Co-teaching in a Vietnamese bilingual preschool works when the international and Vietnamese teachers share one plan, agree who leads which part of the day, keep both languages present on purpose, and settle disagreements privately rather than in front of children. The partnership is the single biggest factor in whether an international teacher has a good year, and it is built through small, regular habits rather than a single conversation on the first day.
Educational research describes several models of co-teaching, from one adult leading while the other supports, to both teaching side by side. Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook’s widely used classification, developed for inclusive classrooms in the United States, names six arrangements: one teach, one observe; one teach, one assist; station teaching; parallel teaching; alternative teaching; and team teaching. These labels translate surprisingly well to a bilingual preschool, and naming them helps two teachers talk about what they are actually doing.
Why the partnership matters so much
Young children learn language from people they trust. If the two adults in a room clearly respect each other, children read that and move comfortably between them and between languages. If there is tension, children read that too, and often attach themselves to the adult who speaks their home language, leaving the English-speaking teacher at the edge of the room.
The partnership also determines whether English is part of the class’s life or a guest in it. When a Vietnamese co-teacher knows what the project is, which words and phrases are in play and how the international teacher plans to extend them, she can pick them up during lunch, during rest and in the afternoon. Without that, English exists for the hour the international teacher is present and then disappears.
Finally, the partnership is how the international teacher learns the setting. A Vietnamese colleague can explain why a parent reacted strongly to a scraped knee, why a child is suddenly withdrawn after a family event, or why the principal wants a display finished by Friday. That knowledge is almost impossible to gain any other way in the first year.
Co-teaching arrangements in a bilingual preschool
The six arrangements described by Friend and Cook, adapted to a bilingual early-years class. Most good teams use several of them in a single day.
| Arrangement | What it looks like with young children | Best used for |
|---|---|---|
| One teach, one observe | One teacher leads circle; the other watches and notes how children respond in each language | Observation for development records |
| One teach, one assist | One teacher leads an activity; the other moves among children, supporting and translating when needed | New topics, settling-in periods |
| Station teaching | Two or three areas run at once, each led by an adult in one language | Projects with several strands |
| Parallel teaching | The class splits into two groups doing the same activity, one in each language | Story time, small-group discussion |
| Alternative teaching | One adult works with a small group needing extra support while the other leads the rest | Children new to English or to school |
| Team teaching | Both teachers lead together, moving naturally between languages | Songs, festivals, whole-class projects |
Naming the arrangement in advance, even briefly on the plan, removes much of the awkwardness of two adults standing in front of a group wondering who should speak next.
Dividing roles without dividing the class
The most common mistake is a division that is too neat: the international teacher “does English” and the Vietnamese teacher “does everything else”. It sounds efficient but produces a class where English is an activity and the international teacher is a specialist visitor. Better divisions are based on moments rather than subjects. For example, the international teacher might lead the morning greeting and one project session, join snack and outdoor play, and co-lead the closing circle, while the Vietnamese teacher leads the national-programme activity and the care routines with the international teacher assisting.
Care routines deserve explicit agreement. Some Vietnamese teachers feel that a foreign colleague should not have to clean up after a toilet accident or feed a reluctant eater; others are frustrated when the foreign colleague steps back. Ask directly what your colleague would like, and offer to take part. Most international teachers who do find that routines produce some of their best language moments with children.
Discipline and guidance also need one shared approach. Children quickly learn if one adult allows something the other forbids. Agree on a small number of class expectations, the words used in each language to express them, and what each adult does when a child struggles, so that the response is the same whoever is nearest.
A weekly planning rhythm that works
Planning time is often short in preschools, so it needs a routine. A pattern many bilingual teams find workable looks like this.
- One fixed weekly meeting. Thirty to forty-five minutes during rest time or after pick-up, at the same time each week, so it is protected rather than squeezed in.
- Start from observations. Each teacher shares two or three things children did or said that week that suggest where the project should go next.
- Agree the experiences first. Decide what children will do and explore next week before deciding the language focus, so that language follows experience.
- Name the language in both languages. List the key words and phrases in Vietnamese and English together, so both teachers can use them across the day.
- Assign leads and arrangements. Note who leads each session and which co-teaching arrangement is used.
- Write it down in one shared place. A shared document or a simple paper plan on the wall, in both languages where possible.
- Check in briefly each morning. Five minutes to confirm the day, mention any child who needs extra care and adjust if something has changed.
The plan does not need to be elaborate. It needs to exist, be shared and be visible to anyone who steps into the room, including a substitute teacher on a day one of you is ill.
Language between the two teachers
Most co-teaching pairs have an uneven shared language. The Vietnamese teacher may have conversational English but not the vocabulary for nuance, and the international teacher may have little Vietnamese at all. This matters most when something is sensitive: a concern about a child, a disagreement about a plan, feedback after an observation.
