Professor Ho Ngoc Dai: Imposing adult ideology on students is outdated.

On September 8, in Hanoi, Professor Ho Ngoc Dai, editor-in-chiefVietnamese Grade 1 Technology Educationcaused a stir in public opinion because of the strange spelling, shared about the book.

The most passionate book

Professor Dai said he had rewritten the manuscript.Vietnamese Grade 1and has the contribution of manymany people. "I have the great fortune to use the achievements of mankind, not to create my own. For example, Vietnamese Grade 1 is the achievement of 300 years of research on Vietnamese phonetics, summarized as a textbook for 3rd year students of Lomonosov University in 1977. In 1978, I taught the first class at the Experimental School," he said.

General Educational Technology Program and MaterialsVietnamese Grade 1 Educational TechnologyIn particular, Professor Dai built the method based on the principle that "if you want to learn something, you have to do it yourself". When applied, students will be the ones doing the work, while teachers will only assign tasks, observe, and guide the method.

Mr. Dai is well aware that his method is easily counterproductive because it is different from the traditional teaching method in which the teacher lectures well and the students just passively memorize.

With booksVietnamese Grade 1 Educational Technology, students initially learn only about sounds - audible sounds instead of learning letters - objects that replace sounds, like traditional books. Then they will be exposed to scientific terms of phonetics and spelling rules.

"Students in any region of our country, whether they go to school or not, after finishing first grade with my books can read and write fluently, spell correctly and not become blind again," Mr. Dai affirmed.

Many times affirming the book's effectiveness and superiority, the professor concluded: "If my entire work on Educational Technology is meaningless, thenVietnamese Grade 1is what comforts me. It is my most elaborate and dedicated book, summarizing all the educational theories and philosophies I aim for."

"For decades, many people have hated me and my show"

When asked how do you feel when public opinion criticizes and demands a boycott?Vietnamese Grade 1 Educational Technology, Professor Dai affirmed that he was not angry at the public reaction, because "it was not worth it", those who were upset were due to "poor understanding" and "I do not accept it". "For decades, many people have hated me and my program, but nothing has been done. The Experimental School is still there", he said.

Regarding the question of why the book is said to be superior but not implemented nationwide, Mr. Dai said that the program cannot be widely implemented even though it is assessed to be effective because of "group interests".

"The program in general and the Vietnamese textbook for Grade 1 in Educational Technology in particular will exist forever, it is a work of history and no longer an individual's. The proof is that it is accepted by students and currently there are up to 800,000 students in 50 provinces and cities studying it," Professor Dai answered about the future of the book when the policy of one program with many textbooks is implemented.

The 82-year-old professor further demonstrated the effectiveness of the book with a story about a first-grade student who wanted to take a leave of absence after the long Tet holiday and shared it with his father. The father said that if the child wanted to, he had to write an application. The student was able to write a real leave application, even though he had only finished the first semester of first grade. This method and popular textbooks cannot do..

"My educational philosophy is that everyone should be themselves"

During the two and a half hour talk (from 9:00 to 11:30), Professor Ho Ngoc Dai spent most of his time talking about his time in Russia as a psychology researcher and learning many things.Returning home, he wanted to create an education system that had never existed in history.

"I want an education where everyone can be themselves, without comparing themselves to anyone. For thousands of years we have had sayings like respecting teachers and valuing education, thousands of years of slave mentality are too heavy. In ancient times there were divisions of caste and class, the time we live in is the time of individuals," said Mr. Dai.i.

The professor criticized adults for using themselves as role models for children, imposing their own thoughts and desires on them. That way of educating is "outdated and brutal", because each individual has their own identity. Let childrento define their own lives in their own way.

"When we have a new generation of children, we need a new education. That education must help students enjoy the achievements of humanity and create new ones," said Professor Dai. He is confident that the education he builds is correct because it has an unquestionable theoretical foundation of philosophy and psychology, and good techniques such as supporting educational technology.

Opening an Experimental School, according to Professor Dai, is the most meaningful and responsible way to do things for the country. Unfortunately, the Experimental School and the first international school he opened have been transferred to someone else.

At the end of August, a video of a teacher teaching how to pronounce the letters c/k/q as /cờ/ caused a stir in public opinion because it was different from the method commonly taught to students. That spelling is according to the Vietnamese Grade 1 book Educational Technology edited by Professor Ho Ngoc Dai and published by the Ministry of Education.

Chairman of the National Council for the Evaluation of the Vietnamese Language and Education Technology book - Associate Professor Bui Manh Hung said that the document is controversial, but in reality, the method of teaching spelling in it has helped students develop quite effectively the skills of reading aloud and writing correctly.

Up to now, nearly 50 provinces and cities have schools using this book.