Steam education. STEAM education as a universal teaching tool
Let's try to decipher the abbreviation STEAM: S - science, T - technology, E - engineering, A - art, M - mathematics, or: natural sciences, technology, engineering, creativity, mathematics. In short, the disciplines that are becoming the most in demand in modern world. It is not surprising that today the development of STEAM is one of the main trends in global education.
The STEAM curriculum is based on the idea of educating students using an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Instead of studying each of the five disciplines separately, STEAM integrates them into a single learning framework.
According to the US Department of Education, only 16 percent of high school students are interested in STEAM careers and have proven proficiency in math. Almost 28% of students primary classes high school are interested in STEAM subjects, but 57% of them will lose interest by the time they leave school.
The Importance of STEAM Education
Problems with the deteriorating quality of education in the field of exact sciences, student motivation, and the number and quality of teachers are global. This is a market problem, because employers are willing to pay specialists well. However, schoolchildren and students do not want to choose such subjects as their main ones.
That is why STEAM education or STEAM (scientific and technical creativity of youth) is becoming a priority in countries where high-tech production is being developed. The urgent need for scientific and engineering personnel is recognized both by the state, focused on technological progress and the growth of the innovative economy, and by IT companies experiencing a “staff shortage.”
In many countries, STEAM education is a priority for the following reasons:
In the near future, there will be a sharp shortage in the world and, naturally, in Kazakhstan: IT specialists, programmers, engineers, specialists in high-tech production, etc.
In the distant future, professions will appear that are now difficult to even imagine; all of them will be related to technology and high-tech production at the intersection with the natural sciences. Specialists in bio- and nanotechnology will be especially in demand.
The professionals of the future require comprehensive training and knowledge from a wide range of educational fields in science, engineering and technology.
Many countries, such as Australia, China, Great Britain, Israel, Korea, Singapore, and the USA, conduct government programs in the field of STEAM education. In Russia, they also understand this problem - they are opening Technical Support Centers for Education (TSES), which partially solve the problem of attracting students to engineering and robotics. In Kazakhstan, since 2015, a reform of secondary school education has also been carried out.
This year, a pilot initiative was launched in Israel - in addition to the final exam that children take at the end of school, they conduct a mandatory research work. like this scientific work schoolchildren do it under the guidance of a tutor - a student or candidate of science (PhD) from the university. Also, starting this year, the national educational program established: 70% of the time students study traditionally, and 30% of the time is allocated to research.
And it is possible that some of these guys will not become fashionable lawyers-economists, but will choose the path of a scientist or inventor, or become interested in programming.
Blended learning
How is STEAM education different from traditional science and math education? It involves a blended learning environment and shows students how the scientific method can be applied to Everyday life. STEAM is one of the areas of implementation of project and educational and research activities in school and outside of school.
Is everything new well forgotten old?
Students in the STEAM education program, in addition to physics and mathematics, study robotics and programming, designing and programming their own robots. The classes use special technological laboratory and educational equipment, such as 3D printers, visualization tools and other equipment. We can say that the philosophy of STEAM education is based on the good old approaches of teaching children professions in labor lessons, except that the tools and methods of teaching have changed.
STEAM in Kazakhstan?
Presumably, in 2016, education in Kazakhstan will undergo significant changes. Starting from September 2015, testing will be carried out in our country new program training for first-graders, including the discipline “introduction to science” based on 30 educational institutions countries. From 2016, first-graders in all schools will begin to study in this mode. In 2017, it is planned to introduce this program for all Kazakh second-graders. From 2017-2018, in the second and third grades, the subject “Information and Communication Technologies” will appear, in which children will be taught not only how to work with a computer, but also how to search and process information.
“In this lesson, schoolchildren will be able to develop their natural curiosity and gain research skills that will be useful in the future when studying any science,”– said Deputy Director of the Department of Preschool and Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhanabai Abuov.
New state standards for secondary schools are still being developed, but some plans are still known. Children will study the subject “introduction to science” at the elementary level; from the 5th grade, highly specialized disciplines such as physics, biology, chemistry, and possibly robotics will be introduced. And high school students will have new subjects: “ Project activities" and "Global Perspectives".
The Minister of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan made a proposal to make technical and professional education, but only for blue-collar jobs. It is not yet known whether such an idea will be approved in the Mazhilis.
Teachers are also preparing for innovations in the education system and undergoing retraining.
