![]() The children’s experiences in this project integrated visual arts science content and the STEAM processes of problem exploration, design, planning, measuring, and recording observations. Over the course of the summer and into the fall, the children cared for their plants measured and recorded the plants’ growth and shared their crops of herbs, vegetables, and flowers with others in the school. White and two parent volunteers created a raised flower bed on the playground so the children could regularly observe and care for the plants. Once they finalized their planning, they planted seeds and cared for them in the classroom until the plants were mature enough to be planted outdoors. Over the course of several weeks, the children researched plants and worked together to choose what to plant in their garden. White proposed that the class plan, design, plant, and take care of a class garden. White’s year-round class of 4- and 5-year-olds was particularly interested in learning about seeds and plant growth. One method for integrating STEAM in your classroom is through child-centered projects. They also promote similar processes for learning, such as asking questions, making connections with prior knowledge, gathering and analyzing data (including observations), and communicating findings and ideas. For example, you could engage children in recording the weather each day on a chart and creating weekly summaries (three sunny days, two cloudy days) to support their learning of science and math content and also data gathering and analysis processes.įor a long-term, well-integrated STEAM project, you could support children as they learn about what conditions are best for a class pet and then explore locations (a dark corner or a sunny window?), observe conditions (too cold or too hot?), measure spaces (is the table big enough for a cage, an observation space, and a caretaker schedule?), and draw plans to create the pet’s new classroom home.Īs you dive into integrated activities, you’ll see that the STEAM fields provide complementary perspectives on the world. ![]() STEAM integration helps teachers focus on content ( what to learn) and processes ( how to learn). In early childhood, we encourage STEAM teaching to integrate these subject areas within a meaningful context. Inquiry practices provide young children with opportunities to approach problems in new and authentic ways. You can facilitate inquiry experiences by creating opportunities for children to learn about the world through STEAM lenses and by asking high-quality, open-ended questions. ![]() Inquiry instruction encourages active (often hands-on) experiences that support building understanding and vocabulary, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and reflection. STEAM for young children falls under the umbrella of inquiry instruction. (STEAM refers to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.) In the rest of the series-which will be published in future issues of TYC-we take a deeper look at each of these examples, focusing on extending children’s STEAM learning through conversations, open-ended questions, and informal assessments. Here, we introduce three examples of STEAM instruction in early childhood settings. This is the first article in a four-part series.
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