Speaker
Description
What can go wrong if cultural study is excluded from EFL curriculum? For one thing, students are less able to identify problematic communication among groups. According to faculty, students in Vietnam are not always motivated to use English outside of exams or job needs. A 2024 article about Vietnamese tertiary learners’ intercultural competence supports the idea of integrating cultural content to enhance the entrepreneurial capabilities and employability of new graduates in the 21st century. This includes blending approaches such as AI and ESP to prepare students for global interactions. The workshop goal is to equip teachers with engaging strategies and topics to help students navigate global English communication and cultural expectations in academic, professional, and everyday settings. The workshop audience comprises professionals who are confident in classroom management but seek training in the following areas: advice on incorporating intercultural competence into the curriculum; strategies and activities for integrating intercultural learning with other SLA approaches; and insights into international standards for English teaching. The workshop aims to engage the audience in a blended lesson incorporating AI and games with content-based instruction to enhance intercultural learning. Participants will discover that intercultural competence can be improved among Vietnamese university students who lack foreign interaction. Participants can join an optional WhatsApp focus group where discussions and rubrics will be used to evaluate learning.
Biography
Oronde N. Freeman is a professional teacher of English instruction specializing in areas such as ESL, EAP, and ESP instruction. He has over 10 years of experience designing curricula and implementing bridge courses for international students to transition into post-secondary education and employment. Oronde has taught all levels of English second language acquisition from pre-literate to advanced students, and he has experience proctoring oral and written assessments to determine literacy gains.
While serving as the ESL Supervisor and then as the lead teacher at Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s ESL program, Oronde worked with program stakeholders to transition the ESL program from a basic 6 level ESL instructional setting to a structure that included academic classes for TOEFL preparation, GED prep, and vocational classes for employment in the hospitality and customer service fields. He has also been instrumental in designing and implementing online ESL instruction through the Blackboard and CANVAS learning management systems.
Oronde holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Gwinnett College with a concentration in Writing and Rhetoric. He earned his master’s degree in applied linguistics and international TESOL certification at Georgia State University.
