Followed the success of the first “Propell Workshop for the TOEFL iBT Test” in Hanoi, IIG Vietnam – the exclusive authorized representative of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Vietnam – continues to organize the second workshop for English teachers in Hochiminh City on April 3^rd – 5^th 2014.

The workshop does not only attract attention from Vietnamese teachers from local areas such as Hochiminh City, Vinh Long, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh provinces… but also foreign instructors currently living and working in Vietnam. The workshop taken place was a great experience for both workshop participants and ETS specialists, thanks to the modern learning environment, highly interactive stimulated debate, detailed curriculum with specialized knowledge and practical application and a group of staff with years of experience. Particularly, learners are provided with various types of questions and topics commonly used in the TOEFL iBT test, along with the practice of giving professional judgment on all four skills, but with the main focus on the combination of Speaking-Writing skills. Besides, learners are also equipped with the teaching methods of each skill with detailed instructions on strategies, techniques, and application of how to get the best out of the exam.

The second TOEFL iBT Propell Workshop taken place in Hochiminh City

According to the statistics provided by Vietnam International Education Development (Ministry of Education and Training), Vietnam currently has more than 100,000 students studying abroad in 49 countries and regions. This number has increased by 10 times by that of 10 years ago. The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange 2013, released by the Institute of International Education, also shows that the number of students studying abroad in USA has increased by 3.4 percent to reach 16,098 students in the 2012-13 school year, putting Vietnam in the 8^th place of the total number of students residing in the States ranking. It’s widely known that, during the process of applying, TOEFL iBT test score is a compulsory requirement in the application to determine school acceptance, amount of scholarship offered as well as the processing of visa to almost all English-speaking countries. TOEFL iBT certificate is being recognized in more than 130 countries with 4 out of 5 admission officers in America prefer the use of TOEFL iBT score in evaluating school acceptance and grants than the rest of the standardized language certificates. Most of the international education institutions, including the most prestigious and leading universities and colleges in the world, also suggest using TOEFL iBT score report.

Discussion during a class activity

Upon the rising trend of exporting students abroad, TOEFL iBT instructors in Vietnam are also trying to equip themselves with the most comprehensive knowledge, strategies and latest updates on this international assessment certificate so that they can have more confidence in their teaching as well as help their students to achieve their desired score and succeed in their study abroad journey.

Learners immersed in group activities

 Coming to the Propell Workshop for the TOEFL iBT Test, organized by IIG Vietnam – the exclusive authorized representative of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Vietnam, learners hope to master all the skills and techniques to help the students prepare better for the test in the shortest time (6 months program) or in a longer period of time (1 year program).

 Besides, instructing the students on how to utilize time-managing skills or how to get familiar with doing the test on a computer is also of great concern for the teachers during this workshop. “One of the weakest points of Vietnamese students is the lack of general knowledge of the society or having trouble with understanding the content of the text in the Reading and Listening Comprehension. In addition, the skills that Vietnamese students are most often scared of are Speaking and Writing skills as they are not prone to pro-actively speak or talk out loud as they are afraid of making mistakes; let alone that there are not many instructors with enough skills and expertise on the subject to help supervise it. In both speaking and writing, students often express their ideas in a vague way or beat around the bush and not answer the question directly; these are the minus points in a TOEFL iBT test. These issues are heavily discussed during the workshop so that the teachers can help the students prepare better for the test, especially for the Speaking-Writing skills” – a workshop participant shares.

Participants of the workshop are not only given opportunity to learn the best training method from Ms. Nguyen Thanh Giang (ETS Master Trainer), directly trained and certified by ETS, but also given the chance to sit together with other teachers to discuss and mutually share their own insights about the test for a better teaching experience.  

Sharing insights on the teaching strategies

Before participating in the workshop, only 22 percent of the learners shares that they have enough confidence with their knowledge and skills to train for the TOEFL iBT test. Favorably, after the workshop, this number has quadrupled to reach almost 80 percent of the teachers with solid confidence in their ability to help their students achieve their desired goals. This is the reason why most of the previous participants want to share and introduce to their colleagues to join the workshop.

The workshop has received significant and positive feedback from the learners as a helpful course with specialized knowledge on the subject and an interactive learning environment besides the supportive teaching staffs. The workshop really benefits these English teachers., help them tailor their own training schedule and  syllabus and give them the ability to make adjustments as needed. Wrapping up the workshop, all participants are given the Certificate of Completion, issued by ETS and IIG Vietnam, and also honored on the Official website of TOEFL Vietnam.

All participants receiving the certificate

 The Propell Workshop for the TOEFL iBT Test is held quarterly on a national scale. The next TOEFL iBT Workshop will be held in Hanoi on April 18^th-20^th 2014. To register for the workshop, please contact: customercare@133.240 or www.toefl.com.vn/toeflpropell

The list of participants of the TOEFL iBT Propell Workshop in Hochiminh City can be assessed through: here