The use of computer-assisted language teaching, particularly on mobile
devices, has enabled students to be more interactive and creative in
their study of English, education experts said at a recent conference in
Ho Chi Minh City.
Web-based and mobile
technologies in English-language teaching are helping students become
more proficient in the language, said Doan Kim Khoa, a lecturer at HCM
City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology.
Khoa spoke at the annual Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) conference, annually organised by Vietnam-USA Society
English Centres (VUS).
More than 2,000 English-language
teachers, including those from Thailand , the Philippines and
Cambodia , attended the event.
Also speaking at the
conference, Clyde Fowle, a manager of product development and teacher
training for East Asia-based Macmillan Education, said that more and
more learners of English in Vietnam were taking international exams,
such as Cambridge English’s First Certificate in English and
International English Language Testing System.
David
Persey, a training specialist at National Geographic Learning, said
that super-realistic images in photos and videos also contribute to
better learning. These images help children visualise what they actually
see on a trip, at home or on TV, he said.
However, traditional teaching has often discouraged children from using their creativity in the classroom, he added.
At the conference, Sadie Maddocks, a Southeast Asia product manager
at Oxford University Press, spoke about the benefits of digital
story-telling.
Stories help children make sense of the world around them and share that understanding with others, she said.
Many new web tools allow teachers to use digital stories as a means of
enabling young learners to collaborate, communicate and connect in an
engaging and motivating way, she added.-VNA