Luận văn thạc sĩ Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học môn Toán: Cooperative learning in math for grade 7 students using stem approach

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION LE THI THAO COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN MATH FOR GRADE 7 STUDENTS USING STEM APPROACH THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER HA NOI - 2022... HAN

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

LE THI THAO

COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN MATH FOR GRADE 7 STUDENTS

USING STEM APPROACH

THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER

HA NOI - 2022

HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

LE THI THAO

COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN MATH FOR GRADE 7 STUDENTS

USING STEM APPROACH

THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERSPECIALIZED: THEORY AND METHODS OF TEACHING MATH

LECTURER: PROF LE ANH VINH

HA NOI - 2022

This thesis would not have been possible without the support of manypeople Many thanks to my adviser, Prof Le Anh Vinh, who read my numerous

revisions and helped clarify the confusion Also, thanks to secondary schools

in Ha Noi city, such as Cau Giay school, Dich Vong school, Nghia Tan school,

etc., for helping me do the experimentation and investigation

Thanks to the University of Education for educating me and giving me a

chance to research this exciting field.

1.2.2 Instruction on cooperative learning models and strategies 9

1.3 The property of Collaboration Skills and rubrics for assessment 121.3.1 Organizational and Management skills 12

1.3.2 Action skills 13 1.3.3 Evaluation skills 13 1.3.4 Rubrics to assess student’s collaboration skill 13

1.4 STEM approach 191.4.1 Definition of STEM approach 191.4.2 Features of STEM-oriented lessons 191.4.3 Criteria and process of STEM lesson development 201.4.4 Current status of STEM education in the general education curriculum 23

1.5 The status of cooperative learning and teaching using STEM approach 25

1.5.1 Investigation Description 25

ii

1.5.2 Investigation Result 25

1.6 Analyzing Secondary Math program 311.6.1 Math Subject Feature 311.6.2 Curriculum building perspective 31

1.6.3 Middle school level goals 32

1.6.4 Implementation process 381.6.5 Analyzing current using Grade 7 Math textbook 39

6 Math Period Allocation for Grade 7 39CHARPTER 2: CREATING SOME RELATED - STEM TOPICS IN GRADE 7MATH THAT IMPLEMENTED BY COOPERATIVE LEARNING

STRATEGY 41

2.1.Designing some Math topics using STEM approach 4]2.2.Geometry topic 1 422.3 Statistics Topic 522.4 Geometry Topic 2 67CHARPTER 3: EXPERIMENTATION 78

3.1 Objectives of Experimentation 78

3.2 Experimentation Tasks 783.3 Experimental content 783.3.1 Experimental Plan 783.3.2 The content of experimentation lessons 80

3.4 The experimental result 80

3.4.1 Processing and evaluating the experimental result methodology 803.4.2 The result of experimentation 82CONCLUSION 107REFERENCES 109APPENDIX

111

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 Organizational and Management skills of Collaboration ability 12Table 1.2 Activity skills of Collaboration ability 13

Table 3.1 Students self-evaluation result about the percentage of students

cooperation skills before & after the lesson implemented in

accordance with the STEM-orients contents 90Table 3.2 The average score of students cooperation skills in both of the

experimental classes 93

Table 3.3 Frequency table of 15 minutes test result of experimental classes and

control classes 95

Table 3.4 The characteristic parameters of 15 minutes test 95

Table 3.5 The number of students got less than Xi score 96Table 3.7 The percentage of students got score in-group Novice, Emerging,

Proficient, Advance in 15 minutes test 97

Bang 3.8 Frequency table of 45 minutes test result of experimental classes and

control classes 99Table 3.9 The characteristic parameter of 45 minutes test 99

Table 3.9 The number of students who got score less than Xi in 45 minutes test 102 Table 3.10 The percentage of students got Xi score of 45 minutes test 102

Table 3.11 The percentage of students got score in-group Novice, Emerging,

Proficient, and Advance in 45 minutes test 103

iv

LIST OF GRAPHS AND IMAGES

Image 1.1 Framework for 21st Century Learning.svg 5Image 3.1 The picture of students working as the team when designing T

protractor 83

Image 3.2 The picture of the task record when working as the group at the

beginning 83Image 3.3 The image of students doing experiment 84

Image 3.4 The image of students’ products 84 Image 3.5 Students present their products 84

Image 3.6 The teacher talk about how products are evaluated 85

Image 3.7 Students present their results, self-evaluate and give comments

about other groups 86Graph 1.1 The difficulties in implementing cooperative learning 26

