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

STEM Education in Kazakhstan

pable of integrating information technology with STEM elements into educational activities, managing the educational process and conducting research.

STEM training seminars and forums.

Kazakhstan customarily holds training seminars and STEM forums. In January 2020, the Higher Pedagogical College in the town of Shchuchinsk, the Akmola region, organized the STEM education in the Vocational Education System seminar. The event focused on developing competencies through technology, modelling, art, mathematics, and interdisciplinary and applied approaches, which are at the core of STEM education.

On 17 March 2018, the International Laboratory for Educational Technologies and Education Informatization Challenges at the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University held an international Kazakh-Russian seminar titled The Pedagogical STEM Park. The event welcomed experts from the Moscow State Pedagogical University, the Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University and Didactic Systems, a company from Moscow, Russia (http://disys.ru). The participants shared their experiences in creating educational laboratories and STEM parks.

The Pedagogical STEM Park is a new format of partnership between the educational system and businesses. A STEM training centre — Abai University’s Pedagogical STEM Park — was established to achieve the outlined goals. This was a vital step towards systematizing student preparation at a pedagogical university for teaching schoolchildren robotics, conducting research in the field and devising a methodological system for teaching the subject. In terms of infrastructure, Abai University can boast a robotics laboratory, a measuring systems laboratory and a mechatronics laboratory.

The Pedagogical STEM Park has put into practice various science andtechnologyprojectsthatholdsignificantpotentialforfutureSTEM education.TheseareASystemforAutomaticControlofHumanWakefulness,ASet of Digital Teaching Laboratory Facilities for Physics, and A Scientific and Methodological Framework for the DevelopmentofLaboratoryWorkinEducationalRoboticsandMechatronics.

The national forum STEM Innovations in Education took place at the Miras International School in Nur-Sultan on 28 February 2020.

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The event sought to popularize STEM education among Kazakhstan’s schools. More than 100 teachers and students took part in the forum.

As part of the STEM forum, master classes were organized, focusing on STEM technology implementation, namely Astana IT

University, Introduction to Web, STEM Education and Its Future in Education, Microsoft Hacking STEM Resources and Robot League.

The forum hosted an exhibition of 27 STEM projects prepared by students who proudly presented their inventions. Participating in the STEM forum fosters skills in collaborative project work, the capacity to devise practical solutions grounded in academic knowledge, and the competence to document and present research findings. Students acquire fresh knowledge and competencies and engage in research, gaining hands-on experience. All of this will prove beneficial in their future university education.

Orleu methodology seminars.

On 4 November 2019, instructors from the Orleu advanced training centre in Taraz Bakhytgul Makhadieva, Zhupar Kurmanova, Andiya Beisenkulova and Zhuldyz Kosherbayeva organized a methodology-focused seminar Planning for an Updated Educational

Programme in Primary School at the city’s school № 36 to further promote STEM education.

The seminar aimed to help school teachers school teachers acquire short-term planning skills in the context of education curriculum update. During the event, the instructors advised teachers on short-term plans, providing methodological assistance and effective feedback.

The seminar concluded by exploring the peculiarities of shortterm plans, the efficacy of formative assessment and strategies for enhancing a teacher’s professional competence in orchestrating the educational process.

Orleu also hosted a two-day regional training seminar titled STEM Education: Organization of Practical Activities. Participants in the event investigated the practical applications of STEM education and shared their experience, highlighting current challenges. Particularly, they supported the idea of an online platform for the implementation of the new system and put forward several recommendations. Up to this point, STEM education has been introduced

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for familiarization. Advocates of this approach, however, have set out to open STEM laboratories at three schools in Aktobe, starting this year. The laboratories will be seamlessly integrated into the learning process to sparking interest in research among students.

Gulbarshin Nurgazinova, a senior lecturer at Margulan University in Pavlodar, and Kymbatsha Mukhamedieva, a doctoral student in the university’s Department of Informatics, played the lead in a seminar focused on integrating STEM education into the secondary schoolcurriculum.Theseminar,whichtookplaceatLycée№ 8,was organised by the Centre for Innovative Education and took place at.

The event, which was also attended by deputy directors of schools for gifted children, discussed the integration of mathematics, physics and computer science into STEM education. Robotics was named a priority tool to be used to achieve this goal. Teachers of the Department of Informatics shared their experience of implementing STEM education in the preparation of subject teachers.

