Integrating Cultural Knowledge in an English Project for Teenagers in Hanoi

In the current context of the Industrial revolution 4.0 and globalization, what to teach and how to teach the young encounter more challenges than ever before. On the one hand, they need to be equipped with the 21st-century skills to ready themselves for the modern world where technology will take the lead; on the other hand, they must highlight their identity to make a difference in that same integrated world. Taking all these into consideration, a group of dedicated teachers in Hanoi has recently designed and carried out an English project for teenagers aged 13-15, in which in-depth cultural knowledge has been incorporated with developing other project-based learning skills such as critical thinking as well as problem-solving, interpersonal communication, information and media literacy, cooperation, leadership and teamwork, innovation, and creativity (Häkkinen et al., 2017). In this presentation, the findings about the project as regards the steps involved, the teenagers’ areas of interest in cultural discoveries, their needs, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in exploring their own culture will be reported.