A special class that 'ignites' a reading culture.
Although it was the first year of its organization, the "Reading, Writing, Presentation, Introduction, and Storytelling Skills Based on Books" class, organized by staff and employees of the Nghe An Provincial Library, left many positive impressions on the children. Most importantly, the value of the class extended beyond the classroom setting.
Special Class
Even though the 2024-2025 school year has already begun three weeks ago, Hoang Thuy Anh (4D class, Hung Binh Primary School, Vinh City) is still incredibly excited about the "Reading, Writing, Presentation, Introduction, and Storytelling Skills based on Books" class she participated in during the summer. In that meeting room, the children sat around, with many different kinds of books on the table, from comic books to novels, from history to literature, by Vietnamese and foreign authors… Next to the teacher's position, there was a platform to help the children feel more formal and have a larger audience when presenting.
"It's called a class, but it's not exactly a class. There are students of various ages in the same class, and the curriculum consists of good textbooks. After the teachers' instructions, we get to stand on a raised platform, wear microphones to speak, and receive corrections and feedback from the teachers, from the content to the posture and facial expressions. It's a great experience."read a book"Having just received books as gifts, and feeling like an adult, I'm so happy every day I get to go to school," Thuy Anh recounted.
Since joining the class, this little girl has developed a new hobby: buying books. Thuy Anh has been planning to build her own bookshelf and is still saving money to collect her favorite books. This change in Thuy Anh has surprised her parents.
At the end of the lesson, the younger children can go to the free reading area, engrossed in colorful storybooks in a cool, clean space; or gather in the playground to the left of the library. Older children can also take the opportunity to read aloud to each other to correct mistakes together.
Sharing Thuy Anh's sentiment, many children also developed new interests related to reading after the course. “Thank you to the teachers for their dedication in organizing such a beneficial and enjoyable program for the children this summer. Since the first sessions, the children have truly changed their attitude towards reading, proactively seeking out good books and enjoying retelling stories. After seeing the program content and listening to the children's sharing, I decided to have my child participate until the end. Even though we live far away, they didn't miss a single session. This is a 'success' for them this summer. If the program is held again next summer, they will definitely participate again,” one parent commented in the class group.
This special class, held over 10 sessions with a voluntary fee, truly became a beautiful and meaningful memory for over 40 children this past summer. For many, it was their first opportunity to stand in front of a crowd and express their feelings and thoughts. More importantly, the children were inspired to read, to discover interesting things in each book, and to learn how to share them with others.
Teachers who don't stand on a podium.
What can maintain the regularity and attendance of a voluntary class with "voluntary" tuition fees? It's the interesting and practical content of the class.
From the very beginning, when the idea of opening a class on "Reading, Writing, Presentation, and Storytelling Skills based on books" using the unit's operating budget was conceived, Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang – Director of the Nghe An Provincial Library – determined: "The biggest goal is to train and discover talents for the reading movement in general and the Reading Culture Ambassador competition in particular." That is also the reason why more than 40 students were divided into 2 classes and the program lasted 10 sessions, providing sufficient quality and time to cultivate passion and interest in reading for the students.
As one of the three instructors assigned to lead the class, Nguyen Ha Phuong shared: “Those assigned to this role have already spent time as real teachers, staying up late to prepare lesson plans, writing, correcting assignments, learning how to create slides, practicing speaking fluently, reading children's books, and searching for additional materials… I have the advantage of graduating with a degree in pedagogy and a love and passion for working with children, so teaching the class wasn't too difficult. The biggest pressure probably came from creating interest and connection among a group of children of various ages (from 7 to 15 years old) in all four skills: reading, writing, presentation, and storytelling. The difference in skill levels between the groups required the instructor to be flexible in lesson planning, empathetic in guiding, creating interest for the children, ensuring that every child had the opportunity to present and receive careful feedback. Fortunately, all the lessons achieved this, creating an atmosphere of focus, respect, and engagement.” "This is a blessing for all the students. My motivation and joy come from witnessing the children's progress after each lesson, listening attentively and enthusiastically participating in discussions."
With limited funds, to create the best possible conditions for the class, the library staff even provided drinking water, snacks, kept the air conditioning on throughout the lesson, and prioritized giving up the meeting room for the children… Furthermore, to ensure the height of the presentation podium, the library staff carefully purchased and placed a car tire underneath so the children could stand taller.
Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang further shared: “Along with the requirement for innovation, library staff must also strive to improve significantly, from planning and work management skills to soft skills in communication and guidance… With jobs that are like ‘inspiring’ like this, if there is no passion and responsibility, if the work is done superficially and formally, it will be impossible to succeed. Only after organizing the final training session and awarding certificates to all the students who registered from the beginning without a single student missing after 10 sessions, did we truly breathe a sigh of relief: Finally, we have done it.”
Besides the valuable lessons in "Reading, Writing, Presentation, Introduction, and Storytelling Skills Based on Books," the Nghe An Provincial Library has also made many innovations in recent years to get closer to readers and children. Typical examples include coordinating with schools to organize extracurricular activities at the library, holding book-related events, and opening and renovating reading and learning spaces. Along with the efforts of the library staff, the local government has also shown great dedication to this initiative. It is known that Nghe An is a leading locality in issuing development plans.reading culturewithin the community during the period 2021-2025, with a vision towards 2030.
Thanks to these efforts and innovations, for the past five years, Nghe An has consistently ranked first nationwide in achievements at the Reading Culture Ambassador competition. Following the success of the "Reading, Writing, Presentation, Introduction, and Storytelling Skills Based on Books" course, we have every reason to believe that reading books will always be an incredibly attractive source of knowledge for children, regardless of the era, if we know how to inspire and spread it.