HNUE JOURNAL OF SCIENCE Educational Sciences, 2021, Volume 66, Issue 5A, pp 153-160 This paper is available online at http://stdb.hnue.edu.vn DOI: 10.18173/2354-1075.2021-0225 ORGANIZING EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES IN TEACHING ETHICS SUBJECT Tran Thanh Du Department of Primary Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education Abstract The education curriculum for the subject Ethics (promulgated in 2018) has specified the importance of forming and developing relevant and necessary qualities and competencies for students through the experientially oriented teaching of the subject Therefore, it is urgently required that the theories be examined and that the procedure for designing and organizing experiential activities be established Adopting the theoretical investigation approach, this article is to present theoretical background, suggest and illustrate a procedure for teaching Ethics subject in the orientation of compet ency development Keywords: experiential activities, teaching, Ethics subject, quality, competency Introduction The general education curriculum (2018) was promulgated with a clear outline and definitions of educational ideology, educational content, learning outcomes in terms of quality and competency, methodology for teaching, testing, and assessment Therein, experiential activities become compulsory at all levels of general education, and educational methods in specific curricula simultaneously referred to the organization of experiential activities for students [1], which requires and creates favorable opportunities for teachers to organize experiential activities in the classrooms to innovate and enhance teaching quality, as well as maximizing learners’ qualities and competencies Experiential learning is currently considered one of the most important teaching methods oriented nationally and worldwide with much research from Dewey, Lewin, Bybee, Kolb; Dinh Thi Kim Thoa, Dinh Quang Bao, Pho Duc Hoa, Vo Minh Trung These authors have pointed out the principles, characteristics, approaches, and procedures for the organization of experiential activities in education Therein, to mention the 5E process of Rodger W Bybee and especially the experiential teaching cycle of D.A Kolb (1984) According to D.A Kolb, the experiential learning cycle has stages: in a specific learning environment, learners start with a specific experience available (Concrete experience); they will observe, think, and give feedback (Observation and reflection) about the learning situation in that environment Thereby, learners draw concepts and abstract knowledge (Forming abstract concepts) and then apply and test them in solving new situations (Testing in new situations) in learning or life [4] Later on, this process was investigated by Vo Trung Minh (2014) in primary education via the 6-step procedure including introducing experiential activities, experiencing the reality, sharing the acquired knowledge and experience, analyzing and acquired experience, generalizing the experience, and testing the experience [6] In 2018, Tran Thanh Du has defined the procedure for teaching Nature Received October 28, 2021 Revised November 17, 2021 Accepted December 6, 2021 Contact Tran Thanh Du, e-mail address: dutt@hcmue.edu.vn 153 Tran Thanh Du and Society subject to third graders is based on an experiential approach, from which the effectiveness was initially proved at the level of primary schools [2] In the primary education curriculum, Ethics also contributes significantly to the formation of qualities and core competencies for primary school students The subject of ethics also adopts the main qualities in the General Education Program as the teaching content Furthermore, the objectives, requirements, content, teaching methodology, as well as methods of testing and assessment of the subject, contain suitable elements for experiential teaching [1] Nguyen Thi Thu (2015) has identified the form and approach to teaching Ethics subject in the orientation of competency development from activities for knowledge acquisition for primary school students, from which the author has emphasized the importance of organizing experiential activities in teaching the subject At the same time, Ong Thi Van (2015) also suggested the measures to apply experiential teaching into the Ethics subjects to fifth-graders at Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province [9] However, in-depth research into the experiential teaching of Ethics subject following the orientation of the General Curriculum 2018 is still of limited number From other perspectives, primary school students possess suitable psycho-physiological characteristics to participate in experiential learning, such as vivacity, activeness and curiosity to learn, quickness to react, and having a unique and different way of thinking and doing as well as preferring physical activities rather than concentration in one place,… [3] This learning orientation creates opportunities for students to approach reality and mobilize all available experiences to solve assigned real-life problems In