Full Description
This book provides a fresh perspective on recent debates around integrating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education in early childhood.
The book offers inspiration and practical advice for educators and researchers. It suggests concrete ways to engage young children in STEAM learning activities and promote their development. With contributions from international experts, the book discusses how to develop age-appropriate STEAM learning activities for young children. Divided into four parts, the book covers a wide range of topics, including the perceptions and practices of STEAM education among early childhood teachers in different countries, the use of new pedagogies and technologies to promote equitable and accessible STEAM education, the role of teacher education and policy in reducing inequality in STEAM education, and how early STEAM education can promote social change and achieve sustainable development goals. The book highlights the importance of STEAM education in providing young children with the necessary skills to create a more sustainable and equitable world. Overall, this book provides an important contribution to help critique and improve how early childhood educators view and practice STEAM education across cultures. It proposes ideas for achieving sustainable development goals through high-quality early STEAM education.
The book appeals to early childhood educators and researchers, as it draws on cross-cultural viewpoints to critically examine how teachers understand and implement STEAM education across different cultures along with exploring how cultural values and goals shape early STEAM education.
Contents
1. From STEM to STEAM: Creating A More Sustainable and Equitable World for Young Children Part 1. The Microsystem: How Early Childhood Teachers Perceive and Practice STEAM - Inequality within and across Countries? 2. Understanding the Dynamic Process of Integrating and Navigating STEAM in Australian Early Childhood Education 3. A Chinese Style of STEM Inquiry? The Discourse of Inquiry-Based STEM Education among Chinese Early Childhood Practitioners 4. STEAM and Sustainable Development Challenges in Early Childhood Education: Estonian Preschool Teachers' Views and Practices 5. Towards the Sustainable Development Goals: STEAM Education Beliefs and Practices in Turkish Preschools 6. STEAM Education in Preschools in Hanoi, Vietnam: Teachers' Beliefs About the Learning Environment and Challenges in Teaching Part 2. The Mesosystem: Higher-Order Effects from New Pedagogies and Technologies for Promoting Quality and Accessible STEAM Education 7. Learning STEAM Content Via Arts-Based Hands-On Activities 8. "But Then I Am the Robot's Brain!": Children's and Preschool Teachers' Communication During STEM Teaching Scaffolded by Digital Tools 9. Equity and Inclusion Through STEAM Play in Early Childhood Education: Culturally Valued Play-Based Practices 10. "Because Every Kid Can Think Like A Scientist": Reflecting South-African Children's Voices on Being Scientists and Engineers Based on Their STEAM Experience Part 3. The Exosystem: The Role of Teacher Education and Policy in Early STEAM Education to Reduce Inequality 11. Early Childhood Teachers Becoming Makers Themselves Before Teaching Young Children the Value of Making 12. Saudi Early Childhood Female Teachers' Perceptions of Children's Gender Stereotypes When Implementing STEM 13. Early Childhood Teacher Agency and Creative Insubordination Through STEAM Learning Part 4. The Macrosystem: Achieving Sustainable Development Goals Through Early STEAM Education to Promote Social Change 14. The Design of the Curriculum for Sustainability and Climate Education in the Early Years 15. Children as Inventors of Sustainable Future: Imagination-Driven Approach to Early STEAM Education 16. STEAM Activities to Advance SDG4 in the Early Years by Making Items from Recycled Materials 17. "It's Not a Challenge, It's an Opportunity": Empowering Children to Create a Sustainable Future 18. Challenges and Opportunities in STEAM Education in the Early Years Against the Global Move Towards a Sustainable Future
