Keyword: «steam education»

The STEAM approach in education is one of the global educational trends today. It is based on the integration of science and technology into a single system of education based on interdisciplinary projects. Mathematics in the context of the implementation of the STEAM approach at all levels of education is becoming one of the most significant disciplines and requires the training of a new format teacher with a high level of professional competence for teaching on the basis of STEAM.

The article proposes a methodology for fostering engineering thinking among students in grades 7–8 within extracurricular physics education through the STEAM framework. The selection of this age group is substantiated by developmental considerations: the transition from concrete to formal operational thought and heightened responsiveness to hands-on, purposeful activity. The methodology is grounded in problem-based project work, wherein physical laws are not taught as isolated facts but as tools for designing functional technical solutions. Core components include an iterative design cycle (concept → prototype → testing → reflection → refinement), integration of scientific, engineering, technological, and artistic–design elements, and emphasis on locally relevant, socially meaningful challenges. Pedagogical implementation conditions and potential instructional pitfalls are discussed. The approach aims not at teaching isolated technical skills, but at cultivating a sustainable engineering mindset – the capacity to recognise in natural phenomena a foundation for rational and responsible transformation of the world.