addition, classrooms organizing experiential activities also provides conditions for students to discover knowledge by themselves, adjust personal experiences following the surrounding environment, and self-practice to develop their skills [1] It can be seen that this orientation allows for students’ activeness, independence and creativity, thus forming necessary qualities and competencies to meet the social life requirements Therefore, it can be concluded that the organization of experiential activities in teaching the Ethics subject is feasible and necessary Content 2.1 Teaching Ethics subject Ethics is a system of rules of social life and human behavior, which defines the obligations of one person towards others and toward the whole society Accordingly, moral education is a purposeful and organized activity, aiming at making students' personalities develop ethically, creating a basis for them to have appropriate ethical behavior [5] Moral education for primary school students can be done through all subjects and educational activities, in which, Ethics plays a leading role Therein, the teaching ethics subject is the process by which teachers organize a series of appropriate teaching of Ethics subject can be understood as a process to form and raise citizenship awareness and behavioral standards for students, based on the structures of behavior including moral beliefs, moral emotions, moral will, and corresponding moral practices and habits [8] Therein: Moral knowledge is a person's understanding of moral standards, which is obtained through a deep personal thought process It is directional, regulating human behavior towards others and society Moral belief is a person's deep and firm belief in the correctness, truth, and necessity of the implementation of moral standards Moral beliefs are closely related to moral knowledge If the reality is consistent with moral knowledge, moral beliefs will be formed and strengthened If the reality contradicts moral knowledge, it can cause deviations and imbalances in moral beliefs Moral emotions are a person's emotional attitudes toward their own or others’ moral behavior, which is the motivation for people to perform moral behavior It is formed by the emotions generated by each virtuous act Moral 154 Organizing experiential activities in teaching ethics subject will is the mental strength that helps people maintain moral behavior under all circumstances and conditions Based on moral knowledge combined with moral beliefs, emotions, and will, moral behavior is formed and expressed through individuals’ actions, manipulations, and deeds in dealing with social counterparts When moral behavior is continuously repeated, a moral habit, which is then regarded as the stable moral behavior of a person, will be formed and the ethical behavior is performed without the emergence of a moral will It can be admitted that the experiential teaching of Ethics subject is a suitable teaching approach that facilitates learners in establishing ethical behavioral structures required in each learning unit By adopting the approach, teachers are to allow learners to discover ethical knowledge and nurture ethical emotion which leads to the establishment and maintenance of ethical behavior The teaching of Ethics subject is now clearly specified in the Ethics curriculum (2018) with objectives, requirements, content (specific for each level), and methods for teaching, testing, and assessment of the outcomes [1] Regarding the methodology, specific requirements are emphasized: First, it is advisable to focus on the central role of students in teaching activities and prioritize organizing experiential activities in the operation of this subject Second, combine the use of traditional teaching methods with modern teaching methods in the direction of activating learners' activities and increasing the use of specialized teaching methods of the subject Third, be flexible in combining teaching forms: teaching to the whole class, to groups, and individuals; teaching inside and outside the classroom; giving problem-solving tasks in specific situations; actively using modern teaching tools Fourth, coordinate education between schools with families and society The requirements as mentioned earlier lays a foundation for the implementation of experiential teaching of Ethics subject at primary school 2.2 Organizing experiential activities in the teaching of Ethics subject Experiential teaching of Ethics subjects is deemed as a process in which teachers design, organize and guide students over the experiential activities The students, hence, deploy their background experience to partake in the activities, from which they further explore and obtain new knowledge, and develop the required qualities and competencies Therefore, the Ethics subject in primary school possesses favorable characteristics for experiential activities to be implemented: Firstly, this subject “emphasizes the organization of experiential activities so that students can discover and acquire new knowledge by themselves, develop skills and positive attitudes, on that basis, form and develop