For the 10th grade entrance exam, we must definitely change from "study for the test" to "study for the test".

That is the opinion of Prof. Dr. Do Duc Thai, Lecturer of the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology, Hanoi National University of Education - Editor-in-Chief of the General Mathematics Program at the Program "Training and fostering to improve capacity to implement the 2018 general education program", held on April 10 in Hanoi.

3 professors had difficulty solving high school graduation exam math questions

At the training program, Prof. Dr. Do Duc Thai shared a story he had encountered. Accordingly, he and two other professors from the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology of the school had difficulty with question 44 (code 109) on the 2024 high school graduation exam in Mathematics. All three tried together, but by the end of the afternoon they still could not do it. They could not solve it within the limited time frame.

Prof. Dr. Do Duc Thai: "It is necessary to innovate teaching methods to train a generation of students who know how to apply learned knowledge into practice"

“So why do we force students to learn in such a way? We need to review teaching methods to train generations who know how to apply learned knowledge to solve practical problems,” emphasized Professor, Doctor of Science Do Duc Thai.

In recent years, the high school graduation exam has undergone many changes in terms of testing methods and test formats. This is clearly shown in the sample high school graduation exam questions that the Ministry of Education and Training has announced, especially for the Math subject.

"The previous general education program mainly focused on imparting knowledge, with the goal of helping students answer the question 'what do they know' after finishing their studies. However, how to apply that knowledge in practice was not given much attention.

For example, with Math, students are only focusing on the number and types of exercises they can solve, instead of understanding the applications of Math in life and career fields," Mr. Thai worried.

On the contrary, the 2018 General Education Program is approached in the direction of developing students' qualities and abilities, focusing on the question of what students will be able to do and how to do it after completing the program.

"The Mathematics education in general education that parents want their students to benefit from is not just Math knowledge. What they need is a program that helps their children discover their hidden Math abilities, and then apply them to solving practical lessons," Professor, Doctor of Science Do Duc Thai pointed out.

Delegates attending the training program

Get rid of the mentality of "study for the test" and change it to "study for the test"

Prof. Dr. Do Duc Thai assessed that the 10th grade entrance exam has been extremely fierce in recent years. In Hanoi, only about 60% of students pass the entrance exam to public schools. To compete, students often focus only on Math, Literature, English, ignoring Natural Sciences. This affects the choice of subjects at high school level, causing an imbalance in training human resources in science and technology.

In reality, students often focus on the Social Science group rather than the Natural Science group. Illustrative photo

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, in previous years' high school graduation exams, the number of candidates choosing the Natural Science exam (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) was always lower than the Social Science exam. In 2024, only 37% of more than 1.07 million candidates taking the graduation exam chose the Natural Science group.

At the undergraduate level, the Business and Management major has attracted the most students in recent years, with about 25% of students, while the admission rates for Engineering Technology and Computer Science and Information Technology are 9% and 12%, respectively.

"This issue is no longer just a matter of the education sector, but also a matter of national importance, which needs to be taken seriously so as not to become serious. No country with a population of 100 million can become a developed country if it only focuses on service, non-technology sectors," emphasized Prof. Dr. Do Duc Thai.

An urgent task now is to comprehensively reform the method and content of the 10th grade entrance exam. It is necessary to decisively shift from the mentality of "studying what you take the exam" to "studying what you take the exam", ensuring that students fully acquire knowledge according to the requirements of the compulsory education program from grades 1 to 9.

"I propose adding a comprehensive test, in addition to Math and Literature, to comprehensively evaluate all subjects by scores. Only by 'learning what you learn, testing what you get' can students learn fully, ensuring the quality meets the requirements of the program in the compulsory education stage," Professor Thai suggested.

4 solutions

At the training session, Prof. Dr. Do Duc Thai proposed solutions to overcome limitations in the educational program in the coming time. Specifically:

Firstly, it is necessary to standardize the curriculum of a number of subjects according to the 2018 General Education Program.

Second, promote training and development of teachers on innovative teaching methods according to the motto "hand-holding and teaching". Reality shows that focusing only on training core teachers, then spreading those teachers to other colleagues does not achieve the expected results.

Third , promote career guidance from high school to junior high school with clear content and implementation methods, possibly through detailed guidance documents.

Fourth , comprehensively innovate the content and methods of examinations. This is a key step that needs to be prioritized to avoid major impacts on the implementation of the program, especially the 10th grade entrance exam.

"When students have mastered the knowledge and passed the transfer exam, they will have enough experience to orient their goals and understand their strengths and weaknesses in the implementation process. From there, they can choose the right group of subjects when entering grade 10," said Professor, Dr. Do Duc Thai.

Improving the quality of teacher training at higher education institutions

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Son, Rector of Hanoi National University of Education, said that the training program was organized to equip in-depth knowledge, update the innovations in content, methods and approaches in the 2018 General Education Program for the teaching staff of pedagogical schools. This is one of the key activities in the roadmap for implementing the 2018 General Education Program, improving the quality of teacher training at higher education institutions.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Son, Principal of Hanoi National University of Education

According to the planning of the network of higher education and pedagogical institutions for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, among 12 key universities and two key schools, Hanoi National University of Education is identified as one of the key schools for national pedagogical training.

Over the years, Hanoi National University of Education has proactively built a network of high schools for professional development, with more than 100 participating schools. This network is organized by subject groups, creating conditions for sharing experiences, providing professional support and accompanying teachers' professional development.

"In the coming time, there will be a new network of lecturers representing teacher training institutions to cooperate and accompany Hanoi National University of Education, contributing to improving the quality of teacher training nationwide," Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Son hopes.

Trang Nhung

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/thi-vao-lop-10-dut-khoat-phai-chuyen-tu-thi-gi-hoc-nay-thanh-hoc-gi-thi-nay-post409871.html