Primary STEM Education Exploring “materials” from life

With the desire to create an open learning environment, inspiring creativity and passion for science for a large number of students, Nguyen Trai Primary School (Buon Ma Thuot City) has organized a variety of STEM educational activities on different scales. These can be small STEM lessons in class, school-wide STEM festivals or participating in city-level STEM playgrounds...

Through this, students can freely create STEM products from familiar materials (paper, tape, lego, milk cartons, plastic bottles) such as: making beautiful trash cans and flower pots; building a tree-shaped mind map about family; nutrition pyramid; assembling creative models...

Students visit the STEM booth of class 5A6, Nguyen Trai Primary School (Buon Ma Thuot City).

After being inspired by his teacher and supported by his mother, Le Van Kien, a student of class 5A6, Nguyen Trai Primary School (Buon Ma Thuot City) completed the STEM product “hydraulic arm” (made from paper and plastic pipes) to display at the school’s STEM festival. According to Kien, the process of making the STEM product with his mother was a happy learning experience; he was also proud when his teacher praised him and his friends enjoyed experiencing the product.

The spirit of simplifying STEM education also spreads to more difficult areas. At No Trang Long Primary School (Krong Pac District), students had meaningful STEM experiences right in the school garden through the lesson of "planting green vegetables". Under the dedicated guidance of teachers, students directly participated in all stages of vegetable growing such as: preparing seeds, materials (trays, eggshells, soil, paper bowls), practicing planting, caring, harvesting, etc.

Ms. Le Thi Viet, Principal of No Trang Long Primary School, shared that with the characteristics of a school with a large number of ethnic minority students and many students from difficult family circumstances, mobilizing social resources for STEM is difficult. Therefore, the school has flexibly chosen the method of integrating STEM education into practical activities, closely related to life and suitable for the existing facilities to bring close and practical lessons to the students.

According to Ms. Nguyen Kim Anh Thu, Principal of Nguyen Trai Primary School (Buon Ma Thuot City), the implementation of STEM education has effectively promoted the qualities and abilities of students. Students have proactively applied the knowledge they have learned, combined with the guidance of teachers to creatively solve real-life problems.

The lessons are built in a cycle revolving around the student: students prepare materials close to life; practice making products; display products at home, in the classroom, in the hallway, on the school yard; explore your STEM products...

Students of No Trang Long Primary School (Krong Pac district) harvest vegetables in the school yard.

Agreeing with the above viewpoint, Ms. Ngoc Thi Nuong, a primary school teacher at Victory Primary, Secondary and High School (Buon Ma Thuot City) affirmed that the teaching method following the STEM education orientation is one of the superior "active teaching methods", capable of stimulating creative thinking, proactive spirit and knowledge acquisition ability of students. Because primary school students are still fond of fun, love to play and do not pay much attention to studying. STEM education activities give students the opportunity to both study and play and play a central role throughout the learning process. The active participation of students has created a lively and exciting learning atmosphere, attracting the participation of a large number of students, thereby improving the quality of each lesson.

In fact, STEM education at the elementary level is more effective when it is simple; using familiar teaching “materials” from real life will encourage “little scientists” to ask many questions to learn intentionally to explore the world around them. In this way, familiar and close things become interesting and meaningful science, technology, engineering and mathematics lessons.

The Ministry of Education and Training requires that from the 2024-2025 school year, localities must develop plans to implement STEM education in all primary education institutions to ensure quality; focusing on improving the capacity to organize STEM activities for schools and teachers...

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202504/giao-duc-stem-bac-tieu-hockhai-pha-chat-lieu-tu-cuoc-song-c4b1b53/