Key English teachers and lecturers have been trained in a new innovative English teaching method for primary schools which focuses on learners instead of teachers.

It is expected that this new method will provide results in the English proficiency of young students

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), in coordination with the Managing Board of the national Foreign Languages Project 2020 (E 2020 Project) and British Council, has recently organised a ceremony in Hanoi to grant certificates to 30 trainees from northern Vietnam.

The recipients all completed a one-year training course funded by the British Council, in which 127 key teachers nationwide were instructed on modern teaching methods. The course was held at Hanoi University of Education, Danang University’s College of Foreign Languages and Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

The programme was part of a larger effort to realise the MoET’s goal to improve the standard of English education at publicly-owned schools.

Trainees of the programme benefit from a new skill set that employs modern educational tools that are not usually found in the traditional Vietnamese school of thought.

Trainees granted certificates

Tran Van Long, an English teacher at Haiphong City’s Bach Dang Primary School, described the programme as interesting because of its focus on students, adding that lessons were fun and not seen as work by the class.

Many other teachers who went through the course have echoed the same sentiment.

"This project has taught me that digital devices are not necessary, but that teacher dedication is. Other methods, including body language and natural interaction can be just as effective in involving students in the learning process," said one teacher.

"The traditional method of teaching in this country is heavily dependent on books and lectures. This new method involves student participation and real practice of communication skills," said Hoang Quy, lecturer at Hanoi University of Education’s Department of Primary Education.