VBS News Net: To motivate students to research on science and cultivate future-centric thinking skills, the STEAM integration class to combine theories and practice for Primary 5 students was conducted by AI and Science teachers on 2nd December at VBS to lead students to make solar power water heaters and measure their conditions to maintain the temperatures.

After a month's preparation, VBS Science teacher Ms. Li Yin and AI teacher Mr. Peng Ping delivered this STEAM class. Guided by teachers at the beginning of class, students began their discussions and understood that solar power water heater converted light to energy with the advantages of energy-saving, environmental-friendly and safe as well as principles, efficiency and materials used. Yet the design. This was the key issues for 5C students to solve.

Ms. Li and Mr. Peng designed the tasks to be completed in class accordingly to allow students to find questions through discussions, solve them by teamwork and apply knowledge learnt in AI and Science classes. Mr. Peng spent 3 periods to teach Linkboy Programming to write programmes to measure temperatures to connect with electric modules to experience the process of measuring temperature. This would solve the key issue for this session - the accurate measurement of the temperature without having errors by theomometers.

In STEAM class, Ms. Li taught students some knowledge about water heater and presented them materials. Mr. Peng explained the principles measuring temperature and position of placing measuring tools at the water heater before giving out the tools made in AI classes. 

Once they produced their water heaters, two teachers took students to the football pitch to test how temperatures inside the water heater rose. Students worked in teams - reading the values, taking records and taking aluminium foil to reflect sunlight. During the process, some groups had a reasonably well design of water heater to achieve temperature rising from 20 to 50. Other groups might not have the same results but obtain significant rise in temperatures after modifications. At last, students had their analysis and conclusion for this class to share their ideas on the issues they had during the experiment to recognise their weakness and how to improve afterwards.

The implementation of STEAM classes is a key measure of VBS cultivating global citizens who possess sound personality, academic excellence, international horizons, patriotism and the courage to create a better future. This practice of inter-disciplinary studies has allowed students to enjoy applying AI and Science knowledge to solve real world problems, to motivate them to research on science and nurtured their ability to work in teams (cooperate, communicate, reflect and improve), innovate and see the bigger picture. Students realise the technology has facilitated mankind to utilise natural resources and expext to have such STEAM class in future. 

Document provider: Mr Peng

Editor: Linda

Translated by DC Lai