Speaker
Description
The four pillars of learning—learn to know, learn to do, learn to be, and learn to live together—have become essential values in 21st-century education. This reflective narrative study explores how these pillars can be integrated into teaching practices to support the sustainable professional development of teachers. Sustainability here refers to teachers’ capacity to grow continuously, guided by self-awareness, motivation, and adaptability.
The study highlights classroom practices of a teacher working with non-English major students at Vietnam National University. These students often come from rural areas, face personal and academic difficulties, and invest limited effort in English due to other priorities. Acknowledging these challenges, the teacher embeds life values and practical skills into English lessons. For instance, students engage in tasks that promote self-reflection, relationship-building, and emotional resilience—all while developing language skills.
This approach shows that professional development is not just about acquiring new techniques but also about cultivating empathy, ethical responsibility, and real-world understanding through daily teaching. The study highlights that the integration of the four pillars helps both teachers and students: for teachers, this leads to long-term motivation and reduced burnout; for students, it fosters not only language improvement but also personal development. This case offers a practical model for integrating life skills into language teaching. The approach is transferable to other teaching contexts where students face low motivation or emotional stress, making it a realistic and sustainable solution for educators.
Keywords: Learn to know, learn to do, learn to be, learn to live together, lifelong learning, sustainability, teachers’ professional development.
Biography
With over 25 years of experience in English language education, Nga has been a dedicated lecturer at Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) since 1998. She has taught English skills—listening, speaking, reading, writing, and public speaking to non-majored students in a variety of academic programs, including Standard, Advanced, High-Quality, International, and Talented Bachelor tracks. From 1998 to 2006, she specialized in English for Environmental Studies.
In addition to teaching, she has trained high school English teachers as part of the National Foreign Language Project (NFLP) Her research interests are interdisciplinary and focus on competency-based language education, teacher development, public speaking, social-emotional learning (SEL), motivation, creativity, and the science of well-being,…
She has published approximately 30 papers in national and international conferences and journals (ISSN-indexed), and led two university-level research projects. Her contributions to educational materials include textbooks on English for Environmental Studies and multiple resources for NFLP, covering themes such as learning environments, school-family partnerships, and professional teacher communities.
Beyond academia, she also helped develop innovative programs “The Inspiring Educators” and university courses on English presentation skills and emotional intelligence.
Her ongoing commitment to professional development is evident in her participation in international programs on creative and entrepreneurial thinking, in partnership with Dublin City University and the VNU Innovation Academy.
