Atlas of Best Practices in STEM Education (Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan). Monograph

STEM Education in the Russian Federation

35 education centres in Russia, the CIS and the USA with over 11 000 students/course leavers and 130 winners of international

STEM contests. The mission of Robooky is to help schoolchildren from 5 to 16 decide on their future profession by getting acquainted with the occupations of tomorrow, developing entrepreneurial skills and engineering/project thinking. The STEM engineering creativity programme consists of 13 modules: every two months, a child studies a new subject and profession: aerospace engineering, civil engineering, Robotics Lego WeDo and Mindstorms, Scratch programming, marine engineering, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, Arduino basics, etc.

Game-basedandPBLIndividualandgrouplessonsareheldonce a week using a special online platform and copyrighted teaching/ learning materials. They include excursions to IT companies; children participate in coding and engineering competitions.

Robooky, in collaboration with other STEM centres, organizes the annual World Robooky Competition in engineering and robotics for children from 5 to 16 years old. The Olympiad includes competitions such as Goldberg miniCup, competitions with robots Lego EV3, WeDo 2.0 Competitions and the Medicine for the Planet creative category.

Practices of Formal STEM Education in Russia: the case of the Khoroshevskaya Shkola (Khoroshkola) private school [153].

Since its establishment in 2017, Khoroshkola has been committed to the STEM education concept in teaching science. This approach implies project-based integration of science and technology. Student projects (design, research, laboratory experiments) are at the core of the educational process, generating information and capturing necessary theoretical knowledge. Solving practical problems makes it possible to include 21st-century skills in studying the subject. Digital environment and tools are used to record, evaluate and support the training process.

At Khoroshkola, natural sciences seek to develop pupils’ ability to solve the tasks one faces in life in the modern, rapidly changing, high-tech world. The problems are placed in a research context, and a project-based approach helps schoolchildren acquire 21st-century skills (4К) and obtain new knowledge.

Khoroshkola science education cluster encompasses Physics, Chem-

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istry, Biology, Physical geography / Earth Science and Astronomy.

Schoolchildren of years 5—9 study natural sciences within the Natural Science umbrella subject (4—6 hours a week for laboratory work and one hour for individual work). They participate in laboratory work with research elements. Self-study hours are complemented with project work, demo lectures, teacher-moderated discussions (the discussion of practical work results in large groups), lectures by representatives of hi-tech business and industry, hackathons

(1—2 days project sessions), field practices and excursions, conference and project presentations.

The distribution of topics and sections by years of study follows the logic of cross-subject links underpinning the teaching of natural sciences in general. Two-three week modules in each natural science subject are taught to years 7 and 8.The subject timeline creates cross-disciplinary links. For example, before studying the geographical aspects of the atmosphere, 7th-year students learn physics for two weeks, grasping the concepts of Archimedean force, atmospheric pressure, thermal expansion and convection.

Problem-based science courses motivate children to solve re- al-life practical problems and do laboratory work and projects in small groups of 2—4 pupils. They design and develop equipment and installations, plan and conduct research, and make individual reports.

The essential assessment methods are operational feedback, high-quality formative evaluation of each practical work and cri- teria-based grading of final projects. The main form of assessment is formative: assignments aim to form knowledge and skills rather than test them. Laboratory work reports, the principal assessment form, are a qualitative tool as they allow the teacher to assess pupils’ knowledge, understanding and hard and soft skills.

Khoroshkola’s teachers are facilitators of group work and experts evaluating student work against selected criteria, scientists and instructional designers. They prepare teaching and learning materials, project tasks, tests and assessment criteria independently or with professional assistance.

A dedicated designed educational environment plays a special role. The school has no division into chemistry, physics and biology classrooms. There are four large specialized spaces. Megalab

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STEM Education in the Russian Federation

(900 m2) is boasts equipment for laboratory research, group discussions, mini-group project work, lectures, presentations, conferences and viewing videos in 360°. Experimentarium (250 m2) is meant for practical work, designing devices and demonstrations. FabLab (300 m2) is a real maker space for any research or engineering project. There is also a Robotics and Microelectronics lab (180 m2).

