(Working) 9 to 5...and then some

When I announced in my inaugural blog entry that I would be visiting Vietnam for three weeks during the school year, I am willing to bet that a common reaction was “SWEET! A 3-week vacay in Asia” or “Gee, I wonder how many unique restaurants, souvenir shops, and historical sites will I be able to fit into my “busy schedule”? Well, just to be clear on several things:

(1)  As a Fulbright teacher, I am here to work with the faculty and staff in a variety of different capacities and using a wide spectrum of platforms to share, demonstrate, and help implement instructional activities, curricular strategies and educational philosophies that I have developed for my students.

(2)  While it is a true that I am in a different country and one might technically refer to this opportunity as a vacation, it is definitely a working vacation. And by working vacation, I mean WORKING vacation. I have invested many hours since my arrival at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School outside of the typical school day preparing my lessons and observing classes.

(3)  I have had many chances to explore the Vietnamese countryside, fellowship, culture and food. Oh yeah, I have also played the conventional tourist, packing up on souvenirs and taking a multitude of photos. However, these opportunities are secondary to my primary responsibility of working with the teachers and students at school.

In this blog entry, I would like to take you along with me and describe each of my primary responsibilities in detail, offer some thoughts relative to my observations with each responsibility, and lastly, to demonstrate with pictures and video clips. With regard to my responsibilities, there were many. I had at least one, and sometimes up to three, tasks assigned to me every day of my stay. I will not bore you with my detailed agenda but I would like to show you an annotated example of the weekly schedule during my first and last weeks in Vietnam.

Teaching Physics Classes

The first of my many duties and responsibilities was…SURPRISE…to teach physics classes. I was asked to teach a total of 8 physics classes – 4 of the classes (Uniform Circular Motion, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and Centripetal Acceleration/Force and Frictional Force) were topics from Mechanics and taught to 10^th graders and 4 of the classes (Capacitors [Lecture], Capacitors [Lab Activity], Current through Semiconductors, and Magnetic Forces/Fields) were topics from Electricity and Magnetism and taught to 11^th graders. Below are selected photos of me teaching…and my various “instructional poses”…taken during a classroom lesson presentation on Frictional Force.

As a teacher who was provided this unique opportunity to teach at a high school in a different country, I am always making observations and comparisons with regard to teacher presentation, classroom seating, lesson preparation and student engagement. I prepared my lessons the same way that I do at Richardson High School, I used the same methods of technology platforms and I conducted my lessons by engaging my students with questions and assistance with problem solving. But I did notice one difference – one HUGE difference – in comparing my students in Texas to those students at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School. It was not how the students were seated or whether they were on time to class or even whether they were engaged in a lesson. All of these issues were standard procedure and met…no, far exceeded my expectations. The difference had to do with how the students here view their teachers.

One of my first observations during my initial days on campus was that every student – and I mean EVERY student – boy or girl, Grade 10, Grade 11, or Grade 12 that I passed in the hallways, in the classroom, at the Can Tin (school cafeteria), or on school grounds – always looked me in the eyes, smiled and bowed. At the beginning of each lesson, all students would stand and state very loudly and clearly, “Good Morning, Teacher!” At the completion of each lesson, one student would stand and offer their thanks to me for the lesson that was just taught. It was always followed by a request for a class group photo, which I found very touching and always obliged. As I would leave the classroom, all students would once again rise and state very loudly and clearly, “Thank You for the Lesson, Teacher.”

It is abundantly clear that the students at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School have an enormous amount of respect for their teachers and I will have to admit that it caught me off guard. I was not used to the level of respect granted to teachers by students. This is not to say that my students in Texas are not respectful of me nor that they do not appreciate what I do for them on a daily basis. Please do not misunderstand my intentions – I love my students, I love teaching at Richardson High School, and would not even entertain the notion of teaching at another high school. But the consistent and sincere demonstration of respect by students at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School toward their teachers was very much evident and very much appreciated.

Yet another difference that I noticed between the two schools was centered upon its educational philosophy. Both schools are committed to the academic success of its students. There is no disagreement on that. Where there is disagreement is how academic success is achieved and this is derived, in large part, by expectations established by administrative sectors of education at the state or national level of government. In Texas, all teachers are bound by the state-sanctioned curricular objectives, known as TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) which are clearly defined for each content area and grade level of teaching. Elevation of each student to subsequent grade levels is contingent upon successful performance on the STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) test. High school students who do not perform successfully on the STAAR tests are in jeopardy of not receiving a high school diploma. Teachers in Texas are committed to preparing their students for the STAAR test.

