A breath of fresh air from the "Digital Classroom"

In the 2022-2023 school year, Ho Chi Minh City piloted the "Digital Classroom" model in 4 classrooms of Thanh An Primary School (Can Gio District) and 6 classrooms of Trung Lap Thuong Primary School (Cu Chi District), with a total of 104 English lessons and 62 Computer Science lessons. In the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year, the model will be further expanded to many schools in the city, and the number of students participating in the lessons will be expanded to include students from Muong Khuong and Si Ma Cai districts ( Lao Cai Province).

Students at Thanh An Primary School (Thanh An commune, Can Gio district) participate in a computer science lesson using the Digital Classroom model. Photo: MINH THU

One teacher, many classes

The music lesson for class 4/1 at Thanh An Primary School (Thanh An commune, Can Gio district) began with an activity to get acquainted with their new classmates and teacher. Le Ngoc Gia Vy, a student in class 4/1, said: “I’m happy and excited to be studying with students from Trung Lap Thuong Primary School in Cu Chi district. Every time a student in my class answers correctly, the students from the other school clap and give heart gestures, so I’m very excited.” To create a cheerful atmosphere, students at Thanh An Primary School were asked by the teacher to mimic the swimming movements of dolphins with their hands, while students from Trung Lap Thuong Primary School mimicked the sound of rippling ocean waves. Although the “dolphins,” “waves,” and even the teacher could only see each other through the projector screen, the two classes interacted very smoothly, and the classroom atmosphere became lively with applause and comments from students of both schools. This is one of the lessons following the "Digital Classroom" model, which the Department of Education and Training, in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Digital Transformation Support and Consulting, has been piloting since December 2022.

According to Mr. Le Huu Binh, Principal of Thanh An Primary School, the school has a music teacher on staff, but organizing lessons in a hybrid format (with a teaching assistant assigned to the classroom) helps promote student initiative, thereby improving the effectiveness of innovative teaching methods for teachers in the school. Regarding Trung Lap Thuong Primary School, Principal Nguyen Van Toi informed that the "Digital Classroom" model, with the participation of excellent teachers with online teaching experience assigned by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, helps solve the problem of a shortage of talented teachers in schools in suburban and outlying areas, especially in English and Computer Science.
Thanks to the online format, students in many locations can participate in lessons at the same time, helping schools save on teacher recruitment resources and thus bridging the gap between schools in suburban and outlying areas and those in the city center.

Developing students' individual abilities.

Ms. Lam Hong Lam Thuy, Head of the Primary Education Department (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training), said that Ho Chi Minh City has implemented many models to promote digital transformation in education and training, from innovating teaching methods to student assessment, and actively applying advanced technologies from around the world to improve the quality of teaching in general schools. Among these, the "Digital Classroom" model not only addresses the shortage of teachers in schools in remote, rural, and island areas but also helps reduce the pressure on teacher recruitment for specialized subjects such as Music, Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, and Information Technology in primary schools throughout the city.

From a management perspective, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, Nguyen Bao Quoc, acknowledges that the "Digital Classroom" model has initially met the requirements for teaching and developing students' qualities and competencies in accordance with the 2018 General Education Program. Through "learning through play, playing through learning" activities, interaction between students and teachers, and among students in the same class, is enhanced, creating a lively classroom atmosphere and promoting students' proactive roles. Furthermore, lessons taught by skilled teachers with strong professional knowledge will gradually help colleagues in suburban areas develop their skills, thereby improving the quality of education and addressing difficulties and limitations in self-training and adopting new teaching methods. However, student assessment under the "Digital Classroom" model is still conducted directly, based on the actual teaching practices of the schools, ensuring that the general competency requirements of the program are met.

THU TAM

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