Graph 1.2 The surveyed of teacher’s difficulties in implementing STEM

Approach 27Graph 1.3 The result shows the proportion of students experiencing group

investigation in Math 28

Graph 1.4 Benefits of Cooperative Learning Investigation 29 Graph 1.5 The served about the benefits of using STEM approach from

students 30

Graph 3.1 The graph of the percentage of students self-evaluation of their

cooperation skill at level 3 in experimental class 1 92

Graph 3.2 The graph of the percentage of students self-evaluation of their

cooperation skill at level 3 in experimental class 2 92

Graph 3.3 The cumulative frequency plots of 15 minutes test result of control

class | and experimental class 1 97

Graph 3.4 The cumulative frequency plots of 15 minutes test result of control

class 2 and experimental class 2 97Graph 3.5 The graph of sorting groups 15 minutes test result of experimental

class 1 and control class Ï 98

Graph 3.6 The graph of sorting groups 15 minutes test result of experimental

class 2 and control class 2 98

Graph 3.7 The percentage of students got Xi score for 45minutes test of

experimental class and control class 100Graph 3.8 The percentage of students got Xi in 45 minutes test for control class

2 and experimental class 2 101

Graph 3.9 The cumulative frequency plots of 45 minutes test result of control

class 1 and experimental class 1 103Graph 3.10 The cumulative frequency plots of 45 minutes test result of control

class 2 and experimental class 2 103Graph 3.11 The graph of sorting groups 45 minutes test result of experimental

class 1 and control class 1 104

Graph 3.12 The graph of sorting groups 45 minutes test result of experimental

class 2 and control class 2 104

vi

education, economy and thanks to the internet for this recent convenient life.

All of the companies around the world are turning to adapt to newsituations New characteristics of employees are being sought, the owner ofcompanies are not simply looking for some employees who are able to mimicwhat they have, but also the employers who are creative, able to think asproblem solvers

The quality of our living has remarkably improved giving every child anopportunity to go to school Yet, many students are clueless as to the purposes

of their education It merely appears to them that everyone needs to go to school

and learning is a matter of duty Many students still constantly exclaim, "What

are we learning Math for? What can businessmen, doctors, architects, fashion

designers, photographers and many other professions do with derivative,integral, and Cauchy - Bunyakovsky inequality?" They don't know thatwithout Mathematics, there would be no television, computer, and social

network for their recreations as well as no electrical appliances such as rice

cookers, gas stoves, infrared cookers, washing machines, etc There would be

no production lines and automatic equipment forcing workers to do heavymanual work Thus, it is necessary that teachers effectively incorporate simple

applications into their lessons to give learners an idea of the applications of

Mathematics

One of the reasons why many students find Mathematics boring is therigid and uninteresting teaching methods that are being used in schools The

teaching and learning activities at school often include teachers giving

theoretical instructions and impractical academic assignments, and studentscomplying with given requests These tasks keep repeating themselves for days,weeks, semesters, and even years dampening the classroom's enthusiasm To

the awareness of some students, they need to learn Maths diligently only to

please their parents or pass important milestones in their lives, for instance, the

university entrance exam For most teachers, their sole purpose is preparing

students for the Math test in college exams to meet the aspirations of studentsand families, as long as the rate of students getting into reputable schools ishigh This educational practice inevitably discourages students, stifles their

creativity, and gradually takes away soft skills like communication,

cooperation, inventiveness and so on

On the contrary, modern societies are requiring the workforce of

increasing high quality Today's workers must be capable of more than taking

orders stiffly or inflexibly They need to possess the skills of 21st-centurycitizens, namely, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.Therefore, innovating teaching and studying methods is one of the crucial

requirements to generate a new generation of people that meet social needs In

addition, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)education was born as a lever to prepare high-quality human resources from anearly period, making it impossible not to include Mathematics, a pillar of

STEM, in the structured approach to STEM.

The STEM-oriented Mathematics lessons implemented by cooperative

learning will act like a wind of change helping students approach Mathematics

in a relatable direction deriving from practical problems while allowing them

to develop learning skills of the 21st century, particularly, collaborativeproblem solving It will enable and empower students to learn and work

wherever they may choose 1n the future The above-mentioned 1s my reason forselecting this topic of study.

1 The objectives of study

The purpose of this study is to build some grade 7 Mathematics contentusing STEM approach to promote cooperative learning in Math class

2 Research Question

® Question 1: Does teaching grade 7 Math topics using STEM approach

really promote cooperative learning and teaching strategies?

® Question 2: Does teaching Math using STEM approach ensure thestudents’ outcomes?

3 Research Hypothesis

e Hypothesis 1: Teaching Math using the STEM approach promotes

the frequency of teachers doing cooperative learning and theircomfort in teaching innovation

e Hypothesis 2: Teaching Math using STEM approach improve

students’ scores and collaborative attitude.

