Keyword: «stem education»

the article is devoted to the implementation of early vocational orientation in engineering areas and presents the characteristics of the first ascertaining stage of a pedagogical experiment on the implementation of early vocational orientation in engineering professions for children aged 5 to 11 years in the conditions of the STEM center. The relevance of early professional orientation to the engineering professions of children aged 5 to 11 years in the current period of intensive development of technology and digitalization is justified, the experimental base, research methods and techniques, the results obtained, their comparative analysis are briefly described, the prospects for work at the subsequent stages of the experiment are determined.

The article discusses the modern foreign views on the role and place of educational robotics in the educational process. Educational robotics is considered in the framework of the following approaches: as part of computer science, devoted to the study of the basics of automated device control; as an element of STEM education; as a way to teach programming; as an element of the game / sports / competition sphere; as a tool for organizing student project activities. The conclusion is drawn on the importance of educational robotics for modern foreign pedagogy and the increased attention paid by researchers to the problem of incorporating educational robotics into an integrated pedagogical system.

The relevance of the study is due to the fact that among the skills required for industry 4.0, the STEM education system plays a special role because it forms engineering and mathematical thinking in students. Therefore, creating an environment that supports an integrated STEM approach to teaching and learning is of particular importance in the context of today's digital society. The aim of the study is to develop a digital ecosystem of STEM education, which allows us to form the intellectual competences of students. Research tasks were solved on the basis of the application of several scientific methods. The theoretical and methodological basis for the study of phenomena and processes were: a systemic theoretical analysis and synthesis of legal, scientific, methodological and pedagogical literature. The empirical methods used in the study are represented by a questionnaire and the method of expert assessments. The implementation of a set of methods made it possible to identify the most functional information resources needed for this study. The main result of the study is that the article substantiates the concept and necessity of forming an ecosystem of STEM education in the context of changing labor market, the risks that the fourth industrial revolution brings to the world, its impact on the educational process in the realities of the present day is determined. The authors studied the theoretical foundations of the concept of an ecosystem, interdisciplinary approaches and characteristics of integrated STEM education implementation in the educational process, analyzed the components of the educational ecosystem, and proved that all of them directly affect the formation of the student's intellectual qualities. A survey was conducted to determine the development paths that make up the STEM education ecosystem, in which 105 respondents - teachers of the Samara State Socio-Pedagogical University and teachers of secondary vocational educational institutions of the Samara region were involved. The analysis showed that the successful introduction of STEM education, with the involvement of all components of the ecosystem, provides for the development of scientific education, in particular, the introduction of research-cognitive training, the method of educational projects in the educational process and the use of digital technologies in it. The authors describe integrated skills of the organization of the scientific process, which are formed in the application of research-cognitive training, aimed at developing the intellectual qualities of students. Based on the study, groups of digital tools have been identified that are necessary for the development of the ecosystem and will help improve the efficiency of the educational process, help make STEM learning interesting and productive. The formed conclusions on the implementation of the research results will contribute to scientific works aimed at implementing programs of structural transformations in the Russian educational process.

Promising areas of development for modern Russian society include information technology and digitalization, the development of solutions based on artificial intelligence, research and development of new materials and nanotechnology, biotechnology in medicine and agriculture, development of renewable energy sources and increased energy efficiency in industry and construction, development of the space industry, etc. Undoubtedly, deep fundamental knowledge and practical competences, a high level of mental cognitive processes development, interest and motivation for studies in the field of natural sciences are necessary to work in the specified areas, and the desire for self-development and self-realization in the context of the technosphere is ensured by the creation of a system of continuous STEM education, starting from preschool childhood. This direction refers to an approach to learning that integrates four areas: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In this regard, the multi-component and integrated nature of STEM education creates a basic foundation for the use of a modular approach when initiating students into various areas of science and technology, mathematics, engineering, physics and other sciences that have an impact on a wide range of professions. The aim of this article is to characterize and describe effective educational practices for using the opportunities of a modular approach in STEM education for children aged 5-7 years. The study utilized a combination of theoretical and empirical research methods. Theoretical methods were used to analyze research on science education in Russia and abroad, the organization of STEM education in preschool educational institutions, modular technologies, which made it possible to identify the relevance and necessity of finding optimal solutions in this aspect and a more detailed study of the conditions for implementing a modular approach in STEM education for preschoolers. The use of empirical methods provided material for the analysis of effective practices in STEM education for preschool children using the latest scientific advances. The structural and functional model of STEM education proposed in the article was tested at the Pelican Educational Center of the Mordovian State Pedagogical University named after M. E. Evseviev. The theoretical significance lies in clarifying the understanding of the modular approach and the specifics of its implementation in STEM education of preschoolers. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the possibility of their use in the design and organization of additional education for preschool children in the field of STEM.