Science, Art, and Recovery for Children: Why Do Networked Education Models Matter for Ukraine?
Iryna Zhdanova, founder of the Churyumov Science Lyceum / Boarding School Executive Director of the NGO "Open Policy Foundation," PhD in History
When I was actively involved in working groups in the Parliament and the Ministry of Education advocating for specialized science and art education, we strongly pushed the idea to include as a separate indicator the integration of art and mathematics in the standards. Unfortunately, we were not supported at the time and the idea was banned, as was the proposal on mental health. After the full-scale invasion, only the laziest educational experts today fail to emphasize the importance of combining education with psycho-emotional recovery for students. However, the topic of integration has been reduced to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) approaches. What are the risks, and why is it necessary to pilot networked education models that integrate science, art, and mental health?
What is the risk of integrating science and art through STEAM?
The risk is that subjects like physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy (the latter has long been abolished in schools) will be undermined. At best, students will only have very general, superficial knowledge in these areas. Meanwhile, under the appealing packaging of STEM, laboratories and interactive whiteboards are being purchased through "preferred" providers for selected flagship schools. Modern equipment & increased knowledge are not a linear relationship. In most cases, Art is excluded from this approach.
What should local schools in rural, frontline communities, and small towns do?
Clearly, the level of knowledge in these subjects will continue to decline catastrophically, except for a few specialized schools in large cities that focus on victories in olympiads and attracting students. There are parents there who understand the importance of natural sciences and mathematics. I used to consider myself one of those parents. That’s why my children studied at the Kyiv Scientific-Natural Lyceum #145. Now, my children are grown and easily and successfully apply their fundamental knowledge in a variety of fields, not in large cities.
I attended school in the small town of Chernyakhiv while also studying part-time at the republican physics and mathematics school. The part-time format provided access to a different, in-depth education. Under modern conditions, this part-time access can be replaced by online learning combined with offline sessions and camps in safe communities.
We need to seek new innovative network models.
Flexible models, involving collaborations with other state, public, and private institutions. Among these opportunities, there are camps in safe communities where health recovery, intelligent leisure, studying natural sciences, experimenting with art, and psycho-emotional recovery are combined. These should be developed as open networks. Networked education is outlined in the "Education Law."
This is the model that the team at the Churyumov Science Lyceum / Boarding School will test in July with students from grades 1–8 in a safe community in the Carpathians. There will be 9 experiments, astronomical observations, and 5 music workshops based on the Orff method. This is all in collaboration with academic state scientific institutions in Kyiv and the private initiative "Singing Workshop" in Chernihiv.
We plan to further document this model. So that our proposals are not just sitting in the archives of working groups in the Parliament and the Ministry of Education, but also work in local communities.
Where to get the money?
Donors generously fund such projects. Not all of this money is even used. Funds for children's health and recreation can be found (or planned) in local budgets as a separate item. In our case, it’s paid by the educational service clients, the parents. Otherwise, the model will depend on the whims of donors and officials. However, this model is not too costly for local communities, especially if scaled.
The Main Thing
It’s not the money. It’s not the laws. It’s the understanding of the importance of modeling alternative network forms of education and recovery for children. Don’t look for reasons why this can’t be done. Propose what and how it can be done. Do it.