4 Research Tasks

In order to achieve the stated objectives, the tasks that need to be done are:

4.1 Theoretical research tasks

e Study about cooperative learning and teaching strategy, models,

implementing methods and the benefits of cooperative learning in order to

provide teachers with an overview about cooperative learning and itsadvantages

e Study about STEM approach and STEM approach Math lesson

standards in order to design STEM approached - Math lessons.

e Research schools including public schools, private schools about how

Math teachers doing with cooperative learning and how familiar they are with

STEM approach lessons

e Design STEM approached lessons of some topic of grade 7 Math.

e Experiment by teaching in some classes of grade 7 of some secondary

schools in Cau Giay District some lesson in order to test the effect andpossibility of designed lessons

4.2 Practical research tasks

Survey and investigation about teacher’s and students’ understanding in

STEM approach, Cooperative learning

Investigate the quality of students in classes to select experimental andcontrol classes Using questionnaires, time attendance, interviews, reference tolesson plans

Organize experimental teaching to evaluate the appropriateness,effectiveness and feasibility of cooperative teaching using STEM approach todevelop collaborative skill for students

4.3 Processing data methodology

Synthesize the experimental result by quantitative and qualitativemethodology Use some software to process the raw data to assess the result

CHARPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 The importance of 21" century learning skills in today education

The 21st century is the beginning of the digital era, which is the era of

unprecedented development of technology and the subsequent information

explosion Never before has information access and management tools hadsuch a big impact on our way of life, work, shopping, and entertainment New

technologies and tools are multiplied by every day, and today’s new technologies are almost obsolete as soon as they become available In the past

ten years, a large number of studies and reports have appeared, aiming toidentify life, occupation, and learning skills that define the skills needed to

succeed in the 21st-century world (Z.Beers, 2011) The 21st-century skills

covered can be divided into three categories: (a) Learning and innovation skills:critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, and

creativity and innovation; (b) Digital Literacy Skills: Information Literacy, Media and Information Literacy, and Communication Technology (ICT)

Literacy; (c) Professional and life skills: flexibility and adaptability, initiative

and self-direction, social and intercultural interaction, productivity and

responsibility, and leadership and responsibility (Trilling, 2009 )

Learning and Innovation Skills

Core Subjects and Information, 21st Century Themes Media, and

Technology Skills

Life and

Career Skills

Image 1.1 Framework for 21st Century Learning.svg

Globalization, demographic changes, and technological progress are

some of the key driving forces of this era and will continue to shape our future.Our students must be prepared to meet these challenges and take advantage of

new and exciting opportunities (Singapore, 2021) “Exemplary science

education can offer a rich context for developing many 21st-century skills, such

as critical thinking, problem-solving, and information literacy These skills notonly contribute to a well-prepared workforce of the future but also give allindividuals life skills that help them succeed.” (NSTA, 2011)

Therefore, world changes are the motivation for educational innovation.Educational innovation is particularly important because the young people

shaped by today's education system will lead the innovation of tomorrow If the

rapidly changing needs of today's workforce herald the future of futuregenerations, this investment will be a necessary condition for continuing toadvance at our current speed and quality (DiFranza, 2019)

1.2 Cooperative learning and teaching strategy

Cooperative learning is an ancient educational concept In recent years,

there has been a large number of resurgences in educational research and

practice The term refers to classroom skills that students perform learning

activities in a group and are rewarded or recognized based on the group’s

performance (Slavin, 1980)

According to Johnson et al (1991), cooperation is a structure of

interaction designed to facilitate the accomplishment of a specific product or

goal through people working together in groups Cooperative learning isdefined by a set of processes that helps people interact together in order toaccomplish a specific goal or develop a product that is usually content-specific

Slavin pointed out that a task structure, a reward structure, and an authority

structure can be considered as three main elements of classroom instructional technique The task structure is the combination of activities in the school day.

Lecture, class discussion, and seatwork are different task structures in use inmost classrooms Another dimension in which the task structure may change is

the grouping system used (1980).

Human beings are characterized by collaboration rather than competing.

People are bonded together by love and cooperation, and it is on this quality

that humankind's survival is based Social interaction shapes people's attitudes

and values Although we learn a great deal about the world from varioussources, discussing what we know or think with others develops the majority

of our knowledge Cooperative learning is a teaching method of facilitating the

learning process through students’ collaboration rather than a competitive environment This method is an effective way of using students’ groups in the

classroom It is a method of effectively using students' groups in a classroom.Only under certain conditions will cooperative efforts be more effective than

competitive and individualistic efforts (Agrawal, 2011)

1.2.1 Cooperative learning features

Cooperative learning methods are among the most thoroughly researched alternatives to traditional education currently in use Using cooperative learning

improves effective and useful consequences often Students enjoy working ingroups because they feel more successful and enjoy subjects that are taught

cooperatively They have a greater number of friends from different ethnicities and are much more accepting of others (Stevens, 1995)