STEM-teacher training programmes and courses

The STEM-related national policies and initiatives, school-uni- versity-industry collaborations in non-formal STEM education and non-formal and formal STEM practices create demand for Science, Technology and Mathematics teachers, primary school educators and extracurricular specialists. STEM teachers must be proficient in project-based learning, inquiry-based learning and gamification methodologies, experienced in designing integrated STEM curricula, engaging students in real-life research and engineering projects in contexts that make connections between school, community, industry etc. They also have to be able to play the parts of instructional designers, educational project managers, classroom game designers, group facilitators and soft skills trainers.

A system for life-long training of STEM teachers has not emerged in Russia so far. However, there have been advances in MOOCs, summer schools organization and master’s degree programmes.

NTI Kruzhok Movement Project Mentors’Academy [154].

NTI Kruzhok Movement Project Mentors’ Academy is a joint project of the Skolkovo Foundation, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the Skolkovo Open University (OpUS) and the Kruzhok

Association NTI working group. The project seeks to create a system for mass training and certification of project/PBL mentors. To this end, online courses have been launched. Full-time accelerated courses called Mentors Schools prepare managers and mentors for project-based learning. There are plans for mentors’ exchange — a space where school and university student projects and teams can employ mentors.

How to become a project-based learning mentor [155].

The Lektorium online education platform [156] offers a twomonth MOOC to anyone willing to become a mentor of pro-

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Atlas of Best Practices in STEM Education

ject-basedlearningonlinecourse.TheMOOCfocusesonorganizing extracurricular projects and PBL at schools, working with student project teams, managing projects for those planning to participate in a Mentors School by Project Mentors Academy, schoolteachers, extracurricular teachers and trainers, Quantorium tutors, FabLab project managers etc.

Lektoriumonlinecourse:fromhackathontoprojectschool[157]. The MOOC comprises three modules devoted to different educational intensive formats: engineering competitions, hackathons and project schools. Each module deals with the formats, educational process organization and PBL mentors’ specific skills and respon-

sibilities.

Master’s degree programme in Moscow City University: teaching Physics and STEM-education [158].

The programme trains future Science and Engineering teachers. Programme leavers have the skills to solve the complex pedagogical problem of initiating students into engineering. The Science and Engineering teacher is an expert in modern educational technologies who has engineering competencies and can plan and run complicated projects.

The educational process is based on solving practical problems. Lectures are replaced by training, laboratory work and teaching practice. Part of the programme consists of master classes and pedagogical workshops, some held at innovative educational establishments (the technology parks of the Kurchatov Institute and the Moscow State Polytechnic University, Khoroshkola and School

№ 1799). The research work of master’s degree students focuses on the development of teaching and learning materials.

The curriculum comprises four modules. 1. Within the Research module, students conduct research and write their master’s thesis. 2. The Education and Psychology module helps undergraduates learn to understand and use the age characteristics of a child and acquaintsthemwithteachingsituationpatterns.3. TheMethodological module is dedicated to using modern educational technologies and approaches in teaching physics, technology, and computer science. 4. The Technology module involves the study of educational robotics, electronics and programming for technology lessons, computer science and extracurricular educational programmes.

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STEM Education in the Russian Federation

Master’s degree programme at IKBFU: STEAM Practices in Education [158].

The STEAM Practices in Education master’s programme from the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University in Kaliningrad, Russia, provides systemic knowledge in teacher education and teacher training elements of technology and creative thinking. The programme follows the ERUSMUS + КА2 Integrated approach to STEM teachers training / STEM. Based on current professional standards, it takes account of employers’ needs and international expertise. Teachers- to-be are trained to design general and extracurricular programmes and embrace technology in implementing them; they are encouraged to establish school technoparks and technopolises, STEAM studios and project offices. Introduced to national and international best practices, students of the programme learn how to create educational spaces that allow teachers and trainers of all levels to integrate STEM and STEAM approaches and interdisciplinarity into teaching, launch high-tech educational startups and projects, and organize and manage students’ innovative research and projects. The programme provides its graduates with relevant expertise in demand in the national education system and the international labour market, opening up ample job opportunities. The programme is intended for those who work or plan to work in education, at public and private schools, in extracurricular education for children and adults, at centres for advanced teacher training, in continuous learning, in organizing cultural and educational activities, at scientific museums, innovation centres for young learners, etc. With an MAin Education, one can expect their career to develop both horizontally (expanding professional opportunities and going beyond the functional roles of teachers of basic and core subjects to enter an interdisciplinary field, becoming a mentor teacher and creating a methodological school) or vertically (moving up the career ladder to administrative positions in educational authorities at various levels).