STEM festivals and events

STEM Olympiad at Nazarbayev University. [166]

On 1—2 November 2019, the first national STEM Olympiad called STEM-Innovations in Education was held at Nazarbayev University. The event sought to popularize STEM education among Kazakhstani schoolchildren and spot talent in engineering, programming, design robotics and 3D modelling.

STEM Olympiad is an innovative educational competition incorporating the latest achievements in technical education. The organizers of the Olympiad incorporated up-to-date scientific and technical knowledge into the competition events, while emphasizing real-world applications and employed a format designed to engage schoolchildren. The Olympiad aimed to boost the recognition of

STEM fields in Kazakhstan, fostering an interest in technical disciplines among young Kazakhstanis.

The event drew students from all over Kazakhstan: Nur-Sultan, the capital, the cities of Almaty, Pavlodar, Karaganda, and the East

Kazakhstan Region.At the Olympiad, leading experts and speakers in the field of education shared their vision of STEM development and popularization in Kazakhstan.

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The Olympiad was held under the auspices of Astana Innovations by Nazarbayev University and STEM Academia, support by theAstana Daryn Centre for Giftedness and Psychological Support, the Centre for the Modernization of Education and the NURIS cluster. Over two days, students from across Kazakhstan engaged in practical tests to apply their knowledge. These tests included constructingstrawbridgescapableofsupporting10kg,buildingvessels thatcouldendureupto30kgandremainafloatfordistancesofupto

20 meters in an outdoor pool, devising mechanisms for constructing safe cars, and other tasks.

ROBOLAND, international festival of robotics, programming and innovative technologies [167].

The RoboLand annual international festival is aimed at cultivating creativity in students, helping them develop engineering skills, popularizing educational robotics and programming, picking out the strongest teams and stimulating the exchange of best practices.

The festival’s website claims that the number of teams from Kazakhstani schools has been increasing annually. In 2015, the robotics championship, part of the international festival, was contested by teams from Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools in Karaganda and Kokshetau and secondary schools of the Karaganda region. The teams competed in five categories: minisumo, kegelring, line following, maze and creative projects. In 2016, teams from 12 Kazakhstani regions and the cities ofAlmaty andAstana participated in 14 categories. Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools were represented by 113 participants. Overall, 392 teams from Kazakhstan and Russia took part in the 2017 competition.

The RoboLand 2020 6th International Festival of Robotics [167], Programming and Innovative Technologies.

The event was supposed to take place on 27 and 28 March 2020 in Karaganda, at the Zhastar sports facility. However, it was postponed due to the restriction imposed by Kazakhstan in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first Kazakhstani festival for STEM teachers [168].

In October 2018, the Republican School of Physics and Mathematics, supported by the Chevron company, Science on Stage Europe and the Nazarbayev Foundation, held the first Kazakhstani fes-

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tival for STEM teachers. The event sought to improve the quality of teaching STEM subjects and create a platform for teachers to share their ideas and pedagogical innovations.

The festival was attended by 25 teachers from different regions of Kazakhstan; 20 pre-selected projects competed for a spot in the

European festival, which took place in November 2019 in Cascais,

Portugal.

With Chevron committed to promoting the growth and advancement of STEM education in Kazakhstan, this collaborative project aspires to elevate STEM instruction to new heights.

Representatives of the Republican Physics and Mathematics School, a prominent institution in natural science education, have emphasized the importance of information exchange among teachers. They also highlighted the role of the festival, which has evolved into a platform for facilitating such exchange, in advancing education in the country. Furthermore, the event has been recognized as a means of fostering a love for science among schoolchildren.

The festival provided the very first platform for STEM teachers from across Kazakhstan to exchange knowledge, methods and projects, thereby developing students’ interest in science and innovation. At the event, teachers had the opportunity to embrace new ideas to be used in the classroom on the very next day.

Below is the list of award-winning projects:

AirGarden created an aeroponic vertical structure for growing vegetables and greens, based on the principle of integrating knowledge from across different STEM subjects into a single project.

Assistant robot allowed one to visualize the principle of programming algorithms and learn the basics of robotics.

Modern Science Class popularized Pasco wireless sensors designed for rapid data collection, visualization and analysis. The sensors take the educational process outside the school, allowing students to explore the environment.

