TThere is an interesting story of science, art, learning and unlearning. Although through educational means, they all seem to be entangled with each other to the core, but in a context of problem and solution, one thread joins all the threads to its centre.
That thread being submerged in the global atmosphere still remains local. Explaining this entire process in a single line and simple words, Ellen J Kullman says, "Science is global, but the solution is local."
Recognising this equation of problem and solution, the tide has turned again in favour of localities. However, the education facilities provided worldwide differ in their pedagogies, subjects and educational practices.
Keeping study or education as a catalyst in the equation of problem and solution, the people of Vietnam prioritised education as their tool to drive change.
In the growing swing of globalisation and digitalisation, the education system in Vietnam not only started to shift gears but also made a state by introducing international education for its students.
International education is the local solution to some of the global problems in the world's changing scenario in multiple domains, sectors and industries. As the schools began to start their venture to drive change by imbibing international education in them, few schools gained the position of being some of the most valuable schools in the country.
Starting from scratch and collaborating with some of the most prominent schools in the country, The Knowledge Review Magazine, in its venture to find the 'Most Valuable Schools to Watch in Vietnam, 2022', went out and crossed paths with some of the most prominent schools in Vietnam.
This edition covers those schools that made a name for themselves.
Get immersed in the expressive and inspirational stories of such schools. Look at the articles curated by the inhouse editorial team of The Knowledge Review and have an insightful read!
FPT School, Đà Nẵng Campus (ala- ja yläkoulu)
Green Shoots International School
URL
danang12-school.fpt.edu.vn
greenshoots.edu.vn
Renaissance International School Saigon auv.edu.vn
renaissance.edu.vn
FPT Education offers a wide range of programs from primary education to postgraduate study. Its MISSION is to provide global competitiveness to massive learners, contributing to the intellectual development of the country.
Green Shoots educates a community of children from two to 16 years old and will soon launch a high school programme for children up to 18 years old.
Renaissance is a medium sized family school with a close-knit community, experienced fully qualied teachers and great academic results.
The American University in Vietnam AUV
The St. Nicholas School in Danang, Vietnam
sns.edu.vn/en
The American University in Vietnam (AUV) is a fouryear degree granting university providing liberal arts education and majors to quality-conscious students.
St. Nicholas School offers a full American academic curriculum for both Vietnamese and International students. Partnering with University of Missouri, Florida Virtual School (FLVS), after successfully completing the academic programs at St. Nicholas School, your child will receive a fully accredited high school diploma.
Facilitating Holistic Learning while empowering students for Tomorrow!
At Renaissance, we are innovative and constantly changing while never losing sight of our core beliefs. This is a school which knows who it is, where it is going and why.”
Act Local, Think Global' has been an unofficial motto of many institutions across the world. May it be educational or not, the concept of globalization has taught us that the actions taken on the ground can bring effective change in the world.
Today, the world around us is changing at a very high speed. From technological advancements to the ever-evolving quality of lifestyle, change is seemingly the only constant concept we have witnessed.
The younger generation that will be tomorrow's future needs to learn to adapt, mould themselves to change and excel in order to be the leaders of this global village. With the ideology of 'Act Local, Think Global,' the concept of international schools was created.
With globalization, the idea of international schools was embedded in the education system worldwide,
aiming to bring everyone around the world together. With the vision of bringing the world together and preparing future generations for the upcoming challenging life, Renaissance International School Saigon was established.
Spearheading the educational objectives while transitioning the school to its new heights is the Head of School , Mr. James Coulson, and his team of two senior members: Head of Secondary, Ms. Sarah Campbell, and the Head of Early Years and Primary Division , Ms. Jennifer Longmuir .
In an endeavour to search for the most valuable schools in Vietnam, The Knowledge Review crossed paths with this innovative educational institute. In an interactive conversation with the Heads of the schools, we learned how this school trains, prepares, and guides students towards the future.
Let's slide into the inspiring journey of Renaissance International School Saigon!
