Nghe An: 'Special' classes for students stuck in epidemic areas

“Combined” classes

Since the beginning of October, the parents of Ho Phuong Uyen - an 8th grade student studying at Phan Dang Luu Secondary School -Yen Thanhhas submitted an application to the Board of Directors of Le Mao Secondary School to request permission.online learning. Previously, from the end of May 2021, she and her daughter came from Nghe An to visit Dong Thap and were stuck there for many months due to the outbreak in the southern provinces. When the new school year started, for nearly the first month, Uyen studied online with her classmates.

However, since schools in Yen Thanh switched to in-person teaching, Phan Dang Luu Secondary School has tried to support students who are far away, but Uyen and her family proactively contacted a school that is teaching online inVinh cityto make it easier for online learning. After knowing Uyen's wishes, the Board of Directors of Le Mao Secondary School created conditions for Uyen to study with class 8D.

Despite being far away, student Ho Phuong Uyen still attends class fully through online learning. Photo: PV

Phuong Uyen's mother, Chu Thi Lan Huong, is also a Literature teacher at Van Thanh Secondary School (Yen Thanh). Although her family had to enter the new school year in very special conditions, this was truly a memorable experience.

Sharing about this, Ms. Huong said: Up to this point, we have been stuck in Dong Thap for nearly 5 months and it has been a very difficult time because the regulations on social distancing have changed frequently over the past few months. Even recently, when localities have opened, returning home has been extremely difficult because the route is too far and traveling through checkpoints is not easy. Luckily for us, despite the difficult conditions, I can still complete my work through online teaching. My two children have not been able to go to school for more than a month to study with their friends in Yen Thanh, but they have new teachers and new friends in Vinh city and are still trying every day to keep up with the program.

Teachers of Le Mao Secondary School (Vinh City) in an online class. Photo: MH.

At Le Mao Secondary School, this school year, 6 students had to change their study conditions and wrote applications to study with the school. In addition to cases like Phuong Uyen, there were students who returned to their hometown in Vinh city for the summer vacation but were unable to return home due to the pandemic. All of these cases were facilitated by the school to enroll in the school and some cases applied to study long-term until the end of the school year.

This school year is a special year for the Education sector and there are many situations that arise. However, to help students follow the curriculum and school year plan, the school creates all conditions for them to have a smooth transition when enrolling at Le Mao Secondary School. If any student is not familiar with the school, class or cannot keep up with the class, we assign the homeroom teacher and subject teachers to provide additional support for them outside of class hours.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Thanh Thu - Principal of Le Mao Secondary School

Long Thanh Primary School (Yen Thanh District) this school year also received 6 students from the South who returned to their hometown and were stuck, spread out from grades 1 to 5. The most recent case is the case of two brothers Nguyen Trong Duc (grade 5) and Nguyen Ngoc Binh An (grade 3) who have just completed centralized quarantine.

Previously, during the summer vacation, Trong Duc and Binh An were sent back to their hometown in Long Thanh commune by their parents to visit their grandparents. However, the pandemic broke out and lasted until the new school year 2021-2022. Unable to return to Binh Duong and not interrupt their studies, the family asked for the two children to transfer to their hometown.

Online classes will connect students across the country. Photo: MH

Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Principal of Long Thanh Primary School said: "Due to the epidemic, the transfer documents of these 6 students were not completed when the new school year started. However, we still created conditions for them to enroll and so far they have integrated normally despite the initial differences in accent and living habits"...

“Studio” in the classroom

For more than 2 weeks now, more than 1,500 students at Dien Chau 4 High School have returned to school, switching from online to in-person teaching. This plan is suitable for current conditions, but difficulties have arisen, because currently the school still has 36 students in the South, unable to return to school due to the Covid-19 epidemic, including 7 grade 10 students, 11 grade 11 students and 18 grade 12 students.

Teachers and students of Dien Chau 4 High School are preparing for a lesson with students studying directly from a distance. Photo: MH

Previously, to maintain the learning of these students, the school had developed a plan to assign homework and push teachers' lectures to the online teaching system for students to study remotely, but this plan still seemed insufficient and the risk of students having difficulty keeping up with the program was very likely, especially for final year students.

Knowing the students' desire to go to school, the school board came up with a plan to livestream lessons and connect directly to Zoom software so that students living far away can directly follow the teachers' lessons in class.

In class 12A4, there are currently 2 students staying in Binh Duong and Binh Thuan who cannot return home. However, since the school switched to in-person teaching, it seems that they have not missed any classes. In order to have normal classes with a stable connection, at the beginning of the class, the class monitor of class 12A4 will install the phone on a tripod and place it facing the teacher's board. During class, the teacher will turn on Zoom and all of the teacher's activities will be recorded by the camera and students far away can still follow along as usual in class.

Because of the special conditions, teachers will try to write larger letters on the board and speak more slowly during these lessons. During the lesson, teachers and students who live far away can still interact normally and participate in all activities as in class.

Teacher Nguyen Duc Thai - Physics teacher in class 12A4 shared: Although teaching in front of the camera is strange, we adapt quite quickly and it does not affect the lessons much. For any parts that students do not understand, we will directly discuss with them after class.

The means to combine direct and online learning is quite simple. Photo: MH

In addition to live-streaming lectures, teachers whose students are studying online remotely still upload lectures to the online teaching system every day so that students can listen to the lectures again. In addition, teachers also regularly assign and check assignments. For each level, teachers also set up separate Zoom classrooms so that students studying online and teachers can exchange lessons every day.

After more than 2 weeks of studying in this form, Nguyen An Nhien - class 12A9 said: When I was stuck in Dong Nai, I was really worried because I thought I wouldn't be able to return in time for the new school year. However, thanks to the online learning form, I can still follow the lectures of my teachers and believe that when I return to school, I can still keep up with the program...

The teaching method of Dien Chau 4 High School can also be widely applied in many other schools, because building an online classroom is quite simple with a phone, a tripod and a computer with an Internet connection.

Teacher Ho Truong Son - Principal of the school said: When the school switched to in-person teaching, we read the worries of students who could not return to school. After many plans were built, we found this plan to be the most effective, combining both in-person teaching and online teaching. More importantly, we want students who are far away to understand that despite the difficult circumstances, they should rest assured and try to study because teachers and the school do not want any student to be left behind.

All lectures are recorded in full so that students living far away can receive them promptly. Photo: MH

With more than 2,000 Nghe An students stuck in the southern provinces and more than 1,000 southern students stuck in Nghe An, the Nghe An Education sector is also having many flexible solutions to support them to go to school.

As in Quynh Luu district, in the face of dozens of students from high schools in the district being stuck in the South, the school's Board of Directors has compiled a list and sent them to Quynh Luu 2 High School so that they can study online with other classes in the school (because Quynh Luu 2 High School is still teaching online because there is 1 F0 student).

Teacher Vu Ngoc Tuan - Principal of Quynh Luu 2 High School added: Not only Quynh Luu students but also students from Hoang Mai town and Thai Hoa town are sent to study at our school by teachers. Teachers are also very happy because from these classes, students from anywhere and in any circumstances can attend class fully.

This option can also be applied in cases where classes and schools have to temporarily suspend online learning. As of now, Quynh Luu 1 High School has nearly 70 students from Quynh Hoa Commune (currently implementing Directive 16) who cannot attend school. The school has sent these students to online learning with students from Quynh Luu 2 High School.

The efforts of schools and teachers have truly warmed the hearts of parents and students living far away. And that will be the motivation to give more confidence to the children and for the entire education sector to achieve the goal of "taking a break from the epidemic but not taking a break from school"...