In science, the state also believes that the student should experience and engage in laboratory-based experiences for 40% of the time. As a result, teachers are developing lessons that are not only content-based, but also supplemented by hands-on conceptual demonstrations, online activities, group-based collaborative projects, as well as laboratory investigations. This provides the students with a well-rounded learning experience that fosters success in both the academic and professional arenas.

At Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School, academic success is centered primarily on lecture and an exposure to the fundamental concepts and equations described in their textbook. In addition, teachers supplement the concepts learned in class by lab experiences.  The major focus of my classroom teaching was to demonstrate examples of conceptual demonstrations, online activities, and group-based collaborative projects. These three facets of classroom instruction, in my opinion, play a vital role in whether the students learn a concept or whether they understand the concept. There is a saying that my father introduced to me years ago as I was growing up and have found to be especially true in my experience as a classroom teacher:

“I hear and I forget.”

“I see and I remember.”

“I do and I understand.”

Although the first part of the saying is important in laying the framework for a lesson, it is the “seeing” and “doing” that solidifies the key points of a lesson. In most subjects but especially in physics, the topics throughout the course are presented such that they build upon themselves. A working knowledge of the current topic is required to fully comprehend the following topic and so on. As is the case in the construction of any project, the stability of a building is only as good as its foundation. If the foundation is not strong and secure, then anything built upon that foundation, regardless of the strength of structural materials and amount of outer décor or landscaping, will eventually come crashing down. Now, you are probably wondering exactly how I implemented and modeled conceptual demonstrations, hands-on activities, online investigations, and group-based collaborative projects for the students at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School. Given that I was in a different classroom, in a different country no less, it was a challenge…but a challenge that I nonetheless welcomed and accepted. Let me give you an example of each.

Conceptual Demonstrations

In my opinion, Newton’s Laws of Motion is a fundamental cornerstone of physics. The three laws of motion, attributed to Isaac Newton, provide a basis and a rationale as to how and why motion occurs. It is a lesson that I look forward to when I teach it at Richardson High School because of the spectrum of opportunities for hands-on demonstrations and real-life practical examples. In fact, one of the key concepts – and most common misconceptions – is attributed to the question: If objects of different masses are dropped from the same position at the same time, which will reach the ground first. I begin the discussion by holding up a massive physics textbook and a much smaller marker cap. When I pose the question, which will strike the ground first when released at the same time from the same position. The clear majority of students will reply with the book. When I ask them why, the students respond with: “The book is much heavier and thus will fall faster, striking the ground sooner.” Before I actually drop the two objects and then guide the students into a discussion of how and why, I conduct a hands-on activity where I invite students to come to the front of the class and drop different sizes of tennis balls.

The visual display of the various tennis balls reinforces the concept of the acceleration due to gravity as a constant and that it is not the mass alone of the object but rather the ratio of the force of the pull of gravity in relation to the object’s mass that is constant. The tennis balls, as well as the physics book and marker cap, all fall at the same rate and strike the ground at the same time because the larger object’s mass is pulled down to the Earth’s surface with a corresponding larger pull due to gravity. The point has been made.

When I found out that one of the lessons I would be teaching would be Newton’s Laws of Motion, I set out to try and reproduce this activity as best I could. Two of the teachers took me to a nearby outdoor market where one of the shops offered toys. After a little bit of searching, I was able to find as assortment of different-sized bouncing balls that would fit the bill. Two photos of that particular demonstration is shown below.

Hands-on Activities

When I saw the list of lessons I was asked to teach and came upon Magnetic Forces/Fields, I got excited. Why? Well, not because I am particularly partial to Magnetism, but rather because there was a hands-on activity that came to mind that I have used in the past when teaching this topic and one that I definitely wanted to implement during my lesson. The activity challenged the students to create an electromagnet using a D-cell battery, insulated copper wire, an iron nail, and paper clips that were used to test the electromagnet. The students were to connect one end of the wire to the positive terminal of the battery and then wrap the wire in multiple coils (~20 to 30) around the iron nail. The other end of the wire would make contact with the negative terminal of the wire. With the two ends of the wire touching the two terminals of the battery, the nail becomes magnetic and will attract paper clips. Once the students were given the project, the materials were distributed and the students got to work. As I walked about the room, I sat down with some groups to help them get started but once they saw that the nail could pick up even a single paper clip, I got a lot of ooohs, aaahs, and smiles as students were proud to show me their newly constructed electromagnet.