Academics have been the bedrock of every educational institution. Academics is the structured process whereby a student learns important subjects encapsulating all the basics of learning—loosely translating to experiencing the art of learning. Inculcating this idea of learning in the minds of budding citizens of tomorrow through the structured frame, the Head of the School says, "Its original inception was based around the concept of building a school of academic excellence which also put equal emphasis on the whole child. Renaissance was always conceived as a medium-sized school because it did not want to become a large one. Here, we believe that no child should be invisible . There are no cracks to slip through, no way of passing by without
We are "glocal": global and local. Everyone here knows that they do not belong only to a city or a country; they also belong to the world.
school says, "Renaissance is a place with extremely high expectations of all our community: of our parents, guardians and families; of our staff and leadership; and, of course, of our beloved students. We want the best for everybody, whatever their individual best may be. Unfulfilled potential is one of the saddest things to witness, and here, it is not permitted."
Unlike other schools where the responsibility is shared with the positions assigned, Renaissance International School has three support pillars that have shaped the school into what it is today.
Jenn agrees that she is a genuine force of nature! Jenn is a deep-thinker and has an inquisitive, striving, innovative nature. But she is also very much a doer who makes things happen and keenly understands the difference between a dream and a plan and what it takes to convert the former into the latter.
Ms. Sarah Campbell, Head of Secondary Division
being seen and known and listened to. In massive schools (as I previously experienced as a Head), people get lost. They can disappear into the crowd: their problems unnoticed, their pleas for help unheard. Here at Renaissance, that simply does not happen."
The ideas and the inception story have defined the school's journey and it has placed itself as a vital part of its community. Explaining the school's service to the community, the Head of
Ms. Jennifer Longmuir, Head of Eary Years and Primary Divison
Ms. Jennifer Longmuir, commonly referred by the students as Jenn, has been associated with Renaissance for seven years. After years of demonstrating her vast knowledge of contemporary Education, absolute passion for young people, coupled with her outstanding personal qualities of warmth, creativity, dynamism, optimism, and an unshakeable sense of humour, everyone who has ever known
Ms. Sarah Campbell comes all the way from the United Kingdom. After teaching for several years in Thailand, she joined Renaissance. Being an experienced teacher with roots in an IT background, she brings creativity and strong ideas to the leadership team and has been instrumental in Renaissance's adoption of the MYP as its future programme for the middle years section of the school.
Mr. James Coulson, Head of School Being an international student from Spain, Mr. James Coulson has lived abroad for almost a quarter of a century. He started his career as an English professor in Greece and then moved to the Czech Republic, Spain, Chile, and Argentina before joining Renaissance in Vietnam. He is also a proud father of two Renaissance students, and his other eldest daughter is an IB DP graduate.
Talking about James' leadership skills, the school management says, "James believes passionately in the transformative power of a truly international education and subscribes completely to Renaissance's model of a family-focused, familiar, personalized learning space where no child is invisible."
"Are
"Academic results matter enormously
we pushing them hard enough?"
at Renaissance. This is a top level school with IBDP results consistently well-above world averages and our families demand that their children gain access to some of the most prestigious universities and colleges in the world. We want every child to fulfil their potential and our expectations regarding effort, commitment and work ethic of each one of our students is second-to-none. Renaissance is a demanding school to belong to; there are no easy rides here."
"Are we pushing them too hard?"
"However, at Renaissance, we also understand something else: all of this learning, studying, working has to be for something more than just grades. If we produce a generation of students who score 45 in the IB Diploma, achieve places at Ivy League universities, and get great jobs; but who are burnt-out, jaded, and unhappy. In that case, we will have
failed. Failed the most important people to us: our students. Here, happiness matters. Well-being matters. Health in all its forms matters. These are not just words; they are reflected in our daily actions."
Balancing out the answers derived from the previous question, 'Are we pushing them too hard?' is another question the management takes before acting on the decision. These two questions have become sort of an unsaid philosophy of the school before taking any decision. The school has developed these two sides with a desire for academic excellence and the determination to develop happy and well-balanced youth.
On a Visionary Mission: Be Happy, Belong and Be Excellent Renaissance with the changing needs of the world and modern Education has encapsulated a new vision for the school to Be Happy, Belong and Be Excellent.
Ÿ Be Happy : Health—physical, social, emotional—is imperative. The school works tirelessly so that the student comes to school happily in the morning and goes home happy every afternoon. 'Happy people learn better!'
Ÿ Belong : The sense of belonging is embedded in the school's culture. At Renaissance, students are taught to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
Ÿ Be Excellent : Recognize and fulfill one's true potential and push them towards excellence.
