Công văn 3089/BGDĐT-BDTrH 2020 triển khai giáo dục STEM trong giáo dục trung học

To: Provincial Departments of Education and Training1

For the purposes of the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated May 04, 2017 on strengthening of ability to access the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and in order to assist secondary schools in effectively implementing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, the Ministry of Education and Training hereby provide some guidelines for STEM education, and organization and management of STEM education in secondary schools.

I. Objectives

1. Raise awareness of education managers and teachers about the position, role and significance of STEM education in secondary schools; decide consistent contents, approaches and forms of organization of STEM education in schools;

2. Strengthen the STEM education in secondary schools which contributes to the achievement of objectives of the general education program in 2018;

3. Enhance capacity of education managers and teachers for organizing, managing, developing and applying the STEM education.

II. Forms of STEM education organization

The STEM education is an educational approach which aims to provide students with scientific knowledge and improve their ability to integrate and apply it to real life.

A STEM thematic lesson (hereinafter referred to as “lesson”) is designed to totally solve a specific problem to help students participate in all learning activities in an active and positive manner, and know to apply their knowledge to deal with all problems, and thus build and develop students’ characters and competences.

Depending on special characteristics of each subject and their material facilities, secondary schools shall flexibly apply the following forms of STEM education organization:

1. Teaching STEM lesson-based scientific subjects

- This is the main form of STEM education organization applied in secondary schools. Teachers shall design and use STEM lessons for teaching subjects included in the general education program towards intradisciplinary integration or interdisciplinary integration.

- STEM lessons follow the curricula of subjects in order to ensure the implementation of the general education program according to the prescribed teaching periods of subjects included in the program.

- Students taking STEM lessons are entitled to proactively study from textbooks and learning materials so as to acquire and apply knowledge through the following activities: select solutions for problem solving; practice design, manufacturing and testing for design models; share, discuss, finish or modify design models according to teachers’ instructions.

2. Organizing STEM extracurricular activities

- STEM extracurricular activities are organized through clubs or are actual extracurricular activities; and are performed according to hobbies, aptitude and volunteering of students. STEM extracurricular activities may be performed within the school premises; schools shall introduce library of digital learning materials, virtual simulation labs and learning software programs to students so that they can learn and discover experiments and apply science and techniques to real life.

- STEM extracurricular activities shall be organized according to each school’s annual educational plan; each extracurricular activity session includes a specific lesson describing the goals, requirements, process of each activity and expected results. Activities concerning or applying (designing, testing, discussing and modifying/correcting) STEM lessons are prioritized according to the school’s teaching plan.

- Cooperation between secondary schools and higher education institutions, research institutes, vocational training institutions, enterprises, household businesses, other social - economic entities and families shall be promoted to effectively organize STEM extracurricular activities in accordance with regulations in force.

3. Organizing science and engineering research activities

- These activities are designed for students who have competences, hobbies and interest in studying and discovering scientific and engineering solutions for dealing with practical problems; schools shall find these students during their provision of STEM lessons and STEM extracurricular activities, support and provide convenient conditions for them to participate in scientific and engineering research activities.

- Scientific and engineering research activities shall be performed in the form of a topic/project responsible by a student or a group of two students according to the instructions given by a teacher or scientist having relevant professional ability.   

- Based on actual situations, STEM festivals or scientific and engineering competitions may be periodically organized to review and praise teachers and students for their attempts in teaching and learning as well as choose excellent research topics/projects for higher-level scientific and engineering competitions. 

III. STEM education contents

1. STEM lessons

a) STEM lessons are included in the general education program and associated with practical social problems

- STEM lessons are associated with practical social, scientific and technological problems. Students are required to work out solutions for solving these problems, and thus acquire knowledge and meet requirements of these lessons.

- STEM lessons include knowledge of a special subject or some subjects included in the program, and ensure that a problem will be completely solved.

b) STEM lessons are developed based on engineering design process

- STEM lessons shall be developed according to the engineering design process which includes 8 steps as follows: define the problem; do background research; brainstorm solution; choose solution; develop model (prototype); test and evaluate the model; share and communicate results; make design changes.

- A STEM lesson may be divided into 5 primary activities which clearly indicate 8 steps of the engineering design process as follows:

+ Activity 1: Define the problem or requirement to develop a product associated with the lesson with specific criteria.