The experts of the programme were renowned STEM specialists from University of Limerick, Ireland; Linköping University, Sweden; Hacettepe University, Turkey; University of Helsinki, Finland.

The programme is aimed at the in-depth training of a modern teacher-researcher and teacher-practitioner capable of designing and implementing STEM/STEAM technologies to stimulate students’

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interest in the sciences and arts, infusing creativity into school subjects. The programme’s modules cover innovative processes in education, STEM and STEAM methodology, methods and principles of life-long learning, and current educational technologies (including STEAM methods, design thinking and visualization technologies, art education in modern contexts, ecosystems of project activities in additional education, educational robotics).

The syllabus includes offline and online lectures, seminars, e-learning technologies, design workshops, training and master classes, individual educational track opportunities, internships, training and immersion in industrial and scientific laboratories, public presentation of learning outcomes in microteaching formats,

TED format project presentations, professional identity training within a learning-by-doing environment where students can apply their competencies and skills from the very first year of study. The programme offers international mobility opportunities.

As for future careers, programme graduates work as psychologists, educators, researchers, methodologists, counsellors and managers at educational institutions of various levels, scientific museums, innovation centres for young learners, technoparks and technopolises, STEM/STEAM education studios and educational projects offices.

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STEM EDUCATION IN KAZAKHSTAN

Context

STEM education policy

In Kazakhstan, STEM education development is supported by the transition to updated STEM programmes in schools within the

State Programme for the Development of Education and Science [159]. The new educational policy will integrate STEM elements into the curricula to boost the development of technology, scientific innovations and mathematical modelling.

The main goals of the policy are as follows:

–a new interdisciplinary and project-based approach to teaching that will help students achieve excellence in science and technology and acquire the skills of critical, innovative and creative thinking, problem-solving, communication and teamwork;

–integrating umbrella subjects, such as Mathematics and Infor­ matics, Natural Science and Technology and Art, into the State Primary Education Standard. In this vein, Information and Communication Technologies, Natural Science and Art have become available to primary and high school pupils, and the new academic subjects

Graphics and Design, Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship and Business and elective courses have been introduced.

Digital Kazakhstan state programme [160].

The Digital Kazakhstan state programme, approved on 12 December 2017, specifies the gradual introduction of Fundamentals of

Programming in secondary education. It seeks to develop the creative abilities and critical thinking in schoolchildren from the second year and older. The syllabuses for years 5—11 will also be updated and the programming languages revised to embrace STEM elements: robotics, virtual reality, 3D printing, etc.

The Government developed and adopted the dedicated Digital

Kazakhstan program to boost new industries in the country, such as

3D printing, online commerce, mobile banking, digital services for healthcare and education, etc.

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Atlas of Best Practices in STEM Education

Improving the quality of human capital requires education to become the central link within the new economic growth model. Therefore, modern curricula should seek to develop critical thinking and information skills. It is also necessary to pay attention to IT knowledge and financial literacy while instilling a patriotic sense in youth.

Under the Strategic Development Plan of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2025, approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan from 15 February 2018 № 636, STEM ele­ ments will be introduced to give a boost to new technologies, scientific innovations, mathematical modelling, programming, robotics, and initial technological training. This will require launching new educational programs, scientific clubs and extracurricular activities, as well as creating a network of children’s technology parks and fully equipped business incubators. Some subjects will be taught in

English to students in their final years [161].

2020—2025 State Programme for Education and Science Development in the Republic of Kazakhstan [162].

This program, approved by the Government of Kazakhstan on 27 December 2019, supports further development of digital infrastructure at educational organizations, namely wireless communications, cloud technologies, microservers, computers and peripheral equipment, local networks, broadband Internet access, etc. As part of the World Bank’s Secondary Education Modernization project, over 5,000 schools are supposed to obtain 100,000 laptops and 20,000 printers. And more than 2,500 schools with no internet connectionorslowconnectionspeedsaresupposedtoreceive1,200data centres. Moreover, the One Teacher — One Computer project will ensure that all teachers have access to a computer. Schools are supposed to be equipped with classrooms for chemistry, biology, physics and STEM subjects, while school laboratories are supposed to be modernized.