Special care is taken to maintain good quality educational standards at the school. Recognizing the main purpose of Education, the school develops
students to be excellent in academics and prepares them for life.
Taking about the educational standard maintained at the school, the Head of the school, Mr. James Coulson, says, " E ducation is designed to prepare young people for life, for the world, and in order to do this, schools must mirror the world around them. This implies dexterity, openness, and flexibility as we seek to keep up with an increasingly changeable world.
Schools have to have a strong identity and know who they are, but we cannot remain tied to the past or held back by our own traditions. We must be brave and open to experimentation, to trying to do new things in new ways, to the beautiful act of failure. Failure is not the opposite of success; on the contrary, it is a vital ingredient of it. At Renaissance, we are innovative and constantly changing while never losing sight of our core beliefs. This is a school which knows who it is, where it is going and why."
To maintain the quality of Education as per the international standard, the school takes great effort to find quality staff and faculty. Many of the school's international faculty have at least a Master's degree. Moreover, nearly all the faculty are from a native Englishspeaking community. Talking about the maintenance of quality education at the school, Mr. James Coulson notes, "In spite of being a largely non-selective school, Renaissance consistently scores well-above IB World Averages in the IB Diploma and at Cambridge IGCSE examinations. We pride ourselves on the excellence of our teaching across the board, and many of our faculty stay with us for many years."
“ Well-being matters. Health in all its forms matters. These are not just words; they are reflected in our daily actions.
Emphasizing the learning
pedagogies of the school, the Head of the School adds: "Learning can be very hard work. It should be challenging, and it should take students out of their comfort zones to where they can truly grow academically and personally. To support this type of modern learning, Renaissance already has the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and is currently in the process of applying for accreditation in both the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP ), which, together will make us a full-IB Continuum World School . The IB is recognized in international educational circles and among top-ranked international universities as the goldstandard educational programme in the world today, and we are proud as a community to embrace it as a central part of our culture."
"Another central part of our culture is our membership of the prestigious international educational body, Round Square: Renaissance is the only Round
Square school in the whole of Vietnam. Round Square is part of our institutional DNA, and we embrace its ideals of Leadership, Environmentalism, Democracy, Adventure, Leadership & Service. Its strong focus on student voice & agency and its values-driven development of young people informs everything we do here at Renaissance. We are not
content just to produce good doctors, good lawyers, good engineers, good artists; here, we also produce good people !" added Mr. James Coulson.
st Inculcating 4Cs of 21 CenturyCollaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking
The school has the vision to prepare
st students for the 21 century. Talking about the 4Cs of 21st century learning skills, Mr. James Coulson says: "We have clear that we are not preparing our children for the world which we came from; that world no longer exists. Like many current parents, I come from a far-away planet where there was no internet, no mobile phone technology, no google translate or Spotify or Grab or Amazon or Netflix or Twitter or Facebook or so many other things that for our children are just part of their world and always have been. We are
preparing them for the world of st the 21 century, and amidst so much uncertainty and while accepting the impossibility of seeing the future, we still believe that we can predict several key things: our children are not going to spend nearly as much time memorizing the same amount of things
as we did; just being able to reproduce information passively and uncritically – as we were expected to in the 1970s and 1980s in the UK – is no longer very useful in the modern world. Now, st children need 21 Century learning Skills: Collaboration; Communication; Creativity; Critical Thinking : the 4 Cs."
Embedding the Sense of Belonging Belonging is one of the core values on which the school's inception is based. Emphasizing and sharing how the school embeds these core values in students, Mr. James Coulson says, "No one is invisible at Renaissance. This is a school in which we all look out for each other: families, faculty, staff, and—of course—our amazing students. During the long, dark months of Covid and the attendant lockdown, we managed to keep our own spirits up by constantly checking in on one another, remaining fiercely optimistic, focusing on the positives—and there were many—and celebrating the small improvements and green shoots of progress as we inched our way through the long tunnel towards the light. By acting as a community—sharing, giving, helping, listening—we were able to weather this tremendous storm, pass this most demanding of tests and come out the other end closer, stronger and better. Even during the darkest hours, Renaissance always managed to be a happy place. That is because we believe in this school, we believe in one another, and we believe in ourselves."
Following this philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and being a prominent international school in Vietnam, Renaissance International School Saigon is on a mission to build a global community. Initiating the starting point from themselves, the school has chosen to be a 'Glocal' school.
