https://padlet.com/karenhowie70/znw43ddpcfao EDC488 Project - based iSTEM Education en-us 2018-12-08 19:36:22 UTC 2018-12-08 20:07:59 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Folder.png karenhowie70 https://padlet.com/karenhowie70/znw43ddpcfao/wish/312548985 Early childhood Education should not be about pouring science and number facts into children, it should be about developing and nurturing their natural curiosity through project - based and inquiry - based learning, through hands on experiences. Whether it be playing with Mobilo or Lego, building 3D objects with pasta and marshmallows, growing grass heads or using non-standard units of measurement to see how far one thing is from another or how tall "Jake" is - children are grasping concepts and forming ideas through hands on experience. They are learning skills that will carry them into the future. STEM is not about learning to enable students to pass a standardised test, it is about interpreting and comprehending their world, it is developing a curiosity and an intrinsic desire to understand how things and the world works.
I believe children are naturally curious and as an educator, I must foster that curiosity and extend on what is already understood = for example: grass grows - what makes grass grow, where do grass seeds come from, how can we get grass to grow quicker/thicker, what if there is not enough sunlight, what if there is not enough water?
I believe  STEM is more than Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, it incorporates communication, social skills, team building, it fosters a sense of achievement for all students, it develops creativity and problem solving skills, it allows children to express and display their thoughts.]]> 2018-12-08 19:43:01 UTC https://padlet.com/karenhowie70/znw43ddpcfao/wish/312548985