In January 2026, English teachers in Hue and Ben Tre (now Vinh Long) came together online to celebrate the completion of a British Council-funded project that focuses on building teacher facilitator capacity by equipping selected core English teachers with the skills to lead school-based professional development meetings, known as Teacher Activity Groups (TAGs).
The highlight of the celebrations were when teacher facilitators reflected on how their professional roles had changed through the TAG project. For many, this journey began with a shift in how they saw themselves professionally. Ms Ho Mong Tien of Le Hoang Chieu Secondary School in Ben Tre shared her own journey:
“Before the TAG Facilitator programme, I mainly focused on delivering lessons and student results. Now I see myself as a facilitator who guides, supports, and learns together with colleagues. Teaching is not only about knowledge but also about inspiring and creating a safe environment for sharing.”
For teachers who already had experience organising professional meetings, the TAG experience brought opportunities to rethink and refine their facilitation skills. Ms Nguyen Thi Hong Thuy, Head of the English Subject Group (Tổ Trưởng chuyên môn) at Dang Tran Con High School in Hue, reflected on how the TAG project reshaped her facilitation practices:
“Before TAGs, I mainly focused on sharing knowledge when facilitating professional meetings. Our discussions were irregular and unstructured, and lacked a guiding framework. There was also limited collaboration. TAGs taught me that effective facilitation is about creating opportunities for collaboration, asking guiding questions, listening actively, and encouraging everyone’s participation.”
As the reflections continued, the focus on individual professional identity development was broadened to include the collective experience of working together within TAGs. Several teachers expressed appreciation to their TAG facilitators and colleagues, which further showcases the TAG model as a supportive and trusted space for professional collaboration.
“Working with my peers has helped me see multiple perspectives and grow as part of a supportive professional community.” (Ms Tran Thi My Phuong, UK Academy, Hue)
“I value the engagement and participation of everyone in our TAG. There are ten members, and everyone is very helpful and very active. Everyone works together very effectively, and we can learn a lot together… Our facilitator also gave us a lot of inspiration. She really created a positive working environment among us”. (Mr Truong Trung Anh Triet, Diep Minh Chau High School, Ben Tre)
This TAG project is a collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University (UK), Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies (HUFLIS), and An Giang University (Vietnam), in partnership with the Departments of Education and Training (DOETs) of former Thua Thien Hue and Ben Tre provinces. The project was carried out in two stages:
- Stage 1 – February-September 2025: twelve TAGs were established in Hue and Ben Tre, each bringing together around ten to twelve teacher facilitators. Over 120 core English teachers participated in a TAG Facilitator Programme consisting of ten online TAG meetings. The programme was based on the Framework for TAG Facilitator Development, adapted from the British Council’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework for Teacher Educators, and aimed to strengthen eight key competencies: Knowing the Subject; Reflecting on Teaching Practice; Reflecting on Professional Self-Development; Using Technology to Support Teacher Learning; Building and Sustaining Communities of Practice; Maintaining Professional Wellbeing; Designing CPD Meetings; and Facilitating CPD Meetings.
- Stage 2 - October 2025 to January 2026: 34 new TAGs were formed across the two provinces, and these core teachers took the lead in facilitating TAG meetings in their own schools and districts.
A central principle guiding the programme is the belief that teacher development is not only about learning new strategies, but also about exploring and understanding what it means to be a teacher. The project’s goal is therefore turning TAGs into a safe, collaborative space for English teachers to better understand themselves and their professional aspirations, recognising their strengths, and growing into confident facilitators.
Although the formal project period is coming to an end, several teachers have expressed an interest in maintaining their TAGs and spreading the word about the value and philosophy behind TAGs. In particular, they would like to continue “staying in touch with other teaching colleagues”, “sharing experiences” and “motivating one other”. This aligns well with Vietnam’s vision for teacher professional development, as highlighted by Mr Le Hoang Minh, Head of Vocational Education and Continuing Education, Vinh Long Department of Education and Training during the closing celebration event “There are two key words I learned from this project: ‘sharing’ and ‘learning together’. TAGs align with the professional standards for teachers in Vietnam, and our DoET will continue to support professional learning communities and practical teaching development in our schools. As such, today’s celebration is less a closing, more a starting point. I hope the TAG communities will continue with regular sharing, practical lesson discussions, and peer support.”