Characteristics of Cooperative Learning Groups

Johnson et al (1991) have presented the following six characteristics of cooperative learning groups:

i Optimistic Interdependence: Members of the team must rely on eachother in pursuit of that goal

ii Personal Accountability: Each student in a group is held accountablefor completing their fair share of the work

iii Face-to-Face promoted Interaction: Group assignments should bedesigned in such a way that the work cannot be simply divided and completed

independently Work that must be finished interactively must be included in

assignments

iv Appropriate Collaborative Skills: Students are encouraged and assisted

in the development and practice of trust-building skills Leadership, making, communication, and conflict resolution are all essential skills

decision-v Group Processing: Members of the team set up group goals, assess how

well they are doing as a team on a regular basis, and identify the changes they

will make to function more effectively in the future

vi Heterogeneous Groups: Working with people who are different fromthemselves benefits individuals the most

It is critical to distinguish between cooperative learning, individualistic

learning, and competitive learning Individualistic learning occurs whenstudents learn independently rather than in collaboration with their classmates.Students in competitive learning learn independently as well, but they areespecially concerned with outperforming their classmates (Tripathy, 2004)

Tripathy (2004) argued that using cooperative group situations could

create a non-threatening environment in which students are more willing to take

academic risks Making a mistake in front of their group members feels muchless threatening to them Verbalization and peer feedback help to reinforce all

of the skills that the teacher has taught Because of peer support andencouragement, students who work in groups are more likely to stay on taskand motivated Working with people, offered that the pupils have such a clearunderstanding of the task, can bridge the gap between collaboration skills andproblem solving Another significant benefit is the realization that workingtogether is beneficial It does a lot to boost self-esteem and reduce normal peerrejection, both of which are critical for our students Cooperative grouplearning fosters a cooperative attitude in learners, which has the potential tospill over into other areas of our competitive world in the end

There are some suggested questions to ask in Cooperative learning

(Brody, 1998)

e How do we teach social skills?

e How can self-esteem, responsibility, and respect for others?

e How does social status affect learning in small groups?

e How do you promote problem solving and manage conflict?

e How can we prove that cooperative learning increase academic

achievement?

e How do we structure cooperative activities?

1.2.2 Instruction on cooperative learning models and strategies

Cooperative learning has been proposed as a solution to a wide range of

educational issues It is frequently cited as a way to emphasize thinking skillsand increase higher-order learning; as an alternative to ability grouping,remediation, or special education; as a way to improve race relations; and as away to prepare students for an increasingly collaborative workforce (Slavin

R E., 2010)

There are two types of cooperative learning methods One set —

“Structured Team Learning” — involves team members receiving rewardsbased on their learning progress, and they are also distinguished by individualaccountability, implying that team success is dependent on individual learning

rather than group products A second set, “Informal Group Learning Methods,” focuses on methods that are more concerned with social dynamics,

projects, and discussion rather than mastery of well-defined content (Slavin

Student 4—5 The teacher presents a | Students collaborate to

Teams- students | lesson or unit to the rest | ensure that members of

Achievement | per team of the class and then the team enhance their

Divisions (or exams them on it; efficiency to the

(STAD) group) individuals are graded greatest extent

(Slavin, partly on their own as possible Students take

1994) well as the team's individual tests

progress, not on their

absolute level ofperformance

Informal Group Learning Methods

Jigsaw Each | Teacher assigns students | Students first work as a

(Slavin, group to groups and assigns | team to know and

1994) has 4-5 each group to study or | understand the entire

students learn about the problem; later, the

same entire complex

problem

group's reform as

expert groups, with

each group focusing on the specific content of

the overall problem;

and finally, the expertsdisband and the initial

general group's reform

to learn what the expertstudents can now add

to their overall

understanding.

10

Learning Each The teacher asks a Students work on

Together group question that has a high assignment sheets in

(Johnson, has 4-5 | level of agreement The four- or five-person

1999) students | teacher selects anumber | heterogeneous groups

at random, and students

matching that numberraise their hands to be

called upon to answer the

question and earn points

for their teams

Group 2—=6_ | Leader of exploratory Students work Investigation | students | discussions that determine | cooperatively with

(Johnson, per subtopics; facilitator of inquiry, group

1999) group | awareness of interesting discussion, and shared

aspects of general topic planning and project

realization.

Helps groups formulate their plan; helps maintain

cooperative group norms;

helps find resources

materials.

1.2.3 Cooperative learning method - Group Investigation

Group Investigation is one of cooperative learning method, which

focused on student’s participation and activity Group Investigation is a

cooperative learning method to integrate interaction and communication in theclassroom with the process of academic inquiry The students are taught towork together with their friends They work together to achieve the goal or thesuccess which has always been desired by them It will help the students in

reading comprehension ability (Sharan, 1992).