the quality of life and the capacity of future citizens” [1] This is consistent with the orientation of experiential teaching Second, the main content of Ethics subject includes moral education, life skills education, legal education, and economic education, focusing on education about self-esteem, family, homeland, draw new experiences and community, to form students’ necessary habits and routines in studying, living, and a sense of self-regulation according to the legal and social standards These contents are relevant to students If personal experience is considered as an input source like Dewey, Kolb, this is a very favorable condition for students to apply personal experience directly to participate in experiential activities to draw new experiences Third, the general orientation for the Ethics subject teaching methodology is consistent with the characteristics of experiential teaching, i.e activating student activities, focusing on organizing and guiding activities for students to discover lessons; prioritizing that students can discover and acquire new knowledge by themselves, thus developing skills and positive attitudes to develop citizenship 155 Tran Thanh Du Fourth, the psycho-physiological characteristics of primary school students allow them to engage in experiential Ethics teaching and learning To be specific, they are in the transitional stage between visual imagery and abstract thinking (at the end of primary school level); known with short attention span which prefers physical activities rather than deep concentration; having their unique and creative way of thinking and possessing certain initial background experience prior to the subject With these characteristics, teaching the Ethics subject with experiential activities triggers students’ interests, easily forms and develops the necessary qualities and competencies, namely kindness, hard work, honesty, responsibility, behavior adjustment capacity, self-development, and capacity to learn and participate in socio-economic activities To organize experiential activities in teaching Ethics in accordance with the characteristics of students and subject requirements, teachers need to perform the following tasks: Task 1: Find out the subject program and determine the students’ characteristics (psychological characteristics, cognition, life experience about the content to be learned) ➔ Task 2: Determine the goals regarding the qualities, the general capacities, and the specific capacity for each topic/lesson/activity Objectives are of importance which gives direction to activities and lays a foundation for selecting and adjusting content, teaching methods, forms of activities, and assessment of students' learning results ➔ Task 3: Identify the topic/lesson, content, and form of experiential learning ➔ Task 4: Plan and design learning activities according to an experiential teaching process (this article uses Kolb's experiential cycle), as follows: determine necessary resources, time, space, etc and choose the optimal plan for each set goal; design specific and detailed tasks and choose appropriate methods, means, and forms of organization ➔ Task 5: Organize experiential learning activities, followed by assessment and adjustment activities (if any) Based on the structure of moral behavior, the Ethics curriculum (under the Curriculum of Civics Education, 2018), and applying Kolb's experiential learning cycle, this article proposes a procedure for experiential teaching and learning of Ethics subject, as shown in Figure Figure Experience-oriented Ethics teaching and learning process Therein: Step – I discover: Students make efforts, utilize the available experience from life, other subjects and also the prior knowledge in Ethics subject to participate in learning activities The learning activities in this step will show the teacher what experiences the learners are having about the subject and to what extent they are being expressed The requirements for students’ performance include telling what they have done, sharing about known problems, doing known things, playing games, etc After that, students learn and summarize new experiences (forming 156 Organizing experiential activities in teaching ethics subject moral knowledge and strengthening moral beliefs) via exchanging with friends, teachers, etc., or from documents, visual aids, and reality Students can evaluate and adapt their prior experiences incompatibility with the learning content The requirements for students’ performance include studying documents, observing visual aids to learn about reality and complete tasks, discussing in groups, having dialogues with teachers, etc Step – I practice: Students consolidate, expand, and develop knowledge and awareness while discovering In this step, students can strengthen their moral beliefs, form moral feelings and moral motivation to prepare for the implementation of ethical behavior in the next step The requirements for students’ performance include presenting their views and attitudes, giving solutions to problem-solving tasks via role-playing, games to express agreement/disagree, etc