Explaining the global influence on Vietnamese culture and envisioning the possible future of the school, Mr. James Coulson says, "We are 'glocal': global and local. Everyone here knows that they do not belong only to a city or a country; they also belong to the world. But conversely, we are proud to live and belong to the rich, vibrant, and admirable culture as that of Vietnam. Its rich culture is ever-present in the daily life and calendar of our school as we delight in celebrating Moon Festival, Tet, and so many other wonderful events throughout the year. Its wonderful food, literature, music, architecture, and fascinating history permeate a child's learning here. Culture is part of who we are, part of what makes us, part of what decides our future and here, we embrace the host country which we love and respect so much."
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi
“Renaissance is a special place. On a personal note, I was first attracted to Renaissance as a parent. The school unified all the attributes which I was searching for as a proud father of three children: student-centred; family-oriented; large enough to have fantastic facilities but small enough for no child to be invisible; a place of very high standards, a strong belief in excellence in all things and a keen desire to push ourselves and one another to fulfill our potential – whatever that potential may be; but also a human and humane place where children feel safe and noticed and loved and where families feel they have a voice and that doors are always opened to them. A school is a stool with three legs: staff, family, and students. All three legs must work together, communicate, support one another, and understand their own inter-dependence. If not, the stool falls over.
“I believe in Renaissance. It inspires me to hear my children talking at dinner time about how they did a Sports & Health lesson learning about the concept of resistance by spending half an hour in our swimming pool with our teachers; or how the concept of supply & demand that they just discussed in Economics has made them understand certain things about the absence or presence of Covid vaccinations; or talking about the podcast they have just recorded for the school magazine, Talk Town. They return home inspired and excited by what they have spent their day doing in class. They are also tired! But it is a good kind of tired, the right kind of tired.
Remember that time while watching high school dramas, when protagonists would work part-time, and you'd think you want to be that? Yes, that moment that just flashed across your eyes; what if you are told it is important? Why?
Apart from being a cool TV trend, doing a part-time job or an internship along with college could offer much to learn on a personal and professional level. Bonus: some extra cash flow in the pocket. This additional support helps in creating more opportunities and opening the gate to the employee market.
Here are the perks of having a parttime job or an internship: Experience on Hands
Learning from schools and the application of knowledge are two varying concepts. What might seem perfect in the text might seem to be totally different from reality. As the application of knowledge requires time and experience, internships and parttime jobs provide a great opportunity to acquire this.
Having a job, no matter what, creates a sense of responsibility, pushing an individual to maintain it while completing it gives a sense of accomplishment. These are the driving forces in a person's life irrespective of field.
Looking for a job at the correct place could create a great opportunity for earning some extra pocket money, specifically in the case of thinking of managing one's own expenses. Based on the qualifications and requirements of the employer, the pay could vary.
However, not all jobs and internships pay. Some of them provide with letters of recommendation and experience, while some could offer coupons.
Freedom is something everyone seeks, and the first step towards it is understanding oneself. Having a job along with responsibility and money gives freedom, financial freedom and, freedom to stand on own.
A good internship opportunity is a great contribution to a CV. It will not only make it attractive but also talk about the experience and performance of an individual. While hiring freshers is a basic process, most companies prefer to hire fresher with at least some kind of experience.
Both internships and jobs bring about new elements in the life of an individual, mostly the practical ones. This prepares one enough to handle the situations, create a work-life balance, understand stress, and manage it. These small changes create a huge difference in daily habits and overall personality, proving to be beneficial in the future.
The change is created with responsibility and a sense of understanding. The impact of these little changes has the ability to transform a person.
Time management is one of the major issues numerous people deal with; having work to do pushes one to a tight corner and sometimes makes things difficult due to haste. Managing time is very important for everyone, even with no job to do.
For those pursuing college, along with doing their job, time management is an effective tool to have everything fall in place. Better time management leads to better planning.
Working means connecting with people and, thus, a dense network. Having a good network can ensure the exchange of great ideas and the social well-being of an individual. This usually proves helpful during later stages of employment.
Having a job or an internship can create the basics of this network, allowing one to connect professionally.
Understanding Looks could be alluring. As it is very natural to want to pursue a profession with attractive outlines and looks, it might not be true for everyone.
