Building a group of elective subjects in high school: Flexible adjustment

GD&TĐ - Many solutions have been implemented to overcome the shortcomings of the imbalance of subjects.

After implementing a cycle of the 2018 General Education Program, practices from high schools show that some subjects are rarely chosen by students, leading to a situation where teachers do not have enough teaching hours.

Elective subjects…, students have not chosen

Mr. Nguyen Trong Nam - Vice Principal of Quan Son High School (Quan Son, Thanh Hoa ) said: In practice, after a cycle of implementing the 2018 General Education Program, the number of subjects chosen by students is very small, such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and English. That makes these subjects have a small number of candidates registering for the high school graduation exam. Specifically, at the school, in the 2025 High School Graduation Exam, no students chose Biology, 10 students chose Physics, 11 students chose Chemistry, and only 6 students chose English.

“Quan Son High School can only handle a low percentage of students who choose according to their wishes, while a high percentage must enter default classes to suit the teacher’s conditions. To help students choose suitable subjects, the school implements propaganda solutions, early career orientation, and avoids students choosing according to general trends, crowds, and temporary tastes.

Besides paying attention to natural science subjects, we widely promote and encourage the study of English (even when students do not choose it as a graduation exam subject) to keep up with the times, the trend of integration, globalization, and the era of national growth," said Mr. Nam.

Since the implementation of the 2018 General Education Program, every year Le Hong Phong High School (Hung Nguyen, Nghe An ) has organized seminars and career orientation counseling programs for new students entering grade 10. In addition to the participation of students, the program also has parents.

The consultation session provides basic information on the arrangement of compulsory and elective subjects of the new program, the plan of subject combinations and study topics for 10th grade students. The selection needs to be carefully considered and based on the students' own abilities and future career trends because the subjects will follow them throughout 3 years of high school. After the general consultation, the teacher will explain separately to parents and students who have questions or do not understand.

Ms. Nguyen Bich Hanh - Principal of the school said: The school builds classes according to natural science and social science groups. In addition to compulsory subjects, there will be elective subjects and study topics corresponding to the subject groups and universities often use for admission such as block A00, A01, D00, D14, D15, B00, C00, C03...

In addition to the first choice, students can register for the second choice to have more options. Class placement is based on the student's wishes and the actual situation to suit the school's conditions.

The principal of Le Hong Phong High School added that building classes according to subject combinations needs to be based on the actual staff of the school. In reality, some schools have many students choosing social subjects, while others have many students choosing natural subjects. Our solution is to balance the subjects chosen and the topics studied. In addition, teachers with few classes can take on tasks with related expertise.

Ms. Hoang Thi Chau - Biology teacher at Le Hong Phong High School has been providing career counseling for 10th grade students for the past 3 years, since the implementation of the new program. Before advising parents and students, she has to research and update information on school admissions and university aptitude tests.

Convenient for students, the Ministry of Education and Training has announced the graduation exam plan, universities have also issued admission plans with accompanying criteria. Biology - a subject that is rarely chosen by students, except for those following the B00 block orientation (Math, Chemistry, Biology).

However, this is a subject with practical application, so it attracts a large number of students to register as an elective subject or a specialized subject. Therefore, teachers do not worry about "lack of work" but the important thing is to innovate teaching methods to be more diverse, flexible, and open. The goal is to help students gain knowledge and skills to apply in life, not for the purpose of serving the graduation exam.

Introducing, advising and orienting students in grade 10 is also an annual activity of many schools in Nghe An since the new General Education Program was implemented at the high school level. Choosing the right subjects and classes right from the first days of entering grade 10 will help limit the situation of students asking to change classes and subjects after entering school and create the best learning mindset for them at high school.

After 3 years of implementation, Ha Huy Tap High School (Vinh City, Nghe An) has also stabilized and entered the orbit of class groups according to the 2018 General Education Program. Accordingly, the school built the following class groups: Natural Science 1 (oriented to block A00); Natural Science 2 (oriented to block B00); Natural Science - English class (oriented to block A01); Social Science class 1 and 2 (oriented to blocks D00, D14, D15) and Social Science 3 (oriented to blocks C00, C03).

These classes have groups of elective subjects and study topics corresponding to the orientation block. In addition, there are also Natural Science - English and Social Science - English classes according to the advanced model. Advanced classes in addition to the general education program will study an additional program to enhance career-oriented subjects and English.

Mr. Cao Thanh Bao - Principal of the school, said that the classes are implemented in the direction of developing qualities and abilities, and career orientation. The results in 3 years of implementation show that there are almost no cases of changing classes or blocks after stable study. At the same time, it helps the school proactively build clear, appropriate and effective teaching plans and programs.

