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Title: Integrating Play-based Learning Activities for Young Learners (iPLAY) – extension period

Location: 

9 provinces including: 

  • 8 current pilot provinces: Thai Nguyen, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Ho Chi Minh City, Lai Chau, Ha Giang. 

  • 1 new province: Binh Duong 

Timing: 2/2024 – 7/2025 

Budget: USD 1,318,000  

Donor: The LEGO Foundation 

Sector: Primary Education 

Focus: Professional development of teachers (INSET) and school leaders; Learning through Play 

Background information

Since 2019, the first phase of the iPLAY project implemented by VVOB Vietnam with funding from the LEGO Foundation has enhanced and expanded the integration of a Learning through Play (LTP) pedagogy into the primary education system. In close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), iPLAY aligned with the objectives of Vietnam's new competency-based curriculum in the General Education Program to foster diverse skills for primary school students. The project created professional development materials on LTP for primary school teachers in grades 1 to 3 and a roadmap for school leaders to provide effective professional development activities for their teachers as they practice with the LTP approach. To support a nationwide dissemination of the LTP approach, the project worked closely with MoET agencies to  an online course on LTP aligned with the new curriculum. This course is available to all teachers via TEMIS and has been taken up by more than 145,000 primary school teachers as of September 2023. 

 

The mid-term evaluation results show progress in LTP implementation by teachers in the pilot provinces. Teachers and school leaders are also more professionally supported and have more positive attitudes towards this approach. Furthermore, the participation results of the online course on LTP have shown great interest from teachers nationwide. Therefore, this is an opportunity to sustain and expand the positive impact of the LTP approach to both pilot and non-pilot provinces. 

 

Goal

This extension project will enable VVOB Vietnam to continue working on two key result areas in the iPLAY project: 

  1. Teachers deepen and expand their knowledge, attitudes, and skills to incorporate Learning through Play pedagogies into their classrooms.  

  1. A broader group of stakeholders are effectively engaged to create a strong enabling environment for the implementation of Learning through Play pedagogies. 

By the end of July 2025, the extension phase of the project will reach 410,800 primary school teachers and school leaders nationwide.  

Partners

  • Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) 

  • Departments/Agencies under the Ministry of Education and Training: 
    - Department of Teachers and Education Management (DTEA) 
    - Department of Primary Education (PED) 

  • The following universities: Hanoi National University of Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Danang University of Education, Thai Nguyen University of Education, Hue University of Education 

  • Education Sector Group (including international and Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and representatives of MoET). 

Approach

Building on the successes of the iPLAY project, this 18-month extension presents an opportunity to expand the professional development journey for primary school teachers, deepening and broadening their understanding and application of play-based learning techniques. This will ultimately improve teacher support for student agency in the classroom.  

 

The extension also allows iPLAY to broaden its reach by engaging more actors in Vietnam's education sector. This collaboration will maximize the utilization of iPLAY resources, ensuring its long-term impact, and will feed into a discussion on student autonomy, agency and holistic learning outcomes.

 

Furthermore, VVOB will support MoET with reflection on student assessment practices within the new General Education Program, and on the integration of LTP and holistic learning outcomes into assessment plans. These conversations will be expanded to include reflections on the integration of LTP in the new pre-primary education curriculum which is currently in its development and testing phase.  

The project is designed to achieve the following deliverables: 

  • Further strengthen the capacity of national, provincial, and district-level authorities to support and sustain the school-based TPD on LTP in the eight pilot provinces that we have been working in, plus one additional trajectory for Binh Duong province. 

  • Widen the dissemination of iPLAY’s resources and results through coordination and collaboration with other education-focused organisations in Vietnam (members of the Education Sector Group and Universities of Education providing pre-service education to teachers in key provinces).  

  • Deepen discussions with MoET around the upkeep and expansion of iPLAY resources in implementing the new pre-primary education curriculum, as well as discussions around how holistic learning supported by learning through play can best be incorporated into the official MoET student assessment frameworks and tools. 

Expected results

 Learners: 

  • Experience a joyful, meaningful, and effective learning environment. 

  • Experience increased autonomy in primary school lessons, supporting a holistic development. 

Teachers: 

  • Enhanced knowledge and skills in integrating LTP into their classroom practices. 

  • Continued and more confident integration of LTP into classroom lessons. 

  • Shift from traditional teaching methods to more student-centred and interactive approaches. 

School leaders: 

  • Better equipped and more confident to guide and support teachers in implementing LTP.  

  • Provide collaborative instructional coaching. 

Education officials: 

  • Proactively support and sustain school-based Teacher Professional Development (TPD) on LTP . 

  • Embrace a more participatory and collaborative approach using blended TPD.  

  • Provide instructional coaching and subject-based Professional Teacher Meetings. 

Pre-service educators: 

  • Collaborate with Universities of Education to have LTP taken up in pre-service teacher training.  

To reach its goals, VVOB in Vietnam develops the capacity of its partners. VVOB uses capacity development trajectories that give partners maximal responsibility in the execution and management of their change processes. This is done through technical assistance provided by the VVOB team in Vietnam, which includes both local and international educational and change management experts.