The central role of the teacher: to impart knowledge, guide, and inspire.
The first speaker at the Conference was Professor Vu Duong Ninh, Chairman of the School's Retired Teachers Association and a former student of the first cohort of the History Department, Hanoi University. The professor delivered a speech emphasizing the decisive role of teachers in ensuring the quality of teaching and learning. Accordingly, regardless of the era or the level of impact of science and technology, the teaching activities of teachers always revolve around three main tasks: imparting knowledge, guiding, and inspiring.
According to Professor Vu Duong Ninh, the most important thing for effective communication is for the teacher to possess logical thinking and strong pedagogical skills, enabling them to convey knowledge clearly, coherently, and comprehensibly. Students learn problem-solving skills through the teacher's communication style.
Professor Pham Quang Minh (Rector of the University) delivered the opening speech at the conference.
Regarding the requirement for open-ended learning, Professor Vu Duong Ninh believes this is a key differentiating factor for lecturers at a basic science university – helping students gain theoretical knowledge and a broad perspective that goes beyond the subject matter. During lectures, lecturers share necessary materials related to the lesson. However, to avoid merely assigning reading material as a formality, the lecturer must be the one who reads and understands the content of the books; assigning each student to read and understand specific sections. Students themselves will then present their research findings to the class and share their observations with their peers. In addition, the lecturer should raise issues under debate related to the course content; suggest new research directions; and foster a sense of inquiry and research in students. Through this interaction, the lecturer also learns from their students; identifying those with strong research capabilities to provide further guidance. "A teacher must be a researcher themselves, possessing a broad base of knowledge, in order to do this job well. They should teach what they have researched and discovered, not just repeat what others have said," Professor Ninh stated.
Regarding guidance requirements, the speaker suggested that teachers need to understand the "gaps" and "ambiguities" in research, guiding students step-by-step to build their critical thinking skills and practical abilities to conduct their own research.
Professor Vu Duong Ninh (Chairman of the School's Retired Teachers Association) delivered a speech at the Conference.
Innovating teaching methods from the perspective of the characteristics of the Information Society.
Discussing "Innovating teaching and learning methods in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution," Associate Professor Dr. Vu Cao Dam (Chairman of the Science and Training Council, Institute of Policy and Management, University of Social Sciences and Humanities) stated that the current context is profoundly impacting teaching in universities. This includes the increasing appearance of smart devices in production and daily life, the extremely rapid pace of scientific and technological advancements, and the emergence of numerous new theories in various scientific and technological fields. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been and continues to be integrated into academic life at a rapid pace.
Associate Professor Dr. Vu Cao Dam (Chairman of the Science and Training Council, Institute of Policy and Management) presented a report on "Innovating teaching and learning methods in the context of the 4th industrial revolution".
According to Alvin Toffler (inEducational Revolution,Future shockHuman society has gone through three stages of development, and is currently in the first stage.Information societywith characteristics such as decentralization, de-accumulation, desynchronization, destandardization, and multi-functionality. The world “puts us on the brink of chaos” and “modern society does not develop according to linear laws… If you are incompetentforecastand cannot immediately provide thoseoptimal decision"Then he could be completely eliminated" (according toGibson and others, Rethinking the Future,Tre Publishing House, Ho Chi Minh City, 2002.
Many young lecturers attended the conference.
Based on an analysis of the overall context, the speaker suggested that teaching and learning methods need to be reformed in three main directions: firstly, building upon the code of the Information Society; secondly, teachers and students maximizing the application of the achievements of the 4.0 revolution, including the tools of the Internet of Things, in schools; and thirdly, teaching learners the skills to cope in a constantly changing society.
Associate Professor Vu Cao Dam also shared the philosophy of "teaching and learning according to an educational program that is ahead of science." This means teaching skills and research thinking in learning and understanding the ever-changing future; teaching to develop creativity and entrepreneurship; and cultivating self-learning skills using scientific research methods.
From the university's perspective, innovation in teaching and learning needs to leverage the advantages of autonomy granted to Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) and its member institutions to develop effective policies and solutions. From the perspective of the teaching community, Associate Professor Vu Cao Dam proposed solutions: from the viewpoint of Industry 4.0, review the changes in their professional fields to promptly refine and innovate content that aligns with the information society's coding system; work with students to implement teaching and learning using scientific research methods; and utilize all the tools of the Internet of Things to enrich lectures and create interest for learners.
Based on the philosophy of liberal education.
