Implementation of stem-education in elementary schools via scientific and educational project “The intellect of Ukraine”

Abstract

The article considers trends in STEM-education, globally and in Ukraine. It reports that the general civilization tendency of the 21st century, which determines the development of humankind, is NBICconvergence (convergence of nano- , bio-, information and cognitive technologies), which is the core of the sixth technological way. It is revealed that the world political and scientific elite consider NBICconvergence as the new dominant of scientific and technological progress; the measures taken in the countries with powerful economics aimed at the formation and development of the sixth technological way are highlighted. The thesis that education is designed to satisfy the order of economy and production for fundamentally new, universal STEMeducated qualified specialists is substantiated, which led to the modernization of educational systems of leading countries of the world based on STEM-education. The issues of realization of STEMeducation in secondary school and out-of-school education in Ukraine are covered. The theoretical and methodological foundations of STEM-education in the elementary school of the scientific and pedagogical project “The Intellect of Ukraine” are defined: a postclassical paradigm of education, which presupposes an organic combination of technocracy with humanistic priorities and culturalcentricity as a methodological base; formation of the basics of innovation, mathematical, information and communication, environmental competencies, as well as competencies in the field of natural sciences, technology as a conceptual goal; the fundamentalization of education, continuity, integrated subject-based learning on a cross-disciplinary and project-based approach, learning based on one's own discoveries and its practical focus, in-depth study of English as a characteristic feature. The results of the experimental realization of STEM-education in the elementary school of the scientific and educational project “The Intellect of Ukraine”, aimed at the formation of interconnected STEM-competencies of students (mathematical, research and inventive, technological, informative competencies) as a unity of cross-conceptual, conceptual, operational, axiological competencies. The educational programs of the mathematical and natural educational branches, which make up the semantic block of experimental work, are given; educational technologies that allow to realize the subject content of STEM-education in elementary school in the educational environment of the scientific and educational project “The Intellect of Ukraine”: multi-disciplinary integration, enhancement of the natural learning process, the presentation of learning in cohesive units, interactive educational technology and critical thinking, reading and reflection.