RMIT Teacher Talks enables English educators to explore advanced developments in TESOL

RMIT Teacher Talks enables English educators to explore advanced developments in TESOL

How do educators adapt general teaching knowledge into specific contexts and make broad pedagogy work for Vietnamese learners? RMIT’s latest Teacher Talks series entitled ‘Exploring and adapting developments in TESOL for the Vietnamese classroom’ sparked some ideas.

Inaugurated in 2018 by RMIT Vietnam’s School of English & University Pathways (SEUP), Teacher Talks is a professional-development conference series for English teachers in Vietnam. The sessions are open to and welcome guest speakers from other organisations, aiming to enhance the quality of English teaching and learning across the country. 

Teacher Talks is a professional-development conference series for English teachers in Vietnam. Teacher Talks is a professional-development conference series for English teachers in Vietnam.

The Deputy Director at RMIT English Worldwide in Melbourne Nick Philippou shared: “As teachers, we are also lifelong learners, and we are always learning from a range of sources.

One of the best professional development resources available to teachers is teachers.  

“The most inspiring teachers we learned from as students have left a lasting impression on us. And when we become teachers, those memories might influence our teaching, but – in any case – we all continue to learn, and largely through other teachers.” 

He added: “English language teaching is such a rewarding job that is generally more co-operative than competitive.” 

The theme of the latest series organised in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in May as well as in Danang in June is ‘Global approaches/local context: Exploring and adapting developments in TESOL for the Vietnamese classroom.’  

Ronnie Hill, SEUP Head of Department (New Initiatives) and Teacher Talks event manager shared: “When we look at developments in our field and evaluate best practices, we often tend to look at what works in an ‘ideal’ classroom setting, when the reality for most of us as educators can often be very different. Many educators, both in Vietnam and overseas, have to contend with specific issues such as larger than usual class sizes, mixed level classes, a lack of resources or learner language needs specific to the country being taught in. 

“Therefore, in this series of Teacher Talks, we would like to focus more on bridging the gap between pedagogical best practice and the practicalities of teaching in Vietnam, whether teaching in a public school, international school, language centre or private students.” 

The latest series of Teacher Talks focused on bridging the gap between pedagogical best practice and the practicalities of teaching in Vietnam. The latest series of Teacher Talks focused on bridging the gap between pedagogical best practice and the practicalities of teaching in Vietnam.

“The theme was chosen following feedback from participants from last year’s Teacher Talks, asking for more of a focus on the local context.  

She emphasised: “This event gives us the opportunity to consider how we can adapt international good practice to our classrooms.”   

As an attendee joining the section named ‘Engaging teenagers with creative writing: fun activities for productive outcomes,’ YOLA Head Teacher Mr Trevor Hong shared: “Thanks to this event, I now know that there are many writing activities that can be employed to engage students in writing lessons, which have a reputation for being dull, especially after grammar.  

“Furthermore, I discovered that teaching pronunciation to Vietnamese students necessitates a distinct approach. I was able to develop an understanding of the students' English learning deficits in Vietnam and learned new techniques for teaching pronunciation that I had not previously encountered.” 

Mr Trevor summarised: "The speakers were top-notch, and I learned a tremendous amount from them. RMIT should undoubtedly conduct more workshops like this in the future.” 

Since 2018, Teacher Talks has welcomed over 1,300 participants across the country. Since 2018, Teacher Talks has welcomed over 1,300 participants across the country.

A lecturer from the Industrial University - Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Anh Duong said that this was an eye-opening opportunity for her as it has brought her valuable lessons that she can employ in her class. 

Teacher Talks run twice a year at RMIT University’s Saigon South, Da Nang and Hanoi campuses until 2020, when it was delivered virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Last year, Teacher Talks returned to its physical format in November. Since 2018, the event series has welcomed over 1,300 participants across the country, bringing together fellow educators across regions and disciplines to share dialogue and best practice. 

Story: Dung Pham

22 May 2023

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