VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Many Vietnamese secondary school students struggle with listening and speaking despite spending years learning English because the input for listening skills in the early years of learning English was often inaccurate, such as teachers having incorrect pronunciation, focusing only on grammar while neglecting to teach listening, speaking, communication, and sound development for children. . One common reason is their heavy reliance on spelling rather than sound recognition. Students often mispronounce familiar words, fail to recognize words they already know when hearing them in authentic speech, and lack confidence in oral communication.

This presentation introduces a practical approach to using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as a classroom tool to improve listening and speaking skills among low-proficiency learners in lower and upper secondary schools. Rather than teaching IPA as isolated symbols, the approach integrates phonemic awareness into everyday classroom activities, helping students connect sounds, words, and meaning more effectively.

Participants will explore a range of classroom-tested activities, including sound discovery tasks, IPA-based vocabulary instruction, minimal pair games, pronunciation dictation, listening prediction exercises, and speaking drills. These activities require minimal preparation and can be incorporated into existing English lessons without major curriculum changes.

Drawing on classroom experiences with Vietnamese secondary school students, the session will demonstrate how systematic exposure to IPA can help learners recognize spoken words more accurately, improve pronunciation, and develop greater confidence in listening and speaking tasks. Teachers attending this presentation will leave with practical strategies and ready-to-use activities that can be implemented immediately in their own classrooms to support struggling learners.