An initiative to build model planes has helped English and science skills soar among students at a school in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Christ the King Primary School teacher Quyen Thai began teaching the science and technology skills to help improve language skills at the Braybrook school.
Christ the King Primary School teacher Quyen Thai with students Ethan (left) and Helen.Credit: Penny Stephens
According to the My School website, almost 60 per cent of students come from a language background other than English.
Thai, the school’s science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) leader, said the program helps year 5 and 6 with not only important scientific principles, but strengthen their vocabulary and problem-solving skills and improve confidence through presentations.
The students begin building the wooden planes in groups following a strict template, and then aim to improve the design to see how they fly. This was an important way for children to learn in STEM subjects, Thai said.
“The project was about integrating it with our teaching of English as well, preloading them with the vocabulary and also the science understandings bit by bit, before they actually start building the planes,” Thai said.
For students, it could be tricky to follow the instructions, work together and figure out how best to make their project work.
Thai, who has been at the school for four years, said one student in a previous cohort was newly arrived to Australia and still learning English, but quickly became the “engineer” of the class because of his problem-solving ability.
“Every time there was an issue or a plane wasn’t flying the students were asking for him,” she said.
As a result, the student’s language and communication skills also improved, and his “jovial” personality emerged.
“When the first plane flew … there was a cheer that went throughout the whole school.”
Quyen Thai, teacher at Christ the King Primary School
The most exciting part, though, was seeing how the planes performed, Thai said.
“The fun part was trying to get the planes to fly, we invited other classes to come and view our testing,” she said.
The school’s reaction to the first plane taking flight was ecstatic.
“When the first plane flew … there was a cheer that went throughout the whole school,” Thai said.
Thai says the program improves students’ vocabulary, problem-solving skills and confidence.Credit: Penny Stephens
“I was never a sports fan, but I imagine that’s what it’s like if someone scored a goal.”
The six-week program is now something the school’s younger children look forward to, and has resulted in more students showing an interest in participating in science classes.
“It’s about getting children excited about their learning and having a purpose to their learning,” Thai said. The children became “so proud” of their planes, and what they accomplished through building them.
Thai started the program through a teaching impact fellowship, which is available to teachers at government, Catholic and independent schools who have taken part in a Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership program.
The aviation project was one of the STEM initiatives Thai completed as part of her fellowship, and Immersive Education, a company that provides resourcing support, supplied the resources for the planes.
Teachers can receive up to $14,000 for these projects, which connect research, theory and practice, and contribute to the academy’s objectives.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.