Understanding of job and whether you want to do it is something one should really be aware of. And this is something that could only be understood through some real experience. Though you might not be the one doing frequent trips to the trial room, this trial could prove lifechanging for some.
Being a part-timer or an intern might be the smallest designation one might not think to accept in the absence of dire need. However, it exposes an individual to the world of employment. Learning what to seek and understanding how to gain it are all parts of working life; knowing it sooner at early stages is always a gain.
So, the next time you are thinking about getting a job, get it!
We have hosts of people whom we all term as leaders – Adolf Hitler, Bin Laden, Napoleon Bonaparte, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, King Shivaji, Malala Yousufzai, Abdul Kalam, Vladamir Putin, and the list will go on and on.
Note I have, without prejudice, listed all the names whom the world considered as leaders. I am not here to judge who was a right or wrong leader. In this writing, my aim is to just take a survey of the five contexts that make a person a leader.
1. A leader is the one who sits on the chair: We all have to accept the authority of the person sitting on the chair of a leadership position. It could be the CEO of a company, a Manager, a Principal, a Politician, an officer, etc. It is the chair that gives this leader his power. People respect and do the leaders‟ bidding because they have no choice. Suppose I join a company and there is a leader who is in the position of the CEO, who is on the chair, I will have to accept his authority unquestioningly. I may not be aware of why the person is the CEO of the company. He may be the owner; he may have risen through ranks; he may be the relative of the founder etc. But whatever his merit in sitting on the chair, I have to accept his leadership because he is sitting on the chair. The positive thing about such leadership is that you have a chair that can give you the power over your people, and you can use the same power to do good. The negative side of such leadership is that once your chair is lost, your
influence over the people will be lost too. Though we have examples of people who positively influenced people‟s lives while they were seated on the chair, and even when they have no chair today, people still look up to them as leaders. There are leaders in India like our former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who used his chair to serve people when he was the Prime Minister of India. He never misused any resources and privileges afforded to him. He is revered and in the hearts of every Indian, even when today he is no more.
2 . A Leader is one who has inherited the title - The second type we see is those who have inherited the Leadership title. They are leaders because as Shakespeare said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." These are people who have the leadership title thrust upon them because they belong to a family that was in leadership through the ages. Some of them will indeed take it as an opportunity, learn the necessary leadership skills and turn out to be really good leaders. We have the example of the business leaders in India – The Tatas. The Tata family has been leading India's business sector for decades. Some great leaders that we know are Jamshetji, Dorabji, JRD Tata, and Ratan Tata, who have taken the leadership title with great responsibility and used it for the good of society and the nation.
But this is not the case every time. Some of those who inherit the leadership role because of their family
do not understand the clichéd saying, "Leaders are made, not born." They may do more harm than good. We usually find that the King's family automatically inherits the throne and leadership. Today, politicians encourage their children to inherit the seat they have cherished and used to wield their power for years. So the second types of leader are those who have inherited it.
3. A Leader is one who has risen through the ranks - The next type of leader we see is the one who has earned her leadership due to her dint and labour. This person has dedicated her time, energy, and resources to contribute to the organization's growth and profitability. She may have started at the bottom but has earned the respect of her peers and seniors due to her unflinching commitment to the organization and its cause. She has gone the extra mile for the organization. She has grown as a person, and her seniors have taken note of it. They have seen her develop her knowledge and skill and brushed up on her gifts and talents. She may have started at the bottom but has earned a higher respectable position and is now in a leadership position. But the important thing is not rising through the ranks to earn the leadership position but what the person does for others after she has gained the leadership title . "Before you are a leader, leadership is all about developing yourself; after you are a leader, leadership is all about developing your people." (Jack Welch)
We see such type of leadership in the example of Steve Jobs, who founded the Apple Company with Steve Wozniak in a garage. In the aftermath of the initial success of Apple, Steve was thrown out of the company by the then CEO John Sculley. He kept on his belief, worked on his gifts and skills, learned more, and got more freedom to experiment and start new companies like NeXT which was later incorporated by Apple in 1997, bringing Steve Jobs back to a leadership position in Apple and helping to revive it. Such leadership evokes respect from all quarters for the person who has rightfully earned the chair due to what he has done and achieved.
