Teaching and learning English language enhancement faces many challenges

The above comment was made at the seminar "Enhanced English Teaching according to the 2018 GeneralEducation Program", recently organized by Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

Ms. Dinh Tran Hanh Nguyen - Deputy Head of English Department, Deputy Director of Foreign Language Center, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education - said that English is no longer a mere subject but has become a tool for students to integrate globally.

According to Ms. Hanh Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City has many advantages with projects and programs. According to Conclusion 91-KL/TW dated August 12 of the Politburo , all levels of education need to improve the foreign language skills of students, gradually making English the second language in schools. However, the teaching of English in general schools is facing many challenges such as: limited opportunities for students to interact outside the classroom; difficulties in facilities, specialized staff, curriculum, materials, teaching methods, testing, and evaluation...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu, Principal of the Practical High School - Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, believes that the Politburo 's policy will help the school's enhanced English teaching achieve better results. According to her, English has always been the strength of the school's students as the high school graduation exam results in this subject are always 3 points higher than the average score of students in the city every year. 90% of the school's students have an international English certificate IELTS from 4.5 to 8.5.

Teaching English intensively still faces many difficulties.

"The problem is how to organize English teaching to gain parents' consensus. According to a survey of 10th grade students, up to 58% want to study abroad. Therefore, learning English is not only for communication but also to obtain international certificates. Schools must calculate and build a timetable to gain consensus with parents..." - Ms. Tu said.

According to Ms. Ho My Van, Head of the English Department - Practical High School, having foreigners teach English to students is extremely necessary, helping them improve their listening and speaking skills. The problem is how to choose the right foreign teacher, the right curriculum, ensuring both professional management and encouraging student development.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lai Huy Hoang, an English teacher at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted, said that the enhanced English teaching faces difficulties in testing and evaluation as most tests are still done on paper on grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension; listening and speaking skills are not tested.

Faced with the above realities, Ms. Hanh Nguyen emphasized the need for a synchronous solution to make enhanced English teaching highly effective. First of all, to teach effectively, there must be investment and development of a quality teaching staff. With the enhanced English teaching program, there will be a team of contract teachers, so there needs to be assurance and control of quality.

With facilities, schools need consistency in planning, encouraging the use of science and technology and teaching software systems.

It is necessary to plan the teaching staff, and there needs to be coordination between the relevant parties. If there are foreign teachers in the enhanced English classes, there will be teachers from the school participating. Therefore, it is necessary to have a plan for the native teachers to participate in extracurricular activities, clubs, etc., so that students can learn communication skills and create cohesion. In addition, there needs to be training sessions and professional exchanges with co-teachers.

"The important thing is to have a suitable standardized and interconnected curriculum and documents, so that the enhanced English program can best and most effectively respond to the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program. The use of the curriculum must be analyzed, evaluated, and adjusted to suit reality. The documents must have situational exercises to use the language, and there must be interconnection between classes to ensure consistency..." - a speaker suggested.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/day-va-hoc-tieng-anh-tang-cuong-doi-dien-nhieu-thach-thuc-196240817104244813.htm