Children’s Creative Inquiry in STEM

Preface
Acknowledgements
Endorsements
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
References
Part I: Creative Dispositions and Processes – Synergies Between Inquiry and Creative Approaches to STEM Learning and Teaching
Chapter 2: A Systematic Literature Review of Children’s Creative Inquiry
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The A to E of Children’s Creativity Framework
2.3 Methodology
2.4 Systematic Analysis Results
2.5 Thematic Analysis Results
2.5.1 Product: Criteria for Creative Outcomes
2.5.2 Person: Perspectives on Who Does the Original Thinking
2.5.3 Place: Elements of an Enabling Environment
2.5.4 Process: Characteristics of Children’s Creativity
2.6 Representation of STEM Studies
2.7 Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Teachers’ Reflections on Their Changing Roles and Young Children’s Learning in Developing Creative, Inquiry-Based Approaches in Science Education
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Conceptual Framework
3.2.1 Definition of Creativity in Early Years and Mathematics
3.2.2 Key Features of Inquiry-Based Approaches to Learning and Dispositions Associated with Creativity
3.2.3 Synergies Between Inquiry-Based and Creative Approaches to Learning and Teaching
3.2.4 Curriculum Dimensions – ‘The Vulnerable Spider Web’
3.3 Development of Curriculum Materials on Inquiry and Creativity for and by Early Years Teachers
3.3.1 Curriculum Development Through Action Research
3.3.2 Sample and Ethics
3.3.3 The CEYS Curriculum Development Process
3.4 Data Analysis: Impact of the CEYS Curriculum Development Process
3.5 Results
3.5.1 Curriculum Materials
3.5.1.1 Teachers’ Roles
3.5.1.2 Classroom Environment
3.5.1.3 Reflections and Interconnections
3.5.2 Teachers’ Portfolios
3.5.2.1 Planning
3.5.2.2 Teaching
3.5.2.3 Learning
3.5.2.4 Assessment
3.5.2.5 Contextual Factors
3.6 Discussion and Implications
Appendicies
Appendix 1: Prompt Questions to Support Teachers’ Reflections on their Changing Practice and Evidence of Children’s Learning
Appendix 2: Format of the Curriculum Materials
References
Chapter 4: Developing Children’s Questioning Skills for Inquiry in STEM
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Background
4.2.1 Asking Questions for STEM Inquiry
4.2.2 Evaluating Children’s Questions
4.2.3 Questioning, Inquiry, and Creativity
4.3 Our Case Study
4.4 Methodology
4.5 Results
4.5.1 Introductory Lesson
4.5.2 First Inquiry Cycle
4.6 Second Inquiry Cycle
4.6.1 Third Inquiry Cycle
4.6.2 Final Lesson
4.7 Discussion
4.8 Conclusions
References
Chapter 5: Creativity and Motivation in Early Years Science as it Relates to Cognitive Styles
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Creativity and the Motivation to Do Science
5.2.1 Creativity and Motivation in Science Learning Settings
5.2.2 Creativity, Motivation and the Empathising-Systemising Theory
5.3 The Study
5.3.1 Goal and Research Question
5.4 Method
5.5 Results
5.6 Discussion and Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Child-Focused Primary Science Inquiry: Can the Right Balance Be Found Between Creativity, Curriculum Objectives and Assessment Requirements?
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Science Inquiry
6.3 Creativity
6.4 Creativity in the Science Inquiry Process
6.5 Science Inquiry and Assessment
6.6 Creative Scientific Inquiry in Practice: Two Case Studies
6.7 Supporting Inquiry in the Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS)
6.7.1 Findings from the GSSfS
6.8 The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) Project
6.8.1 Findings from the TAPS Project
6.9 Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Working with Inquiry Activities to Encourage Creative Thinking
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The Role and Nature of Inquiry in Science Learning
7.3 Barriers to Implementing Inquiry-Based Science
7.4 Fostering Creativity Through Play and Possibility Thinking
7.5 Background to the Inquiry Projects
7.6 Vignettes
7.7 Discussion: Opportunities for Creative Thinking in Inquiry Classrooms
References
Part II: Characteristics of Creative STEM Learning Environments
Chapter 8: Young Children’s Creativity in the Context of STEM Learning Experiences
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Theoretical/Conceptual Background
