Following the annual collaboration plan signed with the National Foreign Languages Project (NFLP) in June 2021 and the subsequent release of calls and a briefing session in September 2021, which generated significant interest from both the UK and Vietnamese ELT sector representatives, British Council in Viet Nam is now pleased to announce the results.
In total, 11 applications were received in late October – two for research grants and nine applications for grants to implement Teacher Activity Groups (TAGs) in provinces the length and breadth of Viet Nam. Following a series of evaluation panels, with each application submission being assessed by representatives from the British Council, the Ministry of Education and Training and external sector experts, the following grants have been approved, with activity due to start in the next few months, and continuing until early 2023.
Results of call for proposals
Online ELT research in public schools – Manchester Metropolitan University and Banking Academy/Can Tho University/Ho Chi Minh City Open University will focus on the availability of digital resources, in-service teacher needs and online CPD and also the challenges, barriers and issues in online ELT.
Assessment research – University of Huddersfield and ULIS will investigate the provision of English language assessment and testing (including online provision) resulting in the creation of an online toolkit and community of practice for teachers to share best practice and support each other with language assessment literacy. This research will be launched at a Viet Nam country spotlight as part of the New Directions East Asia Conference 2021 (11 Dec 2021) - the British Council’s premier language testing and assessment conference.
Teacher Activity Groups (TAGs) – The following four proposals will see the establishment and piloting of approximately 46-50 TAGs over a 12 month period directly benefitting more than 870 teachers across eight of Viet Nam’s 63 provinces, including some remote and more disadvantaged areas, spanning the north, centre and south of the country. The TAG approach to CPD was previously piloted with 120 teachers in Can Tho DOET during 2020.
- North - IH Bristol and Hanoi University of Education (HNUE) in Bac Kan and Son La DOETs with 12 TAGs, training up 24 facilitators supporting 240 teachers over 12 months and creating teacher ‘toolboxes’ at primary, lower and upper secondary levels.
- North - University of Glasgow and Viet Nam’s National Institute for Educational Sciences (VNIES) in Bac Ninh and Quang Ninh DOETs with 12 TAGs, two trained research associates, 24 facilitators and 12 creative artists supporting 240 teachers over 12 months and creating a CPD programme booklet as well as free, online teaching and learning resources, designed to develop teachers’ capacities to teach English with creative and arts-based resources.
- Centre - Manchester Metropolitan University and Hue Uni are adopting an ‘identity-focused approach’ to CPD with six TAGs supporting 120 teachers in Hue DOET culminating in an online ‘Teacher Development Day’. This model of identity-focused TAGs, structured around the being, feeling and doing of teaching could be replicated in different contexts.
- South – Celtic English Academy and Can Tho University will work with teachers across three Mekong Delta provinces (Ben Tre, Can Tho and Dong Thap). 270 teachers in total – 170 English language teachers and a further 100 science and maths teachers – will be supported and developed through 16-20 TAGs, and the training and mentoring of up to 20 teachers as TAG facilitators who can sustain the groups beyond the project period.
Over the next few months, we will include updates about progress with these ELT research and continuing professional development (CPD) projects.
For more detailed information about the ELT research and partnership grants above, please contact davideg.gilmartin@britishcouncil.org.vn