STEM education is a comprehensive model for studying natural sciences and engineering disciplines. Its key feature is an integrative approach: for example, students at private school limassol learn to see the relationship between biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, which allows them to solve various technological problems more effectively.

Each element of the system is responsible for the development of certain skills:

1. Science – explains the laws of the surrounding world that a child encounters from birth;
2. Technology – provides experience in applying the acquired knowledge in real life;
3. Engineering – teaches how to experiment, and work with resources and materials;
4. Math – develops logic and algorithmic thinking.

The STEAM approach also includes the Arts direction (Arts, Humanities), which is responsible for understanding the socio-historical context and successful communication with people.

Main Characteristics Of STEM Education

Features of STEM education in the modern world:

• Practical focus. All educational tasks are applied, and the results can be used to solve real problems. Students program a robot to sort garbage, analyze weather data, conduct experiments with plants, etc.
• Project-based. Students form groups and work together to complete a specific task. This helps develop communication and teamwork skills, which is useful for their future professional life.
• Focus on critical thinking. Children learn to independently collect and analyze information, ask questions, and critically evaluate the data obtained, relying on modern scientific sources.

Teaching methods of this format, which have long been used in the best world educational institutions, prove to students that science is not only an abstract, boring, and mostly theoretical activity.

Benefits Of STEM For Students: Why It Is Important For A Future Career

The main benefits of STEM education:

• The learning process is more exciting (compared to traditional) and is associated with adventure. Designing a robotic garbage collector or creating an automated weather station are possible project options for high school students;
• Develops analytical and critical thinking. Children do not just absorb information, they learn to analyze and question sources;
• From childhood, schoolchildren acquire the skills of teamwork and polite supportive communication, building healthy relationships in a team;
• Innovativeness. Children work with modern technologies and keep their finger on the pulse of the latest achievements;
• Project activities with tangible results give satisfaction from learning and generate the belief that the world can be changed and that the actions of each individual are important.

The main reason for the popularity of such education is technological progress. Work in new areas (for example, artificial intelligence and machine learning) requires qualified specialists with excellent technical skills and developed analytical and critical thinking.

Employer demand for graduates with STEM qualifications and skills is growing and will continue to grow, as analytical, scientific, and technical skills become important. Many jobs are opening up, the positions offered are distinguished by high salaries, and career growth is faster than in any other. This attracts ambitious students from school.

Problems of STEM implementation

Today, there is a certain imbalance: a significant portion of schoolchildren and students around the world have not yet studied this approach and are not considering a career related to it. This causes significant concern, because right now thousands, millions of young people are receiving specialties that will practically disappear or change radically due to automation within the next 10-15 years.

Also, of course, this education is not suitable for everyone. Thus, an obvious disadvantage for creatively gifted children will be insufficient attention to the development of creative skills. Music, performing arts, and painting are present in the programs insignificantly. By and large, STEM prepares highly qualified modern engineers with a global vision of processes.

How Will STEM Develop In Education Further?

Does the new educational paradigm have a future? Of course, yes. Even now, the world’s leading universities are actively personalizing educational programs. Only a few disciplines are left for mandatory attendance, the students themselves choose everything else. An individual training plan allows you to reveal the potential of each student and receive training that meets the needs of future employers.

Modern business is interested in engineers who have team management skills and experience working in a team. To meet such expectations, education is introducing “soft” skills into training. Gradually, this direction can become not only a part of university training but will also definitely find its place in schools, additional and pre-school education.

---