Tiết chuyên đề hệ mỹ môn khoa học – nghệ thuật từ những mảnh ghép

Cultivating curiosity among students is an effective way of teaching science, and this is precisely what Vietnamese-American dual diploma teachers do in every lesson. Children with curious personalities and a love for discovery usually possess qualities that enable them to excel in their studies and become successful individuals.

In the Vietnamese-American dual diploma program, the Science subject is taught through the Inquiry-based learning method, which involves asking questions and solving problems. Each lesson starts by asking big questions, encouraging students to think deeply, and then builds on that knowledge through various teaching activities. The level of these activities increases gradually and is tailored to the student's ability to understand.

In the last specialized lesson, 3D1 students learned about combining materials. During the lesson, they explaind how objects are made from small pieces that can be taken apart and used to create new objects.

The teacher commenced the lesson with an activity that aims to pique students' curiosity and encourage discovery. The purpose is to find out what the students already know by directing their attention to each mosaic displayed in the classroom. The teacher posed a few guiding questions such as: “What do you observe?” and “What interests you about art?” To provide more initial information about the art of creating decorative paintings using small pieces of materials assembled into a unified whole, students can watch interesting videos about the origin and history of mosaic paintings.

During the discovery phase, the teacher presented a situational question along with two models of real objects made from assembled blocks. The students was then encouraged to brainstorm and determine which statement is most accurate. After careful observation and analysis, the students realized that despite the two models having different shapes and structures, they are both made from the same amount of materials, as no extra building blocks were added or removed during the construction process. Following this, two models are created. With the vocabulary provided by the teacher during this section, the students are now well-equipped to proceed with the rest of the lesson.

During the knowledge formation stage, the teacher initiated the process by posing a thought-provoking question: “How can we create different designs using these tiles?” This question serves as a trigger for students to delve deeper into the topic of Science. With the teacher's guidance, the students observe real-life mosaic pictures and videos to ponder over various smaller questions. These questions aim to help the students find answers to the teacher's main question and develop a better understanding of the topic.

When children was motivated to seek answers to their inquiries, they tend to observe and listen more attentively. The children's eyes were full of wonder and admiration when they discovered that the mosaic artwork on the stairs was created using 30,000 small porcelain pieces of various colors.

During the practical part, children was given building blocks to assemble into models. The blocks connect in different ways, allowing for a variety of models to be created. The children are encouraged to discuss and compare their models. Before beginning the activity, the children make predictions about how their models will be similar and different from each other. They also redrawn their models onto a square board after each assembly. The teacher provides suggestions and prompts for questions and sentence structures to help the students describe their models. The students worked in groups to complete the activity.

By observing pictures of mosaic art, children learned that changing the arrangement of the pieces can create different designs. They put this knowledge into practice through mosaic activities. During such activities, each group discussed enthusiastically to complete colorful pictures and confidently presented their group's products to the class.

Children enthusiastically participated in rich lessons that develop lifelong learning skills, including creativity, logical thinking, problem-solving, and art.

The Vietnamese-American dual diploma program always focus on organizing specialized lessons for each subject to help teachers learn various techniques for organizing and implementing classroom activities for students. It also help them to self-regulate and adjust their lessons to fit the class activities. Applying these techniques will make teaching and learning activities more effective.