Guidelines for using the pedagogical professional development program for high school teachers in Vietnam

Guidelines for using the pedagogical professional development program for high school teachers in Vietnam (Illustrative image)

At Section 5 Circular 40/2011/TT-BGDDT provides guidance on the use of the pedagogical professional development program for high school teachers in Vietnam. To be specific:

- The pedagogical professional development program for high school teachers is built as a framework program, serving as the basis for universities assigned by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam to train teachers (referred to as training institutions) to develop specific training programs, prepare detailed syllabuses for modules, design contents for elective knowledge parts, and compile training materials.

- The content of elective modules should focus on topics such as teaching methods for specific subjects; global education trends; inclusive education skills, life skills education, environmental education, adolescent reproductive health education, HIV/AIDS prevention education, drug and social crime prevention, anti-corruption, traffic safety, etc.; enhancing self-study, practice, teaching practice, and educational science application research quality; applying information technology in organizing teaching and using subject teaching technical devices.

- The curriculum and teaching methods of the specific subject module are built in detail for each subject to allow the learner to choose based on their trained specialty.

- Professional training methods for high school teachers: guidance and adequate time should be provided for self-research, increased discussions, practice, and real-life teaching experience reflection.

- Professional training for high school teachers is conducted by the training institution. The organization of professional training for high school teachers should be flexible (in the form of credit accumulation) to suit the target audience and each trained specialty; it can be organized in one or multiple phases but must ensure the duration (as stated in Section III) and within no more than two years. During this process, the training institution must cooperate with the high school where teachers are undergoing training by sending competent high school teachers to monitor and assist the training teachers. The high school will provide written feedback on the practical application of the training for the training institution as a basis for issuing the Professional Training Certificate.

- After each module, the learner's performance is assessed through exams (for modules 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and elective modules) or dissertations (for modules 1, 2, and 7). Dissertations should clarify the relationship between theory and practice, summarizing real-life experiences in the professional activities of teachers. Individuals with a Doctorate or Master's degree are exempt from corresponding modules already taken in their Doctorate or Master's programs. Individuals with other degrees or certificates are exempt from taking the courses (but still must take exams or prepare dissertations) corresponding to those they have taken to obtain those degrees or certificates.

- The learning outcomes of the modules and feedback from the high school are the bases for training institutions to issue the Professional Training Certificate for high school teachers.

More details can be found in Circular 40/2011/TT-BGDDT, effective from November 2, 2011.

Thuy Tram

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