Online Investigations

One of my lessons, Capacitors [Lab Activity], was an investigation on a topic that I lectured to these same students the previous week. I wanted to follow up the lesson with a laboratory investigation of capacitors at another class session and this was readily accommodated. I had intended to conduct a standard lab but could not find enough materials and electronic components for small groups of students to participate and conduct the lab. In lieu of a hands-on lab activity, I decided to present an online lab, PhET (https://phet.colorado.edu), a website with an assortment of virtual simulations on topics of science and math including, of course, physics. It is free and easily accessible to everyone. The use of PhET simulations for me had an interesting benefit in that all but two of the PhET simulation were translated in Vietnamese. This served two useful purposes for the students: (1) to better understand the physics involved in the simulation as they interact with the Vietnamese version of the simulation and (2) to become better familiar with the English spelling of scientific vocabulary by placing these simulations side by side on their computer screen.

In an ideal world, the students would have been seated at a computer, logged in to the site that houses the PhET simulations, distributed my prepared activity that they could follow through the simulation, followed by an opportunity to visit each of the students to assess progress and offer assistance. You know that things do not turn out well at all when someone begins a sentence with the phrase, “In an ideal world.” If you were one such reader, then you have just won the Grand Prize. Sometimes, I spend hours, even days, dreading the name of Murphy (as in Murphy’s Law) and wishing that he would just have kept the law to himself.

The class began with me showing up to the correct classroom (11A) approximately 5 minutes early and prepared to teach the lesson. But no other teacher was there! This was odd because every other lesson was attended by at least two or three other teachers. Furthermore, I had submitted my files of the activity for copies to be done and had yet to see them. After the bell or rather drum had sounded for class to begin, I knew that something wasn’t quite right. Just then, a student had come to inform me that the class, which was in its correct room on normal occasions, had transferred to the computer lab which was one floor above. This made sense as we would all be performing an online activity and providing a computer to each student would be very beneficial. I quickly collected my computer, secured it in my backpack, and the students and I quickly made a dash for the Computer Lab. I brought out my computer and powered it up. While the students were logging in, I wrote the website information on the whiteboard and then proceeded to walk around the room to check on how students were doing. Some computers did not turn on, some were still booting up, and yet others could not download the simulation I had aligned the activity with and so the one simulation that they were successful in downloading was a simulation with a similar name. There were some students who were able to login to the simulations and work with them just fine.

This was not my finest hour of instruction, but it was one that I had experienced many times before. I have encountered the exact same problems at my home school that I was experiencing here. It is truly an asset for a school to have a computer lab, or a dedicated classroom equipped with a computer for each student. But when half of the computers are either non-functional or molasses-speed slow, it is hard to see the benefit of an online activity. It was disappointing and frustrating for me, but only because I was worried that the student’s felt their instructional time was wasted. However, the students and teachers were happy to learn about the online simulations and were anxious to use them for their other lessons as well. The students then requested a class photo which made me feel a little better.

Group-based Collaborative Projects

             I will be the first to come right out and state the obvious: I feel that projects are a critical component and a key factor toward the academic success of my students. Projects are something that I routinely implement on a routine basis 4 – 6 times each school year, mostly sticking to a handful of favorites but sometimes taking the risk to develop and introduce a new project that evolved as a result of a novel idea. Projects not only allow me to align course curriculum with a hands-on process, but they also promote and foster opportunities for students to create, collaborate, and communicate during a process that represents a real-world, practical application of content and topics taught in class. Therefore, engaging students in physics projects became a top priority for me.

             As you will read later in the blog entry, another assigned task was for me to conduct three mini-conferences for students, where one of the mini-conferences was designed to introduce and encourage students to form small groups to engage in two projects. One project was the classic standard, Egg Drop Project, in which groups of students are charged with constructing a housing device for an egg that will protect the egg from being cracked when dropped from a significant height. In this case, the projects would be dropped from the third story of the school campus. As an interesting sidenote, it was about this same time that my students in Texas were participating in the Egg Drop Project as well.

The other project, Soda Bottle Structure, was one that I had never done before but one that I had heard about based on experiences from other teachers. Small groups of students were charged in creating a structure from empty water bottles. The students were not limited in the amount or size of water bottles used for their structure but could use glue, tape or rubber bands to fasten and secure the plastic bottles. I also allowed them free reign to use any materials of their choice to decorate their structure in accordance to their chosen theme or structure type. So, how did the students do with their projects? Photos and a video or two will be coming up shortly.

