Creating English learning environment through teachers

Learning English together

From greetings and instructions for students to reading numbers and some simple math terms in English, teachers at Le Loi Primary School in Yet Kieu Commune are gradually incorporating English into their daily work.

The school aims for every teacher to speak 2 – 3 English sentences a day and encourages them to study independently through apps, materials and videos to improve their vocabulary, communication and pronunciation skills.

According to the school’s Principal Nguyen Thi Van, teachers with good English skills are encouraged to guide and share their experience with colleagues. The school’s three English teachers also help their colleagues practice situations commonly encountered in the classroom.

Speaking practice and sharing of materials and self-study experiences are maintained during grade-level and subject-group meetings twice a month. As a result, English learning does not take place only during training sessions but is also continued through the school’s regular activities.

At Hoa Nghia Primary School in Duong Kinh Ward, English training is combined with activities for teachers. The program “English is a small thing - Teachers are a big thing” features teams competing in communication, presentation, teamwork and situation-handling activities in English. This gives teachers an opportunity to apply what they have learned and become more confident using a foreign language in front of their colleagues.

At Binh Minh Junior High School in Le Thanh Nghi Ward, teachers also take the initiative to study independently, exchange with colleagues and practice during subject-group and professional-group activities.

Self-study for innovation

Born in 1970, Nguyen Thi Ngoc, a literature teacher at Tan Binh Junior High School in Le Thanh Nghi Ward, still studies English every day. She regularly posts practice videos on Facebook and is not afraid of making mistakes in front of others.

According to Ngoc, after completing levels of the course, she was able to correct exercises for other learners and became more confident in communication and experience sharing. For Ngoc, learning English is not only about knowing another language. English helps her learn about the names of authors, terminology and information about foreign literary works when preparing lessons.

After more than 30 years of teaching, Nguyen Ngoc Ha, a teacher at Le Quy Don Junior High School in Le Thanh Nghi Ward, still studies English every day and looks for ways to apply it to physics.

At a city-level thematic workshop, Ha taught a demonstration lesson in English on Archimedes’ principle and buoyancy to eighth-grade gifted students, sharing another approach to teaching the subject in a foreign language.

Alongside the initiative of teachers and schools, the Hai Phong Department of Education and Training is focusing on organizing training and creating conditions for teachers to improve their English proficiency and gradually apply it in teaching.

During the summer of 2026, the department implemented the program “A month of free English self-study for teachers,” creating an additional opportunity for teachers to study online along suitable learning paths. Methodology exchanges have also been organized among professional groups, including a workshop on approaches to teaching natural sciences in English, with the aim of making English a second language in schools.

Under the Hai Phong Education and Training Development Project through 2030, with a vision to 2045, the city aims for 70% of teachers teaching other subjects in English to meet English proficiency standards; it also plans to provide professional training for 100 core teachers in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science and science subjects taught in English, to be completed in 2027.

From the initiative of individual teachers to the training, support and guidance provided by the education sector, English learning is spreading across schools in Hai Phong.

THE ANH