The contents of activities of professional group on teaching and testing in Vietnam are clearly stipulated in Official Dispatch 5555/BGDDT-GDTrH providing guidance on professional meetings concerning the innovation of teaching methods and assessments; as well as the organization and management of online professional activities of secondary schools/continuing education centers in Vietnam.
Official Dispatch 5555: 05 contents of activities of professional group on teaching and testing in Vietnam (Illustrative image)
Official Dispatch 5555/BGDDT-GDTrH stipulates that each professional group in secondary schools and Continuing Education Centers must develop at least 02 teaching topics per semester; conduct trial teaching for class observation, analysis, and feedback, and submit the results on the online forum.
The content of professional group meetings on innovating teaching methods and testing and evaluation methods is specified as follows:
Developing Teaching Topics | Instead of the current approach of teaching each lesson by lesson in the textbooks, professional groups should base their choices on the existing curriculum and textbooks to develop teaching topics suitable for the application of active teaching methods in the school's practical conditions. On the basis of reviewing the knowledge, skills, and attitude standards according to the current curriculum and the projected learning activities that will be organized for students through active teaching methods, determine the competencies and qualities that can be formed for students in each developed topic. |
Preparing Questions/Exercises | For each developed topic, identify and describe 4 levels of requirements (recognition, understanding, application, higher application) for each type of question/exercise that can be used to assess and evaluate the competencies and qualities of students during teaching. Based on that, prepare specific questions/exercises according to the described requirement levels for use during the teaching and assessment activities according to the developed topic. |
Designing the Teaching Process | The teaching process for each topic is organized into student learning activities that can be carried out both in class and at home. Each class session may only conduct some activities in the pedagogical sequence of the methods and techniques used. |
Conducting Teaching and Class Observation | Based on the developed teaching topics, the professional group assigns teachers to conduct the lesson for class observation, analysis, and feedback on the lesson. During observation, it is important to focus on observing student learning activities by organizing the implementation of learning tasks with the following requirements: - Assigning learning tasks: The learning task should be clear and suitable for the student's capabilities, demonstrated in the product requirements that the student must complete when performing the task; the method of assignment should be lively, attractive, and stimulate the students' cognitive interest; ensure that all students receive and are ready to perform the task. - Performing the learning task: Encourage students to cooperate with each other while performing the learning tasks; promptly identify the students' difficulties and provide suitable and effective support measures; ensure no student is "left behind." - Reporting results and discussion: The reporting method should be suitable for the learning content and the active teaching techniques used; encourage students to exchange, discuss the learning content with one another; handle arising pedagogical situations reasonably. - Evaluating the results of task performance: Provide feedback on the process of performing the learning tasks; analyze, comment, assess the performance results and the discussion opinions of students; clarify the knowledge that students have learned through the activity. Note: Each topic is conducted over multiple class sessions, so a learning task may be performed both inside and outside the classroom. Hence, in a class session, only some steps in the pedagogical progression of the methods and techniques used may be executed. When observing a teaching session, the teacher needs to consider it within the overall teaching process of the designed topic. It's necessary to organize video recordings of teaching sessions for use in lesson analysis. |
Analyzing and Feedback on Lessons | The teaching process of each topic is designed into student learning activities in the form of successive learning tasks that may be performed in class or at home. Students are active, proactive, and creative in performing learning tasks under the guidance of the teacher. Analyzing the lesson from that perspective involves evaluating the effectiveness of student learning activities and assessing the organization, monitoring, and guiding of learning activities by the teacher. |
Additionally, Official Dispatch 5555/BGDDT-GDTrH stipulates that lesson analysis can be based on specific criteria as follows:
Content | Criteria |
1. Teaching Plan and Materials | The suitability of the sequence of learning activities with the objectives, content, and teaching methods used. |
The clarity of the objectives, content, organizational techniques, and the required product of each learning task. | |
The appropriateness of the teaching materials and resources used to organize student learning activities. | |
The reasonableness of the method of assessment during the organization of student learning activities. | |
2. Organization of Student Learning Activities | The liveliness and attraction of the method and form of assigning learning tasks to students. |
The ability to monitor, observe, and promptly identify students' difficulties. | |
The suitability and effectiveness of support measures and encouraging students to cooperate and help each other during the learning tasks. | |
The effectiveness of the teacher's activities in aggregating, analyzing, and evaluating the students' activities and discussions. | |
3. Student Activities | The ability of all students in class to receive and be ready to perform the learning tasks. |
The degree of activeness, proactivity, creativity, and cooperation of students in performing the learning tasks. | |
The participation level of students in presenting, exchanging, and discussing the results of the learning tasks. | |
The accuracy, correctness, and suitability of the results of performing the learning tasks by students. |
Le Hai