4. A Leader is one whom the people have elected to be their leader – This type of leadership is seen in a democratic government. The people elect their representatives who become a leader to represent the people. They are leaders and in the chair because the people have given them the position and privilege. When the ex – American President Barrack Obama pitched himself as the 'Agent of change' for the 2008 Presidential Elections, the people really loved him. He was going to be the first Afro-American President of the country. Some of his election promises were to revive the economy, provide affordable and accessible health care to all, strengthen the public education and social security systems, define a clear path to energy independence and tackle climate change, and end the war in Iraq responsibly, etc. People saw in him a leader who would transform the American Nation and elected him to power. He was the President of the USA from the year 2009 to 2017. It is always great when you are the people's choice but many leaders, once they get the position and privilege, forget to
serve the very people who have helped them reach where they are.
5. A Leader is one who has a passion for serving the people –
This type of leader is in the position because he wants to serve the people. In fact, such a person may not have the title 'leader', but still, in his actions to serve others, he is looked up to as a leader. Think of people like Baba Amte, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and Gandhiji; you can add more to the list. Gandhiji never held any office, but he is considered to be the Father of the Nation. No one in India and around the world can deny his leadership role in the independence of the nation. This is what we can call as 'authentic leadership.' Of course, all of the previous leaders who are leaders by their position, legacy, dedication, and election can graduate to this level where they develop a real insight of leadership role and take on the responsibility to serve others. Jesus Christ in the Bible says he did not come so that people may serve him but rather that he may serve the people. That's a true mark of a leader who has a passion for serving the people. Such leadership just doesn't rule from the chair position but rules on the hearts of the people. We find others find themselves in the presence of such a leader, and others develop to a leadership position because of the backing of such a selfless leader. This is the 'Level 5' leadership that Jim Collins, in his 'Good to Great' book, talks about, which is characterized by Humility and Strong Will. Here the leader is a leader not because he is attracted to the leadership title but because he sees it as an opportunity to serve the people, better their lives, and help them reach the newly envisioned destination.
Conclusion - It was Peter Drucker who said, "... Leadership is doing the right thing." What's the right thing to do is rule over people because you are in the chair, because you inherited the title, because you rose to be a leader, because the people elected you or because you have a passion for serving your people? I leave that question of the right leadership to you!
Sohan Tiwade , Corporate Soft Skills Trainer & Professional Speaker, The Edge Asst. Professor, Sanjay Ghodawat University
PPassion has led people to do extraordinary things. It is more like a journey of building something unique that needs to be nurtured and cared for a lifetime, resulting in something amazing that amplifies the result and opens doors to innovation, inspiration and liberation.
People are passionate about a lot of things, like coding or towards the game of chess.
However, passion related to one particular thing always seems fascinating. Still, when the passion is about inspiring and enhancing the lifestyles of others, it becomes pretty intriguing and often lasts a lifetime.
Did you know why the teacher's profession is considered a noble one? It is because one dedicates their life to educating the younger generation. With the same passion for teaching infusing beautifully with an entrepreneurs' approach, Dr. Binh Tran followed her passion for embarking on a lifelong project, providing educational opportunities to the young people in Vietnam. And that passion set the founding stone for the American University in Vietnam in Viet Nam.
Out of the dedication and a vision to meet students' unique learning needs, the APU International School—a
leading K-12 institution with campuses in Ho Chi Minh City—was established in 2003. Following the success of APU's Ho Chi Minh City campus, the APU American International School was established in Da Nang City in 2014. In 2019, APU American International School launched the additional Bilingual Program to meet student's unique learning needs and conditions, further expanding opportunities for students to enjoy the APU experience
The Beginning of the first Americanstyle University in Vietnam The journey of Dr. Binh Tran from setting up the first American International School to the first American style university in Vietnam has been quite commendable.
While Dr. Binh Tran was having a successful career in the United States, she frequently travelled to Vietnam on charity trips to assist the poor and disadvantaged in her home country. During these trips, she witnessed many miserable cases. Children under the age of ten were forced to work hard all day, wandering the streets to earn money to support their families. They were denied the chance to go to school and learn how to read or write. She also met students who had completed high school but were unable to attend universities. When she returned to the
United States, she was still concerned and thinking about setting up a highquality education in Vietnam.
