The becoming of a new pedagogical system oriented to the entry into the world´s educational space is attended by essential modifications in the theory and practice of the educational process. A change of educational paradigm takes place: another content, other approaches to teaching, other relations between the participants of the educational process, another pedagogical mentality are offered. An important role here is played by the development of relations between the links of the continuous education system, the adequate performance of which is impossible without close collaboration of pedagogical workers of secondary and higher school.
For the purpose of chemistry teaching succession assurance in the Tver State Technical University (TSTU) the system of continuous chemical education of youth has been created, the realization of which is performed in the following basic directions:
- the intensification of research and cognitive activity of school children in Chemistry by means of the enlargement of senior high school students´ workshop conferences system in the Tver Region; the assistance to municipal educational institutions in carrying out research works;
- the consulting and methodical support of the preparation for the Uniform State Exam (USE) in Chemistry both for the 11th form students and school teachers of the Tver Region;
- the organization of an experimental ground on the continuous chemical education system development on the basis of one of Tver schools;
- the promotion of chemical academic competitions of school children in the Tver Region;
- the individual work with the most talented students able to in-depth Chemistry study;
- the professional orientation of school leavers.
The enumerated areas of activities imply the educational process modernization and Chemistry knowledge quality improvement as the result of the education content perfection and modern pedagogical technologies introduction, and also the creation of conditions for the assurance of the national educational standard "school - HEI".
The increasing spread between the scientific work current state and the academic activity makes search for educational technologies for early attraction of learners to research activities. The lecturers of chemical departments of the TSTU annually are the research managers of seniors´ research works; take part in the workshop conferences "Step into the Future" together with them. Year by year the number of experimental research works carried out by school children on the basis of the university including those carried out in partnership with post-graduates and students grows up. To our opinion, such joint scientific projects are an exclusively useful activation form of the cognitive activity both of school children and students, as they promote the preparation of either for serious scientific investigations.
A great work among the future enrollees is carried out in specialized chemical and chemical-biological classes of a range of secondary comprehensive and grammar schools of Tver. The activity of these classes supposes the correction of school curricula and programs for the purpose of their approach to HEI requirements, the development of interest in academic disciplines of the University in school children, their in-depth study with the attraction of leading TSTU lecturers.
It is our opinion that the adaptability of the educational system should be performed through an absolute succession of educational programs of secondary and higher schools, the strategic renovation of the educational content and technologies used with due account for changing time demands. The succession degree at that should be determined by both search for studied disciplines´ desired depth (the fundamental knowledge and practical work experience volume) and balance between the obligatory and variable parts of national educational standards.
For the experimental work on the development of the continuous chemical education system a treaty about the cooperation of the Tver State Technical University and the municipal educational institution of "Secondary comprehensive school №45 of Tver" has been made. The pedagogical essence of the cooperation between the school and University is manifested in the interrelation of the educational process, in the formation of general and special knowledge, abilities and skills in the course of initial professional training, in the cooperation of pedagogical collectives with learners´ parents, in the scientific supply of the school´s experimental work.
For the organization of the education succession the available school curricula analysis has been carried out and Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics courses in-depth study programs have been developed, the last including all basic HEI forms of classes carrying out - lectures, seminars, colloquiums, laboratory courses, etc. Specialized physio-mathematical and vocational classes, the acquisition of which takes place on a competitive basis from the number of all city educational institutions learners, have been created at the school. A scientific-methodological assistance to pedagogues teaching the profile comprehensive subjects has been organized. A part of the classes on these subjects are conducted by the University lecturers. Meetings of leading TSTU specialists with the profile classes learners and excursions in the HEI labs are regular.
A scientific society has been created at the school. An in-depth preparation of the scientific society members for independent scientific work skills acquirement is performed. The University employees render assistance in the scientific investigations organization, individual work with the most talented school children at the Chairs and in the labs of the TSTU. A program of joint internship of students and senior school children has been launched. A joint participation of school children and students in training research work, in theoretical and practical, scientific and technical conferences of the TSTU has been organized. The educational guidance and control over the professional education of the learners is performed by both the school and the HEI.
At the methodical support of the TSTU a program of the propaedeutical course for the fifth grades "Introduction into Chemistry" has been launched at the school №45. The course is based upon the idea of Chemistry and other natural disciplines (having been studied earlier or studied in parallel) intersubject communications realization and that is why allows making the learners´ chemical and ecological knowledge got at the Nature Study, Biology, Geography classes actual. The course objectives are: the integration of Chemistry into the system of natural-scientific knowledge, the formation of the chemical world view as an element of the natural-scientific world outlook, the formation of a sustained interest in the subject, the implantation of creative attitude towards scientific facts understanding. The application of the research method in education is an effective means of the self-dependence ability and creativity development, that is why propaedeutical course introduction in the fifth grades allowed us to begin the chemical thinking formation in school children at the early stage of learning.
