Since ancient times, our ancestors have applied STEM to many aspects of life, including farming and animal husbandry.
So how did our ancestors apply STEM?
Interdisciplinary knowledge ranging from digging canals to cooking rice...
During the land reclamation process, to facilitate the digging of canals for water supply and easy transportation, the pioneers used torches to ensure the canals were aligned. Furthermore, the adjustment of the canals to avoid areas of subsidence or hard ground— scientific concepts seemingly only found in modern times—were effectively utilized by our ancestors. Scientific and mathematical knowledge was put into practice with vivid and effective evidence.
Similarly, ditches are dug to create raised beds. Small, parallel ditches allow water to flow freely through them, and the excavated soil is used to build up rectangular raised beds for planting trees. The tree roots gradually absorb water from the river along the ditches.
Furthermore, alluvial soil is excellent organic fertilizer; every year, the sediment deposited in the ditches is dredged up and used to fertilize the plants. The integration of interdisciplinary knowledge from mathematics, chemistry, and biology into daily work is truly beneficial. This includes calculating how to divide the land into smaller areas to ensure a balance between ditches and raised beds, utilizing water resources for irrigation, and using the regenerated nutrients from the alluvial soil as fertilizer for the crops.
Traditional hearths of the Western region of Vietnam
Applying STEM principles in simple ways, starting with cooking in daily life.
The water wheel is an innovative tool to reduce the manual labor involved in irrigation. A water trough is connected to a foot-operated water wheel frame, and wooden blocks draw and pull water in a circular motion within the trough, propelling it from a lower to a higher level as the foot pedals.
Cooking rice daily is truly a STEM activity, requiring knowledge of the correct ratio of water to rice, heat, cooking time, and the need to reduce the heat when it's almost done. Even in such a small task, our ancestors applied interdisciplinary knowledge in a truly remarkable way!
Military genius Nguyen Hue applied STEM.
The farming tools of farmers were not only used for agricultural activities but also served as equally formidable weapons in times of war or conflict. Almost every tool had its own martial art associated with it, and many weapons were developed based on these tools.
The sickle was a modified version of the scythe attached to a long pole, used for ambushing and knocking down horses. The ordinary carrying pole became a formidable weapon for attacking the enemy. During their time working in the fields, farmers learned the characteristics of these tools, and in times of war, they devised effective ways to eliminate the enemy using these tools.
STEM or STEAM are things that are very close to everyday life.
The military genius Nguyen Hue brilliantly applied STEM principles – the speed of infantry and elephant troops relative to distance; and how to move without interruption according to the marching plan. With the data gathered, Nguyen Hue and the talented generals of the Tay Son dynasty devised tactics for transporting food and troops from Phu Xuan to Thang Long in time for battle, and their victory in the spring of 1789 is proof of this.
STEM, or STEAM, is something very close to everyday life. Activities should be designed to suit the learners' level. The teacher should guide and motivate students, not do things for them. Most importantly, students must know how to apply the knowledge they are learning to real-life situations, not just create scientific and technical products for competitions and then forget about them!
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