Science in Early Childhood Education

Chapter 3
Lesson 1: Creating a Positive Learning Environment
Many forces combine to create a classroom’s learning environment. This environment could
be positive or negative, efficient or inefficient. Much of this depends on the plans you have
in place to deal with situations that affect this environment. It’s important to take into
consideration each of these forces in order to ensure a positive learning environment for all
students.
Lesson 2: Ways of Teaching Science
Teaching Science by Inquiry
What is inquiry?
Inquiry-based learning begins with a question, problem or idea. It involves children in
planning and carrying out investigations, proposing explanations and solutions, and
communicating their understanding of concepts in a variety of ways. Throughout the inquiry
process, children observe, raise questions, and critique their practices. It is an approach that
encourages collaboration and can be used effectively in a trans-disciplinary way or in most
subject areas.
If utilized effectively, possible characteristics may include: active, agentic, collaborative,
creative, scaffolded.
Children may:
• initiate the inquiry by posing factual and exploratory questions based on personal interests
and experiences
• work as researchers, inferring, hypothesizing, predicting, investigating, experimenting and
recording
• use skills in decision-making, planning and problem solving
• reflect, rethink, reframe their questions, problems or ideas
• share new learning with others and plan for future learning.

Teacher’s Role in Inquiry-based Learning

Teachers may:
• initiate the inquiry through a question, problem or idea
• support children to theorize, hypothesize and wonder
• provide opportunities for children to become more confident and autonomous problem-
solvers and thinkers
• organize for learning experiences extending beyond singular activities, that can be
repeated or returned to, and that lend themselves to active engagement in purposeful
learning.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/4nkzyawf

Strategy to Teach Inquiry-based Learning Although teachers can approach inquiry-based

instruction in a variety of ways, a few basic components are important:
 Teaching Science by Problem-solving

What is problem solving?

• By exploring social relationships, manipulating objects, and interacting with people,
children are able to formulate ideas, try these ideas out, and accept or reject what they
learn.
• Constructing knowledge by making mistakes is part of the natural process of problem
solving.
• Through exploring, then experimenting, trying out a hypothesis, and finally, solving
problems, children make learning personal and meaningful.
• Piaget states that children understand only what they discover or invent themselves
(1963).
• It is this discovery within the problem-solving process that is the vehicle for children's
learning. Children are encouraged to construct their own knowledge when the teacher
plans for problem solving; bases the framework for learning in problem solving; and
provides time, space, and materials.
• Adults and even young learners have different problems that they encounter throughout
their lives. It only varies only on the depth of problems that we are encountering. But as
young as they, you as future early childhood educators, you need to know how to teach
them to solve these problems.
Teacher’s Role in Problem-solving Learning

Changing through problem solving is modeled by adults (Bloom, Sheerer, and Britz, 1991)
and facilitated by the teacher in the classroom environment. Being a problem solver is
modeled by the teacher and emulated by the children. The teacher's role is two-fold:
• first, to value the process and be willing to trust the learner, and
• second, to establish and maintain a classroom environment that encourages problem
solving.

It is the attitude of the teacher that must change first in the problem-solving classroom.
Values and goals must be clearly defined to include a child-centered curriculum, the
development of communication skills, promotion of cooperative learning, and inclusion of
diverse ideas.
The teacher must be willing to become a learner, too. By being curious, observing, listening,
and questioning, the teacher shares and models the qualities that are valued and promoted
by the problem-solving process.
Source: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED355040.pdf

3 General Strategies to Teach Problem-Solving

1. Model Effective Problem-Solving When YOU encounter a challenge, do a “think-

aloud” for the benefit of your learners. MODEL how to apply the same problem-solving
skills you’ve been working on together, giving the real-world examples that she can
implement in her own life.

At the same time, show your learners the willingness to make mistakes. Everyone
encounters problems, and that’s okay. Sometimes the first solution you try won’t work,
and that’s okay too! When you model problem-solving, explain that there are some
things which are out of our control. As we're solving a problem at hand, we should
focus on the things we CAN actually control.

2. Ask for Advice Ask your learners for advice when you have a problem. This teaches
them that it’s common to make mistakes and face challenges. It also gives them the
opportunity to practice problem-solving skills. Plus, when you indicate that their ideas
are valued, they’ll gain the confidence to attempt solving problems on their own.