The active cooperation of the TSTU with the school №45 gives its results. Thus, in 2007 a leaver of the school Ekaterina Puklina became the only schoolchild having gained the maximum possible score - 100 points, at the Uniform State Exam in Chemistry for the whole history of the Tver Region. From the number of the eleven-graders having attended classes with the TSTU lecturers, 80% of the school children passed the USE in Chemistry with the mark "excellent", and 10% - with the mark "good". According to the results of the USE passing in Chemistry in 2007 the school №45 has fallen into the best five schools of Tver. In November, 2007, the school №45 won the victory in the interscholastic methodical center creation competition in Chemistry in the Tver Region at the active support of the TSTU employees. No doubt, that such cooperation turns out to be exclusively useful for the secondary and higher natural-scientific education succession guarantee.
The chemical academic competitions among school children represent a harmonic multistage system of seniors´ intellectual competitions aiming at the discovery of talented learners able to in-depth study of Chemistry. School academic competitions - is a powerful means of the development of interest in Chemistry.
The Chemistry Department of the Tver State Technical University has been a methodical center on chemical academic competitions among school children in the Tver Region for the last fifteen years. Annually at the TSTU basis an experimental round of the Regional Academic Competition among School Children in Chemistry is held, the Department lecturers work in the judge panel of the city and Regional stage of the competition.
In 2005-2007 the Tver Region became the place of holding of the IV (district) stage of the All -Russia Academic Competition in Chemistry in the Central Federal District. It came as a service acknowledgement of the Tver region in chemical education development (no any other region of the Russian Federation has ever been dignified like that thrice). In the district Academic Competition about 70 school children from 17 regions of the Central zone of Russia - winners of the III (regional) stage of the Competition in their own territories, participate. The TSTU Chemical Departments lecturers work annually in the judge panel of this Competition, and its experimental round traditionally takes course on the basis of the Polymer Materials Technology and Chemistry Departments. The experimental capability and staff resources of the TSTU were highly praised by the representatives of the Federal Education Agency and Central Methodical Commission. The objectivity of school children´s works evaluation, the professionalism and goodwill of the jury have deserved favourable report of the Competition participants and the teams leaders. The work oriented to the District stage of the All-Russia Academic Competition of school children in Chemistry to be traditionally held in Tver on the basis of the TSTU is being carried out.
The stimulation of an independent search activity in learners by means of gradual sophistication of assignments from reproductive to creative ones allows guaranteeing the differentiation of the Academic Competition participants on the preparation level. The most talented learners able to in-depth Chemistry study become apparent on the results of Academic Competitions. An individual work is carried out with them at the departments and in the labs of the University. Various perspective forms of such cooperation are offered in the TSTU. The idea of the "Young Chemist School" creation on the basis of the University scientific-educational park turned out to be rather productive. An analogous structure - "Small Chemical Academy" - has been functioning successfully on the basis of the Polymer Materials Department for years. The educational process in them is performed on the basis of the learner-centered education technology and differentiated approach to school children with various intellectual activity degrees. Some school children having attended these classes became later the All-Russia Academic Competitions winners, many of them entered chemical specialties of the TSTU. Such practice of work with the enrollees gives an opportunity to raise the knowledge level of school children in Chemistry, implant professional skills to them and expand their outlook using the variability of teaching forms and methods.
The realization of the developed system of Chemical Academic Competitions in the Tver Region stimulates the Chemistry teaching level at schools, promotes the secondary and higher educational institutions´ educational programs integration and, helping providing the University with talented enrollees, allows maintaining traditionally high quality of chemists-specialists´ training.
Within the framework of annual "Educational Services Fairs" organized by the Federal State Employment Service together with the Regional Educational Office, the TSTU lecturers work on the attraction of learners from cities and districts of the Tver Region for continuing education at the TSTU chemical specialties.
A great attention is paid to the coordination of the University chemical departments´, education regulatory bodies´ and city methodical center´s activity. Working closely with the Tver Regional Teachers´ Extension Course Institute the Chemistry instructors regularly render methodical and consultative aid to pedagogical collectives of Tver and Tver Region schools on the questions of school children´s preparation for the USE, solution of advanced complexity problems, entering and studying at the TSTU.
School as a social institution is leading among other educational institutions and kinds of pedagogical systems. It is possible, however, to take up the position that only on the basis of school and HEI cooperation in the present-day world one manages to build such a system of continuous education, which reacts actively to a quick change of life demands and makes the effective connection with the perspective labour market possible.
The work was submitted to VII international scientific conference «Strategy of scientific education», Egypt, February 22-29, 2008, came to the editorial office 16.01.2008.