Ch. #13 – Teaching Children to Investigate and Solve Problems (STEM) (10)
1. What is STEM and why is it important in the early years?
2. What effective teaching strategies and curricula help children learn mathematics, science, and engineering? Break down each separately and be specific.
3. Read, “Becoming an Intentional Teacher: Early Childhood Engineering” and respond to the “Reflection” prompt. Pg 478
1. There are often strong feelings about “preparing children for kindergarten” and teaching academics in preschool, yet we know that social-emotional learning and strong democratic skills really lay the foundation for later success. It is not that pre-academic learning (language, literacy, social studies, math, science, democracy, etc.) isn’t important, but it must be presented in developmentally appropriate ways, which includes a substantial amount of play. Find an outside source and share 2 activities that you could use in your classroom to promote children’s understanding of 2 of the domains noted above. You might use the Ca. Preschool Learning Foundations or Frameworks (Vol 1, 2, or 3), Pinterest, a curriculum website, or your text.
Get creative and have fun!
2. Most of you know how I love mindfulness!! Research the benefits of mindfulness or relaxation using your text or an outside source and share your findings! Be sure to include your source.
