Applied Learning Programme (ALP) STEM Education

Overview

As Pioneers of the Future, learning is re-imagined at Anderson Primary School through Eureka, our Applied Learning Programme (ALP) in STEM Education (Material Science).

Eureka focuses on igniting students’ natural curiosity and developing learners with a dare-to-try spirit and the passion to explore the various disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Through purposeful multi-disciplinary learning experiences, Andersonians will be able to apply their learning to the real world contexts to become active, creative and caring environmentalists and change agents who are knowledgeable in the use of materials and matter. Deep learning will be promoted by connecting classroom learning with real-life applications and providing opportunities for Andersonians to creatively apply concepts to solve authentic problems.

Eureka comprises STEM modules delivered through the curriculum, after-school enrichment and CCA. These STEM modules focus on experiential learning, self-discovery through doing, and cultivation of thinking dispositions of a Mathematician, Scientist and Engineer. The Engineering Design Process will be used to scaffold students’ thinking, facilitate the processes of problem solving and provide the structure for product design. We hope that these varied learning experiences will inspire Andersonians, as Pioneers of the Future, to contribute towards STEM research, innovation and enterprise and pursue STEM-related careers to serve the good of society.

Disciplinary Learning Experiences

(i) Eureka goes outdoor with PAL - Transforming Food Waste into Sustainable Soil

Core ideas and practices of Science are integrated into the lower primary PAL - Outdoor Education module to complement and broaden Andersonians’ perspectives as they explore the diversity of plants around them. As budding Young Botanists, students identified leaves of different shapes and sizes and used their creativity to make various leaf art pieces.

Primary 2 students also attended an online enrichment workshop to learn how to recycle organic food waste into Vermicast (an organic fertiliser) using worms. Students then harvested Vermicast from our worms bins and created a potting mix using sustainable materials for growing various seeds at home.

We believe that every Andersonian can become responsible and reflective citizens, and Environment Stewards of Sustainability. Together, we can build a resilient future in food security by growing crops at home using sustainable soil materials.

ii) The Anderson STEM Box

The  Anderson STEM Box is gifted to each Primary 3 student to inspire them to have the sense of adventure that a Scientist seeks, and the adventure of the mind to experiment, tinker and discover about the everyday phenomena happening around them. Found within the box are activity kits such as the DIY STEM Bristlebot and Magnetism Kit; and resource cards such as the Flexagon, to connect, complement and extend what they will be learning in Primary 3 Science.

(iii) Young Engineer Amazing Race

Primary 3 students participated in the Young Engineer Amazing Virtual Race facilitated by the Singapore Science Centre during the End-of-Year Finish Strong! Programme. Through the Articulate Rise online platform, students are brought to Panem where there is no electricity, increasing food shortage and collapsed bridges due to rising sea levels. Students worked as engineers to solve the problems of Panem by building bridges, propose ways of producing food and generate electricity, and brainstorm ways for Panem to be sustainable.

Tetrapaks and bottles float… can we use trash to solve the problem?

Biophilic buildings

Students were tasked to

  • design a structure that can float to grow crops and make a prototype of a floating farm to grow food in water
  • build a bridge using A4 paper that is at least 20 cm long and can hold a 1/2 litre full water bottle
  • make a poster to help us understand about our energy options, how Panem can generate electricity and how we can make our buildings greener

(iv) The UNTAME SURVIVER

Primary 3 students embarked on a refreshing blended learning journey to spark their curiosity and creativity from 1 Nov to 28 Nov 2021. This learning journey includes

  • 25 thrilling online games and missions
  • Exclusive virtual interactive sessions with sustainability champions from the Singapore Science Centre to learn about STEM and Sustainability
  • a hands-on ‘Build a Solar Lamp’ 1-hour Zoom Workshop during the End-of-Year Finish Strong! Programme
  • 2 other self-guided hands-on activities on creating a natural repellent (and designing a hypothetical experiment to test its effectiveness) and cultivating mushrooms

The UNTAME SURVIVE Programmer aims to inculcate the spirit of scientific inquiry, grounded in knowledge, issues and questions related to the roles of Science in daily life, society and the environment. The hands-on activities challenge the students’ investigative and exploration skills, seeking to fuel their spirit of curiosity for their environment, and empowering them to be positive agents of change by leading a sustainable lifestyle.

(v) Ecobricks - Upcycling Plastic Waste into useful Products

In this programme, Primary 4 students learnt about properties of different plastics used in bottles and gained insights into the great amount of plastic waste generated in Singapore and its environmental impact on our country. In the creation of an upcycled product using recycled materials, students were introduced to the concept of Ecobricks and experienced a hands-on session making an Ecobrick from plastic bottles and disused soft plastics. These Ecobricks were then combined to make a stool, illustrating how plastics can be upcycled meaningfully.

Through this programme, the environmental message of giving plastic waste a second lease of life was instilled amongst the students where they learnt to see plastic waste and their properties in a different light.

In collaboration with the CCE department through the Citizen Science Integrated Project Work initiation, Primary 3 and 5 students explored the various disciplines of STEM through the issues of waste management and food security.

P3 Eureka! Module

Taking on the role of a Zero Waste Ambassador, students were tasked to create a stationery prototype for the teachers using recycled materials. The Engineering Design Process was sued to facilitate this mini project where students applied what they have learnt in the topic of Materials to imagine and research for a useful classroom stationery item.

P5 Eureka! Module

Taking on the role of a Food Security Ambassador, students experienced being an urban farmer who grows food using a high-technology farming system. Students also went on a thrilling journey as a Young Engineer to explore the use of micro:bits in the automation of processes in a mini-farm prototype. Indeed, there were many Eureka! moments for students in this journey towards fostering food resilience.

Integrated STEM with Computational Thinking, Textiles and Sewing (iSTEM-CT2S) module

The iSTEM-CT2S pilot module is a human-centric STEM Curriculum designed by STEM@ NIE Singapore in collaboration with The University of Vaud Canton of Education, Switzerland, and supported by BERNINA (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. 

In this module, selected Primary 5 students experienced inter-disciplinary learning through the applications of concepts from different subject disciplines such as Textile Science and TurtleStitch Coding skills to solve real-world problems. Students acquired computational thinking skills and understood how technology could be harnessed to improve the lives of humans.

Through this module, students had the rare opportunity to programme a sewing machine to stitch their coded pattern and sewed their own face mask using a high-technology Swiss-engineered BERNINA sewing machine.