Workshop 'Happiness in Education' suggests solutions to build 'Happy Schools'
"Happiness in Education" is the theme of the International Conference organized by the Institute for Education Research and Human Resources Development (EDI). The program is accompanied by the TH School system and TH Group.
Attending the workshop were Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Kim Son - Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Education and Training; Dr. Vu Thanh Mai - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department.
On the organizing side, there was Mr. Stephen West - Director of the Institute for Educational Research and Human Resource Development.
On the side of the accompanying units, there was Labor Hero Thai Huong - founder, Chairman of the Strategy Council, TH Group; Ms. Nguyen Thu Thao - Chairman of the TH School Council; Mr. Tom Pado - General Principal of the TH School system; Professor, Dr. Nguyen Khanh Dieu Hong - Vietnam Principal of the TH School system.
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The workshop is organized with the aim of opening up valuable opportunities for experts, educators, leaders and parents to learn together, share practical experiences and explore innovative and creative educational methods, towards the goal of "Happiness in Education".
From there, suggest solutions to build a happy school - a place to nurture and give wings to future generations to not only develop knowledge and intelligence but also nurture and cultivate the emotions and souls of each student.
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Building a school with the heart and soul of a mother
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Labor Hero Thai Huong - founder, Chairman of the Strategy Council of TH Group, founder ofTH School system; The founder of the Institute for Educational Research and Human Resources Development repeated Napoleon's saying "The future of a child is the mother's work" and said: Any parent wants to devote all their heart and soul to their beloved children.
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Surely no mother wants to let go of her young children to step out into the strange world.
No mother wants her child to leave her arms early and have an incomplete childhood…in a foreign land.
Labor Hero Thai Huong
Understanding that sentiment, the founder of the TH School Group system said that the construction of TH School was started "with the heart and soul of a mother" with the wish "to do the best things so that children can develop fully and comprehensively right on their homeland".
It is a dream school that brings true happiness to children by imparting advanced world education and the quintessence of Vietnamese education, all for a future golden generation to build a strong and powerful Fatherland.
With the desire to create a modern and humane educational environment, TH School was born, a school with beautiful architecture and interesting stories. Besides, with all the desire and dedication,Labor Hero Thai Huong I am also determined to build TH School into a happy school - a place where joy blooms and love spreads. What I want to emphasize: Let's build the school into "a happy touchpoint" where the quintessence of knowledge, traditional culture and future vision are connected; orient and empower students to be ready to become global citizens.
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Besides, according to Labor Hero Thai Huong, it is necessary to build the school as a common home so that students can feel familiar and have a strong bond - where each member is like "one family".
Presently, after 8 years of establishment, TH School has made steady progress in training, recorded many outstanding achievements and most importantly, it is a place where children can study, play, make friends and develop in a free and complete environment, express their desires and dreams; so that TH School is worthy of preserving full childhood memories for each student when they grow up to be proud of this school.
At this school, we have been, are and will continue to empower each student, encourage them to develop their creativity, and constantly improve themselves to build a solid foundation for their future success.
Learn to see today better than yesterday
Speaking at the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Kim Son - Minister of Education and Training highly appreciated the implementation of the workshop with the theme "Happiness in Education". This way of posing the issue is broader, more comprehensive and deeper than the way of posing the issue of developing happy schools, although happy schools are an important part of happiness in education.
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According to the Minister of Education and Training, in the current context, the topic of this conference is also very meaningful when Vietnam's education is undergoing strong changes, the focus of which is to realize the goal of comprehensive human development, helping people to know how to live happily, create happiness for themselves and for those involved. A community of happy people can only be created by a happy education. This is also the major orientation that the Ministry of Education and Training is directing implementation throughout the industry with different levels and methods at different levels and subjects.
Clarifying the content for happy learners, the Minister of Education and Training said that the important factor of happy education and happiness in education is the internal factor, the proactive factor of the learner, which is also the core and decisive factor of happiness in education.
That is the subject of the learner knowing how to create and feel, recognize happiness in the learning process. In the learning process, if the learner realizes the joy and happiness of learning, then that person will do very great things, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son emphasized.
In order to help form happy states for learners in educational activities, according toMinister Nguyen Kim Sonneed to pay attention to 10 factors. That is, the more ambitious, aspirational and determined the learner is, the more potential happiness will be in that person, and the happiness will be greater when that person achieves it. Therefore, to help learners achieve more joy and happiness in learning, it is necessary to help learners set the right learning goals, big, deep, wide... to have the internal motivation to strive and achieve happiness.
