From STEM classrooms to practical products
In the STEM lab at Muong Te High School, technological equipment, practical tools, and materials are arranged into separate areas. This is no longer a traditional classroom where students mainly sit and listen and take notes, but has become a space for them to design, assemble, experiment, and find solutions to problems.
In early 2026, Muong Te High School, along with Le Quy Don Specialized High School and Tan Uyen No. 1 Junior High School, will receive STEM education practice rooms funded by the Vietnam National Energy and Industry Corporation ( Petrovietnam ). The three classrooms, implemented from the end of 2025, underwent surveys, space renovations, and equipment installation for practical training, with a total cost of 10.5 billion VND.
At Le Quy Don Specialized High School, the STEM room provides additional opportunities for students to approach science and technology in a visual way. A problem posed in class can be transformed into a model; seemingly dry knowledge can be verified through experiments; and a student's idea can be turned into a product for testing and improvement.
Mr. Vuong Van Tam, Principal of Le Quy Don Specialized High School, shared: “For high school students, STEM activities create opportunities to connect knowledge from many subjects. To complete a product, students may have to use knowledge of Physics, Mathematics, Informatics, Technology, etc., while also applying teamwork, presentation, and problem-solving skills.”
According to Mr. Tam, the value of the activity lies not only in the final product. When a model doesn't work, students must find the reason. When the design is unsuitable, they must adjust it. Some products require multiple trials before they meet the requirements. Through this process, they develop the habit of observing, asking questions, and finding solutions instead of waiting for ready-made answers.
At Tan Uyen No. 1 Junior High School, the STEM lab also adopts a similar approach, but adapted to suit the age group of junior high school students. Knowledge of natural science, technology, environment, or energy can be transformed into practical tasks. Importantly, teachers don't just ask students to "make a product," but present a problem for them to solve.
For students in the mountainous region of Lai Chau, this approach offers many advantages. Stories about agricultural production, water resources, the environment, energy conservation, forest protection, or utilizing readily available materials can all serve as material for developing STEM topics.
Students learn from a real-life problem; from that knowledge, they design solutions; and then, from those solutions, they test them in practice. That is the journey that STEM aims for.
The event creates a "playground" for STEM to spread.
While STEM classrooms provide a space for regular hands-on practice, the 2026 Provincial Science, Innovation and STEM Festival will create an additional "playground" for Lai Chau students to showcase, present, and interact with their products.
Taking place over two days, September 19-20, the festival attracted 85 participating schools; including 46 teams showcasing STEM products and 22 teams competing in robotics. A total of 211 teachers and 229 students participated.
The atmosphere at the exhibition area showed that STEM is not just for schools with favorable conditions. Students from various levels and locations brought products formed from observation and problem-solving.
Notably, according to the assessment at the event, many products stemmed from issues close to daily life, linked to the natural characteristics, production, and environment of the local area. Students had to select materials, design models, develop solutions, and explain their products.
Standing before their product, students must answer questions from viewers, explaining their choice of materials, how the product works, and its potential applications. This is when textbook knowledge is transformed into practical skills.
In the robotics competition, teams not only bring their products to the competition but also have to build control programs, coordinate between team members, and adjust the robot during the competition. Seemingly small tasks such as checking an electrical circuit, adjusting the program, or changing the design all require precision and perseverance.
At the event, students from Nam Tam High School presented three products: a diorama model of the Battle of Bach Dang River; a smart clothes drying rack for dormitory students; and a robotic floor cleaner. The image of highland students confidently introducing their products shows that STEM activities not only aim at developing scientific skills but also create opportunities for them to practice communication, collaboration, and presenting ideas.
Mr. Vu Tien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Lai Chau Department of Education and Training, commented: "The festival not only helps students apply the knowledge they have learned to practice but also contributes to inspiring a passion for scientific research and innovation among students, teachers, and educational institutions."
At the end of the event, the Organizing Committee awarded 46 prizes for the STEM product exhibition and prizes for the Robotics competition. However, the greater significance of the activity lies in the process by which the teams prepared their products, tested them, finalized their documentation, and presented their projects before competing at the provincial level.
From well-equipped classrooms at Le Quy Don Specialized High School, Muong Te High School, and Tan Uyen Junior High School to dozens of products showcased at the STEM Festival, STEM is gradually developing into a small ecosystem in Lai Chau's education system.
Therefore, the 2026 Science, Innovation, and STEM Festival is not just a product showcase. It is also an opportunity to see more clearly a shift in schools: from "learning to know" to "learning to do," from knowledge on paper to products connected to real life.
In the journey of educational innovation in Lai Chau, STEM classrooms can be a starting point. However, when teachers know how to transform local problems into lessons, turn lessons into tasks, and give students the opportunity to find solutions themselves, STEM will truly become a vibrant learning method in schools in mountainous regions.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/vung-cao-lai-chau-mo-huong-day-hoc-stem-post794877.html
