Q OVERLOAD DUE TO NOT BEING FAmiliAR WITH THE NEW PROGRAM APPROACH
As a teacher who has gone through the stages of applying the 2006 and 2018 General Education Program, Master Tran Van Toan, former head of the math group at Marie Curie High School (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), said that the need for extra classes is not due to the new or old program, but this is the need of students, especially high school students, to approach exams and university entrance exams. However, according to Mr. Toan, although the 2018 General Education Program has been applied at high school level for the past 3 years, it feels like both teachers and students are still not familiar with the new program, so studying is still stressful.
"The unfamiliarity and anxiety of lacking knowledge for students to participate in upcoming exams after a long time of getting used to the academic approach of the old program has caused some teachers to "push" the old together with the new, making learning the new program stressful. And when under pressure, it naturally leads to extra classes," Mr. Toan commented.
According to Mr. Toan, the new program has less time to impart new knowledge to students. In addition, the practical approach in the new program requires teachers to spend more time. This makes it difficult for teachers to switch from the old program to the new program. Because they are not familiar with the new approach, teachers are worried that removing old exercises and replacing them with practical examples will prevent students from receiving enough basic knowledge.
This year's 12th graders have had 3 years of access to the 2018 General Education Program and will take the high school graduation exam according to the innovation direction.
Mr. Toan cited: "After consulting some test questions of some schools, I found that there is still a lot of knowledge from the old program. The math program now is no longer as academic as before, nor does it delve too deeply, does not require "tricky" calculations anymore, but is closely linked to reality, directly presenting mathematical concepts that can be applied in reality. That is, in addition to pure math content, teachers also have time to teach students practical problems. However, most teachers give real-life examples but do not dare to remove exercises from the old program."
You have to work hard to meet the requirements
Similarly, a high school literature teacher in District 7 (HCMC) commented that in literature, teachers teach students reading skills according to genres to answer reading questions in the test, but due to lack of time, they cannot comment on some passages so that students can perceive and understand more deeply, with more "literary quality". Therefore, when asked in grade 12 whether students are impressed with any character or know any poem from the previous class, the majority of the answers are no.
According to this teacher, if teaching exactly 105 periods of the program distribution, teachers and students have to "work hard" to complete the required requirements. Some schools have extra periods, and have 2nd sessions, so teachers and students can complete the lessons better than in class. If the school does not increase the periods, it is difficult to ensure. Therefore, it is possible that students will go to centers or teachers to study extra to supplement their knowledge.
From another perspective, Mr. Huynh Thanh Phu, Principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), raised the issue that at the junior high school level, students study natural or social subjects in an integrated manner, but when they reach high school level, they are separated into individual subjects and follow a more specialized and career-oriented orientation. In addition, high school students will have to take important exams, so extra classes are a necessity. "If we only study in school, in basic textbooks, how can we pass the entrance exam? Difficult knowledge must be learned at an advanced level, so it is natural for students to be afraid of having to take extra classes," Mr. Phu emphasized.
The new program not only focuses on knowledge but more importantly, how to combine them to form and develop learners' abilities.
PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH
AVOID cramming knowledge
Master Pham Le Thanh, teacher at Nguyen Hien High School (District 11, Ho Chi Minh City), said that the 2018 General Education Program is open, the purpose of education is not only to impart knowledge but also to help students complete tasks, initially solve appropriate problems in study and life through effective and creative application of knowledge and skills learned.
"If we teach by cramming knowledge, students may not be able to perceive and demonstrate what they have learned, let alone form and develop their abilities," said Master Thanh.
According to Master Thanh, the purpose of teaching is not to equip a lot of knowledge, solve a lot of difficult exercises, but to help students perceive the nature of phenomena, apply the knowledge and skills they have learned. In other words, the subject program is not only concerned with materials (knowledge, skills, attitudes...), but more importantly, how to combine them to form and develop the learner's capacity.
Teacher Pham Le Thanh also noted that each subject in the program is only a means to develop students' abilities and qualities through learning activities, not to cram subject knowledge into students' heads but they are completely incapable of applying knowledge to practical problems. "Not thinking and creatively solving practical situations is not in line with the goals and perspectives of the new program," Master Thanh concluded.
NEED TO IMPROVE ASSESSMENT AND EXAM QUESTIONS
According to Mr. Thanh, according to the 2018 General Education Program, when taking the high school graduation exam from 2025, there will only be 4 subjects (2 compulsory subjects, 2 optional subjects). Therefore, studying subjects in the general education program needs to be focused on developing capacity and qualities through learning activities. When students achieve capacity, they also achieve optimal knowledge and skills. From there, students can clearly identify which subject they excel in and choose that subject in the high school graduation exam, orienting their career accurately, scientifically and reducing learning pressure.
However, Master Pham Le Thanh expressed his opinion that the output targets of the 2018 General Education Program need to be improved in the assessment and design of high school graduation exams. It is necessary to improve the exam format to fully and comprehensively assess learners' abilities; limit questions that only assess memorized knowledge, exercises without meaningful context will make it impossible to teach and develop abilities in accordance with the mission set out by the 2018 General Education Program.
The difference between pure knowledge teaching and competency development
Master Pham Le Thanh used the example of chemistry to demonstrate the difference between teaching knowledge and teaching to develop capacity. With the same core scientific knowledge, different teaching and learning methods will contribute to developing qualities and capacities in different ways.
It can be visualized through the example of teaching soap and detergents (chemistry 12). If teaching by presentation, students can only remember the definition of soap, detergent and write the chemical equation of saponification reaction. All stop on paper. But when organizing for students to understand the washing mechanism of soap, practice making "handmade" soap in the lab, measure the pH of soap and improve the pH to suit the skin, scent, color... then the knowledge will be remembered for a long time. Students are divided into groups to play the role of cosmetic chemical engineer recruiters and job seekers. Students playing the role of job seekers will find a way to convince the recruiter to choose them for the position of production engineer through their knowledge of the field of chemistry... This is teaching to develop capacity.
Students are able to acquire knowledge on their own, so they have deeper awareness; at the same time, it can help form and develop essential qualities, such as honesty in scientific research...
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuong-trinh-moi-co-lam-tang-nhu-cau-hoc-them-185241009230931535.htm
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