STEM centres at universities

Pedagogical STEM-park at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University [163].

The second Pedagogical STEM Park meeting discussed ways to implement STEM education at a pedagogical university. The immediate task is to create a STEM park (or STEM centre) at the univer-

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STEM Education in Kazakhstan

sity, which will make it possible to further digital education, train undergraduates in Computer Science and Robotics, introduce an elective course in digital robotics and STEM training for natural science fields of study and a digital technologies in education subject for all students of pedagogy. These measures embracing the main elements of the fourth industrial revolution, such as automation, robotization, artificial intelligence and big data exchange, will help to train specialists proficient in digital technologies.

The meeting focused on several discussion points. Among other things, it concentrated on integrating Pedagogical STEM-park as a new business–education partnership format into the educational process and familiarizing STEM laboratories in digital robotics and mechatronics with the companies’ products.

A STEM training centre — the pedagogical STEM park at the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University — was created to implement the above proposals. Its establishment was a crucial step in systematizing training at a pedagogical university with a view to preparing students for teaching robotics to schoolchildren, conducting research in the field and developing a methodological system for teaching the subject in school.

In 2018, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education and Science announced the launch of the Modernization of Secondary Education project. The government borrowed $ 75 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support the initiative. The project will support curriculum updates and the creation of robotics laboratories in 16 universities in the country, including one at the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University.

On 24 September 2019, classroom equipment arrived at theAbai

Kazakh National Pedagogical University, including ten basic and ten advanced Fischertechnik Robotics kits, two Basic robot track kits, ten Arduino kits for experiments and robotic projects, an Anet

E12 3D printer, six monoblocks, a JI-K3020 CNC machine for cutting and processing materials, an ACHI IR-6500 infrared soldering station,aSaike-852d+ +solderingstationwithanalogue-digitalcon- trol, a microscope for soldering chips, a UTD2052CL 50MHz digital oscilloscope and much more.

Several initiatives have been undertaken to provide students from different fields with excellent instruction in robotics.

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Atlas of Best Practices in STEM Education

–The syllabus for a course in Electrical Engineering, Radio Electronics and Robotics was developed for the Professional Training field of study. It was used in creating module programmes and curricula for the academic years 2018/2019 and 2019/2020.

–The syllabus for a course in Electrical Engineering, Electron­ ics and Robotics was devised for the Instrument Engineering pro­ gramme, which is part of the Mechatronics and Robotics field of study. Necessary elective disciplines were selected for the general and specialist modules. The syllabus corresponds to the qualifica­ tions needed for a bachelor’s degree in Instrument Engineering. It was used to create module programmes and curricula for the aca­ demic years 2018/2019 and 2019/2020.

–The syllabus for a 3 credit-worth course in Educational Robot­ ics and Mechatronics was prepared for natural science and technolo­ gy fields of study. Covering the main topics of lectures and laborato­ ry classes, it offers assignments for individual and supervised work and supplementary documents.

Nazarbayev University: the NU programme for training school teachers in English-language STEM instruction demonstrated its compliance with international standards [164].

On 23 November 2018, the NU programme for training schoolteachers in STEM instruction in the English language was endorsed by an international expert. The programme received a positive report. The high quality of the programme was emphasized, along with its compliance with international standards in terms of management, delivery, content, methodology, facilities and resources.

Dedicated to implementing the trilingual education policy, Nazarbayev University trained over 5,000 chemistry, physics, biology, and computer science teachers from rural and urban areas between

2017 and 2018. The training helped teachers to achieve the B2 level necessary to pass the international language examination in English.

Starting from 1 September 2019, Kazakhstani schools were expected to teach chemistry, physics, biology and computer science in

English to students of years 10 and 11.

Lev Gumilyov Eurasian National University [165].

The Lev Gumilyov Eurasian National University offers a master’s degree programme in STEM education to train specialists ca-

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