VNEN applied in primary school nationwide

The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards. It could be considered as a better method to children for the wider world and help
them to speak out what they think.
Looking at the Vietnamese language period of Class 2C in Da Thanh Primary School in the suburban district of
the central highlands city of Da Lat, students were divided in to teams to discuss the lesson.
Team leaders are dignified in their speech showing their real role in leading the peers. Teachers just act as
facilitators and will only intervene in case of necessity.
Teacher Bui Thi Kim Dung of Class 2C said that she and her colleagues spent a lot of times guiding students the
new learning methods by actively reading books and searching for more documents to supplement the lesson in
textbooks.
When students get accustomed to the new learning method, teaching is simpler. With better self-awareness of
learning, students are confident to deliver their speech before the class; and there should be a close coordination
between teachers and parents to encourage practice at home, said teacher Dung.
From the 2012-2013 academic year, Da Thanh Primary School has applied VNEN for second and third graders
and til now it has been taught for fifth graders.
Principal Le Thi Kim Oanh said that teaching quality is improved and students become more confident. Teachers
skill is enhanced in an attempt to intruct their students to cope with the new method.
According to teachers, VNEN helps form friendliness and students are not afraid when their teachers give
them the question. The modest and diffident students become more active to raise questions of what they dont
understand to teachers and their peers. Especially classes have some KHo ethnic minority students who are very
shy and modest also become active.
Nguyen Kim Long, head of the Primary Section of the Department of Education and Training in the central
highlands province of Lam Dong, said that VNEN has been applied in 18 primary schools in the province.
Director of the MoET's High School Education Department Vu Dinh Chuan said the application of the new
model as per the decree No. 29 on education reform is expected to pave the way for the next new teaching
methodology.
VNEN will be implemented in junior high schools in the northern provinces of Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Hoa Binh, the
central province of Khanh and the central highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Kon Tum.
Currently, the program has been implemented in 63 provinces and cities with 746,000 primary student
participants.

VNEN documents to be developed into official textbooks

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has decided to develop teaching kits
under VNEN the new teaching model for Vietnam into one of the sets of textbooks to be used for general
education reform, commencing from 2018.
Under the general education reform program, from the 2018-2019 academic year, Vietnam will apply the one
curriculum, many sets of textbooks policy. VNEN textbooks will be the ones general schools can apply in
teaching.
VNEN has been applied at 2,365 primary schools and more than 1,000 secondary schools in 54 provinces and
cities in the last three years.
MOET, highly appreciating the new teaching model, said that the number of primary schools voluntarily applying
VNEN in reality is two times higher than the number of schools projected to apply the model.
The project, which kicked off in January 2013, is expected to finish in late May 2016.
Under the general education
reform program, from the 20182019 academic year, Vietnam will
apply the one curriculum, many
sets of textbooks policy.

However, MOET decided that the model, which showed initial successes,
needs to be used in Vietnam.
Thanh Nien quoted its sources as saying that four sets of textbooks and
some other separate books may be published when Vietnam begins
implementing the new education program.

These include one set of textbooks compiled by a group of authors in the south, another set of textbooks
compiled by the authors in Hanoi and the VNEN set of textbooks.
However, while MOET insists on the VNEN textbooks, many teachers have expressed their doubts about the
feasibility of the application of the textbooks in the new teaching program, saying that the textbooks have
weighty content.
According to Nguyen Quynh Trang from the Nam Ha Secondary School in Ha Tinh province, teachers do not
have to write lesson plans when teaching in accordance with the VNEN model, because the details about the
activities during the lessons can be found in VNENs teaching kits.
However, teachers cannot rely on the details to give lessons. They need to find additional information to discuss
with students.
Nguyen Thi Van Hong, headmaster of Le Loi Secondary School in Hanoi, said she was worried that VNEN
documents may become the official textbooks, because the information provided in the textbooks is too for
students.
Hong said a lot of parents complained that it was difficult to help their children follow the lessons according to
the VNEN model. Teachers are told not to prepare lesson plans, but in fact, they have to work hard to do so for
every lesson.
To prepare for some lessons, teachers have to develop long 7-8-page lesson plans. Besides, they also have to
prepare teaching aids and experiment tools, she said.
The workload would be reasonable for teachers if they have 10 lessons a week only. But they have 19 lessons a
week, she said.
Vietnamese teachers talk less during lessons under new methodology
Last update: 07:27 | 26/07/2015
VietNamNet Bridge - After three years of applying VNEN on a trial basis with reservations, many provinces and
cities have decided that the new school model will be used on a large scale in their localities.

