Organizing elementary education activities to develop pupils’capacity



Student-centered approach develops pupils’ capacity, which overcomes shortcomings of traditional teaching, helps pupils to meet requirements of learning at higher level and adapt to the rapid development of socioeconomic changes nowadays. The author focuses on implementing solutions to organize structure and rearrange teaching contents of subjects in the elementary program in order to develop pupils’ capacity and evaluate learning outcomes.

Key words: pupil’s capacity, elementary education in Vietnam, student-centered approach, evaluation

In order to renovate teaching activities of elementary education and to develop pupils’ capacity in Binh Phuoc province some solutions must be implemented simultaneously with innovation in organization of teaching activities.

1. Content and methods of solution’s implementation.
   1. To direct teachers to organize structure, rearrange teaching contents of subjects to develop pupils’ capacity.

Rearranging teaching contents of subjects in the current elementary school should ensure the following principles: to improve achievements by implementation educational objectives; to ensure logic of knowledge and consistency between subjects and educational activities; to ensure that total time of subjects and educational activities in every year follows regulations of Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam [2, p. 46].

Rearranging contents of subjects in the elementary program should be strictly organized including steps as following:

− Step 1. Review contents of program, textbooks;

Objective of this step is to remove old, outdated, inappropriate knowledge; at the same time to supplement and update new knowledge in accordance with the level of awareness, psychological, physiological features of pupils’ age and local and regional characteristics, especially characteristics of ethnic minorities.

− Step 2. Rearranging structure, teaching contents of subjects in a program.In this step it is possible to organize teaching contents of each subject as new lessons, to convert some teaching contents into educational activities and supplement contents of other activities, especially creative experimental ones [1, p. 78].

− Step 3. Design integrated topics.

Integrated topics include contents in a subject or different subjects that are closely related to one another in the program. The integrated topics among subjects belong primarily to the field of natural sciences — technology, humanities and social sciences [5, p. 112].

− Step 4. Developing a new teaching plan.

Based on the structure and rearranging teaching contents in a subject or different subjects in the program, teaching plan should be rebuilt in accordance with the content, standards of knowledge, skills, and practical conditions of particular elementary schools.

− Step 5. Organize implementation of new teaching plan.

Elementary schools could be flexible in organizing implementation of new teaching plan in one department, one class, one chapter/topic in appropriate time in the school year.

1.2. To encourage teachers to apply methods and forms of teaching to develop pupils’ capacity in the elementary school.

Methods and forms of teaching organization play an important role in developing pupils’ capacity. There are efficient methods and forms of teaching organization that are more likely to promote initiative, creativity and application of knowledge and skills of learners; encourage self-learning to create a basis for learners to self-update and renew knowledge, skills, and develop their ability [7, p. 5].

Forms of learning must be diversified and pay attention to social activities, extracurricular activities and creative experimental activities.

To develop pupils’capacity methods and forms of teaching organization should be applied as following:

1) for methods of teaching attention should be paid to group discussions, problem solving, typical case studying, project-based teaching, hands-kneading. Additionally it should be combined with positive teaching techniques such as brainstorming, mind maps, round tables.

2) apart from teaching forms applied in the class, it should be paid more attention to applying activities in community, social, extracurricular and creative experimental activities.

Applying efficient methods and forms of teaching organization-developing pupils’ capacity would be implemented by a process with steps as following:

− Step 1. Study contents of lessons.

Objectives of this step are to identify how lesson can contribute to the development of pupils’ capacity and how it should be structured.

− Step 2. Studying differences between capacity and learning style of pupils.

Each pupil has a private ability, experience and learning style. Those differences require teachers to use methods and forms of teaching organization to personalize learning activities. It means that current level, ability, and learning attitudes of each pupil must be recognized.

− Step 3. Study learning conditions at school

Teachers need to understand thoroughly conditions of teaching to choose methods and forms of teaching organization in accordance with organization of teaching activities to develop pupils’ capacity.

− Step 4. Consider strengths and weaknesses of teachers in applying methods and forms of teaching organization.

Each teacher has both strengths and weaknesses in applying methods and forms of teaching organization [6, p. 34]. Thus, in order to reach the highest achievements, the teacher must consider their advantages and disadvantages when using methods and forms of teaching organization, and choose appropriate ones, which have the best effectiveness in developing pupils’ capacity.

− Step 5. Implement selected methods and forms of teaching organization.

In this step teachers implement selected methods and forms of teaching organization in teaching activities.

1.3. To evaluate pupils’ learning results to develop pupils’ capacity.

Assessing pupils’ learning results is a motivation in renovation in teaching activities in elementary schools.