It takes a lot of time and effort to be able to prepare and satisfy the requirements of the Vietnamese government and the strict standards of the American University. In 1999, she completed all the paperwork to apply to open the first American Standard University in Vietnam. After a long time of careful preparation, AUV was recognised as the first American-style university by the government in 2015, and the courses and degrees began embarking on its educational venture in 2016.
The latest venture for AUV is in process, as it aims to spread its wings in the south of Vietnam and create another campus, which will be called the American Education Village. This campus will be equipped with all the latest technology needed for effective course delivery for students and for research projects by faculty in Vietnam and partner institutions worldwide.
Vision: AUV aims to create a global community where the individuals are inspired to apply their educational learning in ways that will enhance the economic, social and lifestyle of their families and community.
Mission: AUV is on a mission of stimulating an intellectual community that prepares graduates for the challenges of life, work, and leadership in a diverse and rapidly changing world. The university will equip future professionals and leaders with valuebased knowledge, instil lifelong skills and develop a sense of personal values to function effectively as local actors and global citizens.
That is the reason why the American University in Vietnam adopts the American culture of liberal education. The emphasis is given to analytical and creative thinking, rational and methodical reasoning and discovery of the diverse fields in arts and humanities, natural sciences, math, information and technology, social sciences, and financial and health literacy.
Prioritising Consistency in Quality and Liberal Education
Ensuring quality education is quite a tough task where the advancement in technology and continuous innovation make it difficult for educators to keep up with the industry requirements. For that reason alone, AUV has developed a curriculum where students, management and the faculty work together to keep the courses relevant to today's industry requirements.
Moreover, in addition to course revision, faculty members have curated a personalised learning course in such a way that gives the students the liberty to choose and match their needs and interest.
The COVID-19 pandemic imposed
AUV has developed a curriculum where students, management and the faculty work together to keep the courses relevant to today’s industry requirements.
many challenges on the education sector across the world. Even during those tough times, AUV provided upto-date facilities for both offline and distance learning studies. With such soundproof, smart classes, high-tech workstations, project-based teamfocused desks, seamless interactive hardware/software systems, and other Ed-Tech means.
Emphasising the adaption of modern facilities at the university, Dr. Binh Tran says, "We are also updating every classroom at AUV with networked instructional systems technology. Our newest smart distance learning studios will contain 25 tech stations for students, each consisting of a highperformance computer with fast Ethernet connection and direct access to university printers. Also, the upcoming multi-purpose stadium
constructed on our green campus is one of its kind in Vietnam and will host other sports, entertainment, civic, cultural and commercial events."
To commit and improve the engagement of students, faculty and guests on the campus, AUV, with its Student Success Centers offers various studios, project lounges, and university success workshops.
Explaining the engagement model at the campus, Dr. Binh Tran says, "The Center for Career Development, for example, provides students opportunities to complete internships, externships, work-study, and servicelearning experiences in their major fields of study. These opportunities give students the chance to get a head start
Studying or working always involves the task of organizing yourself and mastering the demands.
on their professional careers while developing social and office skills. Collectively, these centers foster the rich tradition of liberal education and support student growth, as well as social and civic engagement."
The Guiding Lamp of APU American International Schools and the American University Vietnam Dr. Binh Tran has recognised that being a founder is just not enough when it comes to passion. Today, sitting in the seat of the founder of APU American International School, she is the guiding lamp for the education society going forward. For the American University of Vietnam, she chairs the Board of Trustees.
With the inception of this lifelong project, she aims to provide quality educational opportunities to students in Vietnam. Highlighting her influence on the growth of the school, AUV's management says, "Dr. Binh Tran has been able to secure millions of dollars in scholarships during the past several years to allow talented students the chance to study at top-rated institutions in the United States. Every year, she renews her devotion to leveraging AUV's relationships with our US partner universities to offer generous scholarships for high performing graduates. So far, Dr. Binh Tran has guided and mentored more than 5,000 students on their career paths in the US and other Englishspeaking countries around the world."
The school faculty curated the educational curriculum so beautifully that it bridges theory and practice and exposes students to work and solve problems in the 'real world'. During the whole learning process, the faculty ensures that students are groomed in the way the real world operates and
AUV aims to create a global community where the individuals are inspired to apply their educational learning in ways that will enhance the economic, social and lifestyle of their families and community.
equips students with all the necessary means to indulge and fit ideally in the system. Highlighting the learning outcome of AUV, Dr. Binh Tran says, "Upon graduation, students have firsthand leadership experience from co-op education, an internship with international companies, and transnational student exchanges!"
