Increase self-study, change the way of making exam questions

Developing and encouraging students' self-study ability; changing the way exam questions and tests are made so that students can rest assured that they do not have to practice for exams or study extra but can still develop their abilities are measures that experts and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training have proposed to overcome the widespread situation of extra teaching and learning.

DON'T WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO TUTOR BEFORE "LEARN"

Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology, Chairman of the Council of Dinh Tien Hoang High School (Hanoi), said that the way we tested in the past led to the fact that without extra classes, we could not do the tests, which were tricky and very difficult. But now, the instructions for testing and evaluating according to the 2018 General Education Program have been directed towards forcing students to practice and find knowledge themselves, thereby turning knowledge into their own abilities. That is the way to make education develop healthily, well and with the best quality.

Teacher Tung Lam believes that parents should not be too impatient, but instead should work with teachers and schools to develop their students' self-study ability, and make them understand that if they rely on others forever, they will not be able to develop. "Testing and assessment are necessary, but we still need to improve them to meet the requirements. Exam questions must be designed so that students do not have to memorize, do not have to deal with textbooks, but must turn textbook knowledge into their own knowledge to answer real-life questions. That is necessary and is a long-term development step," said Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam.

Mr. Pham Quoc Toan, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, also said that the Hanoi Department of Education and Training has developed a document on regulations on extra teaching and learning for the City People's Committee to issue so that educational institutions have a basis for implementation. The Department also requires general education institutions to innovate testing and assessment in accordance with the requirements of the 2018 General Education Program, without putting pressure on students. In particular, it is absolutely directed not to loosen the review for final exams and graduation exams for students, identifying that as the responsibility of schools.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the way high school graduation exams are created from 2025 will change in a positive direction to ensure that students study according to the curriculum and do not need to take extra classes to pass exams and admissions.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Associate Professor Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Director of the Department of Secondary Education (Ministry of Education and Training), said that more investment should be made in extra learning instead of extra teaching. However, it is necessary to understand that extra learning means self-study, not having someone to teach you extra. Self-study activities with guidance from teachers at school should be encouraged. Schools need to open doors, set aside classrooms and libraries for students to study on their own. Currently, according to Mr. Thanh, due to widespread and prolonged extra teaching, students have little self-study capacity and depend heavily on "extra teaching". Some teachers are only interested in teaching but not really interested in guiding students to self-study, assigning students work to study, do and practice at home. From the new regulations on extra teaching and extra learning, teaching and learning must also gradually change.

"There are two issues: legal regulations and people's awareness. The management agency has specific regulations, but people's awareness is very important. It is true that there is still pressure on passing exams and university entrance exams. Everyone wants their children to get into a good school and that is a legitimate need of each person. However, parents today have a clearer understanding of the value of human development. We need to focus on learning methods instead of trying to study a lot but not bringing practical results. There have been cases where parents and students, during a certain period of exam preparation, cram to the point of exhaustion to pass the exam, then relax. Or in reality, there are many children who, when they grow up, have enough knowledge but are disadvantaged due to a lack of many skills," Mr. Thanh said.

"It is not satisfactory to say that schools do not organize review sessions, the quality will decrease, or that mass review sessions for all students/classes will not bring good scores. Not to mention, when it is a national regulation, localities must implement it equally and fairly and do not need to worry too much, put too much emphasis on the issue, and then arrange classes for students to practice for the exam in the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening," Mr. Thanh stated his opinion.

The exam focuses more on practical applications.

Professor Do Duc Thai, Editor of the math program, said that in order to properly develop viewpoints, goals, methods and ways to recognize high school graduation for students, it is necessary to unify the principles that the Resolution of the Central Committee and the National Assembly has pointed out. That is to innovate the method of examination and recognition of high school graduation in a concise direction, reducing pressure and costs for society while still ensuring reliability, honesty, and correct assessment of students' abilities; providing data for vocational education and university education enrollment... Thus, the method of examination and recognition of high school graduation must directly contribute to the successful implementation of the instructions of Resolution 29 on career orientation for high school students "in order to best promote the potential of each student".

Students study well when they understand the meaning of learning, are interested, love learning, and are responsible for learning.

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

According to Professor Thai, educational assessment must follow the principle of "what you learn is what you test". It is impossible to let educational assessment regulate and control educational goals, that is, it is impossible to let "what you test is what you learn". For each subject in the 2018 General Education Program, it is necessary to build trust among students and their parents about the value that the knowledge of that subject brings to the student's future life, thereby motivating and attracting students to the subject. To achieve that, innovate the content and teaching methods of each subject. It is impossible to use administrative measures: forcing exams to force students to study that subject.

Sharing with Thanh Nien reporter, Professor Huynh Van Chuong, Director of the Department of Quality Management (Ministry of Education and Training), also repeatedly emphasized that the way of making high school graduation exam questions from 2025 will change in a positive direction in accordance with the spirit directed by the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training: Ensuring that students study according to the program, without needing extra classes, they will still pass the exams and admissions.

Specifically, the exam does not only test knowledge but focuses more on assessing the ability to apply knowledge in practice. Accordingly, there will be many questions built from real-life situations in life, science, and society, helping candidates clearly see the connection between learned knowledge and the surrounding world. The literature exam may use materials outside of textbooks, helping to assess students' ability to read, understand, and perceive texts in real-life situations, avoiding rote learning and mechanical memorization...

Professor Huynh Van Chuong also affirmed that the exam questions from 2025 will be more differentiated but that does not mean they will be more difficult in the direction of "puzzling". The questions will aim to assess students' abilities and their ability to apply knowledge to solve practical problems. This knowledge is linked to the program and the requirements that need to be met.

Good learning results are the result of learning methods, self-study

According to Associate Professor Chu Cam Tho (Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences), students who study well are those who understand the meaning of studying, are interested, enjoy studying, and are responsible for their studies. Good learning results are the result of learning methods, self-study; being guided and helped to expand and determine learning goals, to strive for self-improvement. To accompany and support students to study well, teachers' teaching needs to conduct correct, serious, and quality assessment of the learning process, not to practice for exams, making students work hard.

There are quite a few studies on the relationship between academic performance at school and later success or academic performance and satisfaction and happiness in life, showing that many students who won high prizes in exams were not successful. For example, in Vietnam, there are quite a few students who were admitted directly thanks to high scores in graduation exams and achieved the title of excellent student but did not do well in university. The reason is said to be that they lack the ability to self-study and lack the motivation to study and research.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giam-day-them-hoc-them-tang-tu-hoc-thay-doi-cach-ra-de-thi-185250227214827917.htm