A teacher in her 60s with an English teaching method that attracts students

(Dan Tri) - "Students use voice training technology to correct their pronunciation until they can speak like native speakers. They also don't need to write dozens of times like in the past, but can use software to learn words that are easier to remember."

That is the sharing of Ms. Tran Thi My, one of the teachers in Ca Mau province who pioneered the application of technology and innovation in teaching English. Ms. My, 51 years old, is currently an English teacher at Bac Lieu High School (Ca Mau province).

"Maybe English chose me"

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter about her chance to join the education industry, Ms. Tran Thi My said that her family has a tradition of following the teaching profession. With the love for teachers when she was in high school, My also loved this profession from a young age.

She said that she chose English as her teaching career because in high school, her strengths were natural sciences such as math, chemistry, and biology, and English was just her weakness.

"At that time, I had to take an English exam to graduate from high school, so I started focusing on studying this subject. I studied for exactly 1.5 months and found English very interesting, easy to learn and understand," Ms. My shared.

Later, I realized that English helped me a lot, including accessing technology and teaching applications. Ms. My compared: "Maybe English chose me."

Ms. Tran Thi My in a conversation with Dan Tri reporter about teaching English (Photo: TM).

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when online teaching was still unfamiliar to many teachers in remote areas, Ms. Tran Thi My and her colleagues founded the group "Mekong Creative Teachers" to share technology skills and online teaching methods, helping many teachers confidently teach students through the screen.

In 2021, Ms. My was a speaker at an international conference on foreign language teaching in the context of Covid-19. She shared her experience in innovating lectures, helping students feel that online learning is as close and engaging as in a regular face-to-face class.

In 2022, Ms. My was honored to be the only English teacher in Bac Lieu province (old) to present a scientific paper at Nha Trang University. In 2023, she continued to attend a conference at the People's Security Academy, with a presentation on "Application of AI and Robots in English Teaching".

In 2024, Ms. My also participated at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics with the topic "Application of AI and DiD Website in improving natural English speaking ability for high school students".

Ms. Tran Thi My (4th from left) participates in an English teaching report program (Photo: Character provided).

Recently in 2025, at Can Tho University, Ms. Tran Thi My presented the topic "Blended Learning - Blended teaching for students in disadvantaged areas", demonstrating the dedication of a teacher who always puts students at the center of innovation.

Grasping technology, inspiring learning "difficult" subjects

The U50 teacher shared that she started approaching technology when studying for a master's degree in English teaching methods in 2011. At first, she also encountered many obstacles, because technology was very new to her. But she realized that technology would help a lot in her work, so she researched and studied, and luckily the school had facilities that supported her a lot in teaching.

"In the beginning, it was difficult to evaluate students through digital technology because they were not familiar with it. Then I had to guide them on how to use each punctuation mark and comma correctly so that they could get high scores," Ms. Tran Thi My shared.

Ms. My in a class with students (Photo: Character provided).

"Using technology, like when writing English essays, students can use artificial intelligence applications to get ideas. But I have software to scan to see if students use 100% of the content from the application. When I list out the students copied from this page, show the comments, the students happily exclaim "ah, I knew it"", Ms. My said that is also a way to create an exciting atmosphere in learning.

Or in English listening, according to Ms. My, students can use voice training applications to correct their pronunciation until they can speak like native speakers. When combining technology, students do not need to write dozens of times like in the past, but can use software to learn words in a more memorable way.

"Using technology applications is ultimately about how to best serve students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English," Ms. My emphasized the effectiveness of innovation in teaching.

Ms. Tran Thi My also believes that modern technology only helps her in some ways, such as having more time to prepare lessons, learning more interestingly, etc., but cannot completely replace traditional learning methods. Because according to her, over time, she has seen that "not all students have full access to technology, so it is still necessary to combine both of these teaching methods".

According to Ms. My, learning English requires confidence, not being afraid of making mistakes, and applying technology will make it more interesting (Photo: Huynh Hai).

According to a teacher in her 50s from Bac Lieu High School who has 30 years of experience teaching English, experience shows that with foreign languages, the first barrier is that students lack self-confidence.

Ms. My shared that students should stop thinking "I'm bad at English, afraid of speaking incorrectly in grammar, not pronouncing correctly..." and instead be confident, for example, daring to stand in front of the class and speak a passage of English or talking frankly with the teacher will make learning more interesting.

"You also have to be bold, not afraid of making mistakes, and accumulate vocabulary. When you overcome some of these limitations, you will have an advantage and feel that English is very easy, not difficult," Ms. Tran Thi My told her students.

Speaking to Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Trinh Minh Hieu, Vice Principal of Bac Lieu High School, said that during her teaching career at the school, Ms. My always met professional requirements. Ms. My was sent by the Department of Education and Training to participate in external teaching programs, and the school always created conditions for her to complete her tasks.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/co-giao-u60-voi-cach-day-tieng-anh-thu-hut-hoc-tro-20251120133734313.htm