In the US, November 8th is National STEM Day. Noosphere could not miss this holiday because all our activities are aimed at popularizing STEM in Ukraine. STEM education will soon permeate all fields of knowledge, so we must think about how to prepare children and young people for the challenges of the future.
What is STEM?
STEM (eng. Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is a new approach to the educational process where the basis of acquiring knowledge is the simple and accessible visualization of scientific phenomena.
Why STEM?
- Compared to regular education, STEM gives children more independence. They learn to be responsible for their own education and not rely on the success of other people.
- A hands-on approach to learning is the foundation of STEM. Children learn by working on a specific project, and as a result, they create a prototype of a real product with their own hands. This way, they learn how to apply scientific and technical knowledge in real life.
- STEM emphasizes visualization. Students generally use visualization tools during classes: blackboards, posters, flip charts, etc. It helps to learn complex technical and scientific concepts better. In addition, children learn not only to demonstrate ideas and proposals but also to present their own projects.
- STEM fosters a special way of thinking. During classes, children learn to find various ways to solve problems. They become more consistent in their studies while not being afraid to look for non-standard solutions.
- STEM education teaches children to work in a team: freely express their opinions, exchange ideas, solve problems, move past conflict situations, and achieve positive results together.
STEM education In Ukraine
In Ukraine, the implementation of STEM principles is starting as part of the reforms of the New Ukrainian School. This innovative development concept isn’t new and is actively being developed by the public sector: the NGO “Association Noosphere”, founded by philanthropist Max Polyakov, has been building an ecosystem of engineering creativity in Ukraine for 7 years.
The Noospherean ecosystem allows working with children through competitions and master classes in rocket modelling and robotics, students within the walls of the Noosphere Engineering Schools, and budding engineers join engineering and space hackathons. Thus, the NGO “Association Noosphere” helps to raise those enthusiasts who are our future engineers, scientists, and specialists in the aerospace industry, designing and launching aircraft.