FEATURES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF STEM EDUCATION

Abstract

At the present stage, the world has entered the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The rapid development of information technologies, digital innovations and scientific achievements are making significant changes in all spheres of society's life. As a result of such changes, the requirements of the labor market, the needs of society and the needs of the individual also take on a new character. Therefore, the education system is faced with the task not only to provide students with theoretical knowledge, but also to form competencies that can adapt them to modern requirements.

In this sense, the STEM educational direction is of particular importance. The concept of STEM refers to the comprehensive study of Science, Technology, Engineering and mathematics. This approach allows you to combine the knowledge gained by students in various disciplines and effectively apply them in life situations. At the same time, the STEM education system is aimed at the formation of creative thinking, logical reasoning, problem-solving skills and a culture of research. The main feature of STEM learning is not to consider subjects separately from each other, but to show their relationship through real experiences. Such an integrative approach creates conditions for students to learn scientific concepts in connection with everyday life. According to the definition of Tsupros (2009), STEM is an educational model that combines academic scientific and technical knowledge with real – life conditions. Its main goal is to strengthen the relationship between school, society and industry, improve students' STEM literacy and strengthen their competitiveness in the global labor market.