REVIEW FROM THE BEGINNING OF GRADE 8
Reviewing to prepare knowledge and skills for the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City, scheduled to be held in early June, is taking place vigorously.
On the forums of parents of students in Ho Chi Minh City, there are often shares with content like: "If anyone has experience or knows of any reputable, quality exam preparation classes, please let me know. Now we have to start speeding up."
Students after school hours at a 10th grade entrance exam preparation center
Although her daughter has good academic performance and is self-motivated, Ms. Nguyen Hoang Mai, a parent of a student at Khanh Binh Secondary School (District 8), set a goal and plan to prepare her child for grade 10 nearly 2 years ago. That is, since the beginning of grade 8, her child has attended extra classes at the center 3 sessions/week for 3 subjects: math, literature, and English according to the 10th grade exam preparation schedule provided by the center. Up to this point, Ms. Hoang Mai's daughter's extra class schedule has doubled to systemize her knowledge and practice her test-taking skills.
Ms. Bành Thị Huyền Trang, a parent of a student at a prestigious secondary school in Thủ Đức City, after sharing her experience of having her child practice English for the 10th grade, registered her child for extra classes at a test preparation class in District 5. "Two sessions a week, my child and I travel nearly 30 km to study. My child has the ability to learn English, so my family also invests and wants him to try. Both mother and child are really struggling with the extra class schedule. Because in addition to practicing English, my child also studies at home with a tutor to meet the 3 required exam subjects. There are days when I have to do homework in class and complete extra practice exercises, my child stays up until 1 am," Ms. Huyền Trang confided.
STUDENTS ALSO CREATE PRESSURE THEMSELVES
Not only parents but also students put pressure on themselves. ND, a 9th grade student at a middle school in District 1, shared: "I'm not worried about failing the 10th grade, but I'm worried that I won't be able to get into the school I like." Because of this pressure and because of friends studying at many centers and many teachers, ND texted his mother about his desire to go to high school and whispered: "Mom, find me a tutoring class" because he felt that his tutoring wasn't "good enough".
With many years of experience as a homeroom teacher for grade 9, Mr. Vo Kim Bao, a teacher at Nguyen Du Secondary School (District 1), said that the second semester is the time when grade 9 students start to accelerate to prepare for the entrance exam to public grade 10. Parents often base on the results of the end of the first semester to "weigh" which subjects their children are weak in to increase the amount of extra study time. Mr. Bao said that it is not uncommon for parents to send their children to extra classes with 6 or 7 teachers because they see that their children are weak in studying or because they have too high expectations for their children. "In literature alone, there are students whose parents send them to extra classes with 3 teachers. One teacher teaches literary essay writing, one teacher teaches social essay writing, and the remaining teacher teaches literary analysis," shared the head of the literature group at Nguyen Du Secondary School.
DON'T LET YOUR CHILDREN PRACTICE FOR EXAM "INCLUSIVELY"
Teacher Vo Kim Bao believes that one must have a scientific learning method to be able to conquer the exam, not just study a lot, memorize, or learn by rote...
Mr. Bao said that each teacher has a different teaching method. Taking extra classes with too many teachers in the same subject can make students confused, have difficulty determining the writing method, and even make them lack confidence when taking exams. In particular, taking too much extra classes will leave students with no time to review, making the extra classes ineffective.
From this reality, Mr. Bao advises: "Parents should discuss with the teachers in class to know for sure their children's learning ability. At the same time, they should consult their children to know which teacher they want to study with, which is most suitable for their learning style. The most important thing is to know where their children are weak in order to nurture them properly, set school preferences that are within their ability, and not put too much pressure on their children."
After many years of participating in marking 10th grade entrance exams, a teacher at Ha Huy Tap Secondary School (Binh Thanh District) said that students often "fail" in practical math problems due to a lack of skills in reading and understanding questions, and a lack of practical knowledge to understand the problems presented in the exam. Errors in doing this exam sometimes come from students only focusing on learning the types of problems mechanically, learning by rote, and learning by heart without understanding the nature of the problem. Therefore, at this time, students need to review and systematize their subject knowledge, see which knowledge they are weak in, and spend more time to supplement that knowledge. Instead of taking too many extra classes, which are unscientific, students should spend time systematizing their knowledge and solving the types of questions themselves, and have a firm grasp of the basic knowledge.
For parents, this teacher advised them not to let their children practice for exams because they are too worried. What parents need most is to relieve their children's psychological pressure, spend time encouraging and following them closely to develop self-study skills. Do not let your children go to school too much, which will only add to their stress...
Master Tran Dinh Nguyen Lu, an English specialist at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, warned: "Many parents often think that if they study poorly, taking extra classes will be effective. Extra classes are only effective when they are scientific, ensure health, and most importantly, students must be able to assess the knowledge they have acquired in extra classes. On the contrary, if they only follow extra classes to cram, it will be very harmful."
From there, experts from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training advise that in order to effectively review for the 10th grade entrance exam, students must know how to build a study schedule for the 3 entrance exam subjects in a scientific and reasonable way. Particularly for English, when studying on social media channels, students need to choose channels and websites that are methodical and reliable.
Advice from a psychologist
The 10th grade entrance exam is a big exam not only for students, but also for parents. To best cope with the stress and pressure of the entrance exam, from a psychological perspective, students and parents should do the following:
First of all, we need to recognize that anxiety, stress, and pressure from studying and taking exams at this time are inevitable. We should not be afraid of it, but consider fear, anxiety, stress, and pressure as a companion that urges us to try to study every day for the goals of life.
Next, it is necessary to divide the daily schedule for studying, playing and living activities. Students should not "study crazy" because of anxiety, but should normalize their studying. For example, they can divide their time according to the formula of studying for 1 hour, resting or entertaining for 15-20 minutes, then returning to studying. When you feel unwell and do not want to continue studying, pause and do a housework, play a game, sing a song... then return to studying.
Finally, cherish sleep and happy moments with friends, teachers, and parents because these are great resources that help students always be ready, willing, and ready to face all challenges and difficulties in life.
Always remember that you are not alone in your admissions journey, you have parents, friends, and relatives who are always there to accompany and support you.
Dr. GIANG T HIEN VU (lecturer, Faculty of Psychology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education)
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