The future lies in technology, and the future of technology lies in teachers of a new format who are devoid of prejudices, do not accept a formal approach and can “blow the minds” of students with their knowledge and expand their horizons to infinity.
“The future depends on Great STEAM Teachers”
In the United States, for example, there is a national program to train 100,000 teachers in the field of STEAM over the next 10 years. We also see the experience of neighboring Russia, where there is government support for the spread of STEAM centers, programs for the development of educational and sports robotics over the past few years, and business companies are also actively involved in the implementation of projects for subject-oriented education of children and students, which confirms the correctness of this strategy in education.
At the International Conference “STEM Forward” held back in 2014 in Jerusalem, the following statements were striking, with which one cannot but agree:
- Involving children in STEAM. STEAM education should start at an early age preschool age, it is necessary to introduce programs in kindergarten.
- The language of science is English. The most significant scientific resources are published on English language, Nobel laureates speak English. If you want to study science and be a scientist, you need to know this language.
- We need STEAM education programs for girls. Girls in science, due to their accuracy and inclination to work with data, can do things that boys cannot, but they need to be taught correctly.
- STEAM education should be built on patriotism and love for one’s country. Despite the fact that there are no boundaries in science, it is important to raise a good specialist who brings benefit to his state. The problem of brain drain without body drain is new problem global society.
- Science should be a holiday that you need to prepare yourself; science should be interesting and completely captivating. Science is fun!
To summarize all of the above, it can be noted that the need for the formation of a STEAM educational environment in Kazakhstan is no less relevant than in other countries.
Currently, there is a surge of interest among investors, business angels, and large businesses in scientific and innovative projects and startups. And for the emergence of many progressive developments, of course, it is necessary to create STEAM centers, and to include such disciplines as robotics, to integrate the basics of programming in the subject “computer science” in the school curriculum of secondary education, and to use existing experience by uniting teachers in thematic communities, and the development areas of tutoring, etc.
Only by uniting... Together we, adults, have the power to change the future of our children by making an effort.
The first step towards introducing the STEM method in accordance with domestic and international practices is to encourage the curiosity and research skills of students during the educational process. To organize such classes, our educators had to reconsider their approach and function, changing the role of a teacher-authority to the role of a co-student, giving more freedom to little researchers in observation and discussion, armed with patience and answers to numerous clarifying questions “Why?”, “For what.” ?", "How?".
Next, the concept of the approach to constructing lessons was revised: instead of introducing a concept at the beginning of a lesson, teachers offer children this or that experience and ask leading questions so that the children themselves can come to a conclusion about the meaning and patterns of the experiment. Since many of the children’s assumptions may be wrong, the teachers underwent training to master the technique of maintaining the children’s interest in the problem of the experiment. The essence of this technique is learning through learning new things.
The second element of the implementation of the STEM method was experimental modules integrated into the theme educational program. Preparing and conducting these modules requires the greatest effort on the part of the teacher, but gives the greatest effect. Under the gaze of children there are water, seeds, soil, air, plants and other objects. By experimenting with objects, kids also learn all about the history and properties of paper, take a journey into the world of glass objects, learn what lightweight plastic and fabric are, and about many other objects. Work with each of the objects is based on the principle of describing its properties using experimental methods; training and learning new, more complex words that characterize objects and their properties. For example, fabric is soft, wrinkles, sheds, rustles, and is pleasant to the touch. Increase vocabulary in children and its correct use in speech confirmed the effectiveness of such a system at all stages of the experiment: when formulating a goal, during a discussion of the methodology and progress of the experiment, when summing up and verbally describing what was seen, and the ability to clearly express one’s thoughts. Thus, children develop dialogical speech, they learn to work together, give in to each other, defend their rightness or admit that other children in the group are right.
The experimental and experimental activities of pupils of Lauder Etz Chaim preschool departments also develop elementary mathematical skills - one of the components of the STEM system. During experiments, there is a constant need to count, measure, compare, determine shape and size. All this gives mathematical concepts real significance and contributes to their understanding.
One of the main tasks of teachers was to teach children to find unknown properties in familiar objects, and, on the contrary, to find long-familiar and understandable properties in unfamiliar ones. And all this in a relaxed and exciting atmosphere of play, during which children's imagination and technical creativity develop.