Creative plasticine sought to develop abstract thinking in math lessons by visualizing complex geometric shapes and problems.

The festival had two components: thematic workshops and the main event where teachers presented their projects to the jury. The workshops were led by both participating teachers and jury mem-

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bers. The projects were evaluated based on their potential to spark student interest in science, sustainability, feasibility for implementation in school, cost-effectiveness and problem-solving focus.

Kazakhstan, represented by the Republican Physics and Mathematics School, entered the Science on Stage Europe STEM teachers association in March 2018. Science on Stage is a non-profit association providing a European platform for STEM teachers to exchange ideas and methodologies. Since its launch in 2000, Science on Stage has reached nearly 100,000 teachers in over 30 countries.

August teacher conference [169].

The conference was held in Stepnogorsk on 27August 2019 under the motto “KELESHEKKE — KEMELBILIMMEN” [Towards ComprehensiveKnowledge].TheheadofthelocalInterschoolPractical Skills Facility Svetlana and Veronika Shcherbina of the town’s Education Department described the current situation in STEM education. Their reports provided a general understanding of STEM education currently promoted in Kazakhstan as an integral part of lifelong learning.

Deinde 4.0 first city festival of STEM education [170].

Held in Kostanay, the festival brought together 214 schoolchildren willing to showcase their skills. Deinde 4.0 took place on the premises of Gymnasium № 3, covering five categories: Paper Plane, STEM Problem, Robotics, Pin Code and Video.

International cooperation in STEM education [171].

Positive experiences of international cooperation include the five-year UK-Kazakhstan Newton — Al-Farabi Partnership Programme [172] with a total budget of £ 20 million. The programme fosters collaborations between the two countries in science and innovation, facilitates staff exchanges, and supports the establishment of joint research centres.

Kazakhstan is aligning itself with the trajectory of developed nations, with STEM education serving as the link between school education and future careers. This approach equips children to succeed in an increasingly technologically advanced world. The professionals of tomorrow will need well-rounded training and expertise across various educational domains, encompassing science, engineering, technology and mathematics.

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ERG (Eurasian Resources Group) grants.

Some social projects run Kazakhstan to develop innovative teaching methods and improve the quality of life are notably extensive and all-encompassing. A prominent investor in national development is the Eurasian Resources Group (ERG). Since 2001, the ERG’s total social investment has amounted to 226 billion tenge.

The ERG has a pivotal role in promoting and extending STEM initiatives in Kazakhstan. STEM education in colleges and schools involves the exploration and application of cutting-edge technologies encompassing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Currently, there are a total of 12 STEM laboratories in Kazakhstan, representing an investment of over 80 million tenge.

The STEM laboratories, some of which have received support from ERG, are available in only 5 percent of schools in Kazakhstan. A substantial impact, however, will be felt when 20 per cent, or approximately 1,500 schools, have such facilities. The STEM Academia [173] set the ambitious goal of equipping the necessary number of schools by 2020 to attain a critical mass of learners who will advance STEM education and bring change in society.

STEM at Kazakhstani schools

Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools.

The curriculum at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NISs) includes STEM elements aimed at preparing students with the essential skills required for advancing technology, innovation, mathematical modelling, programming, and robotics. Mathematics, statistics, and informatics have become integral to numerous fields of human endeavour, including the humanities. Committed to developing cre­ ative thinking and stimulating learners’ interest in innovations and technology, NISs support tech-savvy children and make a significant contribution to the progress of educational robotics in Kazakhstan.Since 2014, NISs have organized national Robotics Olympiads in line with the requirements of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO).

Every year, NISs host qualifying regional and national rounds of the

Olympiad. Based on the outcomes of these competitions, a national robotics team for Kazakhstan is selected to represent the country internationally at theWRO.In 2014, NISs held their first-ever robot-

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ics Olympiad, following the WRO rules. The competition attracted 90 students from the Intellectual Schools in 15 different regions of the country. The winners of the event held in November 2014 represented Kazakhstan at the international WRO in Sochi, Russia.

There, they won third place in the creative category by creating a prototype of a robot capable of rotating space stations in orbit to capture solar energy.

In 2015, the Republican Robotics Olympiad held in Astana brought together 152 participants, including:

–70 representatives of the NISs;

–82 learners from other schools.

In 2016, participation in the regional and national stages of the Robotics Olympiad organized by NISs hosted was as follows:

The regional stage of the Olympiad:

–401 participants from the NISs;

–84 from other schools.

