GET USED WITH SHORT, EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Master of Communication Pham Cong Nhat, lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University), commented that in reality, there are still candidates who have good thinking and self-study skills, good reading comprehension skills, so they are not "overwhelmed" or "shocked" by a long exam or even if the exam has additional difficult elements.
Master Nhat explained: "Gen Z today is caught up in short videos on social networks, only 15 - 30 seconds with eye-catching images, simple content, easy to understand and entertaining without needing to think deeply to understand. Watching such content for a long time, the brain will become lazy, not needing to concentrate, not needing to be patient and not needing to process information... so it gradually becomes weak. That is extremely harmful to the ability to concentrate, exercise the mind, be patient, think deeply... This is one of the important reasons why many candidates, when seeing an English question and reading it briefly, felt overwhelmed, shocked, and discouraged because the brain was not used to receive and process information before a long content. Before that, during the review process, they were also used to shorter, easier exam questions".
Master, PhD student Chau The Huu, lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology, assessed that this year's English exam asked many challenges for candidates, first of all because of the high density of words and many unfamiliar words, making candidates confused. In addition, the limited time for candidates to prepare and adapt to the new exam format was also a reason.
The 2018 highschool graduation exam focuses on applied skills and practical problem solving.
PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH
"However, one of the underlying causes is that the short content on social networks that students enjoy watching has affected their patience in absorbing long content, both in text and images or sound. TS tends to expect that the content in front of them will be "short enough" to be fully understood. While in reality, the content that TS is exposed to is diverse in length, complexity, polysemy, and sometimes very specialized... so students feel shocked and lose focus," said Master Huu.
Mr. Do Duc Anh, a teacher at Bui Thi Xuan High School, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, said that there are three main reasons why many candidates feel "shocked" by some of this year's exam questions. Firstly, this year's exam questions do not only test textbook knowledge, but also emphasize the ability to apply, analyze, and think flexibly - this makes many students feel strange and passive, because they have long been used to learn by rote - practicing sample questions. Secondly, the structure of the exam has changed, especially the way the questions are asked is not the same as the old structure, making candidates feel like they are entering a "strange battlefield". Thirdly, there is a psychological factor: Gen Z candidates are very sensitive and easily affected by emotions. When seeing the questions "different from expectations", some students lose their composure, do not have enough time to adapt, leading to a feeling of "confusion" and "shock", even though their actual ability may not be weak.
Mr. Duc Anh explained: "The phenomenon of "fast forward - fast scroll - fast boredom" is becoming a common habit of Gen Z. This clearly affects reading comprehension ability, specifically reducing the ability to concentrate long-term. When getting used to watching clips for a few seconds on social networks, the brain will have difficulty maintaining attention when reading a long paragraph or solving a complex math problem. They will also lack patience in processing in-depth information. Instead of digging deep and analyzing, many young people just skim the title, which can easily lead to misunderstanding or bias. Next, it affects the ability to debate and think logically because social networks often provide information quickly, easily, and without thinking. This is a real risk for the intellectual and personality development of young people if not adjusted."
The structure of the 2025 high school graduation exam is renewed according to the 2018 General Education Program
Photo: Tuan Minh
TRAINING READING COMPREHENSION, CRITICAL THINKING, SELF-STUDY SKILLS
According to Mr. Duc Anh, from 2025, the exam questions will be directed towards practical application, changing from "memorization" to "learning to understand and apply" which is a positive signal, but also poses double challenges.
"On the part of teachers, it is necessary to change from a one-way communication method to guiding students to think, explore, debate, and cooperate. Teachers are no longer "presenters" but "initiators and guides". This is an arduous process, requiring teachers themselves to continuously study and update," said Master Duc Anh.
On the students' side, Mr. Duc Anh said that the habit of surfing social networks and living in the virtual world causes many students to lose connection with real life. When the exam requires reflecting on practical issues of society, environment, ethics, education, etc., students become confused because of their lack of life experience and practical knowledge.
Sharing the same view, Master Pham Cong Nhat said that one of the weakest skills in young people is critical thinking. "As life becomes simpler and more convenient, self-study skills and life skills also decline. Asking questions on ChatGPT makes the brain inactive, and in the long run, it is impossible to think deeply. Schools need to create opportunities for students to express their thoughts and critical thinking habits from primary school, teaching them self-study skills. At the same time, it is necessary to alert them to the impact of social networks on the development of thinking," said Master Cong Nhat.
Master Chau The Huu believes that instead of simply explaining the content conveyed in textbooks, lessons should focus on exploiting relevant practical aspects, through information from reliable sources on the internet, books, newspapers, magazines, etc., combined with critical thinking. In which, teachers are the ones who actively guide and students will be the ones who actively search, synthesize information, present and discuss under the guidance of teachers.
Master The Huu advises: "To develop reading comprehension skills, should get used to reading passages with long words, a certain level of complexity, and current topics. In addition, you, along with your teachers, can "review" some topics in majors that you may encounter at university level. This will help you prepare for the exam, while also inspiring you to learn more about your major, as well as increasing your curiosity and usefulness for your future scientific research at university level."
Don't practice exam questions, limit surfing social networks
Master Nguyen Thanh Hai, Principal of Truong Dinh High School, Long Thuan Ward, Dong Thap (formerly Go Cong City, Tien Giang), believes that teaching students reading comprehension skills is very important, so that they can solve problems posed in the exam calmly and clearly, avoiding falling into a state of "shock" and losing their spirit right from the start. Not only the literature exam, but also math, physics, English... from now on will also require students to apply the knowledge they have learned to solve practical problems.
"Traditional teaching methods will no longer be suitable. Teachers need to proactively guide students in self-study. Schools and centers should not review by practicing questions because practicing questions will destroy the learner's thinking ability and is no longer suitable when the exam has been changed. As for students, they need to be aware of the negative impact of surfing TikTok and Facebook too much, it affects their thinking, concentration, and patience. They also need to read newspapers, pay attention to current events, activities happening around them, practice expressing their opinions... Those who have reading comprehension... skills, have social understanding... will solve exam questions more easily", said Master Thanh Hai.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-ky-nang-can-co-de-khong-bi-soc-truoc-de-thi-moi-185250707183840484.htm
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