Le Thi Thu Hien is a teacher at the Dai Tu Primary School. Two years ago, Dai Tu began applying VNEN in a
pilot program and Hien was one of the few teachers attending the training course about the model organized by
the provincial education department.
Hien has been a VNEN teacher since the 2012-2013 academic year.
In general, VNEN creates a schooling environment in which students are encouraged to study, while teachers do
not preach to students, but just give advice and support to them, Hien said.
The most outstanding feature of the new model is the way the class is organized and managed.
In class, students sit in groups, face to face, so as to be able to discuss and exchange views more easily.
The class is managed by a so called self-management council.
The chair of the council has the duty of supervising and asking other students to fulfill their works. He or she
can also act as the monitor when teachers are away.
This method encourages students in self-study, self-control and self-management.
Meanwhile, the teachers are free from the blackboard and white chalk, while focusing on organizing the classes
activities.
In the class, teachers just act as instructors, who put forward issues for students to discuss, but they play a very
important role in keeping students active in their thinking and learning.
Teachers need to cover the activities of all the groups in the class, the work which is more difficult to be done
than in traditional classes, Hien said.
The work was so hard that I could not wear shoes in the first period of applying VNEN, but I had to go in carpet
slippers so as to move easily, she said.
Teachers talk less
Students lack of understanding of the lessons was the major problem faced by VNEN teachers who joined the
pilot teaching program.
With VNEN, teachers talk less during teaching hours, and instead focus on observing students and giving
instruction that helps them learn on their own.
This was a great challenge for teachers, according to Nguyen Thi Hue from the Hung Son Primary School,
because they feared students would not understand if they did not explain in detail.
However, Hue has realized that self-study with the teachers help is the best way for students to receive
knowledge.
Hien of Dai Tu School noted that VNEN students are more dynamic and have a better way of expressing their
viewpoints than students in traditional classes.
New learning model needed for essential education reform
Viet Nam has adapted an international model of learning that will modernise its failing education system and
better prepare children for the wider world, Deputy Minister of Education Nguyen Vinh Hien told the Vietnam
News Agency.
How do you respond to the conclusions of National Assembly inspections from primary to high school levels that
learning material lacks consistency and practical use, and it fails to meet the nation's development requirements?
I can't agree more. The quality of our present education and training has not yet met the nation's development
requirements.

There are different factors leading to the issue, particularly the objectives, content and teaching methodology,
they are all closely intertwined - the major reason causing an imbalance between theory and practical skills.
Regarding the educational objective, we have paid so much attention to the objective of catering for all students,
and forgot the idea of enhancing individual's strengths.
We have focused too much on transferring the knowledge to the students and less on self-learning skills, while
textbooks and lectures contain too much academic content. All these have led to the imbalance between theory
and practical skills.
One of our educational objectives is to provide the students with as much knowledge as possible. As a result,
teaching has dominated the class and the students have become passive learners.
This is a result of the fact that many schools only focus teaching students by rote from their textbooks, rather than
teaching them practical skills.
More recently your Ministry has introduced an international model - the VNEN - to modernise its education
system and prepare children for the 21st century.
Will you please give our readers more details about the model?
The VNEN model has opened a new path for education, a new mechanism to help us to solve the above
mentioned problems.
I should say under the Escuela Nueva model, students are more engaged in class with teachers serving as
facilitators, and parents and other community members are more involved in making learning relevant to their
children's lives.
This new model will also address students' participation during the class and through tests.
MoET has given detailed instructions on how to assess the students during the learning process to encourage
them to achieve better results and help them to overcome any difficulties they are facing.
We hope with the new model, the teachers will become their students' close friends and be able to help them
develop their strengths and limit their weaknesses.
This is the novel of the VNEN model.
What are the differences between the old and the new models?
There are quite a lot of differences between the two. The first difference I would like to mention is the design of
the lesson content.
Each lesson focuses on one topic which it is divided into three steps: the first step - self reading; in the next step,
the students have to use their understanding to solve given questions; and the last step is to apply the acquired
knowledge to a practical situation either in the school, community or their families.
Lessons designed in such a way will ensure the balance between theory and practical skills.
For the teachers, as I have mentioned, they will act as facilitators and will only intervene in case of necessity.
In the case of advanced students, if they finish the lesson before their peers, they may move to the next lesson or
the teacher may give them new assignments.
This way of learning and teaching will help to train the students in dynamism and creativity, two important
elements that can shape their futures.
The second difference is the organisation of the classes. The students are sat in groups, but they act individually.
However, in case of necessity, they will discuss or exchange ideas together. This is a very good way for the
students to develop individual and collective work.
I must say that the VNEN model is an ideal way for students to self govern.
Of course, these organisations will operate in terms and with specific tasks for each period.
What's more important is that with this model, each student is free to express their idea or any changes they want
to make, and discuss to come to mutual agreements.
The students will feel the true prevailing of the democratic environment and the friendship among themselves.
This VNEN model will also provide parents opportunities to make contributions to enriching the students'
lessons.
What is the significance of the VNEN model towards Viet Nam's plan to reform the curriculum and textbooks of
general schooling by 2015?
This is a good opportunity for us to apply the model to the general school curriculum and textbooks, which we
cannot do now after 2015.
From the 1,447 schools that applied the VNEN model in the previous school year (2012-13), MoET have decided
to add 200 more schools to the list of VNEN model applying institutions this year.
The introduction of the VNEN model will serve as a transitional period for us to start to reform our general
education after 2015.
Lessons learned from the VNEN model will serve as a good foundation for us to start the reform. VNS
Thematic Units: Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:

Connections
o Helps students understand connections and how to connect
o Draw connections from the real world
o Makes connections through a common them
o Focuses the Learner on the Mastery of Objectives/Overall Goals
o Models for Students the Resources Used in Research

Variety within Learning

o
Makes for well-rounded students (experienced many different ways of learning)
o
Keeps students engaged through making learning activities fun/variety
o Teacher is able to be creative, authentic, and original (as well as the students)
o Expands your Assessment Strategies
o Can integrate all subjects and use literacy within those subjects

Classroom Culture
o Students have choice in what they learn- topic choice
o Utilizes Collaborative and Cooperative Learning
o Share the same learning goals
o Creates a community of learners
o Not all teacher-student centered, this is student centered

Curriculum Advancements
o Technology in the classroom
o Compacts the curriculum
o Integrates Word Processing Skills into Creative Activities
o
Time savers- teaching multiple subjects at one time
Disadvantages:

Interest Issues
o Some students may lose interest
o Student/Teacher could become bored with one theme
o Not participate due to low motivation or interest

Content Issues
o Students miss a day- may miss the connections
o Finding enough resources/information to cover every aspect of the topic
o Intertwining the benchmarks within that one topic may be difficult
o Missing out on some content that could be covered
o Less organization for teacher (compared to basal program)- more work for the teacher

A Turn with Classroom Culture

o With student choice- may cause arguments, unwilling to want to be involved because it wasnt
there first choice
o
Inaccessible to some students due to cultural, academic, or ability differences

Cultural- never experiences winter

Academic- lower level students having a hard time with concepts within that theme- but
expected to connect
Ability- ESL students do not receive a variety of language practice- mostly how to use that
language toward only one topic
INTEGRATING PHYSICAL EDUCATION INTO THE CURRICULUM
The real world is neither fragmented nor boxed into separate compartments that are totally independent of
eachother. Life is a mix of experiences, each relating to another. Similarly, the school curriculum should be
integrated to actively engage children in a learning process consisting of complementary curricular areas.
WHAT IS INTEGRATED / INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING?
Several subject areas being integrated with the goal of enhancing learning in each subject area.
Not a new concept but in the past it has not involved the integration of physical education with other subject
areas.
There is no one specific model that can be followed to integrate subjects.
Integration can occur when there is a focal point which can be targeted across curricular areas.