Things have to do in Group Investigation by Slavin (1995) are:

11

First is growing up the group ability When they do their homework,

every member of 3 group has their own opportunity to show their contribution

In the research, the student will find the information from the inside or outsideclass Then, the students collect the information from every member of the

group to do the task.

Second is cooperative planning, all the students have an investigation fortheir problem, which one of the sources is needed, who wants to do it and how

to present their project in the class And the last is the teacher’s roles; the

teachers will prepare the source and facilitators The teacher’s role their rule

among the students’ groups and they pay attention to also organize the students’ jobs and help the students to organize their job and help them when they get

the trouble of the learning process in their group

1.3 The property of Collaboration Skills and rubrics for assessment

There are three main smaller important group skills in Collaboration skill, which are organizational, and management skills, action skills, evaluation skill.

1.3.1 Organizational and Management skills

Table 1.1 Organizational and Management skills of Collaboration ability

Skills Criteria

1 Collaborative Able to take on different roles in a group

organization skills Able to stay focused

Able to establish collaboration conventions Able to determine specific tasks in appropriate orders

2 Collaborative and time to complete them.

planning skills Able to evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses and

others’ capabilities to assign and accept suitable tasks.

3 Collaborative Be cooperative

environment Be helpful and caring

development skills Be calm in arguments

4 Conflict-solving Able to self-control

skills Able to discover and solve conflicts

12

1.3.2 Action skills

Table 1.2 Activity skills of Collaboration ability

5 Self-expression Able to present group reports/opinions

skills Able to defend personal opinions

6 Listening and Able to listen to others

responding skills Able to expression disagreements

Able to evaluate group members and other groups in class.

1.3.4 Rubrics to assess student’s collaboration skill

Skills Level

Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Correctly identify specific | Correctly The tasks of tasks of each position in | identify the | each position in the group, effectively | specific tasks of | the group have implement activities to | each position in | not been

1 complete tasks the group, | properly

Collaborative complete the | determined, and organization assigned tasks | the assigned skills tasks have not

been

completed.

13

Identify the suitable | Identify ways to | Still confused

cooperative way to solve | cooperate but | in determining

cooperate to

solve the task.

Expected tasks to be done

in a reasonable order and

Can estimate the work order

Still confused in

determine the

2 time but the time has | work to be

Collaborative not been | done .

planning skills determined.

Find out and accurately | Can identify | Cannot evaluate assess the capacity of|and properly | the capacity of yourself and others, | assess the | yourself and thereby assigning or | capacity of | others, assigned actively accepting | yourself and | or received appropriate tasks others but | inappropriate

assign or accept | tasks.

tasks that are not yet suitable.

Respect, listen and show | Respect, listen | Not respect, support Suggest and | and show | listen and stimulate other members to support Have express support.

14

Skills Level

Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

3 participate in group |not stimulated | The other

Collaborative activities to create a lively | other members | members have

environment and exciting = working | to participate in | not been

building skills | environment group activities | stimulated to

participate in group activities, they are

lethargic, indifferent.

Share documents, | Share Have not shared

information for others, | documents, documents, help to create success for | information and | information

yourself and the group offer help when

required.

with others, no support for you.

Argument based on the content to be resolved;

objective, not directed at personally attacking the

presenter with a gentle

attitude, not criticizing or

insulting others Accept opposing opinions if they

not identify the

problem objectively,

mixed with personal

feelings Do not criticize or insult — others.

Stull holding personal

opinions.

15

Skills Level

Know how to

accept opposing opinions.

Stay calm and be able to Stay calm and Unable to control anger at all times.| be able to | control anger

4 Conflict Flexible and willing to] control anger

solving skills negotiate relatively

effectively.

Discover, adjust and | Provide Unable to

prevent going off topic | solutions to | provide

Avoid conflicts conflict solutions to

conflicts incurring in the

group.

Present personal/group | Present Present ideas briefly, coherently | personal/group | personal/group and clearly; combine | ideas briefly, | ideas lengthily,

5

Self-expression skills

verbal language with body language to increase the effectiveness and

persuasion and attract

language to increase the

efficiency of

incoherently,

unclearly and unconvincingly

; unable to use body language

to increase the efficiency of

16

aggressive manner opinions, view and

however, opinions.

unconvincingly and forcefully.

