Connecting students' passion for the subject.
A chemistry student winning first prize in the city-level geography competition is the story of Mai Thi Anh Ngoc, a 12th-grade chemistry student from Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted. This story, though unusual, is not uncommon at this school. Since its establishment, Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted has never had dedicated history or geography classes. 100% of the students in these two subject teams are from other specialized classes. Their time for history and geography is very limited due to the need to fulfill their specialized curriculum. Therefore, teachers in these two subjects use the "vibrancy of history and the vastness of geography" in short lessons to connect with the students' passions, instead of dry textbook knowledge.
Ms. Ha Thi Dieu Thuy, the teacher in charge of the Geography team, shared: "We often incorporate current events and real-life situations into our lessons to spark students' love of exploration . Beyond teaching knowledge, we also give them a lot of love and soft skills so they see Geography not as dry and boring, but as vibrant and engaging, helping them develop critical thinking and preparing them for future studies and overseas education."
Returning to Ánh Ngọc's story, her initial knowledge of Geography was only basic, but it was the lessons in class that ignited a passion for it in this chemistry-specialized student. "I used to think Geography was dry, but the more I studied, the more captivating it became. Knowledge about nature, climate, etc., was no longer confined to the pages of a textbook but was present in everyday life," Ánh Ngọc shared.
Over the years, History and Geography teachers at Le Quy Don Specialized High School have been both teaching and "searching for gold" in the sand to find talented students. During her teaching, Ms. Vo Thi Thanh Xuan, a History team teacher, often looks for students with strong linguistic and logical thinking abilities. While students in specialized subjects like Literature and English have an advantage in language and memorization, many students in science subjects like Math, Physics, and Chemistry also demonstrate superior abilities in History and Geography thanks to their logical thinking and sharp critical reasoning skills.
"Most importantly, students need to have goals and career aspirations related to the subject and a genuine interest and passion for it. This will help them pursue in-depth knowledge with perseverance and enthusiasm," Ms. Thanh Xuan commented.
In the first city-level gifted student competition after the merger, 242 high schools across Ho Chi Minh City participated. Le Quy Don Specialized High School ranked second with 202 awards, only behind Le Hong Phong Specialized High School.
"Professionally upgraded" after 35 years
For many years, the History and Geography teams of Le Quy Don Specialized High School have consistently achieved high results in competitions. At the provincial/city level, nearly 100% of the members of these two teams have won awards, including many first and second prizes. At the April 30th Olympic competition in the Southern region, the two teams regularly won gold medals, with many students achieving top scores in the subject across the region. At the national level, the school's History and Geography teams are always among the top 5 leading schools in the Southern region's specialized high school system. Many students from these teams have been directly admitted to top universities nationwide or have won scholarships to study abroad in countries with advanced education systems. Next academic year, for the first time, Le Quy Don Specialized High School will officially open a specialized History and Geography class. "This is a promising new chapter opening up for social science subjects at the school," Ms. Dieu Thuy said emotionally.
Ms. Lu Thi Tra Giang, Principal of Le Quy Don Specialized High School, stated that after 35 years of establishment and development, Le Quy Don Specialized High School has affirmed its position as a "cradle" for training talented individuals. Opening specialized History and Geography classes is a strategic decision aimed at perfecting the system of specialized subjects, stemming from the impressive achievements of these two subjects over many years. This provides a necessary basis for the school to invest in depth and create a more professional academic environment for gifted students. The school's greatest advantage is its solid foundation of achievements and a team of 10 experienced and enthusiastic teachers, whose expertise has been "proven" through major examinations. To date, the school has streamlined its organizational structure and optimized its training program to open two specialized classes in the 2026-2027 academic year. In addition, the school has also provided modern classrooms, fully equipped with comprehensive learning materials, for the two specialized classes. The enrollment process has also been widely implemented with a target of 35 students per class.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/cai-noi-dao-tao-hoc-sinh-da-nang-post853128.html
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