 It is important to implement integration when a learning problem arises which requires involvement of more
than one subject area to solve.
The SACSA Framework believes integration of the physical education curriculum is vital. It states;
Learning in health and physical education promotes the integration of physical, social, emotional, environmental
and spiritual dimensions of living, and includes areas such as health education, physical education, home
economics, outdoor education and sport educationit also includes work education, community studies,
integrated studies, nutrition and personal development studies, and cross-disciplinary studies such as womens
issues.(DETE, 2001, p 95)
With the current focus in Australia on the numeracy and literacy deficiencies of our children, it is also important
to note that the framework also states;
Within the studies of health and physical education there are significant opportunities provided for learners to use
a range of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technologies skills. This is evident in the use
of appropriate terminology and Information Communications Technology (ICTs) to communicate ideas and
explore concepts of space, time, shape and measurement. Learners select and use a range of ways and modes to
structure and report their learning, enhancing the process by the use and application of ICTs in planning, drafting,
editing and presenting. (DETE, 2001, p 96)
In texts published prior to the 1990s it is impossible to find reference to integration of physical education with
other subjects. This is an accurate reflection of how physical education has been neglected until recent years as a
curricular area which can be integrated with maths, english, science, languages and many other subjects.
Physical education provides social, physical, mental and emotional learning that can be applied not only in the
physical education curriculum but all learning areas, and indeed throughout a lifetime. (Singer, R. & Dick,
W.,1974, p 16). Ancient Greeks recognised these widespread benefits by placing great emphasis on physical
activity and development. (Halsey, E., 1964, p 11) Nowadays, however, physical education is being increasingly
squeezed out of school programs for a number of reasons. One line of thought is that subjects such as maths,
literacy and science are far more important to students because these are what are required to proceed through
further education towards employment. This argument falls apart when one becomes aware of how physical
education can be integrated with these subject areas to maximise the learning in both of them. There are many
ways physical education can be integrated with other subject areas. The key to this being achieved successfully is
that there is a central theme of focal point which relates to the subjects being integrated. This focal point will
then be learnt more effectively when integration takes place.
EXAMPLES OF HOW PHYSICAL EDUCATION CAN BE INTEGRATED WITH OTHER SUBJECTS.
An athletics unit in physical education can involve students recording their achievements in long jump, sprints,
javelin etc. This data can then be compiled and used in a maths class where students can obtain a class average,
an average for boys/girls. Following on from this, in an IT lesson, students could use this data to compile graphs,
tables, spreadsheets, even a PowerPoint presentation.
An exercise circuit in which students take their pulse can be followed by a discussion of how exercise effects
the cardio-vascular system. This can be complemented in a science classroom where a cows heart may be
dissected to demonstrate how our hearts function and are affected by exercise.
A dance unit in the physical education curriculum which emphasises movement as a form of expression can be
integrated with a creative writing exercise where students have to write what they feel a dance represents.
A physical education unit involving foreign sports such as bocce or hurling can be incorporated with a society
and environment unit looking at countries and cultures around the world.
Any physical education lesson can be integrated with the concept of biomechanics and the subject area of
physics to explain how our muscles and bones operate. This could then lead to a unit in maths looking at angles
such as those formed at the knees and elbows during specific physical activities.
ADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATION
Can help students recognise the links between their learning and real life /other contexts.
Can alleviate the pressure on teachers to try and fit every subject area into their planning.
Connects ideas in the curriculum.
Enhances learning by introducing content from new perspectives.
Breaks disciplinary boundaries, thereby providing teacher more flexibility.

 Students can often draw more meaning and relevance from learning.
Acts as a reinforcement tool.
DISADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATION
Requires additional program planning to coordinate different subject areas to run concurrently.
The scope and purity of some subjects can be lost/confused.
The teachers need expertise to be able to integrate effectively so as to maximise learning
Needs to be taught at appropriate time/context or can become confusing and detrimental to learning.
Integrating of physical education can go beyond simply integrating with other subjects. Physical education can be
integrated into many aspects of the school environment. The Active For Life, Active Schools and Jump Rope for
Heart programs are just some of the initiatives a school can get involved in to integrate physical activity
throughout the school.
The physical education curriculum can also incorporate skills that can be applied in many subjects. A project
which requires research in the library, on the internet or through conducting interviews as well as any form of
resource-based learning requires students to practice skills that can be used in any other subject.(Harris, J. p 67)

The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards.
What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of VNEN? In what way do you think the new
model should be applied?
===============================================================================
The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards.
What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of VNEN? In what way do you think the new
model should be applied?
===============================================================================

The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards.
What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of VNEN? In what way do you think the new
model should be applied?
===============================================================================

The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards.
What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of VNEN? In what way do you think the new
model should be applied?
===============================================================================

The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards.
What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of VNEN? In what way do you think the new
model should be applied?
===============================================================================
The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards.

What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of VNEN? In what way do you think the new
model should be applied?
===============================================================================
The new school model for Vietnam (VNEN) program has been applied in primary schools nationwide since
the 2012-2013 academic year that focuses on reforming teaching method and assessment to children in line
with new standards.
What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of VNEN? In what way do you think the new
model should be applied?
===============================================================================