Learning physics becomes the happiness with many students when they have change to participate and experience inventions of Mr. Vu
Each of the physics experiments applied to each specific class has inspired the passion for creativity, the interest in every student.
Applying reality to learning
Graduating from Advanced Physics Major, College of Pedagogy - Hue University, 29-year-old teacher Nguyen Truong Vu studied in the United States for one year before returning to Hue and taking to the teaching of “young heads”. The question which always lingers in Vu’s mind is how to help his students understand the lesson and smile. "It is impossible to teach the theory without practical materials for students to easily imagine, stimulate creativity in the children," said Mr. Vu.
Making use of available scraps, Mr. Vu and his group of students started to invent themselves. If they lack something, they would buy with their own money, as long as they can create a good product to put into the classroom so that the students can apply. Attending a class by Mr. Vu, I can see the excitement on each student’s face.
"Close all of your books, start getting into groups to practice," said the teacher when the class began, he directed the 9th grade students to use a vacuum pump and suction the air from a plastic jar with a small balloon inside. The more air was removed from the jar, the bigger the balloon inside the jar became. Explaining this to students, Mr. Vu said that it was the elasticity of the air in the balloon when placed in a vacuum. "The lesson about a vacuum environment begins like that, so the students are interested and quickly understand the lesson," explained Mr. Vu.
The materials used to design Mr. Vu’s inventions look quite modern, but they are actually easy to buy. When completed, the inventions are much cheaper than those on the market. Referring to Mr. Vu, many students in the school think of many other inventions, such as color mixers, electric tables, electric probes, spectral lenses, oscillating motors… All are applied to class in very practical ways.
Sharing on social networks
Each lesson taught by Mr. Vu makes a certain impression on the students thanks to the psychological comfort, not making any sense of boredom. "... they are not boring classes, but the whole class can see, touch, and even be taught to make their own equipment by the instructor," said Nguyen Ton Nu Bao Ngoc (a ninth grader), so excited to talk about her Physics teacher, Mr. Vu.
Mr. Vu is also concerned about the teaching and learning of subjects related to experiments, practices in the current system of general education. Particularly with Physics, most of the knowledge students learned comes from experiments, but at present it is still limited. Therefore, the young teacher has managed to invent many things in the simplest, cheapest but most effective way to apply in each lesson.
The models are not placed in the practice room or a specific classroom, but set up in the schoolyard by Mr. Vu for other students to see and experiment. From there, he finds ways to inspire students to create things from scraps. In addition, all inventions are filmed, digitized on social networks, Youtube to share with students at home and abroad for reference. Appreciation of the invention has been a motivation for Mr. Vu to continue to pursue his passion.
Mr. Vu is urgently preparing the final stages to launch the Center of Physics experiments which he has cherished for so long. "From that affection, I shared with the school and was fully supported by the school. On the occasion of the recent work trip to Hanoi, I connected with the Edison Center for Experimental Physics, and we both decided to open a center in Hue, expected to be put into operation by the end of this year, " Mr. Vu said cheerfully.
Mr. Nguyen Cao, Principal of the International School of Phoenix acknowledged that the invention of Mr. Vu aroused a passion for science and technology creativity, bringing students into the research environment since high school, thanks to which many children won prizes at innovation and invention competitions.
Story and photo: PHAN THANH