The national stage of the Olympiad:

–140 participants from the NISs;

–44 from other schools.

In December of the same year, the champions of this Olympiad participated in WRO-2016 in New Delhi, India. They received the

Creativity Award for creating a robotic orbital station designed for clearing debris from near-earth space.

On 29 April 2017, the NISs in Astana, Almaty, Aktobe, Atyrau,

Kokshetau, Karaganda, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Taldykorgan, Taraz, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Uralsk and Shymkent, the latter with a focus on chemistry and biology, organized the regionalstageoftheRoboticsOlympiad,followingtheWorldRobot Olympiad 2017 rules. The regional stage covered the following categories: Basic, Creative, Free (Kegelring, Sumo robots, Trajectory) and Robot Football. This stage of competition attracted 1,210 participants from 8 to 19 years old, including 326 from NISs and 884 from regular schools. Following the regional stage of the Olympiad, 300 students, constituting 150 teams, earned qualification to compete in the Republican stage.

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On3and4July2017,theRepublicanRoboticsCompetitiontook place at the Congress Centre of EXPO 2017. The competition was held under the auspices of the World Robot Olympiad 2017 (WRO 2017) in three categories: Basic, Creative and Robot Football.

The competition was attended by 300 teams from 16 Kazakhstan regions, including:

–217 students from 21 NISs inAstana,Almaty,Aktobe,Atyrau,

Aktau, Kokshetau, Karaganda, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Taldykorgan, Taraz, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Semey, Uralsk and Shymkent;

–83 students from 35 secondary schools from all over the coun­

try;

–a team from Uzbekistan participating as a special guest.

The management of the EXPO-2017 Congress Centre confirmed that 1,557 participants, officials and guests had attended the event during the two days of the Competition.

This event, held from 7 to 14 September 2017 at the Nazarbayev

Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Uralsk, was a competition for a spot in the WRO. The winners earned a place on the training camp roster.

The national team to participate in WRO-2017 was set up at the trainingcampfrom15representativesoftheNISsinAstana,Almaty,

Taldykorgan, Uralsk, Kokshetau, Kostanay and Petropavlovsk.

From 8th to 13th November 2017, the team competed in WRO2017 in San Jose, Republic of Costa Rica, and secured fourth place in the creative category. They presented a functional prototype of a firefighter robot designed for the prevention and extinguishing of forest fires.

In January 2017, two teams from the Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Almaty participated in the 9th All-Russian Robotic Festival in Moscow, where they clinched first and second places in the VEX EDR category. Subsequently, in April 2017, they competed in the VEX Robotics Competition World Cham- pionship-2017 in Louisville, USA, where they ranked 36th out of 80 teams in the group competition.

In July 2017, a joint team of Almaty Intellectual Schools took part in the inaugural competition First Global Challenge in Washington, USA, ranking 8th out of 163 teams.

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In 2015, NISs made significant steps to advance the professional growth of informatics teachers and promote the adoption of robotics in secondary schools across the Republic of Kazakhstan. They accomplished this by introducing a Robotics elective course and refresher training for 2,999 informatics teachers from secondary schools throughout the country [174].

The Republican Physics and Mathematics School.

The Republican Physics and Mathematics School [175] is the only Kazakhstani participant in the AEP (GE Additive Education Program) educational initiative. [175]. Now, it is a member of the international consortium of STEM schools, fully embracing the goals and objectives of this educational approach. In middle and high school, learners deepen their knowledge in robotics and engage in constructing 3D models in CAD environments.They also explore programminglanguages,suchasPythonandC++,whileobtaininga mastery of controllers like Arduino.

STEM training courses [176]

On 28—30 May 2020, the Republican School of Physics and

Mathematics, supported by Chevron, organized online programming courses for natural science and engineering teachers. No prior knowledge was required.

During the academic year 2019/20, over 500 teachers acquired the knowledge and skills needed to incorporate information technology into science education. They developed fundamental skills in using automation systems on the Arduino platform. They also gained familiarity with the techniques for developing interactive lessons and assembled programmable setups for classroom demonstrations.

The course covered:

–modern methods and techniques for teaching physics;

–research projects using Internet resources;

–programming solutions to educational problems;

–electronics and microcontrollers in design activities;

–innovative processes in education: national and international experience.

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