8.3 Method
8.3.1 Research Site and Participants
8.3.2 Data Collection and Analysis
8.4 Results
8.4.1 Product
8.4.2 Person
8.4.3 Place
8.4.4 Process
8.5 Discussion
8.5.1 Product—What Do Children’s Creative STEM Products Look Like?
8.5.2 Person—Who Initiates Children’s Creative STEM Processes?
8.5.3 Place—How Do Environmental Elements Support Children’s Creative STEM Thinking?
8.5.4 Process—What Are the Characteristics of Children’s Creative STEM Processes?
8.5.5 Agency
8.5.6 Being Curious
8.5.7 Connecting
8.5.8 Daring
8.5.9 Experimenting
8.6 Implications
8.7 Limitations
8.8 Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter 9: ‘Creatively’ Using Pre-School Children’s Natural Creativity as a Lever in STEM Learning Through Playfulness
9.1 Introduction
9.2 STEM Education and the Needs of the Twenty-First Century
9.3 Complexity Theory, Constructionism and Play
9.4 Methods: Narrative Inquiry
9.5 Participants, Context and Disciplinarity
9.6 The First Narration: ‘Playing with the Square Root’
9.7 The Second Narration: ‘Investigating How a Compound Dissolves in Water’
9.8 Discussion
9.8.1 The Adult as a Designer
9.8.2 Learning as Play
9.9 Concluding Remarks: The Adult’s Willingness
References
Chapter 10: Characteristics of Learning Environments and Teachers’ Support for Children’s Creative STEM Enquiry in Japan
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Background
10.3 Elements of Creative STEM Enquiries and National Curriculum for Kindergartens
10.3.1 Creativity in the Curriculum
10.3.2 STEM Enquiries in the National Curriculum
10.4 Learning Environments and Teachers’ Support for Creativity in STEM
10.4.1 Various Environments and Trial and Error During Play for Creativity
10.4.1.1 Playground Environment
10.4.1.2 Origami (Paper Folding)
10.4.2 Teachers’ Provision of Intentional Environments and the Use of Trial and Error
10.4.2.1 Relevant Environments to Children’s Interests and the Real World
10.4.2.2 Support for Children’s Trial and Error During Play
10.5 Analysis of the Practice Record
10.5.1 Practice Record at Wako Kindergarten (Komatsu, 1975)
10.5.2 The Teacher’s Provision of an Environment and Support for Creativity
10.6 Discussion and Conclusion
References
Chapter 11: Bush Kinders in Australia: A Creative Place for Outdoor STEM Learning
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Understanding Creativity in Early Years Education
11.3 Understanding Bush Kinders: Influences on Children’s Creativity
11.4 Observing Creativity in Play
11.5 Bush Kinder Environments: Providing Strong Opportunities for Children’s STEM Creativity
11.6 Observing Creative Play Experiences
11.6.1 Vignette – Sand Drawings/Body
11.6.2 Vignette – Solving a Perplexing Problem
11.6.3 What the Teachers Said About Creativity
11.6.3.1 Fluency
11.6.3.2 Flexibility
11.6.3.3 Originality
11.6.3.4 Elaboration
11.7 The Environment as an Enabler of Children Creativity and Creative Play
11.8 Rethinking Creativity Using Different Frameworks
11.8.1 Children’s Creative Play Experiences
11.8.2 Teachers’ Pedagogy Related to Creativity
11.8.3 The Environment as an Enabler of Creativity
11.9 Concluding Comments
References
Part III: Creative Approaches to Teaching STEM
Chapter 12: Exploring an Engineering Design Process and Young Children’s Creativity
12.1 Introduction
12.2 The E in STEM: An Engineering Design Process
12.3 Creativity and an Engineering Design Process
12.4 Our Learning Design Experiment
12.4.1 Context and Participants
12.4.2 Action Research and the Design Experiment
12.4.3 Indicators of Creativity
12.4.4 Data Collection
12.5 Learning Stories
12.5.1 Cycle 1 Learning Story: Constructing a Choo-Choo Train
12.5.1.1 Introduction
12.5.2 Cycle 2 Learning Story: A Boat for Sally
12.5.2.1 Introduction
12.6 Creative Engineers: Impact of the Design Process
12.6.1 Children’s Demonstration of Creativity Indicators
References
Chapter 13: From Slavery to Scientist: Dramatising a Historical Story to Creatively Engage Learners in Resolving STEM Problems
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Theorising the Nature of Creativity
13.3 The Creative Use of Drama Conventions to Promote Inquiry
13.4 Exploring Ways of Using Historical Stories for Promoting Learning
13.5 The Historical Story Drawn on to Inform This Dramatic STEM Inquiry
13.6 The Action Research Approach
13.7 The Nature of the Intervention: A Sequence of Dramatised Activities
13.8 Findings
13.9 Discussion
13.10 Conclusion
References
Chapter 14: Leonardo da Vinci’s Apprentices or Tinkering Belles and Boys at Ludic Play?
