Organize simulated classes for teachers
At Nguyen Hue Elementary School, school principal Bui Thi Thanh said that the school will start implementing activities to improve English proficiency for teachers from the 2025-2026 school year.
The school utilizes English teachers to support colleagues in other subjects. The English club for teachers is maintained regularly. The school also creates space for teachers to have more opportunities to communicate with foreign teachers in simple daily situations.
Notably, the school organizes simulated classes, in which English teachers or teachers with good foreign language skills play the role of students for colleagues to rehearse lectures. Through this, teachers can get acquainted with using English before doing it in class.
After the practical process, teachers are divided into 3 groups according to their abilities. The group with good English proficiency is facilitated to develop and support colleagues; the group with potential continues to be trained; the group with limitations is built a self-study roadmap and supported more.
According to Ms. Thanh, the school does not require teachers to use English completely from the beginning. Teachers can start with some professional vocabulary, an activity or a part of a lesson, then gradually increase the level of use.
The biggest initial difficulty is the English proficiency and the psychology of teachers. Many teachers have the ability but are afraid that they will not pronounce correctly, use incorrect words or be judged when standing in class" - Ms. Thanh shared.
After 1 year, this mentality has changed. Stepping into the 2026-2027 school year, the school makes teaching some content in English a professional task. According to the plan, each teacher should perform at least one lesson teaching subjects under the 2018 General Education Program in English in the school year.
At Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School, the creation of an environment for using English is also implemented in many different spaces. Tables, study corners, bulletin boards, learning products and some information content in the school are displayed in English or bilingual.
The school also organizes extracurricular activities, experiences and international exchanges, creating more opportunities for students to use English outside of class.
However, the school representative acknowledged that expanding English to other subjects requires synchronous preparation of teachers, learning materials and teaching methods. Experiential and exchange activities also require resources in terms of time and funding.
Teachers need to be well-trained
At Hiep Tan Elementary School, Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet - Principal of the school, said that learning English early is no longer a new issue. What is more difficult is using English as a tool to teach other subjects. English teachers are mainly trained to teach English. As for elementary school teachers to be able to use English to teach Math, Vietnamese, Science or other subjects, the requirements are much higher.
It is not possible to only require teachers to self-study and self-improve, but it is necessary to have policies to support training costs, and at the same time have appropriate regimes for teachers who are trained to teach subjects in English" - Ms. Nguyet said.
Reality in schools shows that making English a second language is not simply increasing the number of foreign language lessons. For English to appear in subjects and daily activities, teachers must be prepared in terms of competence, methods and mentality. This is also an important condition for the policy to gradually become substantive, instead of just stopping at creating more English learning environments for students.