+ Activity 2: Do background research (including knowledge of the lesson needs to be used for solving the problem or develop the product as required) and brainstorm design solutions meeting the set criteria.

+ Activity 3: Present and discuss the design solution, use background research to explain, prove and choose, complete the best solution (in case of multiple solutions).

+ Activity 4: Develop the product according to the selected design solution; test the product and evaluate the results.

+ Activity 5: Present and discuss the product; make design changes or complete the initial design.

c) Teaching method promotes inquiry- and discovery-based and action-oriented learning

- Students’ learning activities are designed in an open or unlimited manner that facilitates their performance conditions but are specific to the products criteria to be achieved.

- Students’ learning activities are transferable and cooperative activities; students are entitled to decide to choose problem-solving solutions.

- Students communicate to share their ideas and redesign their prototypes if needed.

- Students shall themselves make changes to ideas and develop their own inquiry and discovery activities.

d) Teaching activities must attract students to constructive activities, enhance students' participation in teamwork, and encourage their self-reliance in acquiring and applying new knowledge to problem solving.

- STEM lessons may be organized in a flexible manner and combined with in-class and out-of-class activities provided that teaching objectives of the knowledge included in the program are ensured.

- Teamwork activities are strengthened to develop students’ communication and collaboration competences provided specific tasks and product of each member of the team must be defined.

e) Teaching equipment includes existing, low-cost and easily accessible equipment and technologies.

- The use of existing equipment included in the list of required minimum teaching equipment is prioritized.

- The use of existing, easily accessible, low-cost and safe household and technological materials and tools is strengthened.

- The use of auxiliary digital resources, virtual simulation labs, and software programs which can be easily accessed and used during and after class time is encouraged to help students take initiative in study.

2. STEM extracurricular activities

a) Selected STEM extracurricular activities must be associated with objectives of the general education program to make students interested in and get them actively involved in learning activities so as to develop their characters and competences.

- Activities concerning or applying (designing, testing, discussing and modifying/correcting) STEM lessons included in the program are prioritized. Such activities should focus on solving practical social, scientific and technological problems.

- STEM extracurricular activities may be associated with vocational activities in STEM sector in order to support learning activities, make students interested in and get them actively involved in learning activities, and thus provide career orientation for students.

b) STEM extracurricular activities should be diversified and attract students to inquiry, discovery and application of their knowledge to solving of practical social, scientific and technological problems.

- STEM extracurricular activities may be organized in a flexible manner and combined with activities performed in schools (in the form of clubs) and outside schools (actual inquiry and discovery activities).

- Teamwork activities are strengthened to develop students’ communication and collaboration competences provided specific tasks and product of each member of the team must be defined.

3. Scientific and engineering research topics/projects

a) Students who have competences, hobbies and interest in studying and discovering scientific and engineering solutions for dealing with practical problems shall participate in these activities depending on their voluntariness; these students may be found during the school’s provision of STEM lessons and STEM extracurricular activities.

b) Scientific and engineering research topics/projects must be appropriate for students or groups of students in accordance with the Circular No. 38/2012/TT-BGDDT dated November 02, 2012 of the Minister of Education and Training.

IV. Building and performing STEM lessons

1. Procedures for building STEM lessons

a) Step 1: Select teaching contents

Lessons must be selected according to the knowledge of a subject program and the natural and social phenomena and processes associated with such knowledge, technological processes or equipment applying such knowledge to reality.

b) Step 2: Define the problem

The problem is defined and assigned to students in such a manner ensuring that, after the problem has been solved, students have also acquired knowledge and skills of a selected subject program or are able to apply their acquired knowledge and skills to lesson building.

c) Step 3: Develop criteria of product/solution for solving the problem

Criteria of the solution/product must be clearly defined for being used as the basis for proposing scientific hypotheses/solutions for solving the problem/designing product.

d) Step 4: Design process of organizing teaching activities

- The process of organizing teaching activities must be designed adopting active teaching approaches and techniques and include activities related to steps of the engineering process. 

- Objectives, contents, the product to be produced by students and organization method of each activity must be clearly designed. Learning activities may be organized in and out of classroom (in school, at home and in community).

- Online lessons should be designed to instruct and support students’ activities outside of the classroom.

