Speakers
Description
How can we authentically engage students in learning in an era of easily accessible artificial intelligence (AI)? Project Based Learning (PBL), an instructional method where students learn by actively engaging in real-world and meaningful projects, empowers students to collaborate, communicate, and reach beyond mere AI-generated responses. Vietnam’s Ministry of Education has recognized the power of PBL for transformative learning, initiating a new national curriculum using PBL to move toward student-centered learning in today’s 21st-century classroom. This session will explore the benefits of PBL and its potential for enhancing student-centered education in Vietnam. Presenters will identify how educators can create engaging, effective, and inclusive learning experiences by integrating culturally relevant practices with sustained inquiry and investigation. The presentation will lead participants to think more deeply about PBL and how it might be applied across diverse educational contexts throughout Vietnam, fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving skills. Participants will leave the session with a clearer understanding of PBL and its benefits, practical strategies for implementing culturally relevant PBL projects, and resources to support their efforts.
Biography
CRYSTAL BOCK THIESSEN
Crystal Bock Thiessen graduated with Bachelors degrees in both Photography and Spanish, and received her Masters in TESL from the University of Central Missouri, USA where she eventually worked with the Intensive English Program (IEP) for a year and a half. She taught EFL in Sapporo, Japan for three years with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, and in Lugansk, Ukraine for one as an English Language Fellow in conjunction with Georgetown University and the U.S. Department of State. She has worked as a U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, Russia, and Vietnam with an emphasis on team-teaching, photography and video for the language classroom, and language-learning through community engagement. Currently, she is an ESL instructor and a PhD Candidate at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Besides teaching and running a restaurant with her husband, she is a professional photographer and, combined with her love of travel, has photographed and visited 53 countries and 32 U.S. states.
SUMMER PEIXOTO
With over 20 years of experience in teaching and training, Ms. Peixoto is an established professional in international education. During her time as an Academic Program Associate at the University of Kansas, she taught a variety of courses in the Intensive English Program and the English for Academic Purposes program. She also managed two language labs, helped design new online curricula, and assisted in developing and teaching a TEFL Certificate Course. Ms. Peixoto has contributed her expertise in teaching and educational technology training to various university and State Department-related programs, including the Brazil English Teachers Program (PDPI), the Vietnamese Teachers Program, Project Jayhawk, Fulbright, and Hubert Humphrey Fellows. She is a veteran of the Fulbright National Screening Committee and the KU Fulbright Campus Committee, as well as a former trainer for Fulbright English Teaching Assistants preparing for East Asia and Eastern Europe.
| Online Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbthiessen/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerpeixoto/ |
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