The third component of the implementation of the STEM system was the study environment. We have set a course for environmental education, which in such a large metropolis as Moscow is inextricably linked with the concepts of “clean” and “polluted”. In the preschool department, pupils go through the first stage “The Beauty and Diversity of Nature”. To do this, solving practical problems different levels difficulties, the children did a lot of “field work”, collecting unusual flowers, studying the structure of leaves, conducting water analysis, observing the sky, insects, and mastering categorization skills. And all in order to be imbued with the beauty of natural phenomena, to realize the fragility of the surrounding world and the great responsibility for it. In elementary school, at the second stage “Protection of Nature”, children get acquainted with the types of pollution and propose design solutions environmental problems. The project “Auto-drinker for birds” was one of the results of this work and deservedly became a prize-winner of the prestigious Moscow project competition.
The introduction of the STEM method in the preschool department is considered by the entire teaching staff of school No. 1621 as a pre-launch platform for scientific and technical research that children will conduct within the school walls. Cooperation between educators and teachers primary school- this is the main condition, the basis on which the development of the STEM method in our educational complex is built. We believe that its use will lay the foundations of engineering thinking and scientific and technical creativity, and will preserve the curiosity and inspiration of a researcher for life in our little pupils and junior schoolchildren.
Yulia YASINSKAYA, director of school No. 1621
Marina Sudavtsova
Using STEAM technology in educational activities preschool educational institution to develop students' skills for safe behavior on the road
Experience Information
Conditions for the emergence and development of experience
Municipal preschool educational institution"Child Development Center - Kindergarten No. 8 "Gold fish" Valuiki Belgorod region(hereinafter MDOU “TsRR - d/s No. 8 "Gold fish" Valuyki) is located in the Sotsgorodok area. The institution has been operating since September 1975. Since October 1999 it has been operating as "Child Development Center"
In our region, as in the country as a whole, much attention is paid to prevention work road-transport injuries. This fact cannot be ignored educational institutions who need form preschoolers have the basics safe behavior on the road. After all, preschool age is the most favorable age period for formation of sustainable skills for safe behavior on the road.
The author of the experiment was interested in the problem. Work on the topic of experience began in April 2014 among graduates kindergarten diagnostics to determine the level using gaming methods test tasks Zamaleeva A.I. (Appendix No. 1).
Based on the results of the studies, it was determined that a high level development of safe behavior skills on the road Only 10% of the pupils participating in the diagnosis had it, 49% of the pupils had an average level, 45% had a low level.
Analysis of the diagnostics carried out indicated the need to intensify work to increase the level.
Relevance of experience
The problem of childhood injuries in roads, every year it becomes more acute. A child who goes outside automatically falls into the danger zone. Children's road-transport injuries are a very serious problem modernity. After all, most often the culprits are the children themselves, who cross roads and streets in the wrong places, playing close roads, incorrectly enter and exit buses and trams.
Formation of safe behavior skills on the roads in children is impossible without considering life situations that are understandable to the child. To simulate such a situation, experience and evaluate its importance in a preschool environment educational institution maybe if use in educational process STEAM technology.
This technology is actively used in practice educational preschool and school institutions education foreign countries such How: USA, Australia, UK, France, Netherlands, Sweden.
Several years ago they began to use it in preschool educational institutions of Russia. And it showed its high efficiency.
However, in the practice of preschool educational institutions there is a persistent contradiction between the need use innovative technologies in educational process and technological underdevelopment of the application system STEAM technologies for developing safe behavior skills on the road in preschoolers.
The presented experience is aimed at eliminating this contradiction.
Purpose pedagogical activity is the use of STEAM technology in the educational activities of a preschool educational institution to develop the skills of safe behavior on the road in students
Tasks that contribute to achieving this goals:
Search and study of relevant literature on the problem use STEAM – technologies for creating a meta-subject environment developing safe behavior skills on the road among preschool children;
Creating a learning environment with using STEAM– technology in preschool settings educational institutions to improve the level development of safe behavior skills on the road in preschool children;
Selection of developmental tasks with using STEAM technology to develop safe behavior skills on the road among preschoolers;
Creation of a teacher work system aimed at developing safe behavior skills for preschoolers on the road using STEAM– technology and practical testing activities;
Selection of diagnostics and organization of monitoring of work success.
