STEM-education used as a foundation for learner’s algorithmic thinking development

The purpose of the study is to identify approaches to the development of a child’s algorithmic thinking when included in the learning environment of STEM technologies. The academic course presented by the authors is intended for 40 hours. It is concentrated on the capabilities of the Scratch environment to design cartoons, games, robot control. The suggested methodology aims at the development of algorithmic thinking by projects. Students from Saratov State University, Kyrgyz National University named after Zhusup Balasagy, Osh State University, North-Eastern Federal University, Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Blagoveschensk State Pedagogical University, and Sholom-Aleichem Priamursky State University study it in their classes. The experiment is carried out in the Children’s Activity Centre Academium (the city of Engels, Russia). The pedagogical experiment shows that the offered methodological approaches contribute to the development of children’s algorithmic thinking through learning within the concept of interdisciplinary STEM education projects and allow them to formulate their own and understand others’ algorithms