In just a short time, along with the whole country, teachers and students of schools in Ha Tinh will enter the new school year. This is also the school year marking an important turning point when the Ministry of Education and Training implemented Official Dispatch 4567/BGDĐT-GDPT, guiding the implementation of teaching 2 sessions/day.
According to regulations, session 1 is for the main general education program, including compulsory subjects and educational activities; session 2 is for activities to supplement practical knowledge, foster capacity, develop skills, physical education, arts, STEM education, career guidance, etc. to comprehensively develop students.
The new point of this program is the clear distinction of functions and objectives between the two sessions, and flexibility in arrangement, not requiring the morning to be session 1 and the afternoon to be session 2, but depending on the school's conditions to arrange appropriately. At the junior high school level, session 2 will combine in-class learning and out-of-class experiences. At the high school level, it is possible to cooperate with universities, vocational institutions, businesses, etc. to organize appropriate educational activities. Regarding duration, the Ministry of Education and Training stipulates that primary school students study at least 9 sessions/week, each session is 35 minutes; junior high school and high school students study at least 5 days, maximum 11 sessions/week, each session is 45 minutes.
This is a breakthrough orientation, but also poses significant challenges, especially in terms of human resources and organization. In reality, in Ha Tinh today, the teaching staff is not enough to implement 2-session teaching/day at the junior high and high school levels (while the primary level has maintained this form for many years). In addition to the shortage of teachers: Information Technology, Foreign Languages in many schools, there is also a shortage of teachers of the following subjects: Nature - Society, History - Geography at the junior high level; Music, Fine Arts at the high school level.
In that context, organizing 2 sessions a day means that teachers' workload will increase, causing many teachers to be concerned and worried. "If the 2nd session is organized scientifically, it will reduce pressure on the main curriculum. This not only creates more creative space but also increases the connection between the school and students. However, for teachers, teaching all day requires reasonable arrangement, ensuring both class time and time to prepare for professional matters," said Ms. Le Thanh Ha - teacher at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School (Duc Tho commune).
From a management perspective, Mr. Ho Tien Duong - Principal of Cao Thang High School (Son Tay Commune) said: "In addition to completing the main teaching period, teachers also need to invest more in the second session activities to make them attractive and stimulate students' interest in learning. Therefore, the school needs to have a reasonable timetable, assign work based on capacity, and at the same time encourage teachers to boldly innovate teaching methods...".
Not only is it a matter of time and human resources, but also the content development for session 2 is a big challenge. Teachers need to continuously self-study, improve their skills in organizing activities, and proactively update their knowledge to meet the increasingly diverse requirements of the program.
Ms. Tran Thi Nga - Teacher at Cam Xuyen Town Secondary School (Cam Xuyen Commune) said: "To effectively teach 2 sessions/day, teachers must flexibly innovate methods, integrate extracurricular activities, career education, STEM education... At the same time, we also need to promote the role of connecting with parents and the community to organize activities suitable to local conditions".
Not only that, the issue of remuneration is also a concern of the teaching staff. Increasing teaching sessions means increasing working hours, but currently there is no separate source of funding to pay for this work. In that context, the Ha Tinh Department of Education and Training is focusing on consulting on recruitment and additional contracts for teachers, while applying temporary solutions such as: inter-class and inter-grade teaching and applying IT to reduce the workload. These are steps to share the workload, maintain motivation for teachers, and avoid overload when having to implement the new program while increasing teaching time.
Although there are many difficulties at present, most teachers believe that teaching 2 sessions/day, when implemented systematically, will bring long-term benefits. Ms. Le Thi Hong Chien - Vice Principal of Tran Kim Xuyen Secondary School (Kim Hoa Commune) shared: "We expect the 2nd session to become a time for students to develop their full potential, not only consolidating knowledge but also nurturing their passion for discovery. This is also an opportunity for students to confidently express their talents and practice life skills. If well organized, the 2nd session will become a driving force, helping students find joy in going to school every day and soon shape their future direction."
According to teachers, organizing 2 sessions/day also helps students reduce the pressure of extra classes thanks to tutoring and training right in the 2nd session. In addition, this will contribute to the effective implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, improve the overall quality and gradually narrow the gap between students in different regions.
According to the Department of Education and Training of Ha Tinh, in order to avoid teachers being overloaded when implementing the new program and increasing teaching sessions, the unit has proposed solutions to arrange and organize reasonable timetables; encourage inter-class and inter-grade teaching for some subjects... In addition, the sector will also increase the application of IT, artificial intelligence, exploit digital science resources, organize online teaching combined with direct teaching in appropriate content.
In addition, organizing professional activities in clusters of schools and sharing learning materials helps teachers reduce the burden of lesson preparation, giving them more time to invest in the quality of their lessons. The goal is to balance the workload, maintain motivation and peace of mind for the team, and at the same time meet the requirements of general education reform.
Faced with the shortage of teachers, the sector is advising the province to recruit, mobilize, and second, while training and flexibly arranging the existing staff. Along with that is the solution of applying IT, connecting teachers between schools to temporarily overcome difficulties, aiming to gradually perfect the human resource structure, ensuring the quality of teaching 2 sessions/day. For new subjects, experiential activities and topics in the 2nd session, the sector has developed a practical training plan, while encouraging teachers to self-study, apply digital technology, and share experiences through forums and subject networks. Thereby, each teacher is not only solid in expertise but also has the skills to organize activities, creating excitement for students.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/day-hoc-2-buoi-ap-luc-va-ky-vong-post294242.html
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