The role of teachers in creating digital citizenship: Teachers 'change roles' with students

They study not only to keep up with the times, but also to understand their students better, to "keep the fire" of their profession and inspire lifelong learning in the younger generation.

Learn to overcome yourself

Recalling a time when he "changed roles" and became a student again, Mr. Nguyen Phuong Bac - Literature teacher, Lam Thao Primary & Secondary School (Lam Thao commune, Bac Ninh ) clearly remembers the first day he attended an online training class on digital transformation.

“When the screen showed the new operation requirements for students, I was confused, clumsy, made mistakes continuously, even “failed the product” because I forgot some steps and did not have time to practice. The class teacher realized that, came to guide me step by step, just like I did with my students. At that moment, I felt like a real student, both eager and confused, clumsy. I understood that the feeling of “newness” and “fear of change” is not only in students, but in anyone starting a new learning journey”, teacher Nguyen Phuong Bac recounted.

From this experience, Mr. Bac said he became more patient when teaching, knew how to listen better, sympathized more with every small mistake of his students; at the same time, loved his job more and loved the continuous learning process that teaching brings.

Regarding his learning and self-study journey, the Literature teacher shared the nights he spent diligently working on the computer to learn video design skills from Veo 3, Gemini, ChatGPT; then practiced creating electronic lectures and designing interactive learning activities using online support software.

“Every time I encounter a technical error, an unstable network, or an “uncooperative” software, I have to figure out how to fix it. Sometimes it feels so hard that I want to give up, but remembering the curious eyes and joyful cheers of my students when they see my technological products, I continue to try.” Recounting this, teacher Nguyen Phuong Bac said that the biggest challenge is not only time, but overcoming oneself, old habits, and the fear of the new.

And the “sweet fruit” received is the skills, the joy of seeing students excited, receiving messages “how did you do it so well?” from colleagues; the Board of Directors acknowledged… Now, when he is confident in his ability to apply technology in modern teaching, Mr. Phuong Bac understands that each difficulty is a lesson to help him grow more mature. The spirit of daring to learn and change of the teacher will be an example for students to follow.

As an English teacher at Van Thang Primary School (Co Do Commune, Hanoi ), Ms. Le Thi Truong always wants to learn and innovate to bring more lively and effective lessons. The memory she remembers most is that in the training course on applying AI in teaching, she was asked to "play the role of a student" to participate in an interactive English lesson with a "virtual teacher".

When listening to the voice and automatic response in English, Ms. Truong said she was both surprised and excited. From that experience, she better understood the feelings of students when approaching new technology and realized that, if she wants students to love English, teachers must first learn and change.

“For me, the biggest difficulty in being both a “teacher” and a “student” is time. Teaching, preparing lessons, and organizing English Club activities take up most of my time during the day. However, I still arrange to attend training courses and seminars on new teaching methods, technology, and AI applications in teaching. After the initial confusion, I progressed little by little.

The biggest “sweet fruit” is that students are increasingly interested in English; proactive in learning, confident in speaking English, and love lessons with technology elements. Seeing the smiles and progress of my students, I know that all my efforts are worth it,” Ms. Le Thi Truong shared.

Ms. Le Thi Truong discussed at a professional meeting about the ESL school model (bilingual school). Photo: NVCC

To keep teachers "kept the fire" of learning

Affirming the importance of lifelong learning, Mr. Nguyen Trong Truong - teacher at Phenikaa High School (Hanoi) said that to maintain this spirit, teachers should spend more time reading specialized books, watching documentaries about culture, society, history, or science and technology.

Teachers need to create discipline for themselves every day, connect with people with similar interests and goals to share knowledge, experience, and encourage each other. Mr. Nguyen Trong Truong also suggests finding and learning from inspirational people, spreading positive energy, and mastering necessary skills. Finally, always applying knowledge into practice is an effective way to learn to remember knowledge faster and longer.

According to teacher Nguyen Phuong Bac, maintaining the spirit of lifelong learning comes not only from loving the profession, but also from believing in the value of knowledge. When teachers are still studying, students will see that learning has no end; when teachers dare to change, students will also dare to step out of their comfort zone.

For me, every day is an opportunity to learn: Learn from colleagues, students, small experiences in the classroom or training courses, new topics. Sometimes, students are the "young teachers" who help me update my knowledge, understand more about technology, and the way of thinking of the new generation."

Sharing this, Mr. Nguyen Phuong Bac hopes that education management levels will create more environments and opportunities for teachers to learn; not only through training, but also through creative professional activities, sharing forums, or open technology spaces. Timely recognition and encouragement from school leaders is also a "catalyst" to help teachers "keep the fire" of learning. When teachers have joy in learning, they will inspire their students to learn.

For Ms. Le Thi Truong, what keeps a teacher always wanting to learn is the passion for the profession and the love for students. Loving the profession, a teacher will always want to improve himself to bring the best to students.

Ms. Truong hopes that teachers will continue to be given the opportunity to participate in more training courses, share expertise, and learn from each other in a friendly and creative environment. If they are provided with more equipment, digital resources, and courses on technology and AI, teachers will be more bold in innovating and creating. Teachers who are always learning today will be the ones who inspire lifelong learning for future generations.

“To truly change themselves, teachers must overcome very ordinary barriers. The first barrier comes from psychology and habits. Teachers are often afraid to go beyond their professional comfort zone, such as fear of noisy classrooms or fear that students will not be able to select and synthesize knowledge. Teachers also have to overcome perfectionist thinking.

The important thing to help teachers maintain the spirit of lifelong learning is to always maintain curiosity, nurture curiosity, and desire to explore the world around them to broaden their knowledge," said teacher Nguyen Trong Truong - teacher at Phenikaa High School (Hanoi).

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/vai-tro-nguoi-thay-trong-kien-tao-he-cong-dan-so-thay-doi-vai-lam-tro-post755654.html