P PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION IS NOT RATIONAL
Teacher Lam Vu Cong Chinh, Nguyen Du High School (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City), commented: The real-life situational factors presented in textbooks are not really realistic. For example, the 12th grade math book of Knowledge Connection, volume 2, in exercise 5.18 (page 49), presents a situation where a bullet is fired and moves in a straight trajectory. The experiential activities have not really achieved the set goals, the real-life situations are only "on paper", and cannot assess the level of application of students. English exams and tests still only test reading, writing or listening skills, so students' speaking skills are still weak.
New programs and new teaching methods require time for teachers and students to adapt and implement properly.
PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH
Regarding the distribution of time, structure, and knowledge units, it is not reasonable. Math in grade 11 is quite "thick and heavy". The statistics chapter in grade 11 should be transferred to grade 12, which would be more reasonable. The knowledge of the sum of two vectors, logarithmic calculations, etc. are used in physics, but the program distribution is not uniform, leading to students who want to study physics having to supplement their knowledge themselves.
According to Mr. Chinh, math is compulsory, physics, chemistry, and biology are optional, leading to students who do not choose to study natural sciences having difficulty with some problems in textbooks related to interdisciplinary knowledge. For example, the 11th grade math book, Knowledge Connection, volume 1, exercise 1.13, page 21, introduces "In physics, the general equation of a harmonic oscillating object" and "using the sum-product transformation formula to find the amplitude and initial phase of the resultant oscillation". This introduction is not wrong but a bit "hasty", if students do not choose a combination with physics, they will not know anything other than applying the formula to find the answer.
Mr. Tran Van Toan, former head of the math group at Marie Curie High School (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), said that the new program focuses on applying knowledge to practice, but students often encounter difficulties when having to move from theory to practical application, due to a lack of experience or deep understanding of real-life situations. In addition, the new program requires the use of many different sources of documents in addition to textbooks, but reference documents are not diverse enough or have not been updated promptly to support students.
TEACHERS AND STUDENTS HAVE NOT ADAPTED
According to Mr. Tran Van Toan, many teachers are still in the process of getting used to the new program, so they cannot guide students effectively. The transition to current teaching methods requires time to adapt and implement properly. The 2018 program requires students to learn and discover problems themselves, instead of just listening to lectures and memorizing. This requires a change in the way they think and learn, but many students have not yet adapted to the active learning method.
In the new program, according to Mr. Toan, the assessment and evaluation have undergone major changes in form and content with the application of 3 multiple choice test formats. This is a step forward to more comprehensively assess students' abilities, requiring both teachers and students to adapt to many new challenges in teaching, learning and assessment skills.
"The transition from the old program to the new program happened so quickly that both students and teachers did not have enough time to adapt. This caused many difficulties in changing teaching and learning methods effectively. These difficulties require flexible adjustments in teaching and learning methods along with better support from teachers and resources so that students can overcome and develop comprehensively according to the new program," said Mr. Toan.
The "PRACTICE TEST - GET USED" STYLE WILL NO LONGER BE SUITABLE
Many teachers say that educational reform is posing many challenges, especially as the 2025 high school graduation exam is approaching, aiming to assess competency rather than just testing pure knowledge. To meet this goal, teachers need to change teaching and assessment methods, helping students not only understand the lesson but also get used to new question types and exam structures.
Mr. Pham Le Thanh, a teacher at Nguyen Hien High School (District 11, Ho Chi Minh City), believes that teachers need to develop a clear review roadmap and focus on developing problem-solving skills. Instead of just asking students to memorize theory, teachers need to encourage them to think critically and apply knowledge to practice. Developing this ability needs to be integrated throughout the learning process, through learning projects and practice and experiments. This not only helps students understand the nature of knowledge but also familiarizes them with the exam structure, thereby avoiding getting lost and overloaded with unnecessary content.
Regarding assessment, Mr. Thanh said that it is necessary to continuously assess students' abilities during the learning process, thereby adjusting teaching and review methods accordingly. "This does not require creating pressure through heavy tests, instead teachers can use lighter forms of assessment such as situational exercises, discussions, or group projects. The important thing is to help students understand where they are and what they need to improve to progress," Mr. Thanh commented.
According to Mr. Thanh, teachers need to have a comprehensive view, not just giving students paper tests but also including the learning process, interactive teaching and learning activities, and assessment for students' progress. The Ministry of Education and Training is currently implementing a policy of combining process assessment (50%) and test results (50%), creating motivation for schools to implement the spirit of comprehensive capacity development.
Assessment has major changes in the new education program.
PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH
"To meet the requirements of the new education program, teachers must not only innovate in teaching methods but also in approaching and accompanying students. The combination of teaching, process assessment and exam-structured preparation will help students adapt well to the new exam, while developing the necessary skills to succeed in learning and life," said teacher Pham Le Thanh.
Mr. Thanh also emphasized that teachers in the context of teaching to develop capacity need to eliminate "old ways" with difficult calculation exercises, complex problems but have no practical meaning in assessing students' capacity.
With the subject knowledge content spread over a wide area as specified in the requirements, the exam materials are very diverse in terms of exploitation and approach, so teaching in the style of "practice questions - familiarity" will no longer be suitable. It is very difficult for teachers and students to predict the type of exercises in the exam, so in addition to providing knowledge, teachers need to help students master exam-taking skills such as how to read and understand the questions, analyze the questions and how to allocate time effectively. This is especially important when the exam has changes in question format, thereby helping students not to be confused by new types of questions.
To meet the requirements of the new educational program, teachers not only innovate in teaching methods but also in approaching and accompanying students.
Teacher Pham Le Thanh (Nguyen Hien High School, District 11, HCMC)
Many consequences of "jump-jump"
According to Mr. Lam Vu Cong Chinh, for students who only study the 2018 General Education program at high school, "skipping steps" leads to many consequences. For example, with the current 12th grade, having only applied the 2018 program for 3 years, they have to "struggle" to supplement their knowledge because some knowledge of the old 12th grade program has been transferred to the new 9th grade program (but these students have not studied it yet). For example, the chapter on cones, cylinders, and spheres is not included in the new 12th grade textbook, but the questions in the textbook still have related knowledge, forcing teachers and students to "add it themselves", leading to more lesson content, having to use extra classes for "remedial tutoring". The way the lesson content is presented seems to "reduce the load" but is mentioned in the exercises, making learners feel that the flow of knowledge is broken.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuong-trinh-giao-duc-pho-thong-2018-van-con-nhieu-bo-ngo-185241021225119818.htm
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