Listen attentively & take | Listen to

notes, rephrase what is | others’ Unable to listen

6 Listening & being presented by others, | opinions attentively

providing no interruption to other while others are

responses skills | while they are speaking speaking

Politely show | Show disagreement Ask | disagreement in | Show

questions for clarification | quite a polite | disagreement in

& provide feedbacks for | manner Ask | an impolite others ina gentle manner | questions for | manner Unable

clarification &

provide feedbacks for

others

to ask questions for clarification

& feedbacks for

others

17

Skills Level

Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Collect, choose teammate | Collect, choose | Unable to opinions ensuring | teammate collect, choose

7 Report accuracy Present logical, | opinions teammate

writing skills organized format of the | ensuring opinions

report accuracy ensuring

Present logical, | accuracy.

format of the | Present an report however | uncompleted

the report 1s | report

presented in an unorganized

format

Provide accurate, objective | Provide Unable to

Self evaluation | evaluation to self’s results, | accurate, provide

skiil draw lesson for self objective accurate,

evaluation to | objective

selfs results, | evaluation to

unable to draw | self’s results,

lesson for self | unable to draw

lesson for self

Provide accurate, | Provide Provide

9 Peer objective, fair, unbiased | inaccurate inaccurate,

evaluation skill | evaluation to peers/other | evaluation unfair

groups Draw lesson from others’ experience

according to several criteria.

Skills Level

Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

from others’ for self from

experience others’

experience

1.4 STEM approach

1.4.1 Definition of STEM approach

The United States Department of Education (2007) generate a definition

of STEM “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics educationprograms are defined as those primarily intended to provide support for or tostrengthen, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM)education at the elementary and secondary through postgraduate levels,

including adult education” (p 11).

Viet Nam Ministry of Education stated that “STEM is an idea-based curriculum that equips learners with knowledge and skills related to science,

technology, engineering and mathematics - in an interdisciplinary approach and

learners can apply to solve problems in daily life Instead of teaching the four

subjects as separate and discrete subjects, STEM combines them into a

cohesive learning model based on real-world applications.”

1.4.2 Features of STEM-oriented lessons

Anne Jolly mentioned six characteristics of a STEM Lesson

e STEM lessons are concerned with real-world issues and problems.

Students in STEM lessons address real-world social, economic, andenvironmental issues and seek solutions

e The engineering design process guides STEM lessons The Engineering

Design Process offers a flexible process that guides students through the steps

19

of recognizing the problem (or a design challenge) and creating and developing

solutions

e STEM lessons are guided by the Engineering Design Process (EDP) - astep-by-step approach to problem-solving

e STEM lessons should involve students in productive teamwork, using

the same language and expectations for all students at the same school

e STEM lessons should purposely connect and integrate content frommath and science courses Plan to collaborate with other math and/or scienceteachers to gain insight into how course objectives can be interwoven InSTEM, students also use technology in appropriate ways and design their ownproducts

e STEM lessons enable various right responses and reframe failure as acrucial part of learning (Jolly, 2014)

1.4.3 Criteria and process of STEM lesson development

According to Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training’s training materials on STEM education (2019)

STEM lesson development process

Step 1: Select lesson contents

Step 2: Identify problems

Step 3: Establish product criteria

Step 4: Design and organize STEM lessons

Criteria 1: STEM topics focus on real-world problems

In STEM class, students are introduced to practical social, economic and

environmental problems and requested to find solutions

Criteria 2: STEM lesson structure incorporates scientific progress andtechnical design processes

20

STEM lesson progress provides a flexible approach, guiding students

from identifying the problem or design request to creating and developing the solution.

In this process, students will partake in the following activities:

In class, the above-mentioned 8-step process is implemented through 5 mainactivities:

21

Activity 4:

Produce

prototypes Activity according 5: Present

acknowledging, and learning from mistakes and continuing making attempts

Students will focus on developing solutions to solve the posing problems hence

learning and grasping how to utilize new knowledge provided in thecurriculum

Criteria 3: STEM teaching methods involve students in investigation

activities, guide their actions and experiences, and produce learning products

Despite being included in every activity under a STEM topic, it is

necessary to fully utilize the investigation process in activities 2 and 4 During

the second activity, students will make observations and investigate to developand verify rules, through which they will acquire basic principles and practiceprocess skills such as observing, predicting, experimenting, measuring, and

collecting and analyzing data In activity 4, the investigation process is

demonstrated when students test different solutions to optimize their products

Criteria 4: STEM lesson organization engages students in constructivist

group activities

22

It is challenging to involve students in constructivist group activities and

it requires every STEM teacher in the faculty to work together to employ

team-based learning and coherence of language, progress and requirements on

learning products that the students must fulfill Group work in STEM lesson

activities lays the foundation to develop students’ communication and collaboration capabilities.

Criteria 5: STEM lessons mainly incorporate the Science and Mathcontents that students have been learning

Criteria 6: In the course of a STEM lesson, a task may have more than one correct answer and failure is considered an integral part of learning.