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Dramatic Inquiry, Framing and Improvisational Roles
14.3 Playful Learning
14.4 Research Design
14.5 Ethical Considerations
14.6 Data Collection
14.7 An Illustrative Example: The Bridge Commission
14.7.1 Step 1 Define the Problem
14.7.2 Step 2 Generate Ideas and Possibilities
14.7.3 Step 3 Select Ideas and Plan
14.7.4 Step 4 Make and Test
14.7.5 Step 5 Evaluate and Iterate
14.8 Findings
14.9 Discussion and Implications for Classroom Practice
14.10 Limitations of the Study
14.11 Conclusion
References
Chapter 15: Working with Nature of Science in Early Childhood Education: Inspiring Children’s Curiosity, Inquiry and Play
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Nature of Science in Preschool?
15.3 The Project
15.4 Results
15.4.1 Narrative 1: An Investigation of the Food Choices of a Snail (Children Aged Two to Three)
15.4.2 Narrative 2: Investigations About Spiders (Children Five to Six Years Old)
15.5 Discussion and Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter 16: Taking STEM to STEAM and Enhancing Creativity
16.1 Introduction
16.2 STEM to STEAM
16.3 Nurturing Creativity Through STEAM Approaches
16.4 Case Study: Hammond Park Catholic Primary School
16.5 Discussion and Implications
References
Part IV: Digital Creativity in Children’s STEM Learning – Looking Forward in the Digital Era
Chapter 17: Integrating Tangible Technologies with Young Children’s STREAM Project
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Methods
17.2.1 School Context
17.2.2 Data Collection and Analysis
17.2.3 Classroom Context
17.3 The Computer Project
17.3.1 What Is a Computer?
17.3.2 What Makes a Computer a Computer?
17.3.3 Playing Office
17.3.4 Creating the Magnolia Office
17.3.5 Parents as Experts
17.3.6 Locating Parents Work Places
17.3.7 Including City Structures
17.3.8 Navigation
17.3.9 Mapping Our Classroom
17.4 Discussion
17.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 18: The Creative in Computational Thinking
18.1 Introduction
18.1.1 Computational Thinking
18.1.2 Creative Thinking
18.1.3 The Intersection of Computational Thinking and Creative Thinking in Unplugged Programming
18.2 Methodology
18.2.1 Sessions
18.2.2 Data Collection and Analysis
18.2.3 Operationalising Creative Thinking
18.2.4 Operationalising Computational Thinking
18.3 Results
18.4 Discussion
18.4.1 Computational Thinking and Creative Thinking
18.4.2 Limitations
18.4.3 Future Directions
18.5 Conclusion and Implications
References
Chapter 19: Young Children’s Playful Engagement and Learning with a Fairy-Tale Themed Augmented Reality Coding App
19.1 Introduction
19.2 Introducing Little Red Coding Club
19.3 Creativity in Young Children’s Playful Engagement and Learning with a Fairy-Tale Themed Augmented Reality Coding App
19.3.1 Creativity and Young Children’s Digital Engagement
19.3.2 Creativity and Coding in Early Childhood
19.3.3 Creativity, Augmented Reality and Coding in Early Childhood
19.3.4 Attending to Creativity and Coding in the Present Study
19.4 Methodology
19.5 Findings and Discussion
19.5.1 Process
19.5.2 Place
19.5.3 Product
19.5.4 Person
19.6 Conclusion
19.6.1 Limitations
19.6.2 Implications for Research and Practice
References
Chapter 20: Preparing Greek Pre-service Kindergarten Teachers to Promote Creativity: Opportunities Using Scratch and Makey Makey
20.1 Introduction
20.2 Visual Programming and Robots
20.3 The Scratch 3 Visual Programming Environment
20.4 The Makey Makey Educational Robotic Kit
20.5 Methods
20.5.1 Participants
20.5.2 Study Design
20.5.3 Data Collection
20.5.4 Data Analysis
20.5.4.1 Project Analysis
20.5.4.2 Students’ Self-Efficacy Analysis
20.6 Results
20.6.1 Ethical Considerations
20.7 Limitations
20.8 Discussion—Conclusion
References