Engineering in Early Childhood by Early Childhood

crystalpinedo151 — 2025-03-29 21:31:12 UTC

A connection is made in regard to Constructivism. In article #2, we see how children use the block area with the knowledge they have and build upon it, developing more detailed and complex concepts. Through a constructivist approach, children are able to create these new experiences

crystalpinedo151 — 2025-03-29 21:35:19 UTC

"Engineers on the job may do the steps out of order or skip a step, depending on the needs of a particular project" (Van Meeteren & Zan, para. 16). This quote stood out to me because children are like engineers and do not necessarily follow the steps in order, but all steps are important for a good design.

crystalpinedo151 — 2025-03-29 21:37:27 UTC

What practices can we, as early childhood professionals, implement in our classrooms to encourage children to think like engineers?

Natalie Contreras

2025-04-01 01:52:38 UTC

While reading article #1, a connection that I can make to a previous modules would be the idea of tinkering. For example the children in the article we able to think about different types of materials in order to create a prototype. Once the different materials are gathered they are able to create a pipe system with trail and error. This approach can also be looked as the tinkering approach with allows children to use everyday items in order to build something completely different.

Natalie Contreras

2025-04-01 01:58:04 UTC

"Envisioning possibilities and giving form to them challenges children to perceive subtle difference and portray the essence of their designs. (Katz, Chard, & Kogan 2014)" I liked his quote because it talks about letting children be in charge of their own creations. By allowing this to happen they are able to look at their designs differently if at first they don't succeed.

Natalie Contreras

2025-04-01 02:01:18 UTC

While embraced engineering practices are shown a lot through various project such as the water and sand box project, are there different way these practices can be implemented throughout different academic subjects such as math or english?

Angela Perez

2025-04-01 20:28:43 UTC

I read article #1, they reflected on a teacher and the students who were attempting to conserve water on the playground. A clear connection I made in this article to the previous modules we have completed would be the importance and emphasis there is on further thinking with the questions that challenge their decisions. In the article there was an emphasis on validating the children’s decisions and furthering the exploration by asking why they made that choice, how they can improve it, and hypothesizing as to what will come. I believe that this is similar to previous modules as there holds great value in asking questions for the child to expand and explore what they know.

Angela Perez

2025-04-01 20:41:02 UTC

“Given the work that lies ahead of Them, we must give the

children our support and the freedom to do it wrong at first.” (Clemmens, 1999,7)

This quote stood out to me because it directly contradicts what many educators have been told, children must always get things correct, if not they aren’t learning. I learned that it is okay to do differently from the norm and follow the quotes way of learning.

Angela Perez

2025-04-01 20:44:52 UTC

As the children designed their own pipe system, could have there been ways to include outside careers and use this as a learning experience. What kind of careers/ jobs could this activity present, how would it further enhance the children’s experience and the knowledge gained?

Lena De La O

2025-04-02 19:16:28 UTC

In the article I read, Growing in STEM. The Design Process- Engineering Practices in Preschool, I connected a lot of what I read to the Project Approach. This involves exploring topics that are of interest to children and creating a lesson out of student's questions or topics that come up in play. It can be child or teacher initiated, which is what the article discusses when it comes to the design process. The children in the article were playing in the sand and came up with the question of how to make the sand wet again, while the teacher gave them a sort of project or experiment they could work on in order to accomplish that goal. They started to brainstorm how to engineer a pipe and it turns into a multi-day project.

Lena De La O

2025-04-02 19:24:25 UTC

"Letting children grow up thinking they must get things right the first time is cruel and deceptive. Even teaching them that they can get things right the first time is unfair."

This quote stood out to me because this should be true especially in science and engineering because trial and error is part of those fields even growing up into adulthood. It is so important to teach children this so they don't get discouraged away from the engineering process just because they make a mistake.

Lena De La O

2025-04-02 19:28:39 UTC

Is there a good way to limit or handle children's frustration or discouragement if they do not succeed in their experiment or project? How can we guarantee success? Or should we let them "fail" to teach them a lesson?

Savannah Diaz

2025-04-04 02:38:50 UTC

After reading article 1, Growing in STEM. The Design Process- Engineering Practices in Preschool, it made me think of our previous module about the project approach. In the article, Ms. Stefanie took the students' curiosity and expanded it into a project through a series of questions and problem-solving. This led to an engineering project that the students collaborated on to transport the water from the porch to the sandbox.

