Always a Teacher at Heart.
Learning Changed Me, So I Started Designing It.

I didn’t plan to become a learning designer.

For years, I taught math to high school students in Da Lat City, Vietnam. I built my own lesson plans, designed review games, and stayed up late figuring out how to explain concepts in ways that actually made sense. I loved it, even when it was hard.

Over time, I began to notice something. What excited me most wasn’t just solving equations or grading papers. It was shaping the learning experience. I enjoyed planning the flow of a lesson, choosing the right visuals, and designing the kinds of questions that helped students truly understand.

When COVID-19 arrived, I started exploring online teaching while my class was closed. I built my first course, learned how to edit videos, and created my own website to share what I knew. That site grew into giaodichthuattoan.com, which now stands as Vietnam’s top platform for algorithmic trading courses.

Along the way, I discovered instructional design. When I saw how this field combined everything I loved, education, creativity, empathy, and systems thinking. Thanks to the pandemic, I found the next chapter of my teaching story.

I never really left teaching. I just found another way to keep doing what I love.

I’ve always believed that learning should make people feel more capable, not more confused.

That belief stayed with me from the classroom into every course I now design. Whether I’m creating a five-minute video or an entire learning journey, I try to build experiences that are clear, engaging, and grounded in how people actually learn.

My design philosophy stands on three core pillars. First, the learning experience needs to be practical. Learners should always know what they’re working toward and why it matters. Every slide, every activity, every quiz should serve a meaningful purpose.

It also has to be engaging. Not in a flashy or overproduced way, but in a way that feels human. I try to bring in warmth, rhythm, and just enough interaction to help learners stay connected and curious.

And it must be grounded in research. I take time to study how memory, motivation, and attention work so that my designs don’t just look good, but actually help people learn better.

These pillars guide everything I create. Good learning design, to me, is quiet but powerful. Learners might not notice it when it works, but they’ll feel the difference it makes.

Good learning design doesn’t happen by chance. It takes structure, creativity, empathy, and the right tools to bring it all together.

Over the years, I’ve picked up a mix of skills that help me turn abstract ideas into learning experiences that feel clear and meaningful. I write scripts, design slides, build LMS courses, edit videos, and create activities that help people learn better, not just passively consume content.

I don’t believe in relying on tools for the sake of looking professional. I choose them based on what learners actually need and what the course goals demand.

These days, I work with tools like PowerPoint, Canva, Articulate Storyline, H5P, Moodle, Canvas, CapCut, Premiere Pro, Gen AI, ... and blah blah - using whatever best fits the learning experience I’m building, whether it’s a quiz, a video, a set of slides, or a full LMS setup.

Anw, at the end of the day, tools are just tools. What matters most is how to use them with intention, with clarity, and with care.

When I’m not designing slides, scripting courses, or building online learning journeys, you’ll probably find me reading a book, playing the guitar, or chasing a shuttlecock on a badminton court.

Most of all, I enjoy spending slow evenings with my wife and son. He’s still little, so our “projects” usually involve wooden toys, storybooks, and lots of laughter.

I guess being a teacher never really leaves me. Even outside of work, I find joy in helping others, sharing what I’ve learned, and making things just a bit easier for someone else.

That’s probably why I care so much about learning design. It’s not about fancy tools or flawless content. It’s about building something that helps people feel more confident, more curious, and more ready to learn.