Highlights of the Elementary School Excellent Teacher Competition

With many innovations in teaching methods, the Dak Lak Provincial Primary School Excellent Teacher Competition, academic year 2024-2025 (hereinafter referred to as the competition) has left a strong mark on the process of educational and training reform in the province with many good initiatives and lively lessons accumulated by teachers from the grassroots level.

Participating in the competition were nearly 300 educators representing over 10,000 primary school teachers from 15 districts, towns, and cities, who presented a wealth of innovative ideas on effective teaching and learning from the grassroots level, as well as engaging and lively lessons for students.

Contestant H'Đô Mlô, a teacher at Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Primary and Secondary School (Krông Năng district), presented an initiative on organizing STEM activities for second-grade students in ethnic minority areas. The initiative was based on the school's reality: students in remote areas face certain limitations in their learning conditions; 15 out of 22 students in her class are from ethnic minority groups; and organizing STEM clubs is challenging due to a lack of equipment and materials. To teach STEM effectively, Ms. H'Đô Mlô uses real-life materials (vegetables, fruits, etc.); she integrates STEM lesson content with enhancing Vietnamese language skills for students (naming and explaining the uses of teaching aids, helping students practice their Vietnamese language skills, etc.).

A practical teaching session by a contestant at the Dak Lak Provincial Primary School Excellent Teacher Competition, academic year 2024-2025.

Regarding the practical teaching session, contestant Nguyen Thi Van, a teacher from Victory Primary, Secondary, and High School (Buon Ma Thuot City), shared that teachers had to go through school-level and district-level competitions beforehand. Each competition round involved a different group of students, so the lesson organization also differed to ensure creativity, liveliness, and suitability for the students; through this, teachers were able to hone their knowledge and practical teaching skills (through feedback from the judging panel and their own experience)...

"Through this competition, the education sector hopes to spread the spirit of love for the profession and inspire all teachers; at the same time, affirming the important role of teachers in the education career," said Ms. , Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training .

With thorough preparation from the contestants and the organizing venue, the competition delivered lively lessons for the students. Ms. Nguyen Thi Quy, Principal of Le Thi Hong Gam Primary School (Buon Ma Thuot City), commented that the lessons taught by the contestants provided open, creative, and professional learning experiences for the school's students. Through these lessons, the students were able to demonstrate their central role in the lesson while also developing soft skills (group activities, learning with a new teacher, etc.).

The excellent teacher competition is an opportunity for teachers to improve their professional skills and develop their careers, so it attracts a great deal of attention. Not only young teachers, but the competition also recognizes the efforts and perseverance of older teachers in the process of reforming education and training.

Despite nearing retirement age, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Thanh (born in 1969, a teacher at Nguyen Viet Xuan Primary School, Ea H'leo district) enthusiastically participated in the competition for excellent physical education teachers. According to Ms. Thanh, registering for the competition at her age is an interesting challenge for herself; through it, she also wants to inspire younger colleagues. Throughout her 36 years in the teaching profession, she has experienced many stages of development in the education sector; the most challenging being the initial implementation of the 2018 General Education Program with its many innovations requiring teachers to both teach and learn: learning to use computers and electronic devices to access information more quickly, contributing to the digital transformation of schools…

STEM lesson for students at Le Thi Hong Gam Primary School (Buon Ma Thuot City).

According to the organizers, the highlight of the competition was the diverse application of active teaching methods in the lessons; thereby creating a vibrant atmosphere and delivering engaging lessons for students. This was the first year that STEM education was included in the competition, but it attracted 11 participants. The STEM lessons were very engaging with the strong application of information technology in the lessons; along with the practical application of lesson knowledge using real-life objects such as real vegetables, fruits, and food items…

According to Ms. Le Thi Kim Oanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, the competition has left a profound mark on the education sector's development, with a prominent highlight being the enthusiastic participation of both young teachers and teachers nearing retirement. The contestants demonstrated meticulous investment in the quality of their lectures, innovative ideas, and lessons closely aligned with the goals of educational and training reform.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/giao-duc/202503/dau-an-hoi-thi-giao-vien-day-gioi-cap-tieu-hoc-de10295/