Professional skills I have learned from the Practicum and the whole TESOL program

The Practicum Course organized in the MA in TESOL program offered by Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) has offered me a plethora of opportunities to learn, thrive and become an even more aspiring teacher than I had been before. The Practicum Course includes a workshop on contemporary issues in English language teaching and learning, microteaching and a gala dinner. All of the aforementioned events have assisted me to redefine myself – an educator with passion, responsibility, vision and leadership. During the preparation process for the trip, I and my teammates worked together to design a beautiful poster, a well-structured and informative presentation for the workshop and a detailed lesson plan for the microteaching.  Also, we discussed and delegated tasks related to logistics for the gala dinner. It dawned on me that my leadership skills and communication skills have improved significantly as I was able to adjust my adaptability to suit the requirements of my team and the requirements of the workshop and the microteaching. I had discussions with my teammates and eventually, we reached an agreement on what to do and the strategies to carry out all the tasks efficiently. I realized I still need to work on my communication skills more so that I can get my message across more effectively. During the microteaching, I familiarized myself with the learning styles of the university students at Nha Trang University to engage them in my lesson. Most of the students were energetic and excited, however, some were reluctant and shy. Therefore, I decided to put them in groups for discussions and asked them to participate in a small communicative activity. My leadership skills have improved as I attempted to adapt myself to such a novel environment and unfamiliar students. In the end, we had an enjoyable lesson.

​

Also during the microteaching, I learnt a number of interesting new things from my peers. They are all talented and passionate teachers, so their lessons were all exciting and meaningful. My peers attempted to design several excellent communicative activities for the students and engaged them in the lessons effectively. The most significant lesson I learnt from some of my peers was their attitudes towards to the students and the new teaching context. They were relaxed and managed to pull through without much difficulty, which I struggled a bit at first. Moreover, I learnt to adopt a more relaxed manner from some peers so that my students would feel less
threatened and more likely to participate actively. Despite the observed strengths, I believed we could have been better by putting a higher value on our learners’ experience and satisfaction in order that they are our main focus of the process of teaching and learning.

The biggest highlight of the trip to me is the visit to Thai Binh Duong University. It was not because of its immense land area (although this was actually very astonishing), but it was because of the core values mentioned in TBD University’s professors and lecturers’ speeches. One of the values that I remember well is the understanding of the differences among learners regarding geographical factors. According to one of the professors, students in urban areas may feel more obliged to learn English, while students in more rural and remote regions would feel less determined to learn a foreign language for future employment. This leads to the realization that educators must be able to determine the characteristics and factors affecting learners’ learning
styles and motivation. I was extremely impressed by this message.

Finally, this valuable trip to Nha Trang has been my very first summer vacation and I love every moment of it. I went back to Nha Trang after a year and Nha Trang still welcomed me with beautiful weather and spectacular beaches. I had a chance to go paddling (SUP) with one of the gentlest and most caring human-beings in the world. I also enjoyed the night walks with other friends (we almost reached the sixth kilometer from our hotel, but a taxi saved us, luckily) and indulged myself with some avocado and durian ice cream. The gala dinner held in Champa Island was also amazing as I got to enjoy beautiful singing performances from our professors and friends. Nha Trang and this Practicum Course have become unforgettable memories of mine this year.

​

CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR AND PERCEPTION
For this Practicum Course, I was chosen to present my individual study titled “Students’ Perceptions of the Debate Activity in Grade 9 Intensive English Program” – it was an invaluable opportunity for me, as a researcher. Although I had prepared the presentation slides for the workshop, I still needed to make some necessary adjustments in order to improve the content and accessibility of my study’s findings and implications. I managed to deliver the presentation within fifteen minutes and I received amazing questions from the audience. One of the questions that I remember well is the connection between the input provided by the teachers via reading texts and videos and learners’ performance during the debate activity. It was interesting because they may not seem related, however, with sufficient input, learners are able to use the vocabulary and useful expressions in their arguments during the debates. This leads to their better performance. This question has once again helped me to consolidate the belief that providing learners with useful materials and topic-related vocabulary can assist them while forming their own arguments. The workshop has significantly influenced my perception and behavior related to my academic research journey as I hold a firmer belief in the effects and contributions of doing rigorous research on the innovations in the field of teaching and learning English in my context. This Practicum Course has given me this golden chance to shine and be humble to listen and learn.