Practical habits help. Write key points down as well as saying them, because many Vietnamese teachers read English more comfortably than they follow fast speech. Slow down, avoid idioms and check understanding by asking your colleague what she thinks rather than whether she understood, since a polite yes is often the default answer to a yes-or-no question. When something important needs discussing, consider asking a bilingual coordinator to join.
Agree, too, on how you will speak to each other in front of the children. Some pairs use English between themselves so that children overhear natural adult conversation in English; others switch to Vietnamese when the matter is practical and urgent. Either can work, but it should be a choice rather than an accident, because children learn a great deal about the status of each language from what the adults around them do.
Invest in your colleague’s language too. Learning even a modest amount of Vietnamese, and asking her to teach you the words the children use, changes the balance of the relationship. It also models for the children that learning another language is something adults do with pleasure.
When teachers disagree
Disagreement is normal in any teaching partnership, and in a cross-cultural one it is guaranteed. Typical points of friction include how much children should be helped at mealtimes, how noisy a room can be before it needs calming, how much freedom children have to choose activities, and how to respond when a child hits or bites. Each of these has cultural as well as professional roots, so neither teacher is simply right.
Three principles keep disagreements productive. First, never disagree in front of children or families; agree on a holding position in the moment and discuss it later. Second, describe what you saw and why it concerns you rather than labelling your colleague’s practice. Third, when you cannot agree, take it to the person responsible for curriculum and accept the decision, even if it is not yours.
Indirect communication is common in Vietnamese professional culture, especially across differences of age or seniority. A colleague who says that something is “a little difficult” may be saying no. Learning to hear these signals, and to offer your own concerns with similar care, avoids conflicts that neither of you wants.
Building trust over the year
Trust grows from reliability more than from friendliness. Arriving on time, preparing materials before the session, following the plan you agreed and doing your share of the less glamorous jobs tell a colleague more than any number of warm words. Share credit visibly: when a family praises a project, mention your colleague’s part in it.
Small rituals help. A shared coffee before the children arrive, remembering your colleague’s birthday, joining the staff meal on Teachers’ Day: these are part of working life in Vietnamese schools and they build the goodwill that carries a partnership through busy weeks.
Finally, ask for feedback and act on it. Asking your colleague what she would like you to do differently, and visibly adjusting, is rare enough to be memorable. Over a school year this turns two adults who share a room into a team that children experience as one.
It also helps to review the partnership together at natural break points, such as the end of a theme or the weeks before Lunar New Year. Two simple questions are enough: what is working well for the children, and what would make next month easier for each of us? Partnerships that are reviewed calmly when things are going well cope far better when a difficult week arrives.
Co-teaching across age groups
The balance of a partnership shifts with the age of the children. In toddler classes, care is most of the curriculum. Feeding, changing, settling to sleep and comforting take up much of the day, and the international teacher’s English is woven into those moments: naming body parts during handwashing, singing the same short song at every nappy change, describing food as it is served. Here the Vietnamese teacher usually leads and the international teacher supports, and a trusting, unhurried manner matters more than any planned activity.
With three- and four-year-olds, station and parallel arrangements become more useful. Children can sustain small-group work for longer, and projects can run in two languages at once, with each adult leading a strand. This is the age when children begin to notice which adult speaks which language and to choose deliberately, so consistency in each teacher’s language pattern starts to matter.
In the final kindergarten year, before Grade 1, families and schools pay closer attention to readiness: listening in a group, following multi-step instructions, early phonological awareness in Vietnamese. The Vietnamese teacher often carries this work, and the international teacher contributes by building the same skills through English stories, songs and discussions. Agreeing who covers what avoids both gaps and duplication in this important year.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Who is in charge when an international and a Vietnamese teacher share a class?
In most Vietnamese bilingual preschools the Vietnamese lead teacher holds formal responsibility for the class, including safety, records and family communication. Day to day, good teams share leadership of activities and agree roles in advance, but final responsibility for the class usually stays with the lead teacher.
How much planning time do co-teachers usually get?
It varies widely and is often less than teachers would like. Many teams protect one weekly meeting of thirty to forty-five minutes, often during the children’s rest time, plus a short check-in each morning. Agreeing this rhythm early with the school makes it far more likely to happen.
What if my co-teacher does not want to speak English with me?
Some teachers feel shy about their English, especially with a native speaker. Using written notes, speaking slowly, learning some Vietnamese yourself and keeping conversations practical usually helps. Over time most colleagues become more comfortable once they see that mistakes are not judged.
Should the Vietnamese teacher translate everything I say to the children?
No. Constant translation teaches children to wait for the Vietnamese version. It is better to support English with gestures, objects and routines, and to have the Vietnamese teacher bridge only when a child is distressed or a key idea needs checking, as agreed in the class language plan.
How should I raise a concern about my co-teacher’s practice?
Privately, calmly and with a specific example. Describe what you saw and why it concerns you, ask how she sees it, and look for an agreed approach. If you cannot agree or the issue involves a child’s safety, take it to the curriculum lead or principal.