UNDERSTANDING THE REASONS WHY STUDENTS WANT TO CHANGE SUBJECTS
MK, a 10th-grade student at Khuong Ha High School (Hanoi), said that because her family is moving, she wants to transfer schools after this school year. However, her school is one of the few in the city that teaches both art and music as elective subjects. The school's elective subject combinations are designed as "combos," meaning students can't choose individual subjects but must select them as a whole. In the field she plans to pursue in university, every combination includes both art and music. Whether she likes it or not, students have to study to complete all four elective subjects as designed by the school.
Tenth-grade students at Nguyen Binh Khiem High School ( Hanoi ) have raised questions about taking elective courses at the beginning of the school year.
Therefore, according to MK, when transferring to another school, the biggest problem is that the school you intend to transfer to will not offer art and music, so you will have to replace them with two other subjects. However, there are no specific guidelines on how to make up for lost time and how assessments will be recorded in your academic transcript.
Observations indicate that some students, even without transferring schools, have expressed a desire to change their elective subjects after one year of study, due to feelings of incompatibility or a change in their university application goals. School leaders report that since the end of the first semester, several students and parents have met directly with the school administration or through homeroom teachers to request a change in their children's elective subjects. However, schools are unable to respond to or resolve any of these cases as they are awaiting guidance and directives from the Department of Education and Training.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khang, Principal of Marie Curie School (Hanoi), said that the transfer of students to and from schools within the same city or from other provinces is a regular, annual need. Starting this school year, high school students transferring in are facing difficulties due to discrepancies in the elective subject combinations, usually by 1-2 subjects. Currently, schools are unable to provide guidance to students and parents and must wait for further instructions. However, Mr. Khang proposed accepting a discrepancy in some subjects within the 4-subject elective combination, with students and parents committing to making up for the subjects the student missed in the past year so that they can keep up with the curriculum in grade 11.
Mr. Dam Tien Nam, Principal of Nguyen Binh Khiem Secondary and High School (Hanoi), believes that it is necessary to clearly stipulate that students are only allowed to switch elective subjects once during their entire high school education. This will allow students to carefully consider their options and avoid repeated changes that create difficulties for both schools and the students themselves.
STUDENTS' ASPIRATIONS MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCHOOL'S CONDITIONS.
According to a representative from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, based on Circular 68 from the Ministry of Education and Training regarding guidance on converting elective subjects and thematic learning clusters at the high school level, the department is currently preparing a guidance document that is suitable to the conditions and needs of schools in the city to be implemented before the next school year. The aim is to avoid drastic changes that could disrupt teaching plans and the arrangement of existing staff and facilities in schools.
It has been noted that some localities have issued guidelines before the end of the school year for schools to implement. Mr. Bach Dang Khoa, Deputy Director of the Bac Giang Department of Education and Training, said that the department has issued a document to provide specific and detailed guidance on some contents related to the transfer of high school students in the province, updating changes related to the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program and the revised and supplementary regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.
Students independently acquire additional knowledge and skills in the new subject.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training's guidelines, in exceptional cases, if a student wishes to change their elective subject, the principal will consider and decide at the end of the school year. The student must commit to independently supplementing their knowledge and skills in the new subject, with confirmation from their parents. The school will have solutions to support the student in improving their learning quality in the new subject in the following grade.
The Bac Giang Department of Education and Training has instructed school principals to consider students' requests to change elective subjects or study clusters, based on the school's organizational capacity and other conditions, in order to fulfill the students' wishes. However, according to Mr. Khoa, regardless of the circumstances, schools must strictly and fully implement the contents of Circular 68 of the Ministry of Education and Training.
Many schools also stated that allowing students to change elective subjects can only be done based on the existing elective subject combinations offered by the school, and that new combinations cannot be created simply because some students request to change subjects.
This school year's 10th-grade students are the first cohort of high school students to study under the new education program.
NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, MINIMIZE THE SUBJECT TO CHOOSING THE WRONG COURSES.
In the 2023-2024 school year, along with grade 10, the 2018 General Education Program will be applied to grade 11. Anticipating increased difficulties as the new program expands, high schools in Hanoi believe that a crucial solution is to intensify communication with students and parents about the requirements of the new program to minimize the selection of inappropriate subjects.
Ms. Tran Thi Hai Yen, Principal of Tran Phu High School - Hoan Kiem (Hanoi), shared that in the upcoming school year, in addition to arranging multiple rounds of direct counseling with students and parents, the school will strengthen online counseling and promote various forms of communication. Each student can register a maximum of 3 preferences. The school will allocate approximately 15 days for students and their families to consider and decide before class placement.
The academic performance of 10th-grade students has improved significantly.
Statistics from the Hanoi Department of Education and Training show that in the 2022-2023 school year, among the elective subjects, physics was the most popular choice with 68.2% of students; followed by computer science with 62.8%; geography with 56.3%; and economics and law education with 55.4%... The fact that art and music had the fewest choices, with 1.8% and 4.3% respectively, is not necessarily because students dislike them, but because most high schools do not yet have teachers for these two subjects.
The Hanoi Department of Education and Training also reported that, with students being able to study subjects according to their wishes and strengths, the academic performance of 10th-grade students has improved significantly. The preliminary results of the first semester show that the percentage of students with poor or failing grades in physics, chemistry, and biology has decreased to only 0.1% – the lowest level ever recorded.
Given the fact that many students choose to study fine arts but the school cannot yet meet the demand, Ms. Yen stated that they have prepared the necessary facilities and have a plan for assigning teachers. The school proposes that the city organize the recruitment of music and fine arts teachers soon to ensure stability and better meet the aspirations of students.
Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Boi Quynh, Principal of Viet Duc High School, said that next school year the school will try to recruit or contract teachers to best meet the aspirations of students. "When students are selected according to their genuine wishes, the quality of learning will be better and the need to change subjects will be minimized," Ms. Quynh shared.
In preparation for the upcoming school year, Mr. Tran The Cuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, urged schools to strengthen communication, guidance, and support for students and parents in choosing subjects that match their abilities and career aspirations. "Schools need to quickly define the classroom model for the coming year, clearly identify the needs for facilities and teachers to proactively prepare and strive to meet students' learning aspirations to the best of their ability. It is expected that in July, the city will recruit more than 600 high school teachers. This number will partially supplement the schools' needs to better meet the requirements of the new curriculum," Mr. Cuong informed.
Source link
Comment (0)