Savannah Diaz

2025-04-04 02:39:21 UTC

“To help the children see themselves as problem solvers, Ms. Stefanie often looked for opportunities to engage the children in authentic design challenges” (Katz, Chard, & Kogan, 2014). This quote stood out to me because many of these moments that encourage STEM learning could easily be handled by an adult. For example, what if the teacher had simply poured more water on the sand and moved on? Instead, this quote emphasizes the importance of creating space for children to ask questions, explore different possibilities, and develop confidence in their ability to solve problems.

Savannah Diaz

2025-04-04 02:39:46 UTC

How does a teacher learn to “let go” of a situation to let children be more independent? Do we guide children to guarantee success or allow them to experience trial and error?

Karla Lopez

karlaanahilopez145 — 2025-04-04 05:58:24 UTC

A connection that I made with article one and last week’s module. Was that they both share tinkering for children. An article one and mentions that children are gathering materials And they are investigating. As well as problem-solving. Last week we focus on how you can improve something by adding or rebuilding. In the article Groing in STEM The Design Process

Engineering Practices in Preschool. The students in this article want to build a better prototype of the. Pipe system to preserving water and

reclaiming water. Children are rebuilding problem-solving, and planning, and created.

Karla Lopez

karlaanahilopez145 — 2025-04-04 06:07:05 UTC

Learning to evaluate and improve one’s own work is Challenging task required that requires a great deal of practice(Isabell & Yoshizawa 2016)

Teachers can foster creative engineering practices by explicitly teaching concepts and techniques children can use to symbolically represent their thinking. NAEYC.pdf by Jolyn Blank and Stefanie Lynch

Karla Lopez

karlaanahilopez145 — 2025-04-04 06:09:28 UTC

How can we as teachers incorporate STEM in our classrooms.? What are some helpful resources that teachers can use so they can plan engineering practices in preschool’s classroom?

Esmeralda Robles

2025-04-04 20:58:43 UTC

There is a connection between these articles and what we learned about inquiry-based learning and open-ended materials. Children naturally explore, build, and solve problems when they have the time, space, and freedom to use everyday materials in creative ways. These engineering activities show how meaningful learning happens when kids are encouraged to follow their curiosity and test out their own ideas.

Esmeralda Robles

2025-04-04 21:03:50 UTC

“Young children are engineers in the sense that they modify the world to satisfy their own needs and wants.” (Van Meeteren & Zan) This quote caught my attention because it challenges the assumption that engineering is only for older students or professionals. It recognizes the natural problem-solving and design abilities that children already have, which often go unnoticed. It made me reflect on how everyday play is full of engineering potential if we know how to see and support it.

Esmeralda Robles

2025-04-04 21:05:07 UTC

How can we effectively document the engineering thinking process in early childhood without interrupting children's flow of play and exploration?

Rica Basa

2025-04-05 02:24:10 UTC

Article 1, "Growing in STEM. The Design Process: Engineering Practices in Preschool," by Jolyn Blank and Stefanie Lynch related to our module last week because I believe it brought back the concept of tinkering for children. In the article, Ms. Stefanie took the time to gain children's interest in a topic (water) and had them used their problem-solving skills to create a prototype to get the sand wet again. They tinkered and experimented with materials and made it a whole project. Children are natural engineers and when given the time and space to explore and build, they can expand their problem solving skills.

Rica Basa

2025-04-05 02:28:29 UTC

In the conclusion of Article 1, I really liked the quote "Letting children grow up thinking they must get things right the first time is cruel and deceptive. even teaching them that they can get things right the first time is unfair. if getting things right were easily done, we would hand the children a world in beautiful, highly functional condition. given the work that lies ahead of them, we must give the children our support and freedom to do it wrong the first time" (Clemens 1999, 7). This quote stood out to me because not even adults get it right the first time, even with all the knowledge we have. Giving children (and adults) the room to fail, helps them grow and think about what they can do to get to their goal.

Rica Basa

2025-04-05 02:32:24 UTC

What are other materials that teachers can include in their classrooms for children to think more like engineers? Besides blocks.
Where is the 'line' drawn when helping children with their projects?

