Play and STEM Education in the Early Years: International Policies and Practices

Contents
Part I Play as the Foundation of STEM Experiences During a Child’s Learning Journey
1 Introduction: The Role of Play and STEM in the Early Years
1.1 Play and the Early Years
1.2 Play in Informal, Formal, and Non-formal Education Settings
1.3 Play and STEM Education
1.4 Extended STEM Subjects
1.5 The Role of Adults and Children as Initiators and Drivers
1.6 Outline of the Book
1.6.1 Part 1: Play as the Foundation of STEM Experiences During a child’s Learning Journey
1.6.2 Part 2: Policies and Training for Formal Education Environments
1.6.3 Part 3: Early years Experiences in Kindergarten and Formal Schools for 5–8-Year-Olds
1.6.4 Part 4: Informal Settings and Family Involvement in Play
References
2 Play and STEM Foundations in the Earliest Years
2.1 Introduction: What Are the Early Years?
2.2 Importance of Everyday in Foundations of Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Technology Understanding.
2.3 Play, Learning and Progression
2.4 Adults, STEM and Play
2.5 Conclusion
References
3 Psychology of Children’s Play, Imagination, Creativity and Playful Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education in Russia
3.1 Introduction
3.2 The Conceptual Framework of Pre-school Education in Russia
3.3 Methodology
3.3.1 Object Substitutions
3.3.2 Positional Substitutions
3.3.3 Spatial Substitutions
3.4 Results and Discussion
3.5 Conclusion
3.6 Recommendations
References
4 Young Children’s Free Play in Nature: An Essential Foundation for STEM Learning in Germany
4.1 Early Childhood Education and Its Social Significance in Germany
4.2 Learning Processes and Child Development in the First Years of Life
4.3 There Is No Such Thing as Just Playing
4.4 Using Play’s Potentials for Early STEM Education—Does the Setting Make a Difference?
4.5 Methods
4.6 Findings
4.7 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
5 Engaging Children in Science Learning Through Outdoor Play
5.1 Outdoor Play and Affordances
5.1.1 Scientific Thinking and Learning
5.1.2 Play, Playfulness, and Scientific Thinking and Learning
5.1.3 Methods
5.1.4 Results
5.1.5 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
6 Exploring the Possibilities of STEM and Play in Preschool Years in England
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The English Early Years System
