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HCM CITY — The 13th OpenTESOL International Conference on May 24 at the HCM City Open University has focused on addressing current challenges and opportunities in language education.

With the theme “Embracing Voices: Diversity, Agency, and Growth in Language Education,” the conference serves as an open academic forum that fosters opportunities for scholars, researchers, lecturers, and teachers to exchange expertise, share practical experiences, and present their latest research findings.

It attracted more than 500 participants, including scholars, managers, researchers, lecturers, and graduate students majoring in English Language Teaching, Applied Linguistics, Chinese, Korean and Japanese from over 150 universities, educational institutions, and training centres worldwide.

Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Minh Hà, president of the HCM City Open University, said since its establishment in 2012, the conference series had embodied the mission of the university to provide accessible, high-quality education through on-site, online, distance, and satellite programmes.

“Our goal is to meet the diverse learning needs of society and contribute meaningfully to national and global development,” he said.

He reaffirmed the importance of empowering learners to take ownership of their educational journeys, and a dedication to lifelong growth – both as educators and as individuals committed to excellence and equity in language education.

“This conference sparks new ideas, strengthens our practices, and inspires us to make an even greater impact in our classrooms, communities, and the broader field of language education,” he said.

The conference aims to enhance learners’ knowledge and skills while strengthening the competitiveness of human resources, thereby contributing to sustainable development in the field of language teaching.

It spotlights research on the pivotal role of developing learner agency — a determining factor in empowering language learners to become proactive, independent, and effective lifelong learners.

In addition, the conference offers practical solutions for managing multicultural classrooms in today’s globalised era, emphasising the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of students.

It also places special attention on in-depth aspects concerning language educators, such as their beliefs, values, career goals, personal experiences, social roles, and continuous professional development journeys.

Alongside more than 60 research papers from both local and international scholars and practitioners to be featured in the conference proceedings, six keynote presentations were delivered live by distinguished experts in the fields of TESOL theory and pedagogy.

Keynote speaker Prof. Tammy Gregersen speaks at the 13th OpenTESOL International Conference on May 24. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp

Among the keynote presentations, Prof. Tammy Gregersen, director of Intensive English Programme at Tennessee State University in the US, shared about finding balance in our minds, motivations, emotions, and bodies in the present and the future.

“Wellbeing is multidimensional, with dynamically interconnected elements, and is necessary for thriving personally and professionally, at home and at school,” she said.

She shared the Pomodoro Technique to fight procrastination.

This technique keeps people focused and on task, breaks big projects into manageable chunks, supports motivation by providing regular short rewards, and boosts concentration by giving the brain a necessary rest and a chance to focus on something else before returning to task.

It also helps plan a longer break (at least 20 minutes) after four cycles of intense shorter work bursts and breaks to give minds a chance to recover.

The OpenTESOL International Conference has been organised by the Faculty of Foreign Languages and the Graduate School of HCM City Open University since 2012 with the aim of supporting the foreign language teaching community. — VNS