A Research on the Practice of Developing a Rural ‘Magnet’ School Model: Theoretical and Applied Aspects

Abstract

The authors of this article present provisional results of the work on the research project "Developing and Inspiring Entrepreneurial and STEAM Education in Rural Schools of Kazakhstan" funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The project has a significant applied component. The key concepts of the research project correspond with the fundamental didactic principles which reflect the main directions of the work on ensuring accessible and equal educational opportunities for all citizens. One of the tasks of the educational sector of Kazakhstan is the development of rural schools the specificity of which is explained by their geographical and informational distance from administrative and educational centers, by a small number of students and by the temporary absence of a fair number of highly qualified teachers. The present article includes some promising proposals on the development of a 'magnet' school model in the framework of rural school development in Kazakhstan. The study is based on theories of L.S. Vygotsky and G. Gardner and didactic ideas on the integration of academic subjects, the formation of students' functional literacy, the development of high-level skills, the introduction of entrepreneurial and STEAM education into the practice of Kazakhstani schools, as well as the use of innovative ideas aimed at the comprehensive development of generation Z and planning of their future professional careers. The 'magnet' school model is being developed in accordance with the practice of OECD countriesleaders of the international PISA study. It is currently being tested and prepared for full-scale implementation into the educational process of Secondary School No. 33 of Tselinograd district in Akmola region. The school is situated in Rodina province and appears to be a platform for the research project realization.