in addition to word decoding,” she said.
She added that workshops on multimodal literacy, storytelling and technology integration have motivated her to rethink and enhance her teaching strategy for Malaysian pupils, incorporating an emphasis on learner engagement, inclusivity and empowerment.
She attributed her professional milestones to the support received through the HIP-Finco Reads programme, an initiative under the Education Ministry’s Highly Immersive Programme that aims to improve students’ reading proficiency in English and to support English Language teachers in teaching reading and other English language skills more effectively.
Kamleshwary first participated in the programme in 2017, and since then she has seen her remedial pupils’ reading proficiency improve by 95%, based on pre- and post-test reading scores.
“Both my professional growth and my pupils’ literacy advancement have benefited greatly from my involvement in HIP-Finco Reads. The programme has given me the ability to become a more dynamic, creative and student-centred teacher, enhancing pupils’ reading confidence, vocabulary and love of books,” she said.
Finco chief executive officer Clare Walker said Finco is committed to fostering teachers’ professional growth in the teaching and learning of English.
“It is truly rewarding to support dedicated educators like Kamleshwary through their journey of becoming confident leaders, driving innovative teaching methodologies for improved learning outcomes for students,” she said.
