PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Mission
The “Unconferencing: Unleash innovative ideas to transform English education” project will engage English language educators and administrators from universities located in the Mekong Delta and Southeast provinces of Vietnam to participate in hands-on teaching skills and classroom activities designed to improve the quality of English education. Through a participant driven “unconference,” teachers will learn firsthand about the benefits of this innovative professional development tool and will be equipped and supported to organize their own unconferences within their respective professional communities.
The project “Unconferencing: Unleash Innovative Ideas to Transform English Education” by a group of the US government scholarship alumni (Dr. Dang Thanh Nhon, Dean of the School of Languages, Tan Tao University, Fulbright scholarship, the project team lead, and Ms. Le Thi Xuan Mai, Tan Tao University alumna, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) scholarship) and their collaborators won the 2023 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) competition funded by the U.S. Department of State (https://alumni.state.gov/aeif/congrats-2023-alumni-engagement-innovation-fund-winners-0)
Objectives
Objective 1: Uplifting the quality of English education in universities through an unconference involving leaders, potential leaders and key teachers in English education departments in sharing and being shared their hands-on teaching skills and classroom activities.
– Engaging deans/vice deans, heads/deputy heads of English department, key teachers, experts, managers, and potential leaders in English departments from the Mekong Delta universities and the universities in the Southeast of Vietnam in fostering a collaborative exchange of knowledge, skills, teaching methods and techniques, all with the aim of enhancing the quality of English education.
– Organizing two half-day unconferences in Long An and Ba Ria- Vung Tau provinces, with an booklet including innovative ideas, English teaching activities and techniques, as well as knowledge on unconference organizing published online to share with participants after the events.
Objective 2: Empowering the participants with knowledge, skills, and first-hand experience in hands-on workshops focused on organizing unconferences so that they can successfully organize unconferences in their respective educational institutions.
– Organizing two half-day workshop sessions to provide knowledge and skills about an unconference through group discussion facilitated by experts from local and international unconference community
– Selecting two participants to receive $1,000 each for organizing follow-on unconferences at two educational institutions
To achieve its purpose, the unconference aims to recruit its participants under the – C-H-A-N-G-E criteria
– Commitment and Creativity
– Harmonious Collaboration and Cooperation
– Active Engagement and Learning
– Network and Progress
– Growth and Adaptability
– Enthusiasm and Community Building
Project Team
1. Dr. Nhon DANG, Team Lead
2. Ms. Mai LE, Team Member
3. Dr. John BAKER, Team Member
4. Dr. Loc DO, Team Member
5. Dr. Han HO, Team Member
Timeline
The Unconference will consist of two sessions being held at separate locations as follows:
– Session 1
Time: December 15, 2023
Venue: Tan Tao University in Long An province
– Session 2
Time: March 15, 2024
Venue: Ba Ria- Vung Tau College of Education in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province
For inquiries and further details, please contact us via email: admin@tesolunconferencevn.info
INTRODUCTION VIDEO TO THE UNCONFERENCING PROJECT