TRANSFORMING AND IMPROVING THE KNOWLEDGE AND ROLES OF TEACHERS IN COLLABORATIVE LEARNING PRACTICE IN ENGLISH TEACHING AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY

TRANSFORMING AND IMPROVING THE KNOWLEDGE AND ROLES OF TEACHERS IN COLLABORATIVE LEARNING PRACTICE IN ENGLISH TEACHING AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY

Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy bichthuyhuevn@yahoo.com School of Foreign Languages - Hanoi University of Science and Technology No.1 Dai Co Viet, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, Vietnam
Summary: 
Nowadays, in respond to the increasing number of English language learners in Vietnam and the demanding requirements of society for students’ high English competence to reflect the trend of globalization and internationalization, there is a necessity to innovate English as Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum, as well as EFL teaching and learning methods in Vietnam. Many authors and researchers advocate Collaborative Learning (CoL) practice for such innovation, as CoL has been considered as beneficial for language learners, especially English language learners. However, some studies show that CoL implementation has still encountered numerous barriers in Vietnam, especially cultural hindrances; thus, its application needs adaptation and modification. This research report, through qualitative and quantitative data from in-depth interviews, observations and questionnaire surveys, indicates that although Vietnamese teachers and students tend to advocate CoL implementation in their English teaching and learning, many Vietnamese EFL teachers still feel ‘obscured’ about the concepts and the issues relating to CoL. Therefore, in order for CoL to be effectively applied in Vietnam, this article emphasizes that it is very necessary to provide English teachers with adequate knowledge and skills of EFL CoL, as well as to transform and enhance their roles when this method is applied in English teaching.
Keywords: 
Collaborative Learning
English as a Foreign Language
EFL teachers
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