Cultivating love for one's homeland through local literature.

Students from Ly Tu Trong Secondary School (Trang Bom commune) gain practical experience at a local tree nursery as part of their Local Education - Literature subject. Photo: NTCC

In the new local education program of Dong Nai province, Literature accounts for 9 lessons per school year – the most among the 6 subjects: Literature, History, Geography, Music, Fine Arts, and Civic Education (at the high school level, it is Economic and Legal Education). Teaching the local education content of Literature effectively (local Literature program) not only helps students gain knowledge about local literature but also plays a crucial role in fostering love and pride in their homeland of Dong Nai among the younger generation.

Providing a comprehensive overview of Dong Nai literature.

Immediately after the provincial merger, the Department of Education and Training convened key teachers and members of the local education curriculum development team from the former Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces to unify the new local education curriculum content. The selection of representative texts to include in the local education curriculum was carefully and thoroughly considered by the members. Previously, Binh Phuoc province allocated 6 out of 35 lessons to the local education curriculum, while Dong Nai province allocated 9 out of 35 lessons.

After careful consideration, the Drafting Committee unanimously agreed that the Literature subject in the new Dong Nai province's local education curriculum would account for 9 out of 35 lessons. The content is designed according to the historical progression of literature, from oral folk literature to written literature before 1975 and written literature from 1975 to the present. Regarding folk literature, the oral literature of the S'tieng ethnic group was prioritized because, compared to other ethnic groups in Dong Nai province, their oral literature is the richest and most diverse.

The content of local education in Circular 32/TT-BGDĐT dated October 14, 2018, promulgating the General Education Program, clearly states: “Local education content includes fundamental or current issues concerning the culture, history, geography, economy, society, environment, career guidance, etc., of the locality, supplementing the mandatory general education content unified nationwide, aiming to equip students with knowledge about their place of residence, fostering love for their homeland, and instilling in them an awareness of learning and applying what they have learned to contribute to solving problems in their homeland.”

The topics covered in the Dong Nai Provincial Literature Program for junior and senior high school students include: Dong Nai folk tales (Grade 6); Dong Nai proverbs, folk songs and ballads (Grade 7); Dong Nai through poetry (Grade 8); Dong Nai prose (Grade 9); Dong Nai folk literature (Grade 10); Dong Nai written literature before 1975 (Grade 11); Dong Nai written literature from 1975 to the present (Grade 12). The selection of these topics aims to help students gain a solid understanding of the local literary history of Dong Nai.

Regarding teaching materials, for the time being, teachers will use materials from both the former Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces in parallel for lesson planning and teaching. Teachers can select appropriate content and organize it by theme to highlight the diversity and richness of the merged localities.

Cultivating love for one's homeland through the subject.

Local education activities are currently assessed not by scores but by comments (pass, fail). Therefore, it's inevitable that some students and even teachers may take it lightly, teaching and learning only superficially. Understanding this mindset, and aiming to support teachers in effectively teaching local education content in the Literature subject, the Department of Education and Training has included this topic in the training program for Literature teachers at the secondary and high school levels throughout the province, scheduled for early December 2025.

As a presenter at the training program, Ms. Ngo Dinh Van Nhi, a teacher from Luong The Vinh High School for the Gifted (in Tam Hiep ward), suggested three solutions for effectively teaching local literature content: Teaching local literature using a 3-step model (understanding the context and prominent features; reading and comprehending specific texts according to genre characteristics; practicing) - 3 processes (before teaching, during teaching, and after teaching) - 3 levels (recognition - comprehension - application); Teaching local literature content in the local education program with the goal of developing reading comprehension skills according to genre characteristics; and Applying online platforms to enhance practice, expand knowledge, and develop skills for students through local literature teaching content.

Ms. Dinh Thi Quyen, Deputy Head of the Literature Department at Quang Trung Specialized High School (in Dong Xoai ward), said: To teach the local education content, the Literature Department held a professional meeting to study the lessons allocated and designed in the curriculum, as well as the elective topics. For the local education program specifically, the school assigned two teachers to be in charge of each topic. Before the teachers taught, the department met to agree on the lesson content, agree on the methods, and conduct a trial lesson. They then provided feedback and suggestions for the teachers to make adjustments and improvements, aiming to make the lessons more effective.

"During the professional meeting, colleagues suggested several methods and approaches to make teaching local education content more practical, engaging, and effective. Among these, the hands-on experience approach was proposed by the majority of teachers," Ms. Quyen said.

Ms. Tang Kim Hue, a specialist in charge of Literature at the Department of Education and Training, expressed: "Teachers themselves must recognize the importance of local education content and understand that it is through this content that students are educated about love for the land they live in. Especially for Literature, a subject that plays a crucial role in nurturing the soul and shaping character. If students do not develop love for their homeland, it will be difficult for them to love greater things. And one cannot love without understanding. Teachers must teach so that students understand and feel proud of Dong Nai province, so that they love this land."

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Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202512/boi-dap-tinh-yeu-que-huong-qua-ngu-van-dia-phuong-d6b1a4f/