Besides, students know how to cultivate and train themselves, which is the root of comprehensive learning development and the root of achieving happiness; It is necessary to know how to orient and create for students the way to solve problems in learning, to learn by themselves, to handle and answer by themselves, which is to start leading students to take the first step on the path of finding happiness in learning. In addition, it is necessary to have personal understanding and deep thinking, encourage reading culture, debate, respect for differences in the classroom, in the teaching and learning process; Students need to use themselves as a standard to evaluate progress, to make comparisons. When they see themselves better than yesterday, they will be happy...
Finally, educational activities need to pay attention to the development of emotional intelligence, or emotional capacity, the ability to control and express emotions... This is education on how people can live happily, know how to create happiness for themselves and for everyone. In particular, in educational activities, teachers always listen, always understand, always share, which is very important to make learning interesting for students.
Building a happy educational environment
The international conference “Happiness in Education” gathered nearly 10 prestigious and experienced experts in the field of education in Vietnam and the world. At this conference, the speakers provided in-depth perspectives on integrating happiness and personal goals into the educational environment. The topics will cover their experiences in holistic education, personalized learning and building a happy learning environment.
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In the context of modern education, where pressure on achievement, grades and competition is increasing, building a happy learning environment has become an urgent requirement.
In fact, in the world and in Vietnam, many education systems still emphasize academic results, sometimes unintentionally ignoring or not paying attention to the emotional and spiritual needs of students. This has affected the comprehensive development of children, increasing problems with mental health and learning motivation.
With the theme “Reflecting on my journey atTH School, the founder's vision and mission, and 6 lessons about education" Mr. Martin Skelton - special advisor of the International Schools Partnership - UK told his own story from the early days of his teaching career: "A friend, after observing my students, told me, "You are not a very good teacher" and pointed out some shortcomings. Later, when I went to class, I put aside my position as a star and had to play a supporting role to help students learn better."
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr. Ngo Tuyet Mai - lecturer at Flinders University (Australia) shared many solutions to make "Every day at school is a happy day". "All schools in Vietnam have the slogan "Every day at school is a happy day".
This slogan represents the aspiration of Vietnamese schools to turn learning into a happy experience for students. However, in reality, many modern schools in Vietnam still focus more on intellectual education than emotional education, emphasizing teachers imparting professional knowledge, students absorbing knowledge, developing intelligence (IQ) and achieving high scores, while neglecting social-emotional intelligence and basic soft skills necessary for students' pursuit of sustainable happiness.
With nearly 30 years of experience working in the education sector in Vietnam and Australia and as a mother, according to Dr. Ngo Tuyet Mai, for schools to be fun, all factors and stakeholders in the education system, including policy makers, school leaders, teachers and parents, need to coordinate and cooperate to promote comprehensive development and put "happiness" as the central goal of education.
To be able to train the emotions of learners instead of asking what to teach, how to teach, organize learning experiences; develop emotional intelligence along with understanding intelligence. If only focusing on student scores is pressure. Consider learners and schools as ecosystems, always developing; schools develop based on the principles of diversity and personalization.
For example, as a teacher, you must know your students’ names, observe each student and have a relationship with them to provide the necessary support. As teachers, fathers and mothers, stay away from the traps of unhappiness to help and spread joy to others.
Associate Professor, Dr. Ngo Tuyet Mai
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As for Professor Yong Zhao, a lecturer at the University of Kansas (USA), in his presentation, he discussed ways in which education can engage students in meaningful and important work, how students can develop their talents and use their talents to create value for others, thereby achieving a happy and meaningful life. Professor Zhao's educational philosophy has been implemented in many schools in many countries, including Australia and China. The basic principles of this philosophy include personalized learning, problem-solving pedagogy, and borderless education.
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As planned, the "Happiness in Education" Conference includes 3 main events. Each event brings valuable insights and practical experiences to educators and parents, aiming to create a positive and effective educational environment for future generations.
The conference is an opportunity to explore profound topics about lifelong learning and building a more peaceful life for each student, aiming for outstanding development in spirit, intelligence and physical health through speeches and sharing from leading experts.
Through this, the implementers also want to send the message: "A happy student will create a happy future", calling for cooperation from families and communities to create a loving and peaceful learning environment for children./.