STEM (science - technology - engineering - maths) education activities  in schools contribute to equipping students with knowledge and skills in the world of burgeoning technology, creating excitement for learning and accessing scientific knowledge. However, STEM education has not been implemented synchronously and has not gone into depth.

Teachers of middle and high schools visit the invention space of the VN-UK Institute for Research and Executive Education under the University of Da Nang within the framework of a STEM training session. Photo: NGOC HA

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates the students into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications. STEM education is an essential pillar for sustainable development and participatory citizenship.

Since 2016 to now, the Da Nang Department of Education and Training has deployed STEM education to junior and senior high schools in the city through teaching related subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Informatics, Technology u the spirit of interdisciplinary teaching and formulating STEM education topics. At the same time, in carrying out annual educational tasks, high schools must carry out professional activities on STEM applications each semester

Mr. Phan Tien Dau, a teacher from the city’s Tran Phu Senior High School implemented an academic teaching session named ‘Bridges span over the Han River’ with STEM-oriented tasks. The teacher asked students to play roles in different professions such as civil engineer, electrical engineer, chemical engineer, tour guide to perform tasks.

For example, with the learning project ‘I'm a smart electrical engineer’, the group of students designed and built a model of a device that produces electricity to illuminate the lighting system on the bridge taking advantage of renewable energy sources. To do this, students applied knowledge related to electromagnetic induction, induced electromotive force, the operating principles of generators, structure and the operation of LED lights.

From STEM lessons, the Science and Technology Innovation Club of the Nguyen Trai Senior High School has used easy-to-find materials and applied interdisciplinary knowledge to develop highly-applicable products such as handmade soaps extracted from essential oil of perilla leaves, along with melaleuca and lemongrass essential oil products.

Also, effectively applying general knowledge from the certain subjects, students were also good at designing models of sound wave sensor systems, light sensors, and solar system models, all of them have become interesting teaching aids.

At the recently-held municipal Science and Technology Competition, students from middle and high schools performed many creative new topics, especially with high applicability and authenticity with local characteristics and conditions.

Notable among them were the model of changing water flow characteristics for electricity generation in stream areas, developing Champa cultural values through card games, a smart museum system; indigenous Microorganisms (IMO's)-based technology and their applications to clean vegetable production in Hoa Vang District and applying identification technologies to monitor and assist in disease detection in corn cultivation.

Besides, the students focused on studying close and practical issues such as the design of automatic drink dispensers, safe automatic drinking water system in schools and hourly animal feeder.

As reported by Mai Tan Linh, the Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, in a strict response to the 2018 General Education Programme, his agency has directed schools to focus on flexibly integrating STEM education into the curriculum, a step in line with the national industry development trend and the the labour market orientation.

In reality, most senior high schools have implement STEM education activities with different levels of intensity. The implementation and replication of STEM education in schools still face many difficulties due to some objective reasons. Among them is the fact that current equipment and facilities in some schools do not commensurate with the requirements of some STEM contents including  robotics and computer science that are in need of modern teaching facilities and advanced equipment.

“In the immediate future, the Da Nang education sector will continue promote the launch of STEM education activities in high schools, organise more competitions on STEM education for local teachers and students at all levels, develop facilities to serve the new general education programme. In the long term, importance uwill be attached to promoting equipment procurement projects in services for STEM education schemes”, said Linh.

Reporting by NGOC HA - Translating by A.THU