Playful STEAM learning in the early years : an educator's guide to screen-free explorations / Amanda Sullivan and Amanda Strawhacker, foreword by Merredith Portsmore.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sullivan, Amanda (Amanda Alzena), author.

Strawhacker, Amanda, author.

Contributor:

Portsmore, Merredith, writer of foreword.

Series:

Early childhood education series (Teachers College Press)

Early Childhood Education Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--Study and teaching (Early childhood).

Science.

Technology--Study and teaching (Early childhood).

Technology.

Engineering--Study and teaching (Early childhood).

Engineering.

Arts--Study and teaching (Early childhood).

Arts.

Mathematics--Study and teaching (Early childhood).

Mathematics.

Early childhood education--Activity programs.

Early childhood education.

Education, Primary--Social aspects.

Education, Primary.

Comparative education.

Physical Description:

xiv, 176 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Teachers College Press, 2025.

Summary:

Decades of research has shown that introducing STEM content like coding and engineering during the foundational early childhood years can lead to many benefits, such as improving children's number sense, problem-solving skills, and sequencing ability. Unfortunately, the costs of STEM technologies can be a barrier for many early childhood educators. Additionally, many digital tools and apps are not playful or developmentally appropriate for young learners and can be less inclusive of students who have been historically excluded from STEM. This book addresses these barriers by demonstrating how to leverage an interdisciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) approach to pique the curiosity of young students through play-based learning. The authors provide evidence-based, hands-on approaches as well as a practical framework to effectively integrate STEAM learning in the early grades (pre-K to third grade). Readers will explore new ways to play alongside their young learners to make powerful STEAM discoveries and foster a lifelong love of learning.

Contents:

Introduction: What STE(A)M is and why it matters

Part I: Why screen-free STEAM?

STEAM, play, and young children

Why integrate the "A" of the arts with STEM?

Computational thinking without computers

Access, equity, and inclusion in STEAM

Part II: Teaching STEAM in early childhood contexts

Exemplary pedagogies and practices for STEAM integration

Planning and implementing STEAM in formal classroom settings

Planning and implementing STEAM in informal learning settings

Part III: Low-tech and no-tech STEAM experiences

Integrating STEAM into everyday play

The wonderful world of outdoor STEAM

Makerspaces and messy play in early childhood

STEAM and dramatic play

Part IV: Screen-free technologies for learning

Technology all around us

Unplugged computer science for hands-on learning

Coding in the classroom

Conclusion: Beyond screen-free STEAM.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0807787086

9780807787083

0807787094

9780807787090

OCLC:

1468560714

Publisher Number:

90102435867