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Module 7: Action Project and Course Wrap-up

In this last module, we were assigned a project and worked as a team of three. We had to conduct action research to improve a class using technological aid. This last reflective chapter also includes some thoughts about the course in general.

To be honest, I did not know what action research was prior to this course although I had learned research methods and written a thesis in my undergrad years. After reading about action research, I was intrigued and became more curious. Thanks to Dr. Huong's template, I could visualise what the final product should look like. Currently, we are attending the 'Action Research' course in the postgraduate program, and I can reflect on everything about the final project more clearly. I am grateful that the ICT course allowed us to try to carry out action research to have the big picture before delving into it in the susequent course. I believe that action research will become the most useful type in my future career as I want to explore the effectiveness and efficiency of different teaching methodologies. 

Guided questions in the template forced us to reflect on our teaching and experience. Ms Ha Tu, the leader of my team, has said "the subtle differences of their emotions and motivations proved to be an invaluable asset, fostering a deeper connection between myself and my students"; I also share this belief and attitude. It is the improvement in students' motivation that encourages me throughout all the courses I have taught. 

Through this project, I got the chance to explore ISL Collective. I have read about this tool in previous modules but never tried to apply it in the classroom. It is a website that lets EFL teachers write quizzes on videos, making the exercise more interactive and engaging. The students that we used to experiment with this tool responded mostly positively. Upon reading the survey's results, I could see that students' motivation and interest in the course increased significantly after only three weeks. I think I will use this tool in my future classes. However, I will use short videos with few specialised terms since long ones can be challenging and lose students' attention.

The "Internet in Language Teaching" course has been a fun and interesting journey for me and my peers. I really appreciate that Dr. Huong did not give any assignments that were too demanding. I could explore the materials extensively without worrying too much about the score. My classmates and I also had quality discussions on numerous topics and how we can relate what we learned in this course to others in the program. In my opinion, the most helpful piece of information in this course is the ABCD framework; I have been using the framework for every lesson plan in the past few months. Other knowledge about flipped learning and project-based learning is also invaluable to my teaching.

On a last note, I am grateful for Dr. Huong's teaching and sharing. It has been insightful and captivating. I also want to thank my amazing teammates, Mr Hoan and Ms Ha Tu, for their perspectives and for being responsible. 

As always, I am eager to learn more. Anything that awaits beyond this course...



Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

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