Why English teachers must speak 100% English

While there's much discussion about Vietnam's ambitious plan of teaching core subjects—Math, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology—in English, we must first confront a simple, often overlooked reality: even in English class, teachers rarely speak English consistently. The focus remains overwhelmingly on grammar rules.

This issue is widespread. Many teachers frequently use Vietnamese or mix languages to speed up the lesson. When the foreign language learning environment—the very place students should be "bathed" in the language—is not fully standardized, then teaching complex academic subjects in English remains a distant, even impossible, prospect.

Without a solid, immersive language foundation, students face a dual challenge: they will struggle to absorb the academic subject matter and they will fail to improve their English skills effectively.

In successful bilingual and language immersion models globally, the first and most critical principle is non-negotiable: English teachers must use 100% English in the classroom. By employing a moderate pace, combined with visual aids, gestures, and clear intonation, teachers can completely ensure student comprehension while simultaneously building continuous language reflexes.

Therefore, before we seriously discuss integrating other subjects into English, we must implement a foundational change: require all English language instructors to use English exclusively in class. This is a small, immediately feasible step that promises a great result: a significant improvement in the English proficiency of all students.

Only when the English classroom becomes a truly "all-English" environment will we have the necessary language basis for teaching other subjects in English to become a viable reality.