What are procedures for implementing STEM education in secondary schools in Vietnam?

What are procedures for implementing STEM education in secondary schools in Vietnam?

According to Subsection 2, Section 4 of Official Dispatch 3089/BGDDT-GDTrH in 2020 guiding the construction and implementation of STEM lessons:

Construction and Implementation of STEM Lessons

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2. Designing the teaching process

- The STEM lesson process follows the engineering procedure. However, the steps in the process may not need to be implemented sequentially but can be carried out simultaneously and synergistically. The activity of researching foundational knowledge can be organized concurrently with proposing solutions; the activity of prototype creation can be performed simultaneously with testing and evaluation. In such cases, each step serves both as a goal and a condition for the other steps.

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Thus, according to the above regulations, the teaching process of STEM in secondary schools must comply with the engineering procedure. However, the steps in the process do not need to be carried out sequentially but can be executed simultaneously and synergistically.

What are procedures for implementing STEM education in secondary schools in Vietnam?​ (Image from the Internet)

What are activities of STEM lessons in Vietnam?

According to Subsection 2, Section 4 of Official Dispatch 3089/BGDDT-GDTrH in 2020, STEM lessons are organized through the following activities:

- Each STEM lesson can be organized into 5 activities below. Among them, activities 4 and 5 can be flexibly conducted both inside and outside the classroom based on the content and scope of each lesson.

- Each activity must clearly describe its purpose, content, anticipated student product, and the method of organizing the activity.

- The content of the activity can be compiled into sections containing information such as materials, accompanied by instructions or activity requirements for students to explore and intellectually process to solve the issues posed in the activity. The organization method demonstrates the teaching method, describing how to organize each section of the activity content for students to achieve the corresponding goals.

+ Activity 1: Problem Identification

Teachers assign students a learning task that contains a problem. In this, the students must complete a learning product or solve a specific problem with criteria requiring them to use new knowledge from the lesson to propose and build solutions.

The criteria of the product are extremely important, compelling students to master new knowledge to design and explain the required product design.

+ Activity 2: Researching Foundational Knowledge and Proposing Solutions

Organize for students to engage in active learning, enhancing their level of independence depending on each student's abilities under the flexible guidance of the teacher.

Encourage students to engage in independent exploration and mastery of knowledge to use in proposing and designing products.

+ Activity 3: Choosing a Solution

Organize for students to present, explain, and defend their designs with accompanying explanations (using newly learned and prior knowledge); teachers provide feedback, focus on revisions, and validate students' explanations for them to master new knowledge and continue to refine the design before proceeding with creation and testing.

+ Activity 4: Prototyping, Testing, and Evaluation

Organize for students to create prototypes according to their design, combined with conducting tests during the creation process.

Guide students to evaluate the prototype and adjust the initial design to ensure the feasibility of the created model.

+ Activity 5: Sharing, Discussing, Adjusting

Organize for students to present the completed learning product; exchange, discuss, and evaluate to continue adjusting and perfecting it.

Shall the organization of STEM experiential activities in secondary schools in Vietnam focus on engaging diversity?

According to point b Subsection 2, Section 3, Official Dispatch 3089/BGDDT-GDTrH in 2020:

STEM Educational Content

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2. STEM Experiential Activities

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b) The form of organization of STEM experiential activities needs to be diverse, engaging students in activities of exploration, discovery, and application of knowledge to solve problems in social, scientific, and technological practices.

- The form of organization of STEM experiential activities can be flexible, combining in-school activities (in the form of clubs) and out-of-school activities (exploration, discovery practices).

- Enhance group activities to develop communication and cooperation skills for students but ensure that specific tasks and products of each student in the group are clearly identified.

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Thus, according to the above regulations, the organization of STEM experiential activities in secondary schools must focus on engaging diverse activities that stimulate exploration, discovery, and the application of knowledge to solve problems in social, scientific, and technological practices.

Additionally, the form of organization of STEM experiential activities can be flexible, combining in-school activities (in the form of clubs) and out-of-school activities (exploration, discovery practices).