3. Don’t Provide “The Answer” As difficult as it may be, allow your learners to struggle,
sometimes fail, and ultimately LEARN from experiencing consequences.

For 3-5 Years Old

1. Use Emotion Coaching
To step into a problem-solving mindset, young children need to first learn to manage
their emotions. After all, it’s difficult for a small child to logically consider solutions to a
problem if he’s mid-tantrum. One way to accomplish this is by using the emotion
coaching process outlined by John Gottman.

First, teach the learners that ALL emotions are acceptable. There are NO “bad”
emotions. Even seemingly negative emotions like anger, sadness, and frustration can
teach us valuable lessons. What matters is how we respond to these emotions.

Second, follow this process:

✓ Step One: Naming and validating emotions. Help your learner process the way
she’s feeling. Say something like, “I understand that you’re upset because Jessica is
playing with the toy you wanted.”
✓ Step Two: Processing emotions. Guide your learner to her calming space. If she
doesn't have one, it's a good idea to create one. Let her calm her body and
process her emotions so she can problem-solve, learn, and grow.
✓ Step Three: Problem Solving. Brainstorm solutions with your learners, doing more
LISTENING than talking during the conversation. This allows them to practice their
problem-solving skills, and more likely to actually implement the solutions they came
up with themselves.
Say, “Show Me the Hard Part” When your child struggles or feels frustrated, try a technique
suggested by mom and parenting blogger Lauren Tamm. Simply say, “Show me the hard
part.” This helps your child identify the ROOT of the problem, making it less intimidating and
easier to solve.

Repeat back what your child says, “So you’re saying…”

Once you both understand the real problem, prompt your child to come up with solutions.
“There must be some way you can fix that…” or “There must be something you can do…”

Now that your child has identified “the hard part,” she’ll likely be able to come up with a
solution. If not, help her brainstorm some ideas. You may try asking the question, “If you DID
know, what would you think?” and see what she comes up with.

2. Problem-Solve with Creative Play

Allow your learners to choose activities and games based on her interests. Free play
provides plenty of opportunities to navigate and creatively solve problems. Learners
often learn best through PLAY. Playing with items like blocks, simple puzzles, and dress
up clothes can teach your learners the process of problem-solving.

Even while playing, your child thinks critically: Where does this puzzle piece fit? What
does this do? I want to dress up as a queen. What should I wear? Where did I put my
tiara? Is it under the couch?

3. Problem-Solve with Storybooks

Read age-appropriate stories featuring characters who experience problems, such as:
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by Jacky Davis: The story of two friends who want to
play together but can’t find a game to agree on. After taking turns making
suggestions, they arrive at a game they both want to play: Ladybug Girl and
Bumblebee Boy.

The Curious George Series by Margaret and H.E. Rey: A curious little monkey gets into
and out of dilemmas, teaching kids to find solutions to problems of their own.

Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber: Ira’s thrilled to have a sleepover at his friend
Reggie’s house. But there’s one problem: Should he or should he not bring his teddy
bear? It may seem small, but this is the type of early social problem your learner might
relate to.

Connect these experiences to similar events in your learners’ own life, and ASK them
HOW the characters in these stories could solve their problems. Encourage a variety of
solutions, and discuss the possible outcomes of each.

This is a form of dialogue reading, or actively ENGAGING your learners in the reading
experience. Interacting with the text instead of passively listening can “turbocharge”
the development of literacy skills such as comprehension in preschool-aged learners.
By asking questions about the characters’ challenges, you can also give your learners
problem-solving abilities a boost. You can even have your learners’ roleplay the
problem and potential solutions to reinforce the lesson.