2025-04-05 18:56:04 UTC

A connection I made with module was problem solving. In article #1 children at an early age in are experiencing engineer practices. Children are learning about problem solving, analyzing solution, and brainstorming on how to transport water.

2025-04-05 19:01:36 UTC

A quote from the story "How can we transport water from the porch to the sand box?" This question is what started everything? (Jolyn Blanch, Stephanie Blanch, Paragraph 1).

2025-04-05 19:13:12 UTC

This story was like a science experiment that required lots of problem solving and engineering. The only issue I can see for some teachers is that problem finding is more of a teacher guided play and it all depends on the teacher's program and curriculum. Some teachers like children guided play more, but I can see how this can work for me.

Rene Jimenez

renejimenez804 — 2025-04-06 05:01:42 UTC

A connection I made between Article 1 and the modules from last week is that both emphasize the importance of tinkering and hands-on learning for children. In the article, it is mentioned that children are actively gathering materials, experimenting with them, and using their problem-solving skills. Similarly, the modules from last week focused on the idea of building or improving something, encouraging students to think critically and creatively to enhance their projects. For example, in the article Growing in STEM: The Design-Process Engineering Practices in Preschool, the students were tasked with creating a better prototype of a pipe system aimed at preserving and reclaiming water. This activity not only encouraged children to rebuild and improve upon existing designs but also allowed them to apply their own creative and problem-solving skills in a real-world context. As children engage in these projects, they plan, create, and iterate, reinforcing the importance of creative thinking, critical analysis, and hands-on learning in the development of their STEM skills.

Rene Jimenez

renejimenez804 — 2025-04-06 05:08:35 UTC

(We thoughtfully considered the potential of engineering practices to engage children’s intellect in authentic ways, as well as to address "the life of the mind in its fullest sense" Katz, 2010).

This quote stood out to me because it emphasizes the strong connection between hands-on learning and the development of critical thinking skills. It suggests that children's minds are most fully engaged when they are given opportunities to explore, problem-solve, and create in meaningful contexts. Engineering practices, such as designing prototypes or addressing real-world problems, allow children to actively participate in their learning instead of passively receiving information. By doing this, they engage their intellect and develop a sense of ownership over their ideas and solutions, which is essential for nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and innovation.

Rene Jimenez

renejimenez804 — 2025-04-06 05:16:06 UTC

A question I had while reading the article "Growing in STEM: The Design-Process Engineering Practices in Preschool" was: How can educators effectively balance structured guidance with the freedom for children to explore and experiment during engineering projects?

Sarah Coronado

2025-04-06 20:51:37 UTC

A connection I made from article #2 to the project approach is in regard to block centers and play. This also draws from my student teaching experience where the master teacher allowed children to leave a block structure in place all day, until the next day if they wanted. This way they were able to veer into the project approach. As children returned with new ideas I saw them begin adding materials like tape and introducing toy animals. Then, the teacher would conduct a group time where she introduced engineering concepts such as axels. I got to see how this encouraged children to think more deeply about those structures and incorporate what they had learned.

Sarah Coronado

2025-04-06 20:55:15 UTC

"Literacy skills are important, but they cannot develop without effort and persistence." This quote stood out to me because persistence in learning is, in my opinion, one of the most important skills to teach children. It enables them to tackle any concepts and new learning. This is something I would prioritize in my own classroom.

Sarah Coronado

2025-04-06 20:58:15 UTC

How can we use block play engineering to create a space where all children, specifically English language learners, can interact and collaborate together?

Gladys Perez

2025-10-21 07:35:08 UTC

I connected this article to Constructivism and the Project Approach because it emphasizes that children learn best by exploring, experimenting, and solving problems themselves. Like in the Project Approach, teachers guide children through real world challenges while allowing them to construct their own understanding. The article also ties into Science and Technology by showing how young children use engineering practices, tools, and materials to solve problems and test ideas.

Gladys Perez

2025-10-21 07:42:04 UTC

Engineering in preschool is not about building bridges perfectly, but about thinking like engineers, asking questions, and solving problems creatively."

Gladys Perez

2025-10-21 07:43:55 UTC

How can teachers balance providing guidance and letting children explore freely when introducing engineering challenges in preschool?