When organizing work on developing safe behavior skills on the road in preschoolers using STEAM-technology must take into account the basic pedagogical principles:
Integrity, which assumes the interconnection of all components of the learning process, determining goal setting, learning content, its forms and methods;
Consciousness and activity, which involves the development of deep and meaningful knowledge based on the child’s own cognitive activity, ensuring the identification of logical connections between the known and the unknown, understanding the cause-and-effect relationships between objects and phenomena, taking into account the individual interests of the preschooler;
Visualization of learning, providing clear illustration information, containing strictly recorded scientific laws;
Systematicity, ensuring the relationship between content and forms education of students depending on their age;
Accessibility and consistency, ensuring the unity of the relationship between the education and upbringing of the child;
- conformity with nature providing education and education the child in accordance with the laws of his physical and spiritual development;
Cooperation is the unity of interaction between family and preschool in education and child's education.
System use in the educational process STEAM-technology was built in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education and on the basis of the preschool program educational institution, in the curriculum of which part formed by participants of educational relations was presented educational activities to develop safe behavior skills in preschool children. To develop principles activities, definitions forms used in its organization and methods of pedagogical work were used partial program "Basics security preschool children" R. B. Sterkina, O. L. Knyazeva, N. N. Avdeeva, section "Child on the City Streets".
To organize the work, it was necessary to create a material and technical base. The required construction sets, city models, cars, toys were purchased « STEAM» .
The author of the experiment studied the methodological literature on the problem use of STEAM technology in educational preschool space educational institutions and based on this determined the system forms and methods of work, maximally corresponding to the pedagogical activities.
First and main a necessary condition success of such an organization activities the conditions for compliance with the technology were highlighted safe use of toys"STEAM" in accordance with the requirements of SanPiN 2.4.1.3049-13. V educational preschool space educational institution.
The second condition was using games and layouts, corresponding to the age characteristics of children.
The third condition for successful application STEAM– technology was using practical work with elements of research in the organization of each type activities.
At the beginning of work on the topic of the experiment, it is necessary reverse special attention to ensuring the first two conditions are fully met. Only in this case is it possible to successfully organize the application STEAM – technologies for developing safe behavior skills in preschoolers.
The fulfillment of the third condition can only be achieved through usage experimental and research activities practical orientation in organizing educational process. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the age and individual characteristics of children.
During regime moments used experimental activity, allowing you to secure road safety skills for children received during the organized educational activities, thematic conversations, excursions. For example, after an excursion with children middle group to an intersection equipped with a traffic light, practical work was carried out with children with elements of research on the topic "Traffic light in a glass" during this activities Children consolidated what they saw on the excursion, acted out situations of correct and incorrect crossing of the roadway, and repeated traffic light signals.
The purpose of the experimental activities: remember the order of traffic light colors.
Organization and holding work:
Stage 1. To increase the density of water, add 1 spoon of sugar to a glass of yellow-colored water, and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a glass of red-colored water.
2. stage. An empty glass is filled 1/3 with green water.
Using a syringe, water is added to the same glass. yellow color volume 1/3 cup.
3. stage. Using a syringe, 1/3 cup of red water is added to the same glass.
If the three previous steps are performed correctly, then the previously empty glass produces three layers of water of different colors, which are arranged in the same order as a traffic light.
After completing the work, the teacher has a short conversation with the preschoolers about the purpose of each traffic light color.
So way, in this case for the organization use of STEAM technology, it was necessary to conduct a combined lesson consisting of a walk with elements of an excursion, observation and experimental activities In the group, we ensured that the children learned the order and purpose of the colors of the traffic lights.
When organizing the application STEAM– technologies in senior group the tasks of the combined lesson become more complicated. Training will be effective if you combine a walk and educational activities in the senior group when studying the following topics "Transport", "Roadway", "Signs".
After an excursion in the winter season to the roadway where children preparatory group observed the movement of transport, a research study was carried out in the group activity“What is the difference between traffic in the winter and summer seasons?” we learned how a car drives on slippery roads road in winter(on satin fabric) and on dry road in the warm season (on corduroy fabric). The experiment is aimed at making children see the danger of slippery roads in winter and could conclude that driving in winter without special tires is dangerous. The children in this experiment discussed what else people with road surface, to provide safety motorists and passengers. Experience develops cognitive initiative, the ability to compare phenomena and establish simple connections and the relationship between them.
