From Master's Degree from a Top University in Korea to STEAM Teacher

The busy summer days filled with preparing lesson plans, training, and arranging equipment made it difficult to schedule a meeting with Ms. Phuong (Head of the STEAM Team). After many postponements, fortunately, Ms. Phuong agreed to arrange a rare afternoon off during the week for the team.

In the "invention space" of over 100m2 with all sorts of models, machines, and teaching equipment, the small-figured teacher appeared, always full of a pure, abundant source of energy. Putting aside her work, the interview took place simply as a friendly conversation.

Passion for Science and Technology

When mentioning Ms. Phuong, teachers and students at Greenfield School will often talk about Ms. Phuong STEAM – the name associated with the subject she teaches. More than ten years ago, like students in rural areas, STEAM education for Ms. Phuong was something completely new.

Although she hadn't yet formed a clear idea of STEAM, Ms. Phuong realized that she had an inclination towards natural sciences, always interested in learning about the world around her, about the world of Physics with its many interesting phenomena. This orientation was further confirmed when Ms. Phuong regularly participated in the school's Physics team and achieved high results in the Excellent Student Exams.

After graduating from high school, Ms. Phuong chose to study at the Faculty of Physics Education, Hanoi National University of Education. In parallel with studying at the university, Ms. Phuong was passionately involved in scientific research projects, especially research on supercapacitors. It was her passion for scientific research and the awards she won that launched her to conquer the CAYSS scholarship (Master's scholarship for young scientists) from Chung Ang University – one of the leading universities in Korea.

Pursuing a degree in Engineering, Ms. Phuong believes that Engineering is a difficult field of study, requiring students to have solid natural science knowledge, passion, and a good foundation of health to be able to absorb and create a considerable amount of knowledge.

She confided: "As the world is increasingly developing, gender stereotypes have gradually been erased. It is not only men who are capable and have the health conditions to conduct research. Women can also take steps to create their own achievements.

There are more and more wonderful women succeeding in scientific fields around the world, including those I have been fortunate enough to meet and learn from, who have given me more motivation to strive."

"Turning Point" with STEAM

After completing her Master's program at Chung Ang University, Ms. Phuong received a job offer at one of the largest telecommunications corporations in the country. However, Ms. Phuong decided to "change direction" and stick with teaching. "There are many reasons for me to do this. Partly because I had a young child at that time, partly because I thought about why I chose to study Pedagogy in the past, and that is the reason that is connecting me with today."

Ms. Phuong's choice was greatly influenced by her mother. Ms. Phuong's mother was a kindergarten teacher in Quoc Oai (Hanoi). With a meager teaching salary and busy taking care of her children, she decided to quit her job. According to Ms. Phuong, that decision made her regretful. Many years passed, and she still often talked about her memories of teaching and guided Ms. Phuong to pursue a teaching career, continuing a part of her unfinished dream.

In 2022, a major turning point came for Ms. Phuong when she tình cờ learned about the recruitment of STEAM Teachers at Greenfield School. She eagerly applied without realizing that this would be the job that would completely change her educational vision. As one of the pioneering schools to introduce STEAM into teaching in the official curriculum, according to Ms. Phuong, students at Greenfield School have many advantages.

Ms. Phuong shared: "If in my time students had many disadvantages because they did not have adequate learning conditions, at Greenfield School, students are learning in good conditions, with more modern facilities and classrooms. The STEAM program at Greenfield School is built on the Engineering is Elementary curriculum from the United States, so students have the opportunity to access the most up-to-date knowledge."

Being formally trained in STEAM education through international courses, Ms. Phuong is always aware of listening and cultivating knowledge close to the actual situation. In her role as Head of the STEAM Team at Greenfield School, Ms. Phuong has made significant contributions to the STEAM program in recent times. The inexpensive but fun and effective STEAM lessons have inspired students and Ms. Phuong herself.

"The STEAM lessons are designed by the STEAM teacher team according to the criteria of no boundaries: no grade limit, no subject limit, no limit within 4 walls to train the scientific spirit. Students participate in small projects such as making wooden bridges, potential energy cars, storm-proof houses, water rockets, oil spill treatment, etc. These projects require students to apply integrated knowledge to solve problems, they do not rote learn but understand the deep nature of the problem," Ms. Phuong excitedly shared.

Constantly Creating

If you have the opportunity to visit Greenfield School, it is not difficult to come across a group of students gathering to experiment with models in a corner of the schoolyard. Ms. Phuong's lessons are gentle, lively, and interesting, making students go from one curiosity to another. It is worth mentioning that the learning materials used for the lessons are extremely simple: cardboard, a few wooden sticks, a few plastic bottles, etc., but behind them are always layered stories and useful knowledge.

Enthusiastic as she is, the question of how to make students passionate and determined to pursue their passion for science and technology is still always on the young teacher's shoulders. "Teaching is not just about bringing knowledge into teaching. STEAM plays an important role and is a lever for us to reach the heights of science and technology, seize the opportunities of the 4.0 industrial revolution, but for students, natural subjects are still a challenge.

There are ideas that not all students can easily access. There are lesson plans that are revised many times. People often talk about the 80-20 rule, 80% effort and 20% knowledge. But for me, it will be changed to 80% of the students' psychology and the remaining 20% is the unremitting effort. I don't expect students to become talented scientists, but I want them to understand the importance of science and technology and create the best learning environment for them. I and other teachers are still striving for the development of STEAM education," Ms. Phuong confided.

At the end of the conversation, we said goodbye to Ms. Phuong just as it was getting dark. In the distance, the classroom still faintly showed the figure of a teacher busily arranging equipment. Suddenly, we realized that for education, there must be a love for the profession, otherwise, one should not try to pursue this career. We recorded this beautiful story to know how interesting and creative teaching and learning can become. From the bottom of our hearts, we sincerely hope that the dream of the STEAM teacher will come true...

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