Позитивные изменения. Образование. Школа будущего (Тематический выпуск, 2022)/Positive changes. Education. The school of the future (Special issue, 2

Foreign education is more practice-oriented. Visual aids are often used to study various phenomena, such as electromagnetic radiation in physics. This allows students, firstly, to memorize the material better, and, secondly, to get a practical idea of what it is, why and how it may be needed in life.

In Russia, school is a knowledge base, which is important for admission to the university. In foreign schools, along with academic knowledge, a lot of focus is on developing soft skills.

"I have attended many classes of this nature, and all of the students as one do compare studying abroad to studying in their home schools. It’s not just students from Russia, but also from China and Argentina. They all say they like this kind of learning more and get motivated more. Naturally, it’s easier to teach children who are eager to acquire new knowledge. And, of course, foreign schools always try to find some common ground that will help students better understand the material and master the program”, says Natalia Kravets, Head of Secondary Education Department at ITEC Llc.

Thus, foreign education programs are structured so as to induce a desire to learn. The child, his or her desires, interests and motivation is at the center of the education process. No one is forcing anyone to study or take extra classes or cram. Teachers and tutors help the students, support and motivate them, and are always there for the students to come for advice and recommendations.

"Sometimes even just by talking to the teacher, the child will hear that everything is fine and good, they just need to keep learning. The child calms down, stops being nervous, and after a while, everything starts to work out”, Natalia Kravets says.

HOW SCHOOL ABROAD CHANGED

If you look at the span of the last 5–10 years, it is a fairly small period for education, but still quite indicative. The pandemic, digitalization, new subjects, the development of inclusivity, and globalization, have all had an impact on schools.

One significant change is the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) educational model. This is a specialized interdisciplinary training in biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, and mathematics in the context of solving real-life technological problems. For example, robotics and rocket science are based on STEM. A person doesn’t have to learn everything, to build the Starship space rocket like Elon Musk. The work can be done in teams.

STEM education in American schools began about 10 years ago. In Russia, STEM education was first mentioned in the last three years, when articles on the topic began to appear in business publications. Meanwhile, the concept got a new wave of development in the West: the letter A, which stands for Arts, was added to the STEM acronym. It turned out a new concept — STEAM.

"I think this is a very important addition, because Arts implies creativity and some new ideas, everything that machines and artificial intelligence cannot replace yet. The direction is still in its infancy, but it is becoming increasingly popular. I think it has a great future. Perhaps soon we will be assessing technology products in terms of how creative they are. Creative technologies are used, among other things, in the production of smartphones", Natalia Kravets says.

There are educational institutions in Moscow and St. Petersburg that follow the principle of English boarding schools, which means that parents now have a choice: to send their child abroad or to educate him or her in Russian private schools, following the British system.

"Of course, when we talk to parents, we always point out that a British school in any country outside the UK is still a school that follows the mentality and language of the country where it is located", says Tatyana Glitsan, Leading Consultant, IQ Consultancy.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL ABROAD

The cost of education is probably the last thing parents consider when choosing where to send their child to study. First and foremost, Russian families are focused on the future results the school can deliver. As mentioned above, this is an opportunity to enter a top-ranking university.

The second aspect is the content of what the child will be doing at school. For example, someone needs a strong academic component to get into a particular major.

Another aspect is the atmosphere in the school, how friendly and pleasant it is. Everything matters: the location, teachers, and even the comfort of living.

Some companies advising on international education offer special diagnostics to reveal the child’s abilities and talents and facilitate professional self-determination in the future. This is what IQ Consultancy does in conjunction with the American Staffing Association.