One of the children's favorites forms application training STEAM technologies in educational activities is the use of this technology in organizing leisure activities activities.
activities in the middle group on the topic "The cat that walks by itself" Through experience with sand, children’s knowledge of the types of pedestrian crossings expands (Appendix No. 2). With the help of sand, children build underground and overpasses, model a section of the street, and learn how to correctly place road signs. Organization of experimental activities using STEAM- technology promotes formation and the development of cognitive activity of students, develops observation, the ability to analyze and compare.
So when organizing leisure activities activities in the middle group on the topic "Dunno in the City" a pilot project is being organized activities on the topic“Why should passengers fasten their seat belts when driving? security(Car seat)" When organizing it constructor is used. Children see how, during a sharp braking of transport, a man in a car, fastened with a belt security, maintains its position during sudden movements of the car, while the person is not wearing a seat belt security, cannot maintain its original safe position in the car. Experimental - experimental activities using STEAM- technology helps to consolidate children’s knowledge about measures security that must be observed during trips (child restraints, develops cognitive initiative, the ability to compare phenomena, establish simple connections and relationships between them.
In the preparatory group you can use leisure activities using STEAM- technologies when studying topics "Signs", "Transport", "Crossroads".
A very important stage for preschoolers is organized educational activities. Such activity differs from a walk, a routine moment, entertainment by focusing on learning task. And although the basis of its implementation is the game, the most complex and important material must be studied and consolidated here.
So older children when organizing educational activities are used practical research work on the topic “Reflective reflective signs and signals on bicycles and scooters”. At the same time, they learn that special signs on bicycles and scooters glow in the dark when light from car headlights hits them and they become convinced of how difficult it is for a cyclist to be seen in the dark without identification signs. Application STEAM-technology teaches children to be attentive cyclists and always use reflective reflective signs and signals on a bicycle or scooter. At the same time, children develop observation skills, the ability to analyze and compare in a specific life situation, which contributes to the development road safety skills.
Creation of a meta-subject environment when using STEAM– technology is impossible without design.
Construction expedient apply in the case when children not only get acquainted with the situation. But they must also model it. So, for example, in the middle group an event was held "Rules road movement for small pedestrians", where children constructed a city from Lego sets and learned to correctly place signs for pedestrians. Here children can take initiative, discuss problematic situations: “If you don’t put a sign near the kindergarten and school "Carefully! Children!" and there won’t be a speed bump then...” Experience contributes to the development of attention, memory, figurative and spatial thinking.
During the event “Our friend is Uncle Styopa” children construct a city and discuss, together with the traffic police inspector, certain situations on road that can happen if you don't follow the rules traffic .
Older children use a construction set to build a path from home to kindergarten; during construction, they tell what they meet on the way, what signs are there, and whether the path goes through the roadway. The content of this event involves consolidating safety skills crossing the roadway, as well as consolidating knowledge about the structure of the roadway and safe paths from home to kindergarten and back.
« Road traps» , here children are building a city and can, as if confusing their peers, put signs in the wrong place or a car on a pedestrian street track, the rest of the children are looking for violations on road and fix them. The content of this event involves consolidating knowledge about the structure of the roadway.
Experiment with battery and magnet: in this experiment, children themselves collect design: the battery is placed on a magnet, and the aluminum wire from which the battery is constructed is placed on top. "boy", then "boy" starts spinning quickly. This experience introduces children to the principle of interaction between a battery, a magnet and a wire, and when assembling a structure, children place it on a model designed "boy" spins quickly and children discuss situations that can happen on the roadway if you don’t follow the rules traffic: "What if?". This experiment is very exciting for children and allows them to develop their thinking, imagination.
Event: “The ABC of traffic light sciences”- children design types of traffic lights and talk about them. This event allows you to consolidate children’s ideas about the purpose of a traffic light, its signals and types.
In the preparatory group, children during the event "We are traffic controllers", they are building a city with intersections, where a traffic controller keeps order. Children learn the traffic controller's gestures and apply this role to themselves. The content of this event involves consolidating and expanding knowledge about the work of a traffic controller, the complexity of the intersection, as well as consolidating knowledge about the structure of the roadway.
Working on a project: "Travel in a Time Machine" (Appendix No. 3) children get acquainted with historical traffic lights, cars and the history of rules traffic. Preschoolers design traffic lights. When building a city, they discuss situations that arose in the past when there were no signs and what difficulties there were when the first cars appeared. The content of the events carried out within the framework of the project is aimed at ensuring that children can understand the importance of the rules road movements and their obligatory observance.
