Like other coronavirus-stricken cities and provinces nationwide, for just over a week left, pupils and students across Da Nang will enter the upcoming 2021-2022 academic year. Also, schools across the city have complete the preparation to run online classes during the city's compulsory ‘stay-at-home’ mandate applied to all locals which is still in force until further notice.

A pupil of Ong Ich Khiem Primary School, Hai Chau District, is participating in online review classes before new school year. Photo: NGOC HA

Warm-up teaching online

Since mid-August, many schools citywide have organized online review classes for pupils for two weeks instead of on-campus schooling due to the coronavirus resurgence-triggered school closures.
Accordingly, pupils of the Ong Ich Khiem Primary School, Hai Chau District are participating in Math and Vietnamese review lessons by their homeroom teachers via Zoom from August 16 – 27. 

In a similar vein. the Hoa Lu Primary School, Thanh Khe District is running review classes for its pupils from August 16- 31.

Likewise, Nguyen Luong Bang Junior High School, Lien Chieu District, has deployed online teaching through the copyrighted Zoom Pro software. The assigned homeroom teacher have supported their pupils to get acquainted with this new software to study more effective.

According to Ms. Huynh Thi Thanh Tinh, the Principal of Hoa Lu Primary School, online review classes before entering the new school year not only helps pupils review the core and basic knowledge they learned over the past school year, but also develop their self-study ability, improve teachers' online teaching skills for the sake of effective online teaching and learning tasks.

Create favourable conditions for students

Following the direction of the Department of Education and Training, schools across the city are required to mainly introduce skills, learning methods to their pupils as well as help them consolidate their already-acquired knowledge through via online platforms during the first two weeks of the new school year.

Online teaching has gradually become familiar to pupils in recent years, but it is not easy for the first graders. Therefore, teachers must stay in touch with parents by sending appropriate plans for them to educate their children at home during the halting of on-campus schooling.

A pupil of Ong Ich Khiem Primary School, Hai Chau District, is participating in online review classes before new school year. Photo: NGOC HA.

As for first-grade pupils, during the first week of online learning, their parents can enter the virtual classroom with their children so as to instruct them on how to interact with their peers. In the second week of school, when pupils are familiar with the online schooling routine, parents just need to assist them in turning on the device to enter the online classroom.

This plan helps to prevent parents from being impatient with their child's level of absorbing new knowledge as well as making the children's psychology more comfortable. If pupils show signs of fatigue and loss of concentration during the learning process, teachers will discuss with the parents after the class.

As for pupils who do not have devices or networks to study online, teachers will send them review materials to practice at home, then provide extra tutoring when they return to school.

All schools across the city must develop their specific plans on opening their online classes whilst waiting for specific instructions on the basis of regulations and guidelines from the Ministry of Education and Training.

The application of online teaching during the school closure is now hailed as the optimal solution in complying with the city's compulsory social distancing rules and ensuring the smooth running of the curricula.  With this proactive and flexible approach, online learning has proved to be effective, not only in managing students during the city's social distancing period but also in ensuring “continuing learning during coronavirus school closures”.

Reporting by NGOC HA- Translating by T.VY