All primary schools to have applied learning programmes by 2023

SINGAPORE — In five years’ time, all primary and secondary schools will have learning programmes that expose students to learning by doing, and learning in real-world scenarios.

Speaking at his ministry’s Committee of Supply debates on Monday (March 5), Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng said that while all secondary schools and more than 80 primary schools currently have an Applied Learning Programme (ALP), the plan is for all primary schools to offer these programmes by 2023.

All secondary schools also offer Applied Subjects and Elective Modules now. Applied Subjects are examinable at the O and N-Levels, and include subjects like drama, retail operations, and electronics.

Mr Ng told the House on Monday: “We will … support schools with ALPs to further enhance and strengthen their capabilities and programmes. This is an investment worth making to nurture innovation and creativity ... and importantly, prepare our children for (the) future.”

The Education Ministry (MOE) added: “To help schools leverage Applied Learning opportunities effectively, MOE will provide more guidance to teachers in designing meaningful Applied Learning experiences for students.”

Schools are also encouraged to create learning spaces for students to explore and experiment with new ideas, it added. Examples of ALPs include humanities, aesthetics, languages, and entrepreneurship.

One primary school that has been running an ALP for nearly four years is Teck Whye Primary School.

Named Media Whiz Kids!, Teck Whye Primary School’s ALP focuses on the workings of the media “as a way to communicate thoughts, emotions, and ideas”, said its vice principal Janice Tan.

Concepts relating to the media are incorporated into and outside the school’s curriculum.

For instance, during the English lessons at Primary 3, students assume various characters of a fairy tale and get into the “hot-seat”, where fellow classmates will ask questions. This will help students consider different perspectives, by putting themselves in the shoes of others, the school added.

Madam Tan also told TODAY that all students go through enrichment programmes to enable them to be “media producers”, learning journalism, photography, and programming skills, among others.

Students at Teck Whye Primary School’s iDesign Club, meanwhile, brainstorm and come up with solutions to issues in the community.

For example, the students created a 3D-printed pair of chopsticks with an attached spring, for those with weaker muscular strength, and have problems manipulating a pair of chopsticks.

“The focus is not on the final product, but on the process they go through to empathise with those they want to help, on their collaborative effort, creativity and the ‘can do’ spirit,” Mdm Tan told TODAY.

Teck Whye Primary School teacher Cynthia Tan, who heads the iDesign Club, said her students have gradually become more confident in their communication skills.

“The students start to take on the perspective of others and they are less judgmental. With an ageing society, having the perspective to help the elderly will help them to be more caring and empathetic,” she added.