DISPLAY OF ASPECTS OF ECONOMIC AND STEM-EDUCATION IN TEXTBOOKS OF GEOGRAPHY OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article deals with topical issues related to the development of the methodology of teaching geography and textbook creation in this educational field. The issues of studying the geography of Ukraine on a competent basis in the context of economic and STEM-education aspects are touched upon. Against this background, approaches are offered that allow to prepare pupils of general education institutions for future professional activities. Everything is transmitted through the prism of a geography of Ukraine textbook. The key role in updating the system of geographic education belongs to the secondary school since it lays down the methodological, content and technological parameters of education at all its levels, forming a peculiar type of thinking. The courses of geography in Ukraine: "Ukraine in the world: nature, population" and "Ukraine and the world economy" are the final stage of school geographic education for pupils of the secondary school. A young person is obligated to know the fundamentals of the intellectual, scientific, spiritual achievements of the people. The geography of Ukraine forms not only the representative of the Ukrainian people, but also the bearer of culture, the translator of the Ukrainian with all its priorities and problems. The process of becoming a Ukrainian citizen as a modern socio-cultural phenomenon is inseparably linked with the geographical education in Ukraine. The significance of geography of Ukraine as an integrative school subject is highlighted. The significance of geography of Ukraine is also seen against the background of the main directions of modernization of the national education system, in particular the innovative development of not only geographic, but also science-mathematical and engineering education, where STEM-learning is being formed (S - Science, T - Technology , E - Engineering, M - Mathematics), through which pupils develop innovative, constructive, inventive abilities, technical literacy is formed, skills of solving complex problems, and, on the basis of this, the general level of intelligence grows. Economic education develops the ability to orient in the world surrounding, develops the skills of rational economic behavior as a consumer, hired employee, taxpayer, forms financial literacy and entrepreneurial competence. Examples of such approaches are illustrated through the geography textbook created on a competent basis – Geography for the 9th form of the authors O. F. Nadtoka and O. M. Topuzov (UEPC "Orion", 2017). The article remarks the actuality of textbooks creation on a competent basis. One of the directions of completing this task is to take into account aspects of economic and STEM education, structuring and selecting the educational information. For this purpose, it is important that the content part of the textbooks meets the following criteria: actuality and relevance to the present time, taking into account modern scientific knowledge, reflection of the system of science and culture in the content of education, humanization and activity approach, the need for combination of compulsory and additional components in its content.