EMI in a Vietnamese classroom: A challenging yet rewarding journey
I SERVED as Trainer on English for Teaching Purposes (ETP) to the faculty members of Tan Trao University (TTrU) in Vietnam from June 11-July 23, 2017. The teacher-trainees of this program are handling different courses (Mathematics, Culture Studies, Economics, Pre-School Education, Literature, and English). In general, TTrU administrators and teachers have done their best to ensure that we feel comfortable all throughout the training, making for a memorable and humbling experience.
During the first week of the training, the Vietnamese teachers were introduced to the concepts of constructivism approach, since the nature of education in Vietnam is anchored on the teachings of Confucius. English is a foreign language in their country; thus, they were helped in sorting out possible anxieties or apprehension caused by the training. A self-check on language anxiety was administered to the trainees for them to fully understand the objectives of the training and for them to have a full grasp of the features of English as Medium of Instruction (EMI).
Almost two weeks of the training were dedicated to enhancing the Speaking and Listening skills of TTrU teachers. Though they really struggled on producing comprehensible vowel and consonant sounds in English, their eagerness to learn made the training fun and engaging. They were given a homework on English sounds; they recorded their homework and submitted it through Facebook Messenger and email. To evaluate their listening skills, an IELTS listening test was administered.
Following the drills in Speaking and Listening, they were introduced to various strategies in Reading and Writing which aimed at enhancing these specific skills. They were exposed to several reading skills such as inferencing and making conclusion, contrasting and comparing, giving examples, and describing graphs. They were also exposed to different writing prompts to enhance their writing proficiency which they could use in their respective classes or in their future career endeavors.
The six-week training was capped with the teaching demonstration of the teachers. They were grouped according to the relatedness of their fields and were assigned to use a specific approach/method (Task-based, Communicative, and Collaborative Approaches). Prior to their demonstration, they were oriented on the evaluation instrument, assisted on how to go over with their lesson plan and how to prepare for their individual tasks.
The TTrU teachers are willing and motivated to learn more and apply EMI to their classes. In fact, some of them wanted to communicate with us using English even right after the training. Therefore, this posed a positive impression regarding the training. The ETP training has made me renew my passion to teaching.