South Vietnam's American Education Village
AUV has been continually growing its campuses, facilities, program, and course offering as an international university. With a vision to spread its wings across Vietnam, the next big thing in progress for the AUV is the construction of the American Education Village, a large campus in the south of Vietnam. The university aims to provide a world-class campus designed and instilled to create an ideal learning and working environment for students, lecturers, and staff through this project.
Today our future looks even brighter as APU and AUV strive to instill academic excellence, social responsibility, and empowerment so that students can become the leaders of tomorrow.
Competition and hustle in this fast-moving world are not limited to adults anymore, as students are facing new challenges every day.
With a technology-driven education system, students have become more adaptable and are learning to embrace the new change. The pandemic changed the delivery of knowledge to students from offline to online, with technology bridging the gap.
As things are back to normal, offline schools are restarted/reopened, and
children have to adapt again to this change after a long time. Being physically present at school is beneficial for the students as they are involved in activities/games apart from school studies that involve interaction with other students and teachers, which results in the sense of engagement for building confidence. Confidence and a sense of engagement are required for sparking curiosity in children, and curiosity drives enthusiasm to learn new things. All of these sum up to the Holistic Development of children.
Read through this article and get a gist of how games and activities help in the Holistic Development of Children.
Holistic development covers all aspects of a child's growth, that includes physical, mental, social, and emotional growth. A child spends most of the day time at school and is influenced by the teachers and students around on many levels. Surely, studying assists in gaining knowledge and learning. It is the interaction and communication with others and teachers that will help in a child's growth concerning gaining confidence to face real-world problems. This can be done by an inclusive approach where both teachers and students are involved in conducting various activities that help in achieving the holistic development of students. A very common challenge observed in students these days is less attention span. They lose interest in things easily and are easily distracted. Few games help to solve these challenges and are aligned with holistic learning. Holistic learning helps in building focus skills and engaging kids with sensory activities/games that encourage them to develop problemsolving skills whilst learning mindfulness.
How Games
in the Holistic Development of Student Developing motor skills/PhysicallyBoth indoor and outdoor games will contribute to developing better motor skills in students. Playing with small toys such as blocks, puzzles, etc will help in eye and hand coordination. Whereas playing outdoor games will help in building stamina and games like football or other team sports will introduce teamwork and trust amongst the students.
Mentally/Emotionally - Learning to feel one's emotion and understanding what the emotion is, is the first step toward being mindful. Children can become emotionally strong once they gain self-confidence, and imaginative games or the mind games challenge them to explore their emotions and express them confidently without fear.
Intellectually - Observation is key to thinking skills, children will understand this by being in nature and observing things practically that they learned in books. Games like treasure hunts can be aligned with finding objects of different shapes and organizing and clubbing similar shapes objects. Experiments in nature will help them understand the cause and effects of certain activities. Throwing a stone in still water creates a pattern and the stone skips on water, scientific concepts like gravity force and lift force can be explained in this way. Painting activities will help in color recognition and textures.
Socially - Communication is important, and if learned at an early stage in life, it will help in being socially confident. Team sports or games will be helpful for children to understand the role of every individual to solve a given problem. It's important to listen first to
interact or react in any situation and this can be learned by conducting group activities where children will learn to coordinate with each other to achieve or complete a task. And this skill will reflect in the long term when they are socializing and help them to make better choices.
Creatively - Challenging activities or games will help the children understand and explore their creativity and will help them solve problems in their way. Some children are comfortable working and playing by themselves, whereas some are more active when in a group. This is where creative activities come in handy. Assign challenging activities to create something out of given materials and give options of working individually or in groups and let them discover their creative sides. They will understand the power of choice, the choice to work alone or in a group, and the challenges that come around while solving the problem.
As fancy as it may sound to work in a team and achieve goals, it's also important to acknowledge the personalities who give better results when working alone. And why not start exploring this at a young age. Creativity helps in translating your self-independence into the task assigned to you.
Like adults, children have different personalities and go hand in hand with each of them, and making them comfortable while learning is also important when paving the way for Holistic Development. It's a need to include games in formal education as books only won't teach the children the challenges of the ever-growing and developing world.
