In the context of the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, teachers are constantly improving their qualifications and skills to meet new requirements.
STANDING AT THE PODIUM DOES NOT MEAN STOP LEARNING
Speaking at the online consultation program on the afternoon of October 31 with the topic "In the era of AI and integration, what should teachers prepare?" of Thanh Nien Newspaper, Master Pham Cong Nhat, an international lecturer at many universities in Ho Chi Minh City, said that with the rapid development of technology and AI, teachers should focus on cultivating emotional intelligence (EQ) and foreign languages instead of just reading books and academic documents. Teachers need to have the ability to learn for life, need EQ and foreign languages to increase their chances of getting a good job.
The guests shared a lot of useful information to help teachers improve their foreign language skills to meet the requirements of the project to make English the second language in schools.
PHOTO: NHAT THINH
"When I attended the Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany, as the first Vietnamese journalist to interview "Father of the Internet" Vinton Gray Cerf, I always remembered an image: wherever Vinton Gray Cerf went, he always had a small notebook and a pen to take notes. I think that we teachers can learn something from this image, because standing on the podium does not mean stopping learning," said Mr. Nhat.
Mr. Tran Thien Minh, IELTS and SAT teacher at DOL English, believes that with the recent project of training more than 200,000 teachers to improve English proficiency of the Ministry of Education and Training, the biggest barrier for teachers is not the lack of knowledge, but the lack of a systematic methodology to effectively convey knowledge and skills. Just providing them with more vocabulary and grammar is not enough. The key solution is to equip them with a thinking system to teach, such as Linearthinking, which provides teachers with a logical "framework" to design lessons, helping them teach students how to think instead of just teaching "what to remember". When teachers are equipped with a strong methodology, they can be more confident and proactive in teaching, thereby creating synchronous and sustainable change for the whole system.
Dr. Dinh Ngoc Thanh, Technical Director at OpenEdu, affirmed that teachers have never been just "knowledge transmitters", that is the task of books, of Google, and now of AI. The true role of teachers is to guide, to light the fire, to ask the right questions, to train students' thinking. Therefore, according to Dr. Thanh, to adapt, teachers need to learn how to use AI, not to be afraid of AI; then build their own AI assistant; if students ask questions at 11 p.m., AI will answer immediately - exactly the way the teacher teaches. Thus, AI is not an enemy, but a super assistant, helping teachers do things that were previously unimaginable. This can be applied to teachers of English, math or any subject.
Master PHAM CONG NHATTEACH EARLY BUT TEACH CORRECTLY
Giving a perspective on the story of the period 2025 - 2030, English must be taught compulsorily from grade 1 in general schools, Mr. Le Hoang Phong, Chevening scholar, master's degree student in educational leadership, University College London (UCL), said that international studies have shown that the starting time does not determine the quality of foreign language learning, the teacher is the key factor. Mr. Phong cited research by UNESCO (2018) and OECD (2021) on primary school English teaching programs in 35 countries and commented: "Students who start learning early do not achieve higher results if teachers are not specially trained for young children".
Preschool teachers introduce children to English through songs
Photo: Thuy Hang
Mr. Phong cited: "In Japan, when English became a compulsory subject from grade 3, it took the Ministry of Education 6 years to adjust it because of a series of pronunciation errors and loss of interest in learning in middle school. On the contrary, in Singapore and Korea, where teachers are well trained in pronunciation, communication methods, and teaching through games, children start later but achieve much better communication skills." From there, Mr. Phong affirmed that it is good for students to learn English early, but it also needs to be done properly, so as not to be counterproductive. Teachers must be solid in their expertise, understand the method, and have very standard pronunciation so as not to be counterproductive, so that teachers are forced to constantly learn.
Sharing the same opinion, Master Pham Cong Nhat also said: "To teach English effectively, a teacher must have 3 factors: professional knowledge, teaching methods, and standard English ability; if one of the 3 pillars is missing, it will not be okay." Therefore, according to him, we can consider teaching English from grade 1 in urban areas first, then gradually expanding to rural and disadvantaged areas. Because many places are currently lacking English teachers, if teachers with incorrect pronunciation teach first grade students, the consequences of having to correct mistakes later will be much more tiring.
An English lesson for 11th grade students in Ho Chi Minh City
Photo: Nhat Thinh
How do teachers manage to teach English when they are too busy?
Master Cong Nhat shared his personal experience of exercising regularly, a little bit every day. He has a rule that every morning before getting out of bed and every night before going to sleep, he listens to 15 minutes of his favorite English programs on podcasts. If he has more time, he reads books, watches English movies, etc. In addition, he increases his exercise, because not only is it good for the body, but gym has also been scientifically proven to be very good for mental health, for the mind, and for effective learning.
Mr. Tran Thien Minh believes that teachers should apply the method of "little by little" and learn a little every day, so that they are not "overwhelmed" when they have to learn something new when they are too busy. In addition, AI is supporting solutions to help teachers learn foreign languages more effectively. For example, teachers can apply a system of thinking methods through DOL's online learning ecosystem at dolenglish.vn.
The system helps teachers, even in rural or remote areas, to learn in a logical way, have AI correct their errors, and practice continuously, especially in English pronunciation - a concern for many teachers today.
Initial testing and assessment may not be possible in specific locations.
Giving her opinion from a professional perspective, Ms. Nguyen Thi Song Tra, Director of TH Education and Training Company Limited (THedu), Hanh Thong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said that when English becomes an official subject from grade 1 in general schools, in the classroom, the level between children may differ. Therefore, teachers can divide the class into small groups and personalize the teaching program.
At the same time, according to Ms. Tra, to reduce pressure on first graders, in the beginning when English is applied as a compulsory subject in general education institutions, it may not be necessary to apply periodic testing and assessment with students immediately.
Currently, many localities lack English teachers, so what should be done to solve this situation?
According to Ms. Tra, it is necessary to have policies to attract talent, attract sources of primary school English teachers, and retain good people in the public sector. Short-term solutions include contracts for guest lecturers, online learning with remote English teachers, and learning English using software. However, according to Ms. Tra, the core is to improve the English proficiency of teachers of many subjects, not just English teachers who need to know English. "The most long-term and sustainable way is for the school's own permanent teachers to be good at English pedagogical skills, not just relying on guest lecturers or hired teachers," Ms. Tra said.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tieng-anh-thanh-ngon-ngu-thu-hai-giao-vien-cung-can-phai-hoc-185251031222744342.htm
Comment (0)