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Description
In many Vietnamese primary classrooms, English is still treated mainly as a subject to be learned rather than a language to think, explore, and learn with. As Vietnam moves toward expanding English from an EFL subject to a functional language for learning and then ESL, schools need practical pathways that can bring English into content lessons without overwhelming teachers or young learners. Although CLIL has been widely discussed as an approach that integrates content and language learning (Coyle et al., 2010), a direct shift to full English-medium instruction may not yet be feasible in many Vietnamese primary contexts because of uneven teacher readiness, mixed learner proficiency, limited localized materials, and the need to protect students’ understanding of core subject knowledge. This paper therefore proposes soft CLIL as a gradual and context-sensitive pathway for teaching Math and Science in English.
To operationalize soft CLIL, this paper introduces the L.I.S.T. framework, which includes Language, Interaction, Scaffolding, and Task, as a teaching framework for Vietnamese primary classrooms. The framework draws on key principles of second language acquisition and sociocultural learning, including comprehensible input (Krashen, 1985), interaction and meaning negotiation (Long, 1996), scaffolding within the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978), meaningful output (Swain, 2005), and task-based learning (Ellis, 2003). It also responds to classroom discourse research showing that CLIL classrooms should be understood not only as places of language learning, but also as spaces for interaction and knowledge construction through an additional language (Nikula et al., 2013).
Using a practice-informed multiple case analysis, the paper examines two Vietnamese primary school contexts: Science through English at Truong Cong Dinh Primary School, newly introduced in the 2025–2026 school year, and Mathematics through English at Vung Tau Bilingual Primary School, implemented since the 2013–2014 school year. The analysis shows that L.I.S.T can function as an entry framework for emerging soft CLIL and as a development framework for established English-integrated subject teaching. The paper argues that L.I.S.T-based soft CLIL can help Vietnamese primary schools move from English as a subject toward English as a language for learning while maintaining content understanding, learner confidence, teacher readiness, and classroom inclusiveness. This argument is further supported by elementary science CLIL evidence showing gains in vocabulary, science/math knowledge, learner enjoyment, and students’ willingness to learn other subjects in English (Huang, 2020).
Keywords: soft CLIL; L.I.S.T framework; Vietnamese primary classrooms; science through English; mathematics through English; EFL-to-ESL transition; scaffolding; task-based learning.
Biography
Trần Trung Tín, Nguyễn Thị Xuân Điểm, Phạm Thị Thu Thảo, and Bùi Thị Thanh Tuyền are educators and school leaders committed to innovation in English language education, English-medium instruction, CLIL, curriculum development, assessment, and teacher professional development in Vietnamese primary education.
Trần Trung Tín is an English language educator and teacher trainer at Vungtau Bilingual Primary School, with more than 15 years of experience teaching primary school students in Vũng Tàu City, now part of HCMC. He holds a BA in ELT from HNUE and an MA in TESOL from HCMC Open University. His interests include young learner pedagogy, vocabulary instruction, classroom interaction, CLIL, and integrated English learning. At VietTESOL 2025, he presented an applied report on using the L.I.S.T. teaching framework to support CoP-based teacher development.
Phạm Thị Thu Thảo is a CLIL Mathematics teacher at Vungtau Bilingual Primary School. She holds a BA and a CLIL Mathematics teaching certificate. Since 2017, she has been teaching and supervising Mathematics in English at the school. Her expertise includes English-medium Mathematics instruction, CLIL lesson implementation, classroom-based teacher support, and subject-based English learning for primary students.
Nguyễn Thị Xuân Điểm is the Vice Principal of Vungtau Bilingual Primary School. She holds a BA in ELT from HCMUE and has teaching experience in ESL contexts across Europe and Asia. Her expertise includes curriculum design, instructional development, CLIL implementation, and assessment. She has played a key role in developing the school’s English-medium Mathematics programme and training teachers in full English instruction and CLIL-based teaching.
Bùi Thị Thanh Tuyền is the Principal of Trương Công Định Primary School in Vũng Tàu City, now part of HCM. She holds a BA from ULIS, and a Master’s degree in Educational Management. Her expertise includes educational leadership, teacher professional development, team building, and school-based CoP. As a city-level professional council member and judge for excellent teacher competitions, she has contributed to teaching quality improvement and pioneered English-medium Science education in public primary schooling in Vũng Tàu City.
Together, they bring complementary expertise in classroom teaching, curriculum leadership, CLIL practice, assessment, and school-based professional development to advance sustainable innovation in English language teaching and learning.
| Affiliate type | Vietnamese public school |
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