Le Hong Phong High School (Hung Nguyen, Nghe An) organizes consultation and orientation on choosing classes for 10th grade students. Photo: Ho Lai

Flexible professional arrangement

The imbalance in students' subject choices, according to Mr. Nguyen Trong Nam, leads to a situation where teachers do not meet the teaching quota. For example, currently Biology teachers only have 4 periods/week, Chemistry teachers teach 8 periods/week. To ensure the required number of periods, these teachers are arranged to teach Experiential and Career Guidance Activities, Local Education Content; or concurrently work as psychological counselors, homeroom teachers, and Youth Union members.

Kim Lien High School (Nam Dan, Nghe An) is building classes based on natural or social subjects, with the proportion of students choosing natural classes accounting for about 55%. According to Mr. Duong Van Son - Principal, basically, the school's natural and social classes are quite balanced, so there is no situation of teachers having too many extra or too few classes.

However, for each specific subject, if the teacher has few periods, the school will arrange to teach experiential activities or local education programs. These are all compulsory subjects according to the 2018 General Education Program with a specific number of periods. In addition, teachers can concurrently hold the position of homeroom teacher, career counselor, and psychological counselor.

Currently, some universities have changed and adjusted their admission plans, adding many new combinations to replace the traditional block. The principal of Kim Lien High School said that this does not affect the school's curriculum development, arrangement, and classroom layout.

The most important basis in building a teaching program is to develop students' abilities, not to pursue exams, get achievements or force students to register for study in a direction that benefits the school. The school's class combinations are stable and meet the needs of students when participating in graduation exams and university entrance exams according to their career orientation.

The difficult part for the school is the structure of teachers, arranging timetables, and teaching schedules will be flexible to suit the educational program. When arranging teachers to teach part-time local educational programs or experiential activities, they must be suitable to their current professional capacity, and at the same time receive additional training and development.

Conducting a career orientation survey at Minh Dai High School (Phu Tho). Photo: NTCC

Solution to balance subject selection

Sharing the solution to balance subject selection, Mr. Nguyen Minh Dao - Principal of Lam Kinh High School (Tho Xuan, Thanh Hoa) said that to guide students' choices, both ensuring students' right to choose and balancing the subject structure, the school allows students to register their first and second wishes according to pre-built combinations.

In case the number of registrations exceeds the capacity of the class, the school will consider admission based on academic performance or the previous school year's learning results. Students who do not meet the requirements of their first choice will be assigned to another group (including groups with subjects such as Biology, Geography, Technology, etc.), to ensure that there are enough classes/subjects to maintain the school's operations and legal and professional status.

The school has also implemented a number of other solutions to overcome the imbalance in subjects, such as: Early career counseling; internal communication; creating more attractive learning conditions; connecting with businesses and localities.

“Lam Kinh High School organizes career orientation counseling for students from grade 10, helping them understand the connection between subjects and future careers. Strengthening communication in schools about the role and practical significance of less chosen subjects, thereby helping students have a more complete view.

The school also encourages professional groups to innovate teaching methods, apply technology, and organize relevant experiential activities to increase the attractiveness of the subject. Bringing subjects such as Technology, Geography, and Biology into practical activities and local experiences to raise students' awareness of the practical application of these subjects," Mr. Nguyen Minh Dao provided specific information.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Principal of Minh Dai High School (Tan Son, Phu Tho) commented: In reality, students choose a wide variety of elective subjects. Schools basically arrange optimally according to students' wishes; because the teaching staff and facilities cannot meet the diverse needs of students.

For Minh Dai High School, the solution the school implemented during the school year is: Based on the team of teachers, programs, and stable subject durations of grades 11 and 12, to develop a plan to arrange the subject combinations and study topics for the first grade, basically ensuring the labor level of teachers in the school.

The school has a specific plan for the names of the selected subjects and the topics of study corresponding to the number of classes and students for students to register (usually 5 groups) in order of priority from 1 to 5. Students who do not meet the first choice will move on to the next choice.

“To facilitate class arrangement and create consensus among students, schools need to clearly establish class arrangement principles in the enrollment plan, promulgate and widely announce them before students register for admission,” Mr. Nguyen Van Hung emphasized.

The imbalance of subjects is a difficult problem, increasingly difficult for schools. Solving this problem cannot stop at propaganda work. There needs to be more appropriate regulations when students register for the 10th grade entrance exam at school, only then can the hot issue of subject selection be solved. - Mr. Nguyen Minh Dao.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/xay-dung-nhom-mon-lua-chon-trong-truong-thpt-linh-hoat-dieu-chinh-post737143.html