2. Design teaching process

- The process of a STEM lesson shall follow the engineering process of which the steps must not necessarily be followed in order but can be performed at the same time to support each other. Background research may be done at the same time with the solution brainstorming; a model may be developed, tested and evaluated at the same time. During that process, a step is not only the goal but also the prerequisite for taking another step.

- Each STEM lesson may be comprised of the following 5 activities of which activity 4 and activity 5 might be performed in a flexible manner in and out of classroom according to the contents and knowledge of the lesson.

- Objectives, contents, the product to be completed by students and organization method of each activity must be clearly described.

- Contents of activity may include sections containing information as materials and enclosed with orders or requirements of the activity so that students can learn about and process information to solve the problem defined in the activity; the method for organizing the activity is also the teaching method and includes method for organizing each section of the activity contents to help students achieve corresponding objective.

a) Activity 1: Define the problem

A learning task containing the problem will be assigned to students. Students are required to complete some products or solve a problem with the set criteria which require students to use new knowledge of the lesson to brainstorm and work out solution. The criteria of the product are important and mandatory for students to have a thorough grasp of new knowledge to design and explain about their products.

b) Activity 2: Do background research and brainstorm solution

These activities should be organized in such a manner that is appropriate for each student and encourages students to actively perform these activities according to the teacher’s flexible instructions and promote their self-reliance. Students are encouraged to practice self-study and acquire knowledge for developing and designing their products.

c) Activity 3: Choose solution

Students present, explain and protect their designs enclosed with their descriptions (using both new and previous knowledge); teachers shall give opinions, correct and verify descriptions of students to help them have a thorough grasp of new knowledge and continue completing their designs before they are developed and tested. 

d) Activity 4: Develop, test and evaluate the model

Students shall be arranged to develop models according to their designs. Such models will be also tested while being made. Students will be instructed to evaluate their models and make changes to their initial designs so as to ensure the feasibility of their models.

dd) Activity 5: Share and communicate results, and make changes

Students will present their finished products; exchange, discuss and evaluate their products to make necessary changes and complete their designs.

3. Criteria for assessing STEM lessons

STEM lessons will be assessed according to the criteria for analyzing and learning experience from lessons under the Official Dispatch No. 5555/BGDDT-GDTrH dated October 08, 2014.

4. Evaluation of student performance

Performance of students engaged in STEM education will be evaluated according to the Circular No. 58/2011/TT-BGDDT dated December 12, 2011 and other guidelines given by the Ministry of Education and Training.  Students will be evaluated during their performance of learning activities adopting various methods set forth in the Official Dispatch No. 4612/BGDDT-GDTrH dated October 03, 2017.

VI. Implementation

1. Ministry of Education and Training

a) Provide training documents on application of STEM education to secondary education on http://stem.sesdp2.edu.vn so that education managers and general education institutions may use them as reference and actively provide training for their teachers and education managers.

b) Training documents include videos, illustrated lessons, illustrated lectures, activity requirements and questions used for examining and assessing students, and are developed into lessons which can be published online.

2. Provincial Departments of Education and Training

a) Plan and organize training for teachers and education managers in application of STEM education to secondary education;

b) Instruct District-level Divisions of Education and Training, and general education institutions to develop plans for performance of STEM education; inspect the performance of STEM education by general education institutions under their management;

c) Submit reports to Provincial People's Committees on their plans for performance of STEM education which must be conformable with local conditions so as to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the general education program in 2018.

3. District-level Divisions of Education and Training

a) Instruct general education institutions to perform STEM education; inspect the performance of STEM education by general education institutions under their management;

b) Submit reports to District-level People's Committees on their plans for performance of STEM education which must be conformable with local conditions.

4. General education institutions

a) Develop the plan for performance of STEM education which is included in each school’s educational plan in conformity with actual conditions of the school and relevant province; 

b) Provide teachers and education managers with training in STEM education, development and performance of STEM lessons; skills to organize STEM extracurricular activities and capacity to instruct students to do scientific and engineering research.

c) Organize teaching according to STEM education approaches, and examine and assess students’ performance so as to ensure teaching quality and efficiency.

Provincial Departments of Education and Training are requested to effectively implement these guidelines.  Any difficulties that arise during the implementation of this document should be promptly reported to the Ministry of Education and Training (via Department of Secondary Education)./.

1 Bac Lieu Department of Education, Science and Technology