Opportunities to Learn
Vietnamese students quickly
befriended Carnegie
elementary teacher Scott Donnelly as
he spent two weeks in Vietnam for a
American STEM Vietnam program.
Learning Has No Borders
This past year, an engineering-related
collaboration between Carnegie
Elementary fifth grade teacher Scott
Donnelly and Vietnamese educator Tien
Luong caught the attention of American
STEM-Hanoi founder and CEO, Dr. Hung
Le. After observing the cultural education
exchange between the two classes, dubbed
STEM United, Dr. Le invited Donnelly to
Vietnam to experience the culture and share
STEM-related educational experiences.
Spreading the STEM approach to learning
is a passion of Dr. Le and American STEM
Vietnam. The program has branches in
Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in
the south.
Over a two-week period, Donnelly soon
realized that the teachers and support staff
carried the same vision for STEM education
as Dr. Le. In one learning opportunity, he
saw students engaged while participating
in a boat challenge. Students in mixed age
groups were given a large cardboard box, a
sheet of plastic, scissors, packing tape, and
some bamboo. With minimal directions
and marginal adult interference, they were
required to build a sturdy floating vessel to
carry a human passenger. “The kids loved it!
There was collaboration, communication,
testing, failing, re-testing, engagement, and
laughing,” Donnelly said, observing that
learning has no borders. “Kids are the same
no matter where they live in this world, with
the same natural curiosity and willingness
to keep trying despite failure,” he added.
Donnelly also worked closely with the
staff of American STEM whose summer
camps hosted students in grades K-9.
Working with a translator, he led two
training sessions with teachers and shared
many of the resources he uses to teach
STEM and Social Studies in the classroom.
The experience offered some down
time for Donnelly as well. Dr. Le made
sure there was time to discover the culture
and proud history of Vietnam. With
accommodations in the heart of Trung Hoa,
a district just outside downtown Hanoi,
Donnelly explored the narrow streets, the
food, and the customs. Walking the streets
was a learning experience in itself. “There
are no traffic rules, from what I gather.
Thousands of motorbikes and taxis co-exist
in a controlled chaos that I have never
seen before,” remarked Donnelly. “Amongst
the horns beeping, random cut-offs and
u-turns, there were no traffic lanes and
even sidewalk driving for the impatient. As
a pedestrian, I became a part of the chaos.
The drivers would swerve to avoid me,” said
Donnelly.
Other highlights included tours of the
Ho Chi Minh compound, the Hoa La Prison,
the Old Quarter District, and an overnight
cruise around Ha Long Bay which included
kayaking and cave exploration.
ith the help of a translator, Donnelly led two
W
workshops about STEM education before
Vietnamese educators.
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Carlynton-Montour