1.4.4 Current status of STEM education in the general education

curriculum

State Management Review of Viet Nam has shown in the report in 2021that STEM education organized in high schools in Vietnam often focuses onthe following forms: integrated teaching in the direction of STEM education;STEM club activities; contests, creative experiential activities; coordinate theorganization of STEM activities between schools and private organizations;STEM events, STEM festivals Thereby, initial results have been achieved,

creating favorable conditions for the next step of mass and effective

implementation However, in the process of implementing STEM education,there are still many difficulties, stemming from the following reasons:

Firstly, there is no “programming” of STEM education Although the

new general education program has created more favorable conditions forSTEM education to be implemented, with the proposed framework, teachersstill have difficulties in organizing the contents and topics so as to ensure therequirements of the curriculum framework and promote students' creativity.Thus, when implementing the new general education program, it is necessary

23

to have guidance on STEM topics in subjects and fields of study to facilitate

teachers in organizing teaching Accompanying the "Programming" of STEMeducation, there should be policies, regimes and regulations attached Becausewhen there are no specific regulations and policies, the process ofimplementing STEM education will not have a firm foothold, but only stop atthe form and movement

Second, the teacher's qualifications have not met the requirements Most

teachers are only trained in single-subject teaching, so it is difficult toimplement interdisciplinary teaching like STEM education In addition, mostteachers are afraid to learn and share with colleagues, so there is no good

exchange and relationship between teachers of subjects in STEM teaching.

Third, there has not been regular and continuous coordination betweenthe high school system and universities, research institutes and organizationsand businesses In fact, there has been coordination between a few universitiesand research institutes in teacher training and training; The cooperationbetween private organizations and businesses supports STEM education

activities in schools, but these are only single examples, not creating a widespread and sustainable connection.

Fourth, the content of testing and assessment in teaching still encountersbarriers in schools Currently, in high schools (specifically, the national highschool exam) the examination and assessment is organized in the form of a

multiple-choice test to test knowledge and skills; while testing, assessment

according to the STEM education model is the assessment of the process andthrough the product Therefore, in fact, the implementation of STEM education

still has to "avoid" the final grades (9th grade, 12th grade) to spend time with

students preparing for exams As for other grades that are not heavy on the leveltransfer exam, they still have to make sure to study for the end of the term, so

studying according to textbooks, practicing problem solving is still the main

24

activity of students, teachers only spend one hour Part-time for STEMactivities (extracurricular, after-school activities) is mainly Thus, slow

innovation in testing and assessment in teaching will be the biggest challenge

to the process of implementing STEM in high schools

Fifth, the physical conditions have not met the set requirements Too

many students per class also make it difficult to organize activities and hinder teachers’ innovation in teaching methods In addition, the absence of STEM

classrooms or practice rooms for students to have places to work in groups,research, and experiments is also a problem On the other hand, with moreintensive learning content such as computer science, robotics, andprogramming, a larger investment is required, so these are also significantdifficulties for the implementation of STEM teaching

1.5 The status of cooperative learning and teaching using STEM approach 1.5.1 Investigation Description

- Purpose: Investigate about the status of cooperative learning usingSTEM approach in some secondary schools in Ha Noi city

- Investigation Content: The frequency of teacher in using cooperativelearning, STEM approach lessons, benefits of implementing cooperativelearning in secondary schools in Ha Noi city

- Object Investigation: 69 Math teachers and 803 grade 7 students of

some secondary schools in Ha Noi, particularly: Cau Giay secondary school,Dich Vong secondary school, Ha Noi — Amsterdam secondary school, PhuLuong secondary school, Mai Dich secondary school, Nghia Tan secondaryschool

About implementing cooperative learning

All surveyed teachers have implemented Cooperative learningmethodology in Math for secondary schools and they all agreed thatimplementing this teaching methodology is possible and this brings many

benefits for students There are 52.2% of teachers frequently using Cooperative

learning methodology in teaching, 43.3% of teachers rarely use this (less than

3-4 times/a school year) In fact, educating students about collaborative skills

are not focused Particularly, 69.6% teachers often or sometimes give studentsinstruction on collaborative skills, 30.4% teachers who have never taughtstudents about this skill in Math class

Teachers believe that, implementing Cooperative learning is crucial in

teaching but they also have many difficulties while using it

4.30%

= Non-flexible and non-movable facility

= Long content is not helpful for students to get a better score Students are not good at teamwork yet

= Students’ lacking initiative in self-study and self-study skill

= The teacher spends too much time on preparation

Graph 1.1 The difficulties in implementing cooperative learning

From the diagram, teachers mentioned that the most difficulty in implementing Cooperative learning is students’ lacking initiative in self — study

and self-study skill

26

Besides, all teachers who have done this survey believed thatCooperative learning is appropriate in the current context It brings many

advantages in helping to student practice logical thinking and collaborative

skill, unity in class, and the most important is to improve their learning results.About STEM approach

Most teachers (95,7%) do research or are trained about the STEM educational approach 78.3% of asked teachers believed that organizing STEM

activities is necessary, while 21.7% believe that doing this is unimportant Eventhough the majority of asked educators voted that organizing STEM activities

is essential, however, there are 52.2% of them have not implemented STEM

activities in the class

Most of them argued that lacking a teaching facility is the main reasonthat limited them to do STEM activities At the same time, 65.2% of them thinkthe reason is lacking good reference resources

