INNOVATIVE TEACHING TECHNOLOGIES IN THE NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION SYSTEM OF UKRAINE

Ukraine’s drive to modernize natural-science education demands a systematic uptake of innovative teaching technologies that meet the challenges of the information society and sustainable development while aligning with the New Ukrainian School’s competence-based reform. As a vehicle for scientific literacy, ecological awareness, and research skills, natural science instruction increasingly depends on digital platforms, interactive and project/problem-based methods, virtual and augmented laboratories, and interdisciplinary STEM/STEAM approaches. These tools support not only the acquisition of theory but also the formation of practical competences, critical and systems thinking, creativity, and the ability to apply knowledge in real contexts. Against this backdrop, the study analyzes the current state of innovation in Ukrainian science education and argues for deeper integration of digital, interactive, and project-oriented technologies to raise learning outcomes. Methodologically, it combines qualitative and quantitative procedures - literature analysis, questionnaires of 320 teachers and 460 pupils/students, interviews, pedagogical observation, and pilot implementations of STEM, blended learning, and virtual labs - summarized with descriptive statistics to capture effects and barriers. Findings show broad, though uneven, adoption: 87% of teachers actively use digital tools, 72% employ interactive strategies, 69% implement blended learning, and 54% use mobile apps or virtual labs. Student perspectives are consistent: 92% say digital tools improve understanding, 81% value interactive methods, 68% are interested in STEM/STEAM, and 73% actively use mobile applications. The main constraints are structural and human-capital related - insufficient material and technical support (42%), low digital competence among colleagues (37%), and overloaded curricula (21%); students most often point to a lack of modern equipment (48%), excessive theoretical workload (29%), and weak classroom integration of innovations (23%). Despite these hurdles, innovative technologies already enhance understanding, motivation, and practical skills and help cultivate a generation able to address complex environmental, technological, and social problems. Sustainable scaling now depends on infrastructure upgrades, continuous teacher professional development, tighter curriculum-assessment alignment for inquiry and projects, and expanded access to both physical and virtual STEM laboratories, consolidating a student-centered, competency-driven model in line with European and global standards.