High school and university cooperation to make English the second language in schools

On August 22, the University of Foreign Languages, Danang University, in collaboration with the British Council, organized a forum on “Educating and training staff to effectively implement the introduction of English as a second language in schools”.

Attending the forum were representatives from the Department of Higher Education and the Department of General Education ( Ministry of Education and Training ); University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; University of Foreign Languages, Hue University and 150 teachers from primary, secondary and high schools in Da Nang city, Quang Ngai and Dak Lak provinces.

The conference recorded many opinions and proposed solutions for transferring language technology and teaching methods between universities and high schools to make English the second language in schools.

Synchronize solutions

Mr. Ta Ngoc Tri, Deputy Director of the General Education Department, said that making English the second language in the national education system is a key content in Conclusion No. 91-KL/TW of the Politburo on fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training.

The Ministry of Education and Training has concretized the policy through practical projects, programs and action plans, aiming to synchronize solutions from policy development, innovation of training programs, training of teachers, to improving teaching methods and assessing foreign language proficiency.

"In particular, the work of training and developing the teaching staff plays a key role. The forum is a valuable opportunity for managers, experts, and lecturers to share many new ideas, suggest practical directions, and contribute to making English truly become the second language in schools," Mr. Ta Ngoc Tri emphasized.

High school teachers participate in the forum.

From the 4 reports presented, including “The role of foreign language training in making English a second language”; “International perspectives and research on professional development for teachers in the English as a second language teaching program”; “Some solutions to promote the roadmap to make English a second language in the national education system”... the delegates proposed feasible solutions to improve the capacity of the team, promote the role of universities, departments of education and English training...

Connecting to university and high school networks

According to Dr. Huynh Ngoc Mai Kha, Vice Principal of the University of Foreign Languages, Danang University, improving teachers' capacity is a core factor in implementing the Project of Making English the Second Language in Schools. In particular, universities can organize training to improve teaching capacity for teachers of English and other subjects in English through short-term and long-term courses, regular training to create a large network of teachers. Training forms need to be diverse, from forums, seminars, webinars.

Universities also need to promote their role to support high schools in connecting with international cooperation. It is necessary to effectively exploit digital transformation in all training and development activities such as learning materials systems, open learning materials, LMS, interactive applications, teaching tool applications, etc.

A representative of the University of Foreign Languages, Hue University, said that balancing national goals and practical conditions is a key factor for policies to come to life. In addition to investing heavily in the language skills and teaching methods of teachers and lecturers, it is necessary to develop programs and materials suitable to the characteristics of each region.

Mr. Nguyen Van Viet, English teacher at Nguyen Hue Secondary School (Da Nang City) shared that in addition to maintaining clubs, schools can gradually make English a second language by creating an environment for students to use in some suitable clubs such as STEM Club, Math Club, piloting teaching in English in some subjects...

Regarding the requirements for foreign language proficiency standards for teachers of some subjects that can be taught in a foreign language, according to Mr. Viet, young teachers can meet the requirements without spending much time on additional training. Currently, most young teachers in high schools improve their professional capacity by studying for a master's degree. In particular, they must meet the requirements for foreign language proficiency, so the requirements for standard proficiency are not too difficult. The remaining issue is to create a favorable environment for students to practice listening and speaking skills, increasing the frequency of using English in communication at school.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/hop-tac-pho-thong-va-dh-dua-tieng-anh-thanh-ngon-ngu-thu-hai-trong-truong-hoc-post745235.html