The Implementation And Enlightenment Of STEM Curriculum "Applied Learning Programme"(ALP) In Singapore Secondary School

To cope with the knowledge economy in the 21 st century,education needs to cultivate students' key competencies,such as critical thinking ability and the ability to solve complex problems,so as to prepare students for future challenges.STEM education has become an important way to develop key competencies with the advantages of its interdisciplinary and project work.The Applied Learning Programme curriculum(ALP)in Singapore secondary school,which puts students in a real-world context and develops their 21 st century competencies in the application of knowledge and skills,is an important carrier of STEM education in Singapore.The systematic study of the theory and practice of ALP in Singapore can provide some reference and enlightenment for the development and implementation of STEM education curriculum in China.The ALP in Singapore mainly takes the education theory of Pragmatism,Embodied cognition theory and Constructivism learning theory as its theoretical basis.The subject of ALP curriculum development is diversified,which is jointly developed and implemented with many social institutions;the curriculum goals are set by the Ministry of Education,and each school can develop more specific implementation goals based on the selected theme or content;the curriculum content generally cover humanities and STEM fields.The implementation process of ALP in Singapore's secondary schools includes determining the themes or content,formulating implementation goals,choosing teaching methods and strategies,implementing graded teaching models,and curriculum evaluation.The implementation of the ALP curriculum has made some achievements,such as students' learning interest and motivation,problem-solving ability,self-confidence and creative ability have been improved,and action reflection ability has also been exercised,laying a foundation for students to further study and employment.But at the same time,it also faces some problems,such as how to ensure the effectiveness of the development and implementation of ALP,how to reduce the burden of teachers and students and so on.In general,the Singapore ALP curriculum is a type of interdisciplinary authentic learning,aiming at the cultivation of 21 st century competencies,flexible in implementation,essentially a school-based curriculum,and requires certain support conditions.Drawing on Singapore ALP,China can improve and promote STEM education from stimulating students' interest in STEM education,constructing an ecological environment for STEM education,strengthening the training of STEM teachers,developing a systematic STEM education curriculum program,and paying attention to the mutual penetration of STEM education and subject teaching.