Engineering and technical orientation of students' project activities as a basis for professional self-determination

The federal project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia «Advanced Engineering Schools», launched in 2022, aims to provide sectors of the economy with qualified personnel to achieve technological independence for the country. Strengthening fundamental training in higher education depends directly on the level of applicants' knowledge formed at school. There is a decline in students' interest in engineering and an analysis of school programs in mathematics, mechanics within the framework of physics, and technology revealed inconsistencies in the study of these subjects, which breaks the logical and content lines between theoretical knowledge and practice. The aim is to stimulate schoolchildren's interest in engineering and technical activity, which will subsequently contribute to the increase of their learning activity in higher education. It is proposed to introduce interdisciplinary project activities for students in grades 7-11 aimed at forming holistic ideas about the world of technology and general engineering culture, mastering scientific knowledge and practical ways of action, developing key mathematical and natural science concepts reflecting the unity of the world and related to fundamental educational objects (concepts, symbols, models). ). A well-designed process of working on engineering projects will contribute to the formation of such skills as building logical and content lines between the sections of mathematics, physics (mechanics) and technology. For first-year university students, it will be a deep understanding of the logic of creating mathematical and physical models of natural processes and technical phenomena.