Speaker
Description
As Vietnam pivots towards English as a Second Language (ESL) paradigm from English as a Foreign Language (EFL), traditional pedagogical approach necessitates a critical reassessment. This presentation critically examines the conventional application of Bloom’s Taxonomy in the context of language learning in Vietnam. With historical EFL approach, learners are often heavily anchored in lower-order cognitive domains – mainly remembering and understanding lexicon and syntax – frequently postponing engagement with complex, critical thinking until high linguistic proficiency is acquired.
To synchronize with the vision of a sustainable and transnational ESL future, this presentation argues for an inverted approach to Bloom’s Taxonomy. By reframing higher-order thinking skills - including evaluating and creating original, multilingual discourse – as the primary catalyst for language acquisition rather than the destination, educators can cultivate genuine competence of language.
Participants will contextualize both the theoretical foundations and the practical deployment models that capitalize on this cognitive repositioning. The presentation explores how restructuring our approach – from form-focused to cognitive activated, task-based learning empowers learners to use English as a dynamic Lingua Franca. Ultimately, this critical repositioning equips educators the framework to re-design curricula that not only cultivate linguistic capability but also nurture the critical agency necessary for a dynamic, transnational environment that Vietnam is heading towards.
