Children remind adults not to litter

A child repeatedly reminded him not to litter. In the end, the boy became the one who collected the recyclable waste in his house and brought it to school to contribute to the teacher to make teaching aids for the children to play with.

Dr. Nguyen Ha Thi Quynh Trang (left cover) shares at the event - Photo: T.DIEU

The story was told by Dr. Nguyen Ha Thi Quynh Trang at the launch of the book S TEAM Education . - From theory to practice Volume 1, of which she is an author, on November 30 in Hanoi.

How do you teach a child not to litter?

In response to Tuoi Tre Online 's question about whether teaching preschool children with STEAM education is too early, Ms. Quynh Trang said that teaching STEAM is teaching thinking. The best age for children to learn thinking is from 0-9 years old.

STEAM education must create an environment for children to experience from easy to difficult, from as early as possible, to develop good knowledge and skills. If children are only taught to learn this to do this, they will not understand.

For example, if we teach children not to litter because it will pollute the environment, they will just learn by rote.

Children need to experience what the environment consists of, how environmental factors exist and relate to each other in order to form a sense of self.

When children have self-awareness, they will even turn around to "educate" the adults in the house and will consciously encourage people around them to perform good behaviors.

A few years ago, a student of Ms. Quynh Trang told her teacher: "My grandfather went to the beach, and when he ate ice cream, he threw trash on the beach. I told him but he didn't listen."

The child continued to remind his grandfather. Later, it was his grandfather who collected the items to contribute to the recycling warehouse for the child's school. The child changed his grandfather.

STEAM Education Book - From Theory to Practice Volume 1 - Photo: T.DIEU

When asked if it costs money to teach the STEAM program, Ms. Quynh Trang said that if you let your children play on the beach all day long, they will not get bored. There are so many things for them to learn and explore the world there. That is STEAM education and it is completely free.

Russian friend loves fish sauce and Mexican friend learns to cook Vietnamese rice

In response to the question of why it is necessary to include Vietnamese elements in STEAM education, Ms. Quynh Trang shared her own experience about the role of cultural identity in a globalized environment when she studied in Russia.

Russia has Teachers' Day. One time she clinked glasses with her teacher, as usual, when clinking glasses with her teacher she always kept the mouth of her glass lower.

After many times, the teacher asked her the reason. She explained that Vietnamese people have a deep tradition of respecting teachers, and she did so to show respect to her teachers.

After hearing that, the Russian teacher was very surprised because it was not like that in Russia. Then she told the whole school about it, making Trang very proud of the beautiful culture of her country.

Another thing, when studying in Russia, her dormitory held an annual cultural festival of different countries. On those days, she often made spring rolls. All her international friends on her dormitory floor came to beg for food because they loved it.

Her Russian roommate even loves Vietnamese fish sauce, so she buys a bottle and keeps it in the refrigerator to use.

A Mexican friend traditionally cooks rice by roasting rice with scallion oil and then adding water to cook. After trying Quynh Trang's rice and finding it to have a very delicious sweet taste, this friend learned to cook Vietnamese rice and has maintained it for nearly 20 years now.

Ms. Quynh Trang concluded that it is cultural identity that makes the difference in the international environment.

The book series STEAM Education - From Theory to Practice was compiled by the group of authors Nguyen Ha Thi Quynh Trang, Nguyen Thu Trang, Cao Dinh Trong from 10 years of experience in researching and practicing STEAM education.

This book series not only helps teachers understand the basic concepts of STEM/STEAM but also provides practical instructions for implementing this model in real-life conditions in Vietnam.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-dua-tre-nhac-nguoi-lon-khong-vut-rac-bua-bai-20241130185817883.htm