The process of evaluation pupils’ learning results to develop capacity includes steps as following:

1) identification of objectives of evaluation;

2) selecting methods and forms of evaluation;

3) implementation evaluation;

When implementing evaluation, the first thing needs to be done is developing a system of exercises [3, p. 11]. This system is a tool for pupils training to form capacity. At the same time, it is a tool for teachers and managers of school to evaluate capacity of pupils and assess standard level of learning process.

4) processing results of evaluation;

Results of evaluation should be processed qualitatively (by comments, classification) and quantitatively (figures, diagrams) to provide a general overview of pupils’ capacity development in the process of teaching.

5) feedback information to pupils and other related subjects.

The feedback will help pupils to adjust their learning activities. As a result teachers and managers adjust their activities and parents understand learning results of their children.

2. Conditions for implementing solutions.

In order to implement teaching organization effectively to develop pupils’ capacity teachers have to have competence to implement teaching activities. aimed at capacity development. Besides, elementary schools have to have a system of teaching equipment’s that ensure implementation of methods and forms of teaching organization for learning activities of pupils. An important thing is that the number of pupils in class is not too big for teachers to monitor and evaluate their activities.

3. Organizing solutions implementation.

From 2014 to 2015 Binh Phuoc province implemented «New school model». Content was structured and rearranged (in comparison with current program) and had innovative methods and forms of teaching organization [4, p. 23]. The assessment showed that results of pupils’ education in classes in experimental schools are higher than before experiment and schools implemented the program. Pupils are very brave, confident, self-confident, self-taught, active and participate actively in learning. There are some skills that are formed such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, assessment and self-assessment.

Table 1

Educational quality of pre-experiment (2014–2015) and post-experiment (2015–2016)

School year	Total number of pupils	Vietnamese language				Mathematics				Complete program in class		Incomplete program in class		Note
		Complete		Incomplete		Complete		Incomplete		Number	Rate%	Number	Rate%
		Number	Rate%	Number	Rate%	Number	Rate%	Number	Rate%
2014–2015	91527	89120	97,37	2407	2,63	89759	98,07	1768	1,93	89076	97,32	2451	2,68	Control group
2015–2016	23162	23089	99,68	73	0,32	23109	99,77	53	0,23	23080	99,65	82	0,35	Experimental group
Difference rate			2,31		-2,31		1,70		-1,70		2,32		-2,32

The statistical results above show that: the percentage of pupils who complete the Vietnamese language, Mathematics and program in class after experiment increased in comparison with before an experiment by 2,31 %, 1,70 %, and 2,32 %.

Table 2

Quality of education in experimental classes and in classes following the current program in the same school year 2015–2016

Pupils	Total number of pupils	Capacity				Quality				Complete program in class				Note
		Capacity		Quality		Capacity		Quality		Complete		Incomplete
		To meet	Not meet	To meet	Not meet	To meet	Not meet	Number	Rate%	Number	Rate%	Number	Rate%
Following the current program	75168	74793	99,50	375	0,50	75155	99,98	13	0,02	7436	98,93	807	1,07	Control group
Following the experimental program	23162	23127	99,85	35	0,15	23161	99,996	1	0,004	2308	99,65	82	0,35	Experimental group
Difference rate			0,35		-0,35		0,01		-0,01		0,72		-0,72

The statistical results above show that the percentage of pupils in experimental group who reached target level of capacity, quality and complete the program in class is higher than percentage of pupils who participated in the current program by 0,35 %, 0,01 %, and 0,72 %.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, quality of elementary educational in Binh Phuoc province in school year 2015–2016 is equivalent to the elementary educational quality in the whole country.

Binh Phuoc province has continued to innovate teaching activities in classes and elementary schools with these achievements. In the academic year 2016–2017 the innovation will be implemented in 43 schools, 828 classes, for 27105 pupils in the whole province (rate 27,98 %).

References:

1. Dang Quoc Bao, Nguyen Si Thu. Organization of teaching for comprehensive capacity development of young generation. Journal of Education, 2014. № 347, p. 71–84.
2. Dang Quoc Bao, Pham Minh Mu. Capacity and capacity development of students. Journal of Educational Sciences, 2015. № 117, p. 38–47.
3. Nguyen Thanh Ngoc Bao. The study of concept of qualitative assessment and proposed forms of assessment of student’s literary competence. Journal of Science, 2015. № 56, p. 7–13.
4. Hoang Hoa Binh. Capacity and structure of capacity. Journal of Education Science, 2015. № 117, p. 20–25.
5. Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam. Some aspects of basic and comprehensive Doi Moi contents. Education Publishing House. Hanoi, 2014, 123.
6. Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam. Developing the GDPT program for development of agricultural production. Hanoi, 2014, 45.
7. Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam. Training Manual «Primary School orientation in accordance with Circular No. 22/2016 / TT-BGDDT, Hanoi, 2016, 76.