6.3 Play Is Not Uniform but Developmental and Progressive
6.3.1 Science
6.3.2 Mathematics
6.3.3 Technology and Engineering
6.4 Progression
6.4.1 Acquiring a Scientific Literacy
6.4.2 Science Experiences—Biological, Earth and Physical Science
6.4.3 Progression in Play
6.4.4 One Child’s Progression Case Study
6.5 Conclusion
References
7 Play and Mathematics in an English Early Years Classroom
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Knowledge and Learning
7.3 Play
7.3.1 Amy’s Play
7.3.2 Maths and Feely Bag
7.3.3 Guided Exploration Outside
7.3.4 A Play-Based Learning Microcosm
7.3.5 Developing STEM
7.4 The Role of the Adult
7.5 Trying Out Prior Learning
7.5.1 Specific Area of Learning-Mathematics
7.6 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
8 Play, Science and Engineering in the Early Years in Australia
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Learning Through Play
8.3 Science and Engineering (STEM) in Early Childhood
8.4 Practice Stories from the Field
8.4.1 Water, Water Everywhere!
8.4.2 Lizards in the Room!
8.4.3 Robots Taking Over
8.4.4 Science in Nature Play
8.4.5 Engineering in Nature Play
8.4.6 Story Summary
8.5 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
9 Bee-Bot Robots and Their STEM Learning Potential in the Play-Based Behaviour of Preschool Children in Canada
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Introduction to the Idea of STEM Education
9.3 STEM Learning and Young Children
9.4 Coding and the Introduction of Technology in Elementary Education in Nova Scotia
9.5 Understanding STEM Technology Learning Possibilities in Young Children
9.6 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
Part II Policies and Training for Formal Education Environments
10 Sweden, Australia, and Belgium: STEM Comparisons in Early Childhood
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Selection of Cases
10.3 Country Contexts
10.4 Comparing the Research Designs
10.5 What the Teachers Were Saying
10.5.1 Sweden
10.5.2 Australia
10.5.3 Belgium
10.5.4 Discussion of the Comparisons Across the Countries
10.6 Conclusion
10.7 Recommendations
References
11 Perspectives on the Finnish Early Years STEAM Education: Reflecting on the Avant-Garde
11.1 The Finnish Early years Education as a Context for children’s STEAM Education and Twenty-First Century Skills
11.2 Novel Finnish Approaches to Early STEAM Education
11.2.1 Phenomenon Based Learning as a Holistic Approach to STEAM
11.2.2 Makerspaces in Early STEAM Education: Melding STEAM into Children’s Culture
11.2.3 Children’s Projects: Helping STEAM Interests Grow
11.3 Conclusions
11.4 Recommendations
References
12 Play-Based Learning as a Natural Teaching Strategy in the Jamaican Preschool Environment
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Play-Based Learning in Jamaica
12.3 Early Childhood Education in Jamaica
12.4 Children Engagement in Play-Based Activities
12.5 Conclusion
12.6 Recommendations
References
13 Preparing Early Years Practitioners in Mauritius
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Early Childhood Development and Education
13.2.1 The Birth to 3-Years Old Child
13.2.2 3–5-Years Old Child
13.3 National Curriculum Framework for Pre-primary Education
13.4 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Pre-primary Education
13.5 Preparing Early Years Practitioners (Training)
13.6 Early Childhood Education Programmes
13.6.1 Foundation Course—Practitioners/Care Givers Working with Children 0–3 Years
13.6.2 ECE Courses: Practitioners Working with Children 3–5 Years
13.7 Conclusion
References
14 Addressing Variability in Learning in the Early Years Through STEM and Executive Function
14.1 Introduction
14.2 STEM in Malta
14.2.1 Curriculum Reform at a National Level
14.2.2 Learning, Teaching and Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
14.2.3 STEM Outreach
14.3 Gaining Clarity in How Children Learn
14.4 Learning Outcomes
14.5 Universal Design for Learning
14.6 The UDL Guidelines
14.6.1 Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
14.6.2 Provide Multiple Means of Recognition
14.6.3 Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
14.6.4 Diving Deeper into the Importance of Scaffolding for Executive Function
14.7 Conclusion and Recommendations
14.7.1 Using UDL Guidelines to Design STEM Learning Experiences
References
Part III Early Years Experiences in Kindergarten and Formal Schools for 5–8-Year-Olds
15 Learning Environments that Improve STEM Capabilities in Israel: Constructional Play and Preschoolers’ Engineering Habits of Mind
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Tailoring Relevant Learning Environment
15.2.1 The Future Kindergarten Initiative
15.2.2 The Future Kindergarten Model
15.2.3 The Future Kindergarten Educational Spaces
15.3 Early STEM Education and Engineering Habits of Mind
15.3.1 Investigating Engineering Through Preschool Constructive Play Objects
15.4 Methodology
15.4.1 Study Sample
15.4.2 Research Tools
15.4.3 Research Procedure
15.5 Findings
15.5.1 Differences in the Children’s EHoM by Group and Time
15.5.2 Differences in Children’s Quality of Construction Product by Group and time
15.6 Discussion
15.6.1 Children’s Construction Product by Group (Intervention or Comparison Group) and by Time
15.6.2 Limitations of the Study
15.7 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
16 Fostering 5- to 6-Year-Old Children’s Conceptual Knowledge of Gear Functioning Through Guided Play in German Kindergartens
16.1 Introduction
16.2 The Gear Play Environment
16.3 Experimental Study
16.4 Results
16.5 Conclusion
References
17 Transformation of Young Children’s Minds, Lives, and Society Through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Play About Water
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Early Science Education in the Japanese Context
