Research On STEM Action Learning Model Oriented To Engineering Thinking Cultivation

With the change of talent training strategy in the world and the implementation of China’s "double reduction" policy,China’s talent development mode has changed from "knowledge education" to "quality education".This study takes the concept of STEM education as the guiding ideology,the design-based research method as the methodological guide,draws on the theoretical models of design-based learning(DBL)and engineering design,takes sixth grade students at the basic education level as the research object,after the prototype of the teaching model is proposed,three rounds of iterative implementation and revision,and finally comes up with a practical,effective,STEM action learning model that promotes the development of engineering thinking,aiming to provide some theoretical basis for the design of STEM curriculum in basic education and provide some reference for the ways of cultivating engineering thinking in China at this stage.The main question is "How can STEM education be implemented to develop students’ engineering thinking by combining knowledge learning and hands-on work?The author asks three sub-questions: Firstly,how is STEM teaching based on action learning theory implemented? Secondly,how effective is the STEM action learning model for the development of engineering thinking? Third,based on the results of data collection and analysis after the implementation of the activities,how can the teaching and learning activity model be optimised and improved? Specifically,this study focuses on three areas.Firstly,a prototype teaching model is proposed based on the concept of STEM education,combined with the current situation of engineering thinking cultivation and action learning theory.Based on the components of engineering thinking and action learning defined in the literature analysis,the study proposes a prototype teaching model with reference to the general process of engineering design and the current situation of engineering thinking cultivation in basic education.Secondly,the prototype of the teaching model is adjusted and improved in the teaching implementation to obtain a stable and sustainable teaching model.The author entered a primary school in Quanzhou City and,with the assistance of teachers of the relevant subjects,designed three rounds of teaching using the teaching model,and in the process,combined with audience feedback and classroom observation,repeatedly modified and iterated to optimise the teaching model,and constantly revised and improved it to build a more stable teaching model that could guide teachers’ practical teaching.Thirdly,the effectiveness of the implementation of the teaching model was evaluated.This study examined the implementation effects of the teaching model in terms of the teaching design,the analysis of the effectiveness of students’ engineering thinking development and the analysis of students’ recognition of the teaching activities under the teaching model,and finally concluded that the action learning teaching model is an effective model for developing primary school students’ engineering thinking.The most important finding of this paper is the design of a feasible and effective STEM action learning model for the development of engineering thinking.The model consists of four stages,within which there are eleven stages: problem identification,basic research and innovative ideas(engineering decision stage);idea analysis and task decomposition(engineering design stage);model building,testing and refinement,optimisation and iteration(engineering implementation stage);and communication and discussion,questioning and reflection,and knowledge expansion(engineering evaluation stage).The idea of "what you need to know" and "what you need to do" from the Crotonian double-cycle model is integrated into the students’ use of the mini-course system,which is driven by action and post-action questioning.Analysis of the design,the effectiveness of the students’ engineering thinking development and the students’ acceptance of the teaching and learning activities in the model shows that the STEM action learning model not only facilitates students’ knowledge and hands-on learning,but also enhances their engineering thinking.At the same time,the model can help students develop in engineering design process,engineering thinking,action and reflection,and is an effective model for developing engineering thinking of primary school students.