“Break” oneself

to become
a better educator
Bui Khanh Nguyen (Harry)
Educational Independent Speaker
Agenda
1.Who are teachers?
2.The world we live in is different
3.Our learners are different
4.What are the roles for teachers nowadays?
5.Reflections on English teaching in Vietnam

“Break” oneself to become a better educator © Oxford University Press 2022 2

 1. Who are teachers?

Presentation Title 3
 What is
the quality of
a brilliant teacher?

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Why are teachers important?
“The quality of an education system can never exceed the quality of its teachers,”
THERE’S A STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN
TEACHERS’ TEACHING AND STUDENTS’ LEARNING

“The mediocre teacher tells.

The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.”

William Arthur Ward

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 2. The world we live in is different

Presentation Title 6
Presentation TitleInternet
Image source: 7
The world is changing fast, one thing that never changes is
the change itself

Uber doesn’t own any cars but is

the world’s largest taxi company.

Netflix doesn’t own any movie

theaters, but is the world’s The
largest movie theater. IMPOSSIBLE
becomes
Airbnb doesn’t own any hotels, POSSIBLE
but is the world’s largest hotel
chain.
Image source: Internet

“Break” oneself to become a better educator © Oxford University Press 2022 8

Knowledge becomes outdated quickly

1900 In 1900, human knowledge doubled

approximately every 100 years.

1945 By the end of 1945, the rate was

every 25 years.

Now
Volume of knowledge is doubling
every 12 hours.

Source: https://lodestarsolutions.com/keeping-up-with-the-surge-of-information-and-human-
knowledge/

If teachers care about this, they will teach differently.

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Many skills become irrelevant;
all need constant upskilling and reskilling
SKILLS THEN
Use a compass
Handwriting
(how eligible or beautiful)
Calculate (mental arithmetic)
Read IPA (International
Phonetic Symbol)
Translate an article
“Break” oneself to become a better educator
SKILLS NOW
Use Google Map
Typing (how fast and accurate)
Use calculator, Excel, smart
phone effectively
Download a pronunciation app
Image source: Internet
Scan and Translate a Picture
with Google Translate
© Oxford University Press 2022 10
Qualities are increasingly important

01 02 03 04
RESILIENCE ADAPTABILITY LIFELONG FLEXIBILITY
INQUIRY
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Learning becomes different with Edtech, AI and machine learning

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lviMkYmUoQ

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 Activity 1
Can you translate this story into English?

在你的年龄 Zài nǐ de niánlíng

父亲：你知道，汤姆，当林肯在 fùqīn: Nǐ zhīdào, tāngmǔ,
你这个年纪的时候，他是一个非 dāng línkěn zài nǐ zhège niánjì
常好的学生。事实上，他是班上 de shíhòu, tā shì yīgè fēicháng
最好的学生。 hǎo de xuéshēng. Shìshí
汤姆：是的，父亲。我知道。但 shàng, tā shì bān shàng zuì
是当他在你这个年纪的时候，他 hǎo de xuéshēng.
是美国总统。 Tāngmǔ: Shì de, fùqīn. Wǒ
zhīdào. Dànshì dāng tā zài nǐ
zhège niánjì de shíhòu, tā shì
měiguó zǒngtǒng.

Image source: Internet

“Break” oneself to become a better educator © Oxford University Press 2022 13

 3. Our learners are different

Presentation Title 14
Learners are different

Lacking ICT skill is a Students are distracted

type of illiteracy by media and social
media
Students have too
much information Students are
rather than too influenced by trends,
little information advertising, KOL, and
idols; not only by
peers, parents, and
teachers
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Smart learning

Time is limited so there is cost

of opportunity in learning:
If you learn A, you miss the
opportunity to learn B, which
might be better than A.

Image source: Internet

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Activity 2
What if question: If students don’t
learn in classroom, where else can
they learn about the world?

Image source: Internet

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Continuous learning and
lifelong learning

• Learning does not necessarily

only take place inside
classroom, but anywhere
and anytime.
• Language
immersion/learning: at home,
in community, at school, on
media.
Image source: Internet

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 4. What are the roles
for teachers nowadays?

Presentation Title 19
Learners are different, should teachers be the same or different?

Source: https://askatechteacher.com/robots-vs-human-
teachers/
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The teacher
The learning strategist

Teachers to teach, or to
teach how to learn

• learner style,
• learning objectives,
• learning plan,
• learning menus,
• learning strategy,
• active learning
Image source: Internet

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The teacher
The coach

Teachers need leadership skill

(lecturing should be 20%)

Image source: Internet

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The teacher
The inspirer

Teachers nurture learning

motivation and lifelong
learning passion

Image source: Internet

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The teacher
The role model

Teachers are exemplary for

self learning/active/lifelong
learning

Image source: Internet

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 5. Reflections on English
teaching in Vietnam

Presentation Title 25
The Good
• Strong motivation to learn English well by both
students and parents.
• Learners start to learn a foreign language from a
young age without fear about language defects.
• Younger students speak much better English and
gain fluency more quickly.
• Students benefit from diversity: both native, ESL and
Vietnamese/EFL teachers.
• New generations of learners benefit from technology.
Image source: Internet
• Online learning is the norm.
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The Not Very Good
• Many learning hours are lost due to ineffective
learning. Learning is counted by hours, not by quality
of learning, effectiveness or learning enjoyment.
• Number of learning hours is terribly high for
many students.
• The myth about native accent fluency for everyone.
• The pursuit of /race for English test score from Primary.
• Teaching for the tests (high stakes tests) rather than for life:
reading books, watching movies, daily communication…
• Many roles by teachers become less important, unless
Image source: Internet
teachers take on new roles.
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From Teachers to Teachers as education practitioners
Educators
Teachers as education researchers

Teachers as educational psychologists

Teachers as artists (difference between

painters and artists)

Teachers as leaders

TEACHERS SHOULD “BREAK” THEMSELVES

FROM TIME TO TIME TO BECOME BETTER!
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