17.3 Learning About Water
17.4 STEAM Programme Focusing on Water to Transform Young Children’s Minds, Lives and Society
17.4.1 ‘Story Relay’ Activity
17.4.2 ‘Let’s Make Coloured Water’ Activity
17.4.3 ‘Let’s Clean Dirty Water’ Activity
17.4.4 ‘Let’s Make a River’ Activity
17.5 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
18 Early STEM Implementation in PreK and Kindergarten in Mexico
18.1 Introduction
18.2 STEM in PreK and Kindergarten in Mexico
18.3 Centers of Interest in Science for Kindergarten
18.4 Some Successful STEM Activities in Kindergarten
18.4.1 Activity 1 “What Is the Movement?”
18.4.2 Activity 2 “My Body Moves”
18.4.3 Activity 3 “Trip Through the City”
18.4.4 Activity 4 “Let’s Play Big”
18.5 Philosophy for Children
18.6 Workshop On-Line of Philosophy for Children for Learning Science
18.7 The Use of Empirical Material in STEM Programs for Young Learners in Mexico
18.8 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
Part IV Informal Settings and Family Involvement in Play
19 GLOBE, STEM and Argentine Citizen Science: Collaborations in the Early Years Through Outdoor Observations
19.1 Introduction
19.2 The Argentine Educational System
19.3 Pre-primary Education in Argentina and Balanced Play
19.3.1 Pre-primary Education and the National Strategy
19.4 STEM Education, Citizen Science and Early Years Collaborations in Argentina
19.5 Research Methodology
19.5.1 Research Questions
19.5.2 Research Design
19.5.3 STEM Research
19.5.4 Data Collection
19.5.5 Data Analysis
19.6 Results
19.6.1 Primary Student Concept and Skills Development
19.6.2 Concepts and Skills Developed by the Younger Siblings
19.7 Discussion
19.8 Limitations
19.9 Conclusion
19.10 Recommendations
Appendix A: Daily Activities Table
Appendix B: Student Projects and Presentations
References
20 Early Years Informal Science Education Programme in Mauritius: A Systemic Approach by the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre
20.1 Introduction
20.2 Activities of RGSC
20.2.1 Continuous Professional Development of Teachers
20.2.2 Science Exhibition by Pupils and Teachers of Pre-primary Schools
20.2.3 Visit to Galleries
20.3 RGSC’s Collaboration with Educational Authorities
20.4 Conclusion
20.5 Recommendations
References
21 Diverse STEM Interest Development Pathways in Early Childhood
21.1 Introduction
21.2 Study Context
21.3 Theoretical Perspectives
21.4 Diverse STEM Interest Pathways
21.4.1 Pathway 1: Developing Engineering-Related Interests
21.4.2 Pathway 2—Extending Prior Interests
21.4.3 Pathway 3—Reinforcing Family Values
21.5 Conclusion
References
22 Sparking Imaginations: Exploring Science Teachers’ Perspectives and Experiences of Play and Early Learning at Dioramas
22.1 Introduction
22.2 Literature Review: Dioramas and Learning About the Natural World Through Play
22.3 Context and Setting
22.4 Study Design: Methods, Data, Analysis
22.4.1 Sampling and Participants
22.4.2 Methods, Data Sources, and Analysis
22.4.3 Study Design Shifts Due to Pandemic
22.5 Emperor Penguins and Parental Care Vignette
22.5.1 Emperor Penguins and Parental Care Lesson (2–6-Year-Olds)
22.5.2 Deconstructing Facilitation Moves in the Vignette
22.6 Exploring Teachers’ Examples of Play and Learning at Dioramas in Early Childhood Classes
22.6.1 Role Play During the Expedition
22.6.2 Role Play and Acting Out the Story
22.6.3 Playing Games Imagining and Recreating the Scene at a Diorama to Enact a Science Concept
22.6.4 Building on Pretend Play Inspired by Dioramas to Create a Science-Related Art Project
22.6.5 Play During Free Exploration
22.6.6 Imaginative Play in Constructing and Recreating Dioramas
22.6.7 Physical Play Through Games to Understand Dioramas
22.6.8 Free Play
22.7 The Intertwining Nature of Teachers’ Perceptions of Affordances of Dioramas for Play and Learning and the Various Pedagogical Approaches They Use to Tap into Them
22.7.1 Tell a Story
22.7.2 Spark Students’ Imaginations
22.7.3 Harness Awe, Wonder, and Curiosity
22.7.4 Observing Animals in Their Natural Habitats
22.7.5 Create Social and Emotional Connections, Develop Empathy, and Make Memories
22.7.6 Develop a Sense of Place Within the Museum
22.7.7 Flexibility as an Educational Tool
22.8 Conclusion
References