Building planes a model program to help students’ English, science skills take off

“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.

“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.

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