The quality of teaching is one of the most significant factors determining the quality of education and how effectively a new curriculum can be taken up. In Vietnam, where a new competence-based curriculum has marked a new era for primary school education, VVOB in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training, is supporting teachers nationwide to integrate learning through play activities into classroom-based practices through the rollout of a nationwide teacher professional development training course.
Across many of the countries where VVOB is working, educational reforms are underway, shifting from educational programmes that traditionally focused on academic knowledge to educational programmes that focus on the development of competences, including practical skills, values, and attitudes to complement the application of knowledge in real-world situations. In Vietnam, the Ministry of Education and Training started implementing a new General Education Program (2018 GEP) from grade 1 in the 2020-2021 school year.
The Program launches a new era for primary school education in Vietnam, marking a fundamental change in education, focusing on developing comprehensive competencies and qualities for students. These competencies include problem-solving, creativity, communication, and cooperation. The new, competency-based curriculum will guide the transformation from a knowledge-focused education system to one that truly values the holistic development of its learners, “in order to prepare students to adapt to the rapid changes and complexities of our future society” (2018 GEP).
Quality teaching = quality education
The quality of teaching is one of the most significant factors determining the quality of education and how effectively the new curriculum can be taken up. VVOB’s Integrating Play-based Learning Activities among Young Learners (iPLAY) project supported by The LEGO Foundation, launched in December 2019, is focused on improving teacher professional development in integrating learning through play activities into classroom-based practices.
Early research into the project revealed that school leaders and teachers wanted teacher professional development training on how to apply learning through play in the classroom to help students’ learning to ensure it was both more joyful and effective. One of the teachers interviewed during our research stated that practical course content would "help teachers understand Learning through Play and apply it to achieve the lesson objectives, [and ensure] students are happy and excited.”
Adapting to the new curriculum requires a shift in thinking, transitioning to classroom practices where children are recognised as competent and capable participants who can take ownership over their own learning process. To meet this demand, VVOB in Viet Nam collaborated with a group of experts from the Ministry of Education and Training and Education Universities to develop “Materials for Primary Education Leaders and Teachers on Learning through Play”.
The materials set consists of two guides: Part 1: Guide on learning through play at Primary Schools; and Part 2: Guide for Teacher Professional Development on learning through play”. In addition to this, VVOB organised close to 300 training courses on learning through play. All of this has helped to inform the comprehensive e-course on Learning through Play, which was appraised and approved by the Ministry of Education and Training in May 2023.
The Learning through Play e-course
The main content of the e-course focuses on the introduction of learning through play and its relationship with the new curriculum, students' holistic development, and primary school teachers’ professional standards. With children of a young age, play is a foundation that shapes how they learn. Play is educational when it is joyful, meaningful, actively engaging, iterative, and socially interactive.
Speaking at the launch of the e-course on 25 May 2023, Mr. Dang Van Binh from The Department of Education Administrators and Teachers, requested all 63 Departments of Education and Training to use the learning through play E-course flexibly in the professional development program for primary teachers, and encouraged teachers to enrol on the course. Ms. Karolina Rutkowska, Country Programmes Manager for VVOB in Viet Nam, remarked that the e-course is a "proud achievement of VVOB in Vietnam and its partners who committed to bringing quality products with all our mind, energy, and effort, contributing to the development of the Vietnamese primary education.”
More than just games and fun activities, Learning through Play is the acquisition of a new learning approach to student learning through play-based activities. It is a pedagogical approach that facilitates learning by practice and experience, deepens children’s understanding and involvement, fosters creativity, and sparks intellectual curiosity. The training course blends a combination of online and offline professional development, allowing teachers to learn, explore and develop at their own pace too.
In each module, the e-course activities are designed with different forms to increase interaction with teachers and to help them have more interest in the learning process, for example: videos, games, exercises, self-reflection questions, short texts, etc. If there are questions or concerns that need to be answered, learners can share them in the discussion section of the course.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Hue, Vice director of Primary Education Division, Hai Duong Department of Education and Training (DOET), speaking to VVOB, said the e-course has been developed just in time to support the General Education Programme. “After the roll-out training on learning through play to DOET/BOET staff in 55 provinces, DOET staff ourselves were so excited about Learning Through Pay that we did the training for school leaders and core teachers in Hai Duong province. We also hoped that there would be a way to conduct this training for all teachers too. Now the wait is over thanks to the e-course. This is absolutely a timely and need-based course for teachers during the implementation of the 2018 GEP.”
A nationwide transformation
To further support the integration of learning through play into Viet Nam’s educational reform, VVOB has also successfully tested The Play and Learning in Children’s Eyes (PALICE) tools created by The LEGO Foundation to give teachers the tools needed to better understand the perspectives of children on the playful pedagogies used by teachers in the classroom. The tools help teachers to gain insights into questions such as: Do children really find the activities joyful or challenging? Do they find the activities meaningful to their lives? Do children feel these activities are enabling them to learn? These tools are also designed to stimulate teachers’ self-reflection on how to create meaningful, joyful, iterative, socially interactive, and actively engaging learning environments.
By the end of 2023, learning through play is expected to reach more than 149,000 teachers, 681,000 students, and 1,429,000 parents nationwide, contributing to the nationwide implementation of the 2018 General Education Plan.
