On Sunday morning, Mai Anh, Tuan Hoang and Phuong Anh went to Thu Duc Food Market with camera, pens and paper.

They visited the freshwater stalls. “We are students at N.H.H High School. Could we take some pictures to do our exercises?” one of the three students asked the seller.

After getting permission, three students took pictures of fish, and asked about the characteristics of each fish and preservation method. With the knowledge they have learned at school, they will make a film about the fish and give a presentation before the class. The teacher will give scores to the film instead of a 45-minute test as usual.

The HCMC Education and Training Department has released the instructions on changing the way of teaching and assessing students’ abilities for the 2019-2020 academic year, asking secondary and high schools to assess students’ knowledge in different ways.

The HCMC Education and Training Department has released the instructions on changing the way of teaching and assessing students’ abilities for the 2019-2020 academic year, asking secondary and high schools to assess students’ knowledge in different ways.

The department encourages assessment through presentation, students’ learning attitudes, learning records, products, students’ reports on implementation of research projects, reports on experiment results and practice hours. Teachers assess through these ways instead of 45-minute tests.

At present, students have to take 45-minutes tests when they finish every chapter in textbooks.

Nguyen Viet Dang Du, a history teacher at Le Quy Don High School in HCMC, said he and his colleagues have been applying new teaching and assessment methods for the last 5-6 years. Instead of raising questions and expecting students to give answers with facts and figures which they learned by heart, they have applied a new assessment method.

“At our school, students only have to do semester-end tests. In general, teachers assess students’ ability through their implementation of projects or through their activities and skills,” he said.

Under the current regulation, students have to take many 15-minute written tests, oral tests, and 45-minute tests during one academic year. However, Du has applied a new teaching and student assessment method to replace tests. Students can show their knowledge through mind maps, presentations or video clips.

Du said the new method has been applauded by students because it allows them to show their ability and helps them practice soft skills.

Du is happy as the city’s education and training department is encouraging them to assess students in new ways.

“if Vietnam wants to reform education and teaching method, changing the way of assessing students’ ability is a must,” he commented.

Vietnam is undergoing education reform as educators believe that the old way of teaching, under which teachers give knowledge during lessons and students recite their lessons back, is no longer suitable to modern times.

Chi Mai 

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