@ Lacking of time for preparing

8 Students do not show interest in learning instructional contents provided in accordance with oriented contents

STEM-Academic contents are unachievable for students

# Students' ability inappropriate

TM Teacher ability and experiences limitation

Graph 1.2 The surveyed of teacher’s difficulties in implementing STEM

Approach

27

By synthesizing the results, we recognize that providing teachers with

some tools and STEM-oriented sample lessons is necessary to help them useCooperative teaching and learning more frequently Teachers shared thatapplying cooperative learning by teaching STEM-oriented lessons helps

students recognize the relationship between real-world problems and academic

knowledge and make their learning more meaningful

1.5.2.2 Students Investigation Result

About Cooperative learning

The survey resulted that most students (70.6%) have heard aboutcooperative learning (particularly, group investigation) However, up to 31.1%

of students have not been learned this learning while 40.6% of them have tried

less than 3 times/ year

= Usually = Rarely #= Not yet

Graph 1.3 The result shows the proportion of students experiencing group

investigation in MathWith whom have experienced cooperative learning, they said that,cooperative learning brings many benefits to them that shown in the diagrambelow

28

45% of students got the better score in Math when learning as this form and 30% of them love learning Math more than before.

*About STEM — oriented lesson

The majority of asked students (72.5%) have known about STEM —

approach projects or lessons However, most of them have not been

experienced or done STEM projects (78.9%) Up to 15.9% of students have

learned some STEM approach lesson less than 3 times/year

29

more real more Math practice the more Math more more

world knowledge Math

We have investigated 69 Math teachers and 803 grade 7 students in

secondary schools in Ha Noi The data shows that some teachers have

implemented Cooperative teaching and learning strategies; however, they still

have many difficulties applying this methodology in teaching Math for grade

7 The result also shows that teachers have some problems applying the STEMapproach in teaching As a result, students have not had many chances to

develop elements in collaborative skills and gain love with Math to improve

their scores

30

1.6 Analyzing Secondary Math program

1.6.1 Math Subject Feature

Mathematics has had more and more real-life applications, mathematical

knowledge and skills have helped people solve real-life problems accuratelyand systematically, contributing to promoting the development of society

Mathematics in school contributes to shaping and developing majorvirtues, general competence and mathematical competence for students;developing crucial skills, knowledge and facilitating students to experience,apply mathematics in real-life situations; creating connections amongmathematical ideas, between Mathematics and reality, between Mathematicsand other subjects, educational activities, especially natural sciences i.e.Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Technology, Informatics in order to implementSTEM education

Mathematics contents are usually logical, abstract, general As a result,

in order to understand and learn mathematics, the MOET mathematics

curriculum must balance between “learning” knowledge and “applying”

knowledge in solving specific problems

1.6.2 Curriculum building perspective

Mathematics curriculum thoroughly grasps basic principles outlined in the

overall curriculum; inherit and promote advantages of the current curriculum andprevious curriculums, acquiring selectively experience in building curriculum

from advanced countries in the world, approaching achievements of educational

science, taking into account Vietnamese economic and social conditions At thesame time, mathematics curriculum emphasizes on following points:

e Ensuring simplicity, practicality, modernity

e Ensuring unity, consistency, and continuous development

e Ensuring integration and differentiation

e Ensuring openness

31

1.6.3 Middle school level goals

Middle school level mathematics aims to help students achieve thefollowing key goals:

a) Contribute to the formation and development of mathematical

competencies with following expected outcomes: raising and answering

questions when making arguments, solving problems, making reasonablearguments when solving problems and proving mathematical statements whichare not too complicated; using mathematical models (mathematical formulas,

algebraic equations, representations, ) to describe situations appeared in some

real-life problems which are not too complicated; using mathematical language

combined with common language to express mathematical contents as well as

to show evidence, methods and results of arguments; present ideas and how to

use mathematical tools and means to perform a learning task or to describemathematical arguments and proof

b) Have basic mathematical knowledge and skills about:

- Numbers and Algebra: Number system (from natural numbers to real

numbers); calculating and using calculation tools; language and algebraicnotation; transforming algebraic expressions, equations, system of equations,inequalities; using functional language to describe (model) a number ofprocesses and phenomena in practice

- Geometry and Mensuration: Geometry and Mensuration content at this

school level includes Visual geometry and Plane geometry Visual geometry

continues to provide language, symbols and descriptions (on the visual level)

of the objects of practice (flat shapes, solid shapes); creating a number ofcommon geometric models; computing some geometric elements; developingspatial imagination; solving some simple real-life problems associated withGeometry and Mensuration Plane geometry provides knowledge and skills (atthe level of logical inference) about geometric relationships and some common

32