Science Experiences For The Early Childhood Years

Updated to reflect the National Science Education Standards, this leading text, takes a hands-on approach to science learning by providing a solid theoretical foundation and many practical activities. A truly unique quality of the text is the science-concept-based units that offer teachers a way to integrate science knowledge and processes into the whole curriculum (including art, math, music, creative movement, creative thinking, community, and family relations).

Core text for Science in Early Childhood and Science in the Elementary School courses. The ninth edition of Science Experiences for the Early Childhood Years is written during recurrent national anxiety about science education. Since the 1957 launch of Sputnik, concern has pervaded the overlapping circles of education, business, labor, and government. The United States is afraid of losing its high standard of living to countries that have more citizens, or are more desperately hard-working, or whose children both score higher on international math and science tests and pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers with more frequency. The aim of this book is to help new teachers be both informed in science and strong in their belief that science is great for children, a master discipline, that naturally facilitates attention to math and reading.

Children’s learning and understanding of science during their pre-school years has been a neglected topic in the education literature—something this volume aims to redress. Paradigmatic notions of science education, with their focus on biologically governed development and age-specific accession to scientific concepts, have perpetuated this state of affairs. This book offers a very different perspective, however. It has its roots in the work of cultural-historical activity theorists, who, since Vygotsky, have assumed that any higher cognitive function existed in and as a social relation first. Accepting this precept removes any lower limit we may deem appropriate on children’s cognitive engagement with science-related concepts. The authors describe and analyze the ways in which children aged from one to five grapple with scientific concepts, and also suggest ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers can be prepared to teach in ways that support children’s development in cultural and historical contexts. In doing so, the book affirms the value of cultural-historical activity theory as an appropriate framework for analyzing preschool children’s participation in science learning experiences, and shows that that the theory provides an appropriate framework for understanding learning, as well as for planning and conducting training for pre-school teachers.

This book emphasizes the significance of teaching science in early childhood classrooms, reviews the research on what young children are likely to know about science and provides key points on effectively teaching science to young children. Science education, an integral part of national and state standards for early childhood classrooms, encompasses not only content-based instruction but also process skills, creativity, experimentation and problem-solving. By introducing science in developmentally appropriate ways, we can support young children’s sensory explorations of their world and provide them with foundational knowledge and skills for lifelong science learning, as well as an appreciation of nature. This book emphasizes the significance of teaching science in early childhood classrooms, reviews the research on what young children are likely to know about science, and provides key points on effectively teaching young children science. Common research methods used in the reviewed studies are identified, methodological concerns are discussed and methodological and theoretical advances are suggested.

A core text for Science in Early Childhood courses at the 2-year or 4-year level for those who will teach young children in preschool or in the primary grades. A classic in the field, this text takes an integrated approach to science without watering it down, and emphasizes understanding and addressing children’s affective nature. It remains a forward-thinking, innovative resource for teaching science to young learners, and a best-selling resource for the field. Clearly organized, the text provides a research-based rationale for early science education in Part I chapters. Emphasizing that meaningful science for young children builds on the emotional underpinnings of their curiosity and concerns about the everyday world, and their pleasure in exploring it, this resource encourages new teachers to help children live appreciatively and thoughtfully on Earth. The topical chapters in Part II offer solid, accessible, concept-based activities and are concurrent with the vision of the new Framework for K-12 Science Education, being developed by the Board on Science Education of the National Academy of Science. For each unit presented, students are provided with all the comprehensive integrating and connecting elements to strengthen children’s learning of science. Early educators’ own content and pedagogical knowledge will be expanded as they practice using the units in class and in field placements.

A core text for Science in Early Childhood courses at the 2-year or 4-year level for those who will teach young children in preschool or in the primary grades.A classic in the field, this text takes an integrated approach to science without watering it down, and emphasizes understanding and addressing children's affective nature. It remains a forward-thinking, innovative resource for teaching science to young learners, and a best-selling resource for the field.Clearly organized, the text provides a research-based rationale for early science education in Part I chapters. Emphasizing that meaningful science for young children builds on the emotional underpinnings of their curiosity and concerns about the everyday world, and their pleasure in exploring it, this resource encourages new teachers to help children live appreciatively and thoughtfully on Earth.The topical chapters in Part II offer solid, accessible, concept-based activities and are concurrent with the vision of the new Framework for K-12 Science Education, being developed by the Board on Science Education of the National Academy of Science. For each unit presented, students are provided with all the comprehensive integrating and connecting elements to strengthen children's learning of science. Early educators' own content and pedagogical knowledge will be expanded as they practice using the units in class and in field placements."