Speaker
Description
As English classrooms in Viet Nam and comparable contexts move from EFL toward ESL-oriented learning environments, classroom management must be reconsidered as part of language pedagogy rather than as a separate system of behavior control. This practice-oriented presentation examines how Restorative Practices can support TESOL classrooms by strengthening belonging, participation, accountability, and communicative risk-taking. The presentation is grounded in schoolwide implementation in a dual language elementary context serving primarily English as a second language learners, experience coordinating restorative discipline practices, and research-informed evidence linking restorative approaches with improved school climate, reduced exclusionary responses, and stronger student perceptions of safety and belonging. The session analyzes how restorative routines can create structured opportunities for learners to negotiate meaning, express needs, repair misunderstandings, reflect on choices, and participate in peer dialogue. Participants will examine adaptable practices including community-building circles, shared classroom agreements, affective statements, restorative questions, peer mediation structures, repair conversations, and reflection prompts. The demonstration will also show how these practices can be scaffolded through sentence frames, visual supports, modeled language, peer rehearsal, and flexible use of L1 when appropriate. The presentation concludes that Restorative Practices can function as a practical framework for TESOL classroom management by aligning discipline, language development, and learner belonging in communicative and accountable classroom communities.
Biography
Kevin Hung Tran is an award-winning educator from Texas who currently serves as an English Teacher Trainer in Viet Nam. His work centers on communicative English teaching, multilingual learner support, restorative classroom management, and inclusive school culture. He completed Restorative Practices training directly with Dr. Gaye Lang, Director of the Student Supports Division at the Texas Education Agency, to support the implementation of schoolwide restorative practices. He later served as a restorative discipline practices coordinator, consulting with educators and school staff on restorative approaches to classroom culture, student reflection, relationship-building, conflict repair, and meaningful accountability. Kevin has also worked in a dual language elementary school serving students developing English as a Second Language, where Restorative Practices were implemented schoolwide to strengthen belonging, student voice, and multilingual student participation.
Kevin has been teaching for over seven years, with a strong focus on English as a Second Language and multilingual learner support. His experience spans dual language education, special education, arts-integrated learning, STEM instruction, and secondary digital media, giving him a broad foundation in inclusive and communicative teaching practices. He holds multiple Texas educator certifications, including English as a Second Language Supplemental, Special Education, Core Subjects, Technology Applications, and Science of Teaching Reading. He is also a certified Qualified Mental Health Professional and Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional in Texas. Beyond classroom teaching, Kevin has consulted with environmental sustainability nonprofit organizations on curriculum development and artificial intelligence integration, supporting educational programming implemented throughout Central Texas. He also co-authored a short history book for children. His professional interests include TESOL, restorative classroom management, multilingual learner inclusion, culturally responsive teaching, curriculum design, educational technology, and teacher professional development.
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