Traditional education through literary works and prototypes

Recently, many schools and publishers have successfully implemented a model that combines traditional historical and cultural education with creative experiential activities through literary works. This approach opens up a new trend to help the young generation nurture aesthetic capacity, empathy and civic responsibility.

Representative of martyr Dang Thuy Tram's family (right) exchanges about literary works.

One of the outstanding models is the series of exchange programs with the families of martyrs Dang Thuy Tram and Nguyen Van Thac, coordinated by Kim Dong Publishing House, Vietnam Women's Publishing House in collaboration with the project "Our Books" and a number of schools in Hanoi . The program "Forever Young - Vietnam War Diary" recreates a memorable historical period in a new, lively, interactive format, helping students deeply feel the beauty of ideals and the noble sacrifices of many generations of Vietnamese people during the war.

Current programs are often designed into three main parts, such as: Gen Z's perspective on historical context and characters; stories about love and ideals; continuing the story of peace . The special point is how to bring traditional education and history lessons into vivid experiences instead of theoretical lectures. Many models have successfully staged scenarios about prototypes.

Accordingly, students are transformed into characters with important contexts, such as: Preparing to go to the battlefield, writing letters to relatives, facing bombs and bullets or sharing private feelings about life ideals and humanistic spirit.

Editor Huong Ly (Kim Dong Publishing House) commented: Scenes help young people understand more deeply about historical events and, more importantly, feel the moods, thoughts and ideals of the characters, thereby forming empathy and connection with themselves. For example, when students reenacted the scene of Doctor Dang Thuy Tram preparing to leave for the battlefield, they were very moved, understanding that ideals are not a distant concept but rather familiar, close and powerful emotions.

Nowadays, many publishers are maintaining the form of storytelling competitions, interacting with literary works. Groups of students tell many stories based on diaries, letters and historical documents revolving around characters. Such competitions contribute to training presentation and thinking skills, helping the younger generation have more opportunities to exchange, share and understand historical stories with their own emotions. In addition, some schools also promote creativity through the form of opening letter writing competitions for historical figures.

Recently, students of Vinschool Times City High School wrote letters to martyrs who sacrificed for the Fatherland, expressing their feelings, questions and thoughts about ideals, love and sacrifice. Through this activity, students clearly felt the connection between the past and the present, while practicing the ability to express emotions and develop humanistic thinking.

Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh, a doctor of education, shared: “Such interactive activities help students understand real people and real emotions. This is a very effective traditional education method because it touches the emotions, personality and thinking of the young generation.” Many programs also create highlights when combining music with literature and art by inviting artists and students to perform revolutionary songs and join choirs to create an attractive and emotional atmosphere. In recent events, members of the families of martyrs Dang Thuy Tram and Nguyen Van Thac participated enthusiastically, bringing emotional side stories.

During the exchange with students in Hanoi organized by Kim Dong Publishing House, Ms. Dang Kim Tram - sister of martyr, doctor Dang Thuy Tram brought the work "Dang Thuy Tram and the third diary". The book seemed to open up a whole sky of memories, so that she could tell the students about her older sister whom she always called with the two affectionate words "Sister Thuy".

The stories about Ms. Thuy's childhood in a small house in Hanoi in the early years of peace, about her gentle smile that contained love for life, made the whole hall quiet. Many students heard such everyday details for the first time. More surprisingly, at the end of the exchange, Ms. Kim Tram invited family members to sing a familiar song about fallen soldiers, evoking the image of many martyrs. Many students quietly shed tears when they felt more clearly than ever the vitality of history and the journey of spreading noble ideals, of pure hearts who loved the Fatherland with all their youth.

Ms. Vu Thuy Duong, representative of the project “My Family Book”, shared that one of the biggest advantages is the students’ interest, creativity and proactive participation. When they are able to transform into situations, write letters or tell stories, they discover empathy, learn for themselves and draw lessons about life ideals, courage and love. In addition, close coordination with the publisher and the families of the authors and prototypes is also a big advantage.

Original documents, diaries and real-life stories help readers approach them authentically, thereby increasing their ability to empathize and remember. However, the process of implementation is not without challenges. Scenes or storytelling competitions require stages, props, sound, lighting and practice time. Ensuring students understand their roles, scripts and act realistically is a challenge. Therefore, it is necessary to consider how historical situations are recreated to be both realistic and age-appropriate, avoiding being too haunting or emotionally heavy.

In addition, in terms of guidance and interaction skills, not all teachers or presenters are familiar with leading students through creative forms of direct interaction, so it is necessary to provide thorough training, provide detailed scripts and instructions on how to stimulate student participation without imposing. In addition, when reading diaries or reenacting war situations, young readers are easily emotional, so it is necessary to pay attention to how to guide emotional reception, distinguish between experience and psychological pressure so that students have a positive learning experience.

Article and photos: MAI LU

Source: https://nhandan.vn/giao-duc-truyen-thong-qua-tac-pham-va-nguyen-mau-van-hoc-post927030.html