Speaker
Description
As generative AI tools become more capable of designing lesson plans, creating assessments, and delivering personalised language input, TESOL professionals face an essential question: what will distinguish effective human teachers in the AI era? This presentation introduces the H.U.M.A.N. framework, which highlights five core qualities that define irreplaceable human value in ELT: Human Connection, Unique Perspective, Moral Guidance, Adaptive Creativity, and Nuanced Judgment.
Grounded in motivational theory, the session explores how each trait addresses key psychological needs that fuel engagement, including emotional safety, relevance, ethical meaning-making, cognitive challenge, and supportive feedback. Participants will examine classroom moments where these human attributes drive motivation more effectively than AI-generated interventions: reading learner emotions, improvising during technical difficulties, and making contextual ethical choices.
Through structured reflection tasks and guided discussion, attendees will critically evaluate their teaching identity regarding AI integration and learner-centered practice. Case studies from adult ELT and exam-preparation classrooms in Vietnam will illustrate how these traits manifest in culturally responsive ways.
Participants will gain practical tools and renewed clarity on developing sustainable, learner-centered professional identities. The H.U.M.A.N. framework empowers educators to redefine their roles not by resisting technology, but by elevating the motivational potential of distinctly human teaching qualities.
Biography
Lê Anh Trang Linh is a PTE Academic Professional Trainer and freelance English teacher from Vietnam. With 3 years of experience in teaching communication-focused English and high-stakes test preparation (TOEIC and PTE), she develops task-based instructional frameworks that promote integrated skills and learner autonomy. She is a Twinkl Vietnam Ambassador and academic content collaborator for IMAP Vietnam. Her research interests include teacher identity, professional growth, and technology-supported learning in ELT.
