Page 8 - BB_Textbook
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Case Studies
Case Studies
8 INTRODUCTION
BENDING BAMBOO
BILINGUAL WITH PURPOSE TO GROW THE FUTURE OF VIETNAM
How can people from diverse backgrounds learn from each other? How can lessons from one development sector inform another? How can an English language teacher learn from and contribute to the work of health practitioners, or farmers, or engineers, or artists?
Can the language classroom be a place for holistic and integrated learning? Can Vietnam master a communicative approach to second language acquisition that builds on national and regional ideas, science, culture, literature, and stories? Can it use this knowledge to participate in the development of Vietnam and the world? Can villages, towns, and cities acquire English and development together for economic prosperity and sustainable livelihoods?
At English language workshops in 2018, Can Tho high school teachers agreed on ten topics that would motivate their students to acquire English, think critically, and problem- solve for improved livelihoods.
Their four core topics are Identity, Education, Equity, and Innovation. The six remaining topics are case studies that build on this core. They are Climate, Food/Water/Energy, Health, Culture, Care/Community, and Entertainment.
These ten topics align with the United Nations SDGs, augment the Tieng Anh texts, and meet the Ministry of Education and Training standards for grades 10-12.
With a variety of tools—text, website, teacher repository, and global classrooms—Bending Bamboo
facilitates English language acquisition and sustainable development knowledge. Students complete in- class activities, apply outside-of-class tasks, and nurture lifelong norms.
They do not study English for the sake of exams. Rather, they acquire English for real-life goals. Their communicative discourse prepares them for exams, jobs, vocations, and the future.
Each chapter begins with a profile of Vietnamese community leaders addressing modern-day challenges in brilliant ways. And each chapter ends with a story about Vietnamese students and schools using their English fluency to make a difference in their community. From beginning to end, Bending Bamboo has a
story to tell. Students, teachers, co-authors, and photographers who
10 Chapter-Topics of Bending Bamboo
Organic Spread of Learning
Four Core Topics
National policies
Parents and
Students in community, at school,
National
Parents
Students in
and goals
teachers
and preparing for livelihoods
policies and goals
and teachers
community, at school, and preparing for livelihoods