From July 26th to August 11th, 2023, VAS organized training sessions for over 1,000 teachers across the entire VAS system. This is VAS’s largest annual training programme aimed at enhancing the quality of teachers on its 6 campuses. Among the teachers, 34% are those teaching the Cambridge programme, and 66% are those teaching the Vietnamese national programme of the MOET (Ministry of Education and Training).
In addition to the training topics provided by VAS’s Academic Board, the school also invited international experts from Cambridge, Oxford to train the Cambridge teachers and experts from the HCMC Department of Education and Training (DOET) to train the MOET teachers. Additionally, VAS invited authors and members of the curriculum advisory board for the new textbooks for grades 4, 8, and 11, which will be implemented by the MOET from the 2023-2024 school year. This was to share with VAS teachers the improvements for the new school year.
The training programme with 181 diverse and in-depth training topics, along with the active and energetic participation of VAS teachers throughout more than 2 weeks of learning, was highly regarded by Cambridge, Oxford and DOET experts. The programme also covered many topics on using new technologies such as AI and online tools to boost teaching effectiveness and reduce paper use, aligning with VAS’s vision of creating a “green school” and pursuing sustainable development in the long term.
The HCMC DOET representative remarked: “It is very challenging to organise a training programme for teachers with such a large scale and comprehensive time and content as VAS did, and few schools can achieve it. There are also very few non-public schools that adhere strictly to the rules and invite DOET experts to train their teachers with clear and consistent professional guidance like VAS. This is also the direction that the DOET wants to promote for all non-public schools today”.
Ms. Vu Ngoc Phuong Linh, a new preschool teacher of VAS, said: “This is the first time I participated in VAS’s training programme. I was amazed by the scale of organisation and the quality of the programmes that VAS offered in this large-scale training programme. The programme gave me a lot of valuable knowledge for my profession, organised many academic concepts and filled me with positive energy for the new school year.”
The programme also introduced and trained teachers on many key innovations of VAS in the 2023-2024 school year.
One of the most notable innovations of VAS this year is the Well-being Education Programme – a curriculum from Oxford University Press that provides a holistic view on the physical, mental and emotional health of students at different age levels. This programme will be integrated into the main curriculum for students from Pre 3 to grade 12.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan, Academic Director of VAS, stated: “The collaboration with Oxford to incorporate the Well-being programme into our teaching is one of VAS’s ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of education. VAS also prioritises equipping teachers with top-quality resources to ensure the best teaching standards and learning experiences for our students”.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung, a preschool teacher who has taught at VAS for nearly 10 years, said: “Although I have participated in the training programme of VAS every year, I am still impressed with the school’s continuous improvements over the years. The new Well-being education programme of VAS this year makes me and my colleagues very eager to implement it. This is the first time a school in HCMC has adopted such a programme in a professional manner”.
More information about the Well-being Education Programme:
The Well-being Programme for students from Pre 3 to grade 12 is designed with a comprehensive view on physical health and happiness in the mental and emotional states of students according to each age group.
The content of the programme includes 4 main elements: Physical health, mental health, emotional & social development, and cognitive development (learning).
The programme enables students to comprehend and assess how the above elements are interrelated and how well-being is vital for their academic and personal success. It also provides students with the skills and habits to cultivate a well-being lifestyle – a lifestyle that balances their physical, mental, and emotional health from a young age and prepares them to embrace opportunities and overcome obstacles in learning and life.
In addition, VAS implemented many other enhancements for the 2023-2024 school year, such as:
- Adding more academic and non-academic subjects from the Cambridge curriculum, such as Psychology, Arts, Design, Physical Education, and Music, providing opportunities for students to pursue their passions, develop in multiple areas, and gain more experiences to guide their future careers.
- Enhancing the English communication practice environment through diverse activities such as drama, debate, MC competitions, and podcast creation.
- Establishing a University Prep and Career Counselling for students from grades 8-12.
- Introducing the Design Thinking programme to develop students’ creative and problem-solving skills.