Step – I apply: Students perform the experience at a higher level after having the right experience about the problem they have just learned In other words, in this step, students apply their newly learnt experiences to solve a new problem in learning, especially real-life ones The requirements for students’ performance at this step include practicing with complex tasks and applying new experiences to practice behavior, doing practical problem-solving projects, creating art products, etc Step – I evaluate: Students self-assess their own experiences or combine with peer assessment and group assessment to adjust and accept the experiences This step is not completed separately but is integrated into the three aforementioned steps The requirements for students’ performance at this step include self-reflecting and drawing conclusions, commenting, and supplementing your ideas, giving feedback in groups, conducting self-assessment on the achievement of the lesson’s objectives During the process, it is required that primary school students’ psychophysiological characteristics of students are well attended, e.g their background experience in the I discover step, for better implementation of the experiential teaching 2.3 An illustration of experiential activities in teaching Ethics subject In this article, the author will illustrate the organization for teaching the content of compassion quality (one of the moral education content) in the subject Ethics grade with the proposed experiential teaching process: I discover, I practice, I apply, and I evaluate (integrated into the previous activities) Topic: CARE FOR GRANDPARENTS AND PARENTS Lesson: MY GRANDPARENTS, MY PARENTS AND ME Activity 1: “I discover – Talking pictures” (8 minutes) a Objectives: Competence to regulate behavior: Recognize actions that show care for grandparents and parents b Procedure: - Students play the game “passing the flowers” with the task: Tell a job to express care for grandparents and parents (Play the song, pass flowers When the music stops, students who receive flowers will tell job) - Students discuss in pairs: look at pictures (picture 1: polite to parents; picture 2: pour water for grandmother; picture 3: give massage to dad; picture 4: call grandparents) and answer questions: How did the children in the picture take care of his/her grandparents and parents? In your opinion, how will grandparents, parents and children themselves feel about those actions? 157 Tran Thanh Du - Students discuss in pairs and answer the questions in groups ➔ Students answer in front of the class to comment and supplement one another ➔ Teacher summarizes the activity c Expected learning outcomes: Students’ answers d Expected assessment criteria: Students answer in complete sentences, indicating that they can show care for grandparents and parents (Students evaluate students, groups evaluate students, Students give peer feedback suggestions Teacher summarizes and asks teacher evaluates students) Thus, in this activity, students have utilized their own real-life experiences (including some jobs to show care for grandparents and parents) as input materials for the lesson content Students practice experiences in group activities and learning games Therein, students can share and express their experiences in front of a group or class On the other hand, through this activity, teachers can reinforce their predictions about students' existing experiences with new learning content At the same time, students can also self-assess and adjust their experiences through observing pictures, discussing with groups, giving feedback, and supplementing on their friends’ responses, and drawing conclusions Activity 2: “I practice – A young actor” (10 minutes) a Objectives: Main qualities (kindness): Loving, caring, taking care of grandparents and parents General competence (Communication and cooperation): Using verbal language and gestures to show care for grandparents and parents Competence to adjust behavior: Recognizing the need for caring and taking care of grandparents and parents b Procedure: - Students listen to the teacher introducing the situations - Students work in groups of and role-play situations and Situation 1: Grandma returns home from the market, carrying a basket and complaining of back pain; Two children are sitting, playing and seeing that grandma had a backache Situation 2: The little boy comes home from school and finds his mother sick (in bed, hasn't eaten porridge and yet to take medicine) - Students discuss in groups: assign roles, choose how to handle and explain the reasons ➔ Students perform in front of the class ➔ Students comment, supplement, and draw conclusions; the teacher gives feedback and conclusions * Expected learning outcomes: How the students handle situations via role-playing * Expected assessment criteria: appropriate situation solving; appropriate gestures and languages (Students evaluate students, groups evaluate students and students, teacher evaluates students) In this activity, students practice the moral knowledge learned in the previous activity, reinforcing moral