VIETTESOL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2025

Managing EFL classrooms presents persistent challenges, particularly in under-resourced rural regions such as Mộc Lỵ High School in Sơn La Province, Vietnam. Specifically, delivering individualized attention and fostering active student engagement in classes of over 56 students is a frequent challenge for teachers. This presentation proposes the “learning teams” strategy, a structured cooperative learning approach, as a practical response to the challenges of conducting large EFL classrooms.
This approach, rooted in cooperative learning theory and learner autonomy (Ellis, 1994), aligns with Coleman’s (1995) proposition that effective methodologies must be derived from the classroom context itself, rather than adapted from externally imposed models. Learning teams were piloted in a Grade 10 EFL class, where students took on rotating roles—moderator, recorder, timekeeper, summarizer, and reporter—while working on tasks such as poster-making, skits, compositions, and dictogloss activities; therefore, facilitated peer accountability, contextualized communication, and increased learner agency.
Prompted by Coleman’s (1995) call for methodologies grounded in teachers’ experiences of large classes, this project demonstrates that collaborative structures not only alleviated teacher workload but also enhanced student motivation, participation, and language performance. Furthermore, by redistributing responsibility to learners and leveraging their social interactions as a pedagogical asset, it also mitigated primary challenges—affect, control, and individual attention—as identified in large-class literature (McLeod, 1989; Coleman, 1990)
Session attendees will gain practical insights into administering large EFL classes using learner-centered, context-aware methods. Specifically, student work, feedback, and management adaptations are featured, providing a solid model for educators in similar settings.