Students of Ho Chi Minh City's specialized school spread STEM passion to distant provinces

- Ảnh 1. — Scenes from the opening ceremony at the Nghe An bridgehead on October 25th.

Free distance learning courses in mathematics and chemistry are being offered to 8th-grade students at Thanh Tien Secondary School in Tam Dong commune (Nghe An province). The chemistry class began on October 25th after extensive preparation and overcoming successive storms that hit central Vietnam, causing prolonged power outages.

Classroom after the storm

The first course attracted 66 students, with a team of volunteer "instructors" consisting of students from The Promethean Flame group from schools in Ho Chi Minh City such as Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City National University High School for the Gifted, etc.

The chemistry teacher is Nguyen Thanh Trung, an 11th-grade student specializing in chemistry at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (Ho Chi Minh City).

The opening ceremony was attended by Professor Dr. Truong Nguyen Thanh, Vice Director of the Institute for Lifelong Learning; Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Founder of the House of Wisdom and the Bookcase of Compassion; and Mr. Tran Thanh Hoai, Deputy Director of the Bookcase of Compassion Program.

Representing Thanh Tien Secondary School were Mr. Pham Duc Tuan, the principal; Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyet, the teacher of class 8A; and the students.

Speaking to Thanh Nien Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan said that Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh, the founder of the Edtopia classroom management software system, provided the software for the program. The House of Wisdom organized training sessions for the Promethean Flame group members before the program began.

"For a long time, the House of Wisdom has been organizing distance learning classes, but mainly focusing on teaching English. This is the first time we're teaching STEM subjects remotely, specifically math and chemistry, and I think the potential for development is very good," said Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan. Mr. Tuan added that Principal Pham Duc Tuan highly welcomed the program and immediately implemented it for students at the school.

After the opening ceremony had to be postponed due to power outages caused by the storm and damage to facilities, yesterday (October 25), the first class was held in the auditorium of Thanh Tien Secondary School.

- Ảnh 3. — Online meeting of the House of Wisdom, the core group The Promethean Flame, and Thanh Tien Secondary School (Nghe An).

According to teacher Pham Duc Tuan, the first lessons will be held during lunchtime and at the school so that teachers can sit with the students to establish a routine. This demonstrates the school's serious attitude towards providing supplementary education for the students, and also allows the school administration and subject teachers to provide feedback on the lesson plans and pedagogical skills of The Promethean Flame group. After this period, the students will study independently at home.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan stated that this is the first time the House of Wisdom has collaborated with high school students in Ho Chi Minh City. Previously, the House of Wisdom regularly connected with university students from other countries to organize distance learning classes for students across the country. He hopes to continue expanding classes like STEM in the future.

- Ảnh 4. — The Promethean Flame is a group founded by two students from a specialized high school in Ho Chi Minh City.

The students in the group ascended the Promethean flame.

According to The Promethean Flame group, the name of the distance learning course in Nghe An is The Promethean Ignite Program (TPIP). TPIP is an acronym for Thrive - Persevere - Inspire - Progress.

Speaking to Thanh Nien Newspaper, Nguyen Duc Anh, an 11th-grade physics student at the High School for the Gifted, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, and co-founder and co-leader of The Promethean Flame group, said that the group's name was inspired by Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods to give to humanity and is considered a symbol of enlightenment, progress, and boundless sharing.

- Ảnh 5. — A get-together of The Promethean Flame group at a shelter in Ho Chi Minh City.

The idea for forming the group came from Duc Anh after much reflection on conversations, trips to share with people in special circumstances, or journeys to help disadvantaged children that he saw online. "From that thought, the group was formed, like a small flame nurtured by me, and later joined by like-minded friends," according to Duc Anh. And that's why all the group's content features an adorable image of a flame, which followers call "little flame."

The project officially launched on June 1st and includes posting professional articles on Facebook on specific topics, providing online teaching through collaboration with the House of Wisdom, and organizing fundraising campaigns to support charitable causes for children in difficult circumstances.

- Ảnh 6. — This page illustrates a theme on The Promethean Flame group's Facebook page.

Topics for Facebook posts are usually discussed and finalized once a month. The group chooses educational and entertaining topics suitable for different times of the year, for example, the "Study Methods" series is published during the back-to-school season to help students get off to a good start in the new school year. Typically, viewers respond quite positively to the group's posts and express gratitude for the useful information the project provides.

Regarding the connection between the House of Wisdom and The Promethean Flame group, Nguyen Hao Nhien, a student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and co-founder and co-leader of The Promethean Flame group, said that for many years he has been a volunteer for the Charitable Book Shelf, an organization that works in conjunction with the House of Wisdom. After co-founding The Promethean Flame with Duc Anh, he connected the group with the activities of the House of Wisdom and organized STEM courses for students in remote provinces.

- Ảnh 7. — The faces of the core group The Promethean Flame

Nguyen Minh Tuan Anh, an 11th-grade physics student at the High School for the Gifted, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, and the Head of the Professional Committee of The Promethean Flame, said that the teaching plan for the coming period is to popularize basic knowledge of 8th-grade math and chemistry (first semester), as well as review for the students. The class will supplement the students' school curriculum, and the group will guide them in correcting exercises in more detail because school time is limited.

Nguyen Thanh Trung, who taught the first class on the afternoon of October 25th, said he felt completely confident standing in front of the class. "What I hope for when participating in this project is to see its success, but above all, to see the progress and efforts of the students, and to reap the rewards myself."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-sinh-truong-chuyen-tphcm-truyen-lua-stem-den-tinh-xa-185251026085955751.htm