Physics Teacher Observations and Evaluations

During my time at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School, I was also asked to engage with the Physics faculty to observe teachers during selected lesson presentations, providing an assessment of the lesson and suggestions on how the lesson could be improved, and providing specific instructional strategies and curricular enhancements for specific physics units and topics. In one example of an observation on October 4, I had the opportunity to observe Ms. Ca teach a lesson on Electric Current in Electrolytes.

Following the classroom lesson, all of the physics teachers who observed the lesson convened in another physics classroom to provide comments on the lesson and to identify areas of improvement for the teacher.

Mini-conferences for Teachers

A mini-conference is another term for a workshop or seminar presented on a specific topic relevant to the interests of the audience. In an education environment, these topics can range from content-based information to instructional strategies. These mini-conferences were open to all teachers at the school – not just physics teachers so my presentations were geared toward information that would be useful to all teachers that attended. I presented three mini-conferences for teachers on the topics: Project-Based Instruction; Apps, Programs and Strategies for the Science Classroom; and Curriculum-Aligned Classroom Activities.

Mini-conferences for Students

In addition to mini-conferences for teachers, I also conducted mini-conferences for students. The objective of these mini-conferences was to provide activities, strategies, and curricular opportunities for students that would focus on topics that would enhance the science curriculum. I presented mini-conferences to students on Group-based Projects, i.e., Egg Drop Project and Soda Bottle Structure Project previously described, and a STEM Presentation where the students presented their final products from the two projects. In the photos below, I am providing guidance into structural issues to consider in constructing an Egg Drop Device that would serve to better protect the egg upon striking the ground.

At the STEM Presentation, conducted on October 11 at the school, all of the students who participated in the first mini-conference attended to demonstrate their product. One of the things that I truly cherish about being a teacher is the innovative spirit of creativity that tends to be unleashed within a project and I was not disappointed. Below are photos (and a couple of videos) demonstrating the various designs of the Egg Drop Project, followed by photos of the Soda Bottle Structure Project. Each student was presented with a certificate of participation, followed by awards for the four top designs for each project, as decided by Ms. Van Nguyen, the chair of the physics department.

I had originally planned to present a third mini-conference on Astronomy activities and applications but an upcoming US Educational Fair ‒ a workshop sponsored by the US Embassy Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City in which admissions representatives from a select number of US colleges and universities would be present to promote their institution and recruit potential applicants from attending high schools ‒ to be held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 12 redirected my focus on assisting students in the development of essays required for scholarships. I agreed to present my third student mini-conference on tips and strategies for writing scholarship essays. I provided them with tips, strategies and advice on how to compose essays for scholarships. 

In closing, while it is true that I and my Vietnamese colleagues differed with regard to educational background, academic experiences, school location and student demographics, we are all bound by one common goal and driven by one common objective – to make a difference in the lives of his or her students. Each teacher wants nothing more to see each student reach his or her potential and experience limitless opportunities toward success on a personal and academic level. This is a core belief that I have held throughout my 17 years of classroom teaching and one that was clearly evident and consistently demonstrated by the faculty and staff at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School.

Notice: This blog is being published approximately two weeks following my return from Vietnam. My original intent with the blog was to provide timely updates on my observations and activities during my time in Vietnam but unfortunately, I experienced a minor…well, actually a major setback involving internet issues. The large number of photos, many of them over 1 MB in size, as well as the video clips recorded on my phone, made this a virtually impossible task. I do have a number of blog entries still yet to be published and I have every intention of completing and publishing them, regardless of how long this entire process will take me.

Coming Up Next: I have devoted the last two blog entries to my duties, responsibilities, and activities conducted at the school. I have tried very hard to put the reader in my shoes as I worked to fulfill my academic and professional responsibilities as a Fulbright Teacher at Nguyen Quang Dieu Gifted High School. In the next blog entry and the several that will follow, I would like to step back and focus on my experiences with Vietnam. I cannot tell you how many times I was asked – by students and teachers alike – what I liked most about Vietnam and why. My immediate response to the first question was done without hesitation. The people. Yep, more than the food, the language, the currency, and the countryside, I truly admired the people of Vietnam the most. Why? Well, the answer to that question will unfold in the next blog entry.

Disclaimer: The blog, "Dr. H's Fulbright Experience", is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed in this blog are entirely those of George Hademenos and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.