Knowledge of basic mathematics ( Formation Elementary Mathematical Concepts – hereinafter referred to as FEMP) is a necessary condition for the successful implementation of STEAM technology in education.
So, for example, in a game with a constructor, children from the middle group build a city, a roadway and discuss how road A truck can drive through, but a passenger car can drive on a narrow or wide one. What kind of houses and trees are on the street? cities: low and high. Through games with construction sets, children learn the relationship between objects, size, form, quantity, thereby consolidating knowledge about the city and the roadway.
In the older group, children determine the path on the layout that is longer and Briefly speaking: “The path from kindergarten to school is longer than from kindergarten to the library.” In Game "Seat the Passengers" children discuss the rules for the movement of passengers on public transport, how many passengers can be put on the bus, whether it is possible to ride standing, etc. This game helps children consolidate their knowledge of the rules of transporting passengers and the rules behavior in public transport.
Children of the preparatory group in games « Road signs» get acquainted with prohibiting, permitting and special signs and can tell that all signs are different forms, different color. The content of these games includes discrimination tasks road signs by type, purpose, children train in the correct placement of signs, assembling signs from parts, learn to analyze traffic situations.
For formation of strong skills of safe behavior on the road It is necessary to develop in preschoolers so that they can apply their knowledge in non-standard situations. To do this, the teacher must be able to organize creative activity children during entertainment, holidays, theatrical performances, exhibitions of creative works.
For example, children of the middle group, when building a city and a roadway, use plasticography and appliqué to make a traffic light, thereby fixing the sequence of colors at the traffic light. Through theatrical activity children consolidate the material they have learned about safe behavior on the road -"The hare is a fidget", children act out a mini skit about a hare who did not follow the rules road movements and what happened to him in the end. When staging such performances, children think, discuss characters' behavior. Theatricalization promotes development creativity children. When preparing entertainment and holidays according to traffic rules, children learn songs and poems.
Older preschoolers sculpt cars and people from plasticine and clay to create situations on a city model, discuss what their city will be like, what can be added to the construction to make the city beautiful and harmonious. Children use colored paper to glue the roadway ( road, zebra, also not complex signs V triangle shape, circle, square, thereby consolidating knowledge about the roadway and road signs. Theatricalization of a fairy tale in parental meeting: "The Journey of the Little Goat and the Little Wolf" contributed to consolidating children's knowledge of the rules safe behavior in the city(Appendix No. 4).
Children, for pupils junior groups, showing a concert, perform dances, songs, read poems about the rules traffic. This activity promotes the development of children's creative abilities and fosters a desire to share their knowledge with children of younger groups.
Children from the preparatory group as part of the project "Wheel of History" made historical traffic lights, which allowed them to imagine what traffic lights were like in ancient times and how they worked (Appendix No. 5).
Children made panels using plasticine and clay "City road rules» , where using plasticography on cardboard they recreated a city with a roadway and road signs, while ensuring the correct placement of signs and markings road surface(intersection, pedestrian crossing). "Carefully! Winter!", the children themselves came up with and then drew permitting and prohibiting signs for children who are sledding, skiing and skating in a life-threatening area. When staging a fairy tale "The Journey of a Kolobok" children consolidated their knowledge of the rules traffic. When conducting entertainment and leisure, children read poems about the rules traffic, perform songs and dances.
So way, usage STEAM technologies for developing safe behavior skills on the road has a number benefits:
Movements, transformation, technicality attracts the attention of children and helps to increase their interest in the material being studied. This technology promotes effective learning of material, memory development, imagination, thinking, creativity of children;
Provides clarity, toys that contribute to the perception and better memorization of material, which is very important, given the visual figurative thinking of preschool children. This includes three types memory: mental, visual, motor;
Layouts of technical and experimental content make it possible to show those moments from the surrounding world that are difficult to observe;
You can also simulate life situations that are impossible or difficult to show and see in everyday life;
-"STEAM" toys are additional opportunities for working with children with disabilities.
The author of the experiment believes that use of STEAM technology in educational preschool process educational institutions provides an opportunity to develop in preschoolers road safety skills.
