Recently, many teachers in schools across Da Nang have initiated various approaches to enhance the quality of their teaching hours and engage pupils more effectively.

A skit about traffic safety performed by pupils at the Son Tra Senior High School. Photo: MINH TRUNG

Mr. Le The Toan, a teacher of National Defence and Security Education at the Son Tra Senior High School, noted that this subject can be quite dry and has a specific teaching method. As a result, he faced challenges in finding effective methods to impart knowledge to his pupils initially. To address this, he has adopted several teaching strategies aimed at developing pupils' qualities and abilities, thereby improving the effectiveness of National Defense and Security Education.

Mr. Toan and his colleagues have implemented active teaching methods in lessons about the dangers of drugs, helping to raise awareness among senior high school pupils in the city regarding the laws on drug prevention.

“In reality, when pupils do not have a full understanding of drugs, it will lead to a general lack of awareness of prevention, especially with new drugs that have recently appeared such as American weed, laughing gas, etc. Most pupils do not have many skills to handle situations that can lead to illegal drug use, so they easily become victims of drugs. Therefore, we are always wondering and struggling to find the most optimal educational methods to apply to lessons to avoid causing adverse reactions, creating curiosity about drugs among pupils”, Mr. Le The Toan said.

He and his colleagues have used visual tools in teaching to promote the cognitive activities of learners, helping them to grasp and apply the content of national defence and security education in a solid way.

He has organised group study sessions. The teacher serves as the organiser and director, responsible for designing activities such as forming groups and setting learning tasks for each group as well as for the entire class. The teacher also operates, supervises, and guides the groups in carrying out their activities. Additionally, the teacher chairs the general discussions for the whole class and summarizes the sessions, providing knowledge orientation for pupils. Teaching in groups helps learners become active participants in the knowledge acquisition process. Through self-study, group discussions, sharing experiences, and self-reflection, pupils become proactive and creative in their learning. This approach fosters important qualities that are valuable both in education and in life.

To help students have a more intuitive and vivid view of some prohibited behaviours and the consequences of not complying with traffic safety, Mr. Toan guides pupils to perform 2-3 minute situational skits related to the lesson content and traffic violations that pupils often violate.

The groups present various scenarios and posed questions about how to address and resolve these situations, encouraging other pupils in the class to engage in discussion and problem-solving. Following these discussions, the teacher provide comments, evaluations, and a summary of the content. It becomes apparent that the construction of these scenarios made the class lively, exciting, and engaging.

For instance, the teacher organises and guides pupils in performing skits that depicted traffic violations, such as not wearing helmets, exceeding the permitted number of passengers, weaving in and out of lanes, and using a phone while driving. After each skit, the teacher asks questions and explores potential solutions to these issues. This approach helps pupils grasp the lessons and retain the information for a long time.

To improve the effectiveness of educating the humane qualities of senior high school students in the city, Mr. Le Manh Tan, Vice Principal of Nguyen Van Thoai Senior High School, and his colleagues have promoted the establishment of social work clubs in the school, especially volunteer clubs for the community to encourage pupils to voluntarily engage in community activities.

Together with the clubs, the Youth Union organisation of the school has launched peak periods of volunteer activities for the community for all affiliated units, attracting thousands of pupils to participate. At the same time, the school honors and spreads typical examples at flag-raising ceremonies or on the school’s social networking sites.

As a result, pupils' awareness of learning and training has been increasingly improved. Pupils care about harmonious relationships with people around them, as well as proactively and actively encourage others to participate in charity and community activities.

Through teaching activities and moral education, the comprehensive education quality of pupils at Son Tra Senior High School, Nguyen Van Thoai Senior High School and Hoang Hoa Tham Senior High School as well as many schools citywide have changed positively.

Reporting by MINH TRUNG - Translating by M.DUNG