Literature test materials outside the textbook do not make it difficult for students

Different learning and testing materials

In Official Dispatch 3935/BGDDT in 2024 on guidelines for implementing secondary education tasks for the 2024-2025 school year issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Education and Training once again emphasized the requirement not to use materials in textbooks as periodic tests for literature to help students get acquainted with the orientation of the transfer exam.

In fact, this is no longer strange to students studying the 2018 General Education Program.

Students taking the 10th grade exam in the 2024-2025 school year.

Previously, in July 2022, in Official Dispatch 3175/BGDĐT-GDTrH, the Ministry of Education and Training requested that educational institutions, when assessing learning outcomes at the end of a semester, school year, or grade, avoid reusing texts learned in textbooks as materials for developing reading and writing tests to accurately assess students' abilities, overcoming the situation where students only memorize lessons or copy content from available documents.

Implementing the above document, from the 2022-2023 school year up to now, regular and periodic tests of literature have been carried out in accordance with the instructions. Thus, this year is the third year that units and schools have not used familiar materials in textbooks to include in tests and assessments.

Teachers admit that, at first, the innovation in teaching, testing and evaluating literature was a great difficulty and challenge for both teachers and students because if they read an unfamiliar text that students have never heard before, it will be difficult for them to understand the profound meaning of the work; thus, it is not easy to analyze and appreciate the work to write a good essay.

“Two years ago, I was very worried when I heard about the innovation in teaching and testing literature because this is not my forte. However, studying the new program under the guidance of teachers, I gradually formed my thinking and learned how to write essays based on my own feelings independently,” said Bui Duy Anh, a 9th grade student in Cau Giay.

Efforts of both teachers and students

The spirit of innovation in teaching, learning and testing and assessment of literature has been communicated to students by teachers as soon as they received instructions from the Ministry of Education and Training.

Teachers and students work together and make efforts in teaching and learning according to the new program.

According to Ms. Tran Thanh Mai - a literature teacher at Chu Van An Secondary School, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi, literature is the subject with the most dramatic changes in the new program, which is that students learn and take exams with completely different materials.

In the past, students only needed to understand the knowledge and characters to be able to do the exercises, but now they have to understand each genre from what perspective to be able to write a good essay. In the old program, students learned and reviewed the knowledge in the works, but in the new program, students have to grasp the thinking and the way of doing things.

The teacher's task in the teaching process is to make students love literature, avoid talking too much, teach too much, but stick to the requirements of the program. Teachers mainly focus on guiding, sharing experiences, teaching students to write; think about the structure of the essay, think about writing style, create ideas and outlines, and master the skills and ways of writing so that there is no longer a situation of using sample essays or memorizing.

Ms. Tran Thanh Mai also said that it is not until now that teachers have instructed students on this content, but as soon as they came into contact with the new textbooks, the Department of Education and Training had many guidance and training sessions so that in the periodic test from grade 6, students were familiarized with completely new materials.

On the other hand, the new textbook program for literature has an extended reading section. Students reading new materials not in the textbook has become a regular activity prescribed in the program. Teachers often encourage students to read extensively through reading clubs, reading sheets, reading projects, etc. to help them get acquainted with new materials. Therefore, parents can rest assured that their children will not be too surprised by this.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga - a literature teacher in Thanh Xuan district shared that most students are very excited about the direction of implementing literature according to the new program. The reason is that the learning process is less heavy and students have more opportunities to be creative.

This is clearly demonstrated through the results of students’ regular and periodic tests. Many students have writing and thinking skills that go beyond teachers’ expectations; they know how to cite real-life examples or integrate the content of other subjects into their writing in an accurate, vivid and convincing manner. According to Ms. Nga, this is the success of the innovation in teaching, learning as well as testing and evaluating literature according to the new program.

To help teachers have a direction for teaching and implementing assessment tests for subjects according to the new program, especially for grade 9 students, the Department of Education and Training has just organized training for teachers of all subjects, including literature teachers. Participating in the training course, teachers were guided, shared experiences and acquired a lot of useful knowledge; thereby, they are more confident and steadfast in implementing the program's goal of developing students' qualities and abilities.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/ngu-lieu-de-thi-ngu-van-nam-ngoai-sgk-khong-lam-kho-hoc-sinh.html