Many teachers are 'slow and lack initiative'.

Hanoi – Many teachers rely heavily on textbooks, teach in the old way, and lack initiative in the first year of 10th grade under the new curriculum, according to the Department of Education and Training.

At the May 16th conference summarizing one year of implementing the new general education program (2018 program) for high schools, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, principal of Thanh Oai A High School, said that many teachers were slow and lacked initiative in implementing new teaching methods. According to Mr. Truong, most still focus on imparting knowledge, while the new program requires teachers to organize activities that help students learn and maximize their individual abilities and qualities.

Sharing the same view, Principal Nguyen Thi Nhiep of Chu Van An High School noted that many teachers teach in a conventional way, relying on experience and simply copying notes. According to Ms. Nhiep, experience is very important, but it cannot be used solely for implementing the new curriculum.

For example, when assigning tasks to students, teachers often ask general questions like, "How do you feel about this lesson?", while, according to Ms. Nhiep, a better question would be, "What details describing the beautiful scenery do you remember?".

"The goals and tasks must be specific and clear, so that teachers can determine what methods they will use to achieve them," Ms. Nhiep said.

Teachers supervising the 2022 high school graduation exam in Hanoi. Photo: Giang Huy

The entire country began implementing the new general education program in the 2020-2021 school year with grade 1, gradually rolling it out to other grade levels, alongside the replacement of textbooks. The 2022-2023 school year will mark the first time that high school students will follow the new program, starting with grade 10.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training assesses that teachers' inability to adapt and innovate their thinking and teaching methods is a barrier to implementing the new curriculum. When teachers rely too heavily on textbooks and teacher's guides, lesson planning becomes mechanical, cumbersome, and deviates from the goal of developing students' qualities and abilities. Many teachers organize activities, but these are either overly formal or unsuitable for the students' abilities and available time. This also leads to student overload and reduced interest.

According to the Department, one of the reasons for this situation is the long-standing habit of "testing what is taught," which teachers are unable to change immediately. According to Principal Nguyen Xuan Truong, part of the reason is that schools lack criteria for evaluating teaching methods, so teachers still choose to teach in the old way "for safety."

Furthermore, the Department assessed that some subjects and topics, such as Physical Education and Economic and Legal Education, contain many new contents and approaches, requiring teachers to be more creative than what is written in the materials. However, the time for training and updating knowledge is limited.

Director of the Department of Education and Training Tran The Cuong at the conference on May 16th summarizing one year of implementing the new general education program for high school level, morning of May 16th. Photo: Thanh Hang

To address this situation, the Director of the Department of Education and Training, Tran The Cuong, requested high schools to review the quality of their teachers; increase the number, forms, and scale of training and professional development; and focus on connecting, learning, and sharing experiences with other schools.

This is the approach being implemented at Bat Bat High School. Currently, this school and Cau Giay High School are exchanging teaching materials and organizing workshops to implement the new curriculum. Meanwhile, Thanh Oai A High School is organizing model lessons for teachers or observing classes to provide feedback. Principal Nguyen Xuan Truong said the goal for the next school year is for all teachers to be proficient in implementing the new teaching methods as required by the curriculum.

"Then, comparing and evaluating the quality of teachers will be more accurate," Mr. Truong said.

Director Tran The Cuong acknowledged that societal and public expectations are very high, so the education sector always faces considerable pressure. However, reform requires a process, and one year is still a short time to comprehensively change education. In the next two years, the new curriculum will be implemented sequentially for grades 11 and 12 in high school.

Thanh Hang

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