5-7 Years Old

1. Teach the Problem-Solving Steps

Come up with a simple problem-solving process for your child, one that you can
consistently implement. For example, you might try the following five steps:

• Step 1: What am I feeling? Help your child understand what she’s feeling in the
moment (frustration, anger, curiosity, disappointment, excitement, etc.) Noticing and
naming emotions will diffuse their charge and give your child a chance to take a step
back.
 • Step 2: What’s the problem? Guide your child to identify the specific problem. In most
cases, help her take responsibility for what happened rather than pointing fingers. For
instance, instead of, “Joey got me in trouble at recess,” your child might say, “I got in
trouble at recess for arguing with Joey.”
• Step 3: What are the solutions? Encourage your child to come up with as many
solutions as possible. At this point, they don’t even need to be “good” solutions.
They’re just brainstorming here, not yet evaluating the ideas they’ve generated.
• Step 4: What would happen if…? What would happen if your child attempted each of
these solutions? Is the solution safe and fair? How will it make others feel? You can also
try role playing at this step. It’s important for your child to consider BOTH positive and
negative consequences of her actions.
• Step 5: Which one will I try? Ask your child to pick one or more solutions to try. If the
solution didn't work, discuss WHY and move on to another one. Encourage your child
to keep trying until the problem is solved.
Consistently practice these steps so that they become second nature, and model solving
problems of your own the same way. It's a good idea to reflect: What worked? What didn’t?
What can you do differently next time?

2. Problem-Solve with Craft Materials

Crafting is another form of play that can teach young learners to solve problems
creatively. Provide your learners with markers, modeling clay, cardboard boxes, tape,
paper, etc. They’ll come up with all sorts of interesting creations and inventive games
with these simple materials. These “open-ended toys” don’t have a “right way to
play,” allowing your learners to get creative and generate ideas independently.

3. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Asking open-ended questions improves a learners’ ability to think critically and
creatively, ultimately making them better problem-solvers. Examples of open-ended
questions include:
How could we work together to solve this?
How did you work it out? or how do you know that?
Tell me about what you built, made, or created.
What do you think will happen next?
What do you think would happen if…?
What did you learn? What was easy?
What was hard?
What would you do differently next time?

Open-ended questions have no right answer and can’t be answered with a simple
“Yes” or “No.” You can ask open-ended questions even when your learners aren’t
currently solving a problem to help her practice her thinking skills, which will come in
handy when she does have a problem to solve.

7-9 Years Old

1. Break Down Problems into Chunks
This strategy is a more advanced version of “Show me the hard part.” The bigger your
learner gets, the bigger her problems get too. When your learner is facing a challenge
that seems overwhelming or insurmountable, encourage her to break it into smaller,
more manageable chunks.

2. Show “The Broken Escalator Video”

Discuss the importance of embracing challenges and solving problems independently
with the “broken escalator video.” In the video, an escalator unexpectedly breaks.
The people on the escalator are “stuck” and yelling for help. At this age, it’s likely that
 the learner will find the video funny and immediately offer a solution: “Just Walk! Get
off the escalator!” Tell the learner that this is a simple example of how people
sometimes act in difficult situations. Ask, “Why do you think they didn’t get off the
escalator?” (They didn’t know how, they were waiting for help, etc.) Sometimes, the
learner might feel “stuck” when facing problems. They may stop and ask for help
before even attempting to find a solution. Encourage the learner to embrace
challenges and work through problems instead.
Source: https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/how-teach-problem-solving-strategies-kids-guide

Children’s thinking: From everyday concepts to Scientific Concepts

The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.
— Albert Einstein

As children’s play experiences change as children grow, so does their concept

development. Teachers can document the changes in children’s understandings of scientific
concepts while observing their play (Fleer 2008). Vygotsky (1962/1986) made a distinction
between every day, or spontaneous, concepts and scientific concepts. Children develop
everyday concepts intuitively through interactions in everyday experiences (such as play).
These concepts are embedded in the contexts in which they are developed, for example,
when a child plays at a water table and experiences the properties of water as a liquid.

Scientific concepts are concepts children learn in school. These concepts are based on the
structured thinking, logic, and language used in the discipline of science and developed
through interactions with a teacher; for example, a child learning about volume. Often,
these concepts are taught outside of the context in which children are developing everyday
concepts. Bodrova and Leong (1996/2007) describe the interplay between everyday
concepts and scientific concepts as follows: Children will not understand concepts such as
“volume” if they do not have everyday concepts of “liquids” and “measuring.” The scientific
concept directly depends on the child’s everyday understandings of the world. As children
learn scientific concepts, the meaning of liquids and measuring changes. It is a two-way
process— scientific and everyday concepts grow into one another. The scientific concept is
modified by the everyday concept, and the everyday concept is changed by the learning
of the scientific concept.
Source: www.naeyc.org/memberlogin