“Educational thought and philosophy correspond to the teaching method” – that is the view of Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh (Faculty of Anthropology) – “We are standing at a crossroads of educational model transformation. And this is a huge challenge in teaching methods.” Taking the building of a research university and a liberal education philosophy as its orientation, the school's teaching innovation activities need to be built on that philosophy. Based on his own observations, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh summarizes three current teaching styles. First is the “passing on the torch” model – inspiring learners. This method may conflict with academic teaching. Some people don't need academic knowledge to inspire learners. Second is teaching in the style of transmitting knowledge and lecturing. The third model follows the “liberal” trend, providing students with multi-faceted information, allowing them to participate in scientific debate and critical thinking.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh (Department of Anthropology) presented the report "Thinking about innovating teaching methods in line with the research-oriented university model".
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh introduces the teaching method according toresearch methodology(Project-based learning) is a method that the teacher has been implementing for many years and has yielded certain positive results. At the beginning of the course, students register for a research topic, and the teacher guides them through the steps to develop it. This method helps students not only acquire knowledge but also learn critical thinking, information building skills, presentation skills, and problem-solving abilities. Many questions from real-life situations are raised for research. Students regularly present their research topics during class time.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong (Director of the Institute of Policy and Management)
With this approach, instructors must dedicate more time and effort to interacting with and supporting students. Typically, before class, instructors send students the research program and reference materials in advance. In their first year, students need to read 20-25 pages of material before each class. By their third and fourth years, students read up to 50 pages each time. Groups develop their own research topics, discuss the significance of the topic, and choose locations for surveys and fieldwork. The results obtained from the research are extremely important for students. They represent their maturity and ability to approach research steps to solve real-world problems.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chi Thanh (University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) presented a report titled "Application of educational technology and blended learning methods in the context of digitalized universities".
However, implementing this teaching method faces certain difficulties due to the relatively large number of students per class and the lack of effective teaching assistants for the instructors. "If we apply this method, we also need a series of related systemic changes," emphasized Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh. For example, regarding student assessment, in countries that apply this teaching method, students' research results account for 70-80% of the grade, with the remainder being the final exam score. Focusing on training students' research skills is considered central to the teaching process.
Dr. Do Van Hung (Head of the Information and Library Science Department) presented a report on the application of information technology in innovative teaching.
"If we want to train students to be creative in science, enhance interaction between lecturers and students, and encourage student participation in scientific research activities, then we must innovate teaching methods in this way. If we only transmit knowledge in a one-way manner or only want them to grasp the knowledge we want them to, we will never be able to train excellent students," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Chinh shared his perspective.
Dr. Lu Thi Thanh Le (Faculty of Literature)
Teaching innovation will be a central activity of the school year.
After listening to diverse opinions contributing to teaching innovation at the Conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan (Vice Rector of the University) shared: “I see a consensus among the lecturers on the need to innovate teaching methods as an inherent necessity of the University, in a context where educational trends, societal demands, the labor market, learning conditions, needs, and the psychology of learners… have changed significantly compared to the past.” This conference will be the opening event for a long-term and ongoing innovation strategy with regular training activities in the near future at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Vice Principal Hoang Anh Tuan
From a training management perspective, Vice Rector Hoang Anh Tuan emphasized three fundamental elements of this innovation process. The first is the element...human- All innovation must stem from the central role of the teacher. Today's teachers are not simply transmitters of knowledge, but play many more roles – they are more multifaceted: guides, facilitators, and empathetic individuals who understand and empathize with their students. It is the teacher – through their competence, dedication, and passion – who will transform lessons into vibrant, high-quality, and powerfully inspiring learning experiences for their students.
Dr. Dang Thi Nam Hoang (Faculty of Literature)
The second factor ispolicy mechanisms- to lay the foundation for innovation. The school will quickly finalize its overall strategy for innovating teaching activities, paying particular attention to building a synchronized, unified, and appropriate mechanism for this innovation. The third factor is...investment costsfor innovation activities. This will be a priority activity this school year in particular and in the years to come in general.
Lecturer Nguyen Huong Ngoc (Faculty of Literature)
Professor and Rector Pham Quang Minh pledged: “The university will continue the process of innovation and is responsible for supporting the innovative teaching activities of the faculty. The continuity of ideas and dedication from generations of lecturers, demonstrated through the diverse and multifaceted contributions at today's conference, has made it impossible for anyone to remain indifferent to such an urgent need.”
Dr. Dang Hoang Ngan (Department of Psychology)
The Rector stated that the university will organize more training courses on research methods, teaching techniques, and international publications for faculty members; increase investment in developing course websites; apply information technology to improve efficiency and transparency in the teaching process; and implement anti-plagiarism software…
Dr. Dang Hoang Giang (Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language)
“Ultimately, innovation must stem from the innovative spirit of each lecturer. Because every teacher wants to have lessons that inspire students. And today I have been inspired by innovation, not only from senior educators like Professor Vu Duong Ninh and Associate Professor Vu Cao Dam, but also from the young lecturers themselves,” - Professor Pham Quang Minh concluded the conference.
Author:Thanh Ha, Cong Minh
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