After more than five months of preparation the 7-Cs Teacher Development Project, a collaboration between Peartree Languages from Wales and Thai Nguyen University’s Centre for Testing and Quality Management in Education (CTEQ) was launched on Wednesday 6 September 2023. The project is part of British Council’s UK/Viet Nam Season 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Vietnam and 30 years of the British Council’s presence in Vietnam. Donna McGowan, Director British Council in Viet Nam, Ruth Cocks, Director British Council Wales, Roz McGill, English UK and Mark Henebury from the UK Department for Business and Trade, were among the guests attending the Opening Ceremony along with representatives from several Vietnamese DOETs, course master trainers and 110 participating English teachers from secondary schools in seven northern provinces in Viet Nam.
Teachers will participate in tutorials, Q&A sessions and an eight-week online course. Through their participation they will not only learn about teaching methodology but also develop their knowledge about the seven ‘C’s of collaboration, Climate action awareness, Capacity building, Change-makers, Communicative English skills, Classroom methodology and Confidence building, as they relate to Climate Change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Donna McGowan, Director of the British Council in Viet Nam said, 'I am pleased to see the partnership between Peartree Languages and Thai Nguyen University, as well as the seven provincial DOETs, to deliver this exciting project, which will provide a platform for conversations on shared challenges and experiences around our theme of Climate and the Environment. It’s also about working together to create long term impact through deepening mutual understanding, building capacity and encouraging innovation.'
Nicky Partridge, Peartree Languages, UK Project Lead said: 'It is a great privilege to work alongside our Viet Nam colleagues, combining many years of teacher training experience, to design and deliver this innovative English language programme. Our joint aim is to develop English teacher’s confidence to use English and relevant teaching methodologies in their own classrooms with a strong, practical focus on integrating themes of Climate Action Awareness, key to equipping students with the skills they will need to navigate the world in the coming years. With future knowledge cascading, under the supervision of CTEQ, we know that the project will continue to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the participants and the challenges of the future.'
Ban Thi Kim Thanh, ELT specialist of Tuyen Quang province, one of the seven provinces participating in the project, added: 'I strongly believe that the project will provide great opportunities for participants in this meaningful project as they work with UK experts in English teaching and learning, especially in the seven capacity areas which are of particular interest to all English teachers in Vietnam right now. Also, the participants will learn from each other and make progress in their professional development. The success of this project will help promote the English teaching and learning environment in many schools and inspire other teachers to join useful projects like this.'
In the coming months, course participants will not only receive English language and methodology input, but as a final output will produce a collaborative e-book, showcasing teaching practice and climate action themes. In parallel, a group of eight Master Trainers (MTs), selected by CTEQ, will receive a further 25 hours of capacity building input to further the project legacy.
Follow The 7-Cs Teacher Development project on our website for further exciting updates.