Experiential learning activities at many schools in Nha Trang City have proved effective, drawing much interest from students and receiving parents' consensus and satisfaction...
Experiential learning activities at many schools in Nha Trang City have proved effective, drawing much interest from students and receiving parents’ consensus and satisfaction.
Exploring and learning
Last weekend, 38 students at 9/5 at Thai Nguyen Junior High School were eager to join a field trip to a chocolate manufacturer in Cam Lam District and Nhan Ai Orphanage in Cam Ranh City. After the trip, Vo Ngoc Minh Thu can tell about steps of making chocolate and described cocoa beans and the harvest time. She adds, “I still remember the smiles of the kids at the orphanage when receiving gifts.” A student named Nguyen Tai Phuc hopes to continue joining the field trip so that he will learn some more new and interesting things.
Vo Van Ky Junior High School has provided valuable experiences for students in 9/1 class through a field trip to Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province. The trip helped learners to understand more deeply what have been taught at school. They had a chance to meet and listen to Commander Ho Dac Thanh, the Hero of the Peoples Armed Forces, former captain of the ship 41, No. 671 telling about revolutionary activities on the Ho Chi Minh sea trail at the vestige of the No-number ship Vung Ro; enjoyed the landscape on the way from Khanh Hoa to Phu Yen; tried making paper cakes at Hoa Da Career Village; saw and learnt about the first national language textbooks preserved at Mang Lang Church, etc.
|
The first memorable experience in the new school year at Van Thang Primary School was family meal preparation in a life skill class. Pham Khanh Van, a student in 6/6 class, Thai Nguyen Junior High School told about her school trip to a moon cake plant and a charity program to offer moon cakes and lanterns to children. Seeing the disadvantaged children’s great delight with the gifts they received, she felt herself so lucky to have parental care and grow up in a happy family.
After a visit to the orphanage, Nguyen Tran Kim Hau understands the orphans’ misfortune and sufferings for lack of parental care and love. Nguyen Thi Thu Thao, a parent of a student in 9/1 class, Vo Van Ky Junior High School says her daughter is so eager to take part in the field trip. The school activity is so helpful, providing a chance for students to learn and explore new things in life. This is a rewarding experience activity, especially beneficial to students, says Nguyen Vy Nhat, a parent.
Effective learning method
Pham Vu Thanh An, Head of the Chemistry, Biology, P.E & Informatics subject team, Vo Van Ky Junior High School says the experiential learning activities have been encouraged by the school management board for 4 years for ninth-graders. The plan for experience activities is well prepared and approved by the School Management Board, parents, Nha Trang Division of Education & Training, the local Education Council. Therefore, the school field trips from Ninh Hoa to Da Lat, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, etc have proved successful. In every destination, students have a chance to meet and learn valuable experience from experts and professionals. After the trips, students will have to make reports which will be scored as 15-minute tests.
The Ministry of Education & Training’s draft of the new general education curriculum defines that creative experiential activities are in various categories such as personal development; labor; social and community service; vocational education; through exploratory activities such as field trips, sightseeing tours, camping, etc; experiment, interaction through forum, exchange, seminar, staging, etc; dedication (labor, volunteering, humanitarian, etc); research (scientific research, interest group’s activities), helping learners to build skills of analysis, generalization, problem solving and decision making.
The experience activities have been maintained at Thai Nguyen Junior High School for 6 years. The field trips are expected to help not only broaden students’ self-competences and life skills but also nurture their spiritual and emotional growth. The experience activities are usually associated with volunteerism. For example, the trip to a craft village includes making and donating lanterns to disadvantaged children. A visit to the craft village includes making and donating moon cakes to orphans. This year, each class will organize one day of farm work at school and the products will be brought to the school’s botanical garden. In addition, the School Management Board has also organized many experience activities such as Thai Nguyen's Got Talent Contest, MC Contest and so on. Thanks to the rewarding activities, students become more confident. Particularly, at the first flag ceremony in the new school year, the principal raised the idea of using dustbins for different categories of rubbish at school and students suggested raising funds for poor students by recycling, etc, according to the School Principal Phan Thi Thao Uyen.
Since the 2015 – 2016 school year, Nha Trang City of Education & Training has implemented the experience activities for the entire 25 junior high schools (26 presently) in Nha Trang City and encouraged primary school children to join the activity on a voluntary basis. The activities have proved effective in many schools, especially Thai Nguyen, Vo Van Ky, etc.
These activities have helped students to widen knowledge, strengthen solidarity and coordination, and contribute to teaching life skills, environmental protection; nurturing spiritual and emotional growth; providing vocational orientation, especially triggering learners' interest and motivation, according to Cao Dinh Trung, Deputy Chief of Nha Trang City of Education & Training.
T.Mai
Translated by N.T