If modern preschoolers are interested in robotics, then it is logical to develop their interest in new technologies and give them the necessary knowledge so that in the future they can become real professionals. This cannot be done without promotion. modern technologies to a higher level, as required by the new scientific concept. And for this it is necessary to review existing training programs and bring them into line with the STEM education system.
Revolutionary transition modern society for use robotics and other innovative technologies have necessitated the restructuring of the education system. New advanced technologies require the introduction of the most modern teaching methods into the industry for training highly qualified engineering specialists. After all, it is on these specialists that the state places great hopes and high responsibility associated with the development of the economy, security and competitiveness of the country in difficult geopolitical conditions.
It is logical that it is best to start training excellent specialists from the very beginning. early age. That is why modeling, construction and transforming toys today have almost replaced the simple children's fun that is familiar to people of the older generation.
If modern preschoolers are interested in robotics, then it is logical to develop their interest in new technologies and give them the necessary knowledge so that in the future they can become real professionals. This cannot be done without advancing modern technologies to a higher level, as required by the new scientific concept. And for this it is necessary to review existing training programs and bring them into line with STEM education system.
What is STEM education?
In the recent past, all knowledge, generalized and systematized by humanity, was considered as separate categories: natural, humanities and exact sciences, existing in parallel and not related to each other. The combination of scientific disciplines into a single whole made it possible to make a breakthrough in the field of high technology.
Let's look at an example:
To create a biorobot, knowledge of mathematics is required to provide the machine with the necessary programs, as well as knowledge of biology and linguistics, which must be introduced into the machine control system. In this case, the human language is entered into the “brain” of the machine in the form of numbers. The robot needs to be “taught” the norms of behavior in society, which means that knowledge of psychology and social sciences will be needed to calculate all possible options for the machine’s “behavior” in society.
The unification of all sciences into a common system that exists in constant interconnection fits into the concept of a holistic picture of the world. Each branch of science does not exist on its own, but is closely intertwined with other knowledge of mankind. That is, STEM is education intended for studying engineering technologies , combines:
- natural sciences - science;
- technology - technology;
- engineering - engineering;
- mathematics - mathematic.
In other words, STEM is a curriculum enhanced by interdisciplinary connections. To clearly demonstrate how the acquired knowledge can be used in everyday life, children are given the opportunity to study robotics.
Benefits of STEM Education
Engineering specialties ceased to be popular during the era of stagnation and collapse of the USSR. The lack of progress in the development of new technologies and low wages have sharply reduced the prestige of the engineering professions. This trend continues to this day. To change the situation Ministry of Education and Science sets itself new tasks dictated by the times, including radically changing the approach to the system of training young specialists and turning to the STEM education system.
It is assumed that new approach to learning will unite not only the subjects studied at school, but will also become a link between learning, interest in technology, professional guidance for students through illustrative examples, and increasing the status of the engineering profession.
What does the new curriculum provide? The advantages are obvious:
- Development of communication abilities in children, which are necessary in adult life in any profession, since modern technologies and increasingly require teamwork and the ability to establish contacts in a work team.
- Cultivating interest in technical and exact sciences: it is no secret that children’s curiosity is better awakened by visual examples.
- Activation of analytical thinking. An integrated approach to learning allows you to broaden your horizons, identify assigned tasks and independently find their solution.
As is known, in school age children have better memorization abilities, they are more emotional, which is additional factor developing interest in the technically equipped world, and which will allow them to quickly and easily find themselves in a rapidly changing reality after graduation.
Prospects for introducing STEM education into the school curriculum
The introduction of any innovation requires additional material costs, retraining of personnel, equipment classrooms and, of course, creations new curricula . And often it is these factors that “slow down” development Russian system education.
However, in the case of STEM education, officials decided to “go all the way” despite the obstacles. They understand well that the speedy introduction of STEM education will make it possible in the near future to provide the country with engineering personnel, which the Russian economy now desperately needs. For this reason, authorities are already actively working to develop new state standards in the Russian education system, which will include the study of modern technologies.
Today, more than 100 centers are already operating in Moscow and the Moscow region, including STEM education program. Although this figure is not as high as we would like, we need to understand that the development process is just beginning. In the future, the introduction of such programs will be widespread, thanks to which yesterday’s schoolchildren will fill the gap in the labor market and occupy key positions in the implementation of large-scale national projects.
Image sources: itstep.az, nauka.kz, mec-krasnodar.ru