beliefs, emotions, and moral motivation Therein, students must work in groups, analyze, evaluate, comment, give and receive feedback from groups and individuals, and express themselves through role-playing Activity 3: “I apply – The loving cards” (15 minutes) a Objectives: Main qualities (kindness): Loving, caring, taking care of grandparents and parents General competence (Communication and cooperation): Using verbal language and gestures to show care for grandparents and parents 158 Organizing experiential activities in teaching ethics subject Competence to regulate behavior: Show care for grandparents and parents with ageappropriate behaviors b Procedure: - Students receive paper + pictures from the teacher ➔ Students individually make gift cards - Students work in pairs: practice speaking politely to grandparents, parents and giving cards - Students perform in front of the class (1 - students) - Students give peer feedback suggestions ➔ The teacher summarizes and asks students to go home and give cards to their grandparents and parents * Expected learning outcome: students’ gift cards and languages * Expected assessment criteria: The card is decorated by the students themselves Students speak in complete sentences, with appropriate facial expressions and tone of voice (Students evaluate students, groups evaluate students, teacher evaluates students) In this activity, students have applied their newly acquired experiences and previous experiences to perform a task with higher requirements and higher creativity related to real-life situations Specifically, students show care for their grandparents and parents via ageappropriate behaviors: making gift cards Through this activity, students will re-assess whether their prior experience is appropriate and has any connection with real-life situations Activity 4: “I evaluate” (2 minutes) a Objectives: Students evaluate the level lesson’s objective completion b Procedures: - Students listen to the teacher reading each content and hold up emotion cards (crying face: not good, normal face: satisfied, smiling face: good) + Recognize actions that show care for grandparents and parents + Recognize the need to care for grandparents and parents + Use verbal language and gestures to show care for grandparents and parents In this activity, students will re-assess their own experiences through self-assessment of the lesson’s objective completion In addition, students also perform self-assessment and peer assessment in previous activities Conclusions The article has presented theoretical backgrounds and suggested a 4-step procedure for the experiential teaching of the Ethics subject, namely: I discover, I practice, I apply and I evaluate Simultaneously, an illustrated lesson plan in the application of the suggested model has been introduced to develop learners’ qualities and competencies To summarize, organizing experiential activities in the teaching of Ethics subject can facilitate the formation and development of key qualities and competencies among the students This advantage is obtained thanks to the compatibility between the characteristics of the subject with the characteristics of the experiential activities and the psychophysiological characteristics of primary school students Through teaching the Ethics subject via experiential activities, students could realize that “education is life” (Dewey) Experiential teaching is still a matter of interest to many educators, at all levels and types of schools (public and non-public) Therefore, relevant studies on this issue with specific illustrations are essential for Vietnamese education today 159 Tran Thanh Du REFERENCES [1] Ministry of Education and Training, 2018 General education curriculum – experiential and career orientation activities Hanoi [2] Du, T.T, 2018 Designing experiential activities in teaching Nature and Society subject for third graders at primary schools in Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh city Master’s thesis Ho Chi Minh City University of Education [3] Hanh, N.T.B, & Mai, T.T.T, 2009 Primary School Psychology and Elementary Pedagogical Psychology Hanoi: Vietnam Education Publishing house [4] Kolb, D A, 1984 Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development Englewood Cliffs, USA: Prentice-Hall [5] Lan, N.T, 2015 Ethics subject and teaching methodology of ethics subject at primary school Ho Chi Minh: Information Communication Publishing House [6] Minh, V T, 2014 Applying experiential educational models into primary education Journal of Education, (332), 23 – 25 [7] Thu, N T, 2015 Activities for ethics knowledge acquisition by primary school students from the perspective of capacity development Journal of Science – Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, (71), 169 – 176 [8] Tu, N.T et al, 2019 Pedagogical psychology Ho Chi Minh: Ho Chi Minh City University of Education Publishing house [9] Van, O T., 2015 Applying experiential teaching methods in teaching Ethics for fifth graders in Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province Master’s thesis Thai Nguyen University of Pedagogy 160