Teaching Science Flashcards
What processes are included in Science for young children?
Continuous wondering, finding out, knowing
How should science be to get young children involved?
Available, appealing and appropriate
What’s the goal of teaching science to young children?
Science experiences help them develop their ability to solve problems, acquire scientific knowledge & information, develop positive attitudes toward science
How do you interact with preschoolers?
By talking. It helps children internalize their observations and start to involve in high or complex level of thinking which enables them to see the big picture
How do you make science activity outside the class?
Bring the kids out in the park or playground, allowing them to make use of the environment surrounding them, letting them explore themselves
What are some activities that teachers can consider?
- Block assembling
- Collecting (dead) leaves and sticks
- Planting a seed in a pot
How does block assembling help children learn science?
Children can explore gravity when they build tall towers
How does collecting (dead) leaves and sticks help children to learn science?
Teachers can ask them questions about trees, which part does the item they collected belong to, etc
How does planting a seed help a student learn about science?
Watching it grow everyday and taking care of it teaches them the lifespan of a plant
What is science in early childhood education?
- A way of thinking
- A way of investigating
- An inquiry & discovery
How do children learn science in their early childhood?
Through play and everyday through natural phenomena (thunder, rainbow, tornado, floods)
What science concepts do children from birth to 2 years learn?
Observation, problem-solving, number, shape 1 to 1 communication
What science concepts do children aged 2 years to 9 years learn?
Sets, classifying and applying the concepts
What are the benefits of using inquiry skills?
- Fosters curiosity
- Develops critical thinking
- Increases student responsibility
- Encourages independent thinking
- Supports reasoning skills
Why are inquiry skills important?
Students would be required to be active participants as they gather information, analyse their findings and apply critical thinking of what they learn
What are the steps in using inquiry learning?
- Ask a question
- Investigate answers
- Create new understanding
- Communicate findings
- Reflect
How are science concepts developed?
“The best way to learn science is to do science”
By asking questions and conducting investigations
How do children construct and use concepts?
- 1 to 1 correspondence: Passing an orange to each child seated at the table
- Counting
- Classifying
- Measuring
How do babies explore the world?
With their 5 senses; touch, sight, smell, taste, hearing
What do infants learn about?
- Weight
- Shape: Some stay put, others roll away
- Time sequence
- Space
- Spatial sense: Placed in a crib or playpen in a centre of a room
How do toddlers sort things?
- By colours, sizes
- Able to pour sand and water into containers
How do children acquire science concepts?
Through active involvement with their environment. It may be naturalistic / spontaneous, informal or structured
How does exploration and experimentation help with a child’s development?
Develops their muscle coordination and their 5 senses
What are naturalistic experiences?
- Initiated spontaneously by children as they go about their daily activities, major during the sensorimotor period
- The child controls the choice and action
- Adults’ role is to provide a rich environment for the child, as many things as possible for the child to use their 5 senses
- Adult should observe and acknowledge the child’s behaviors
Examples of naturalistic experiences?
- A child takes a spoon from the drawer and says, “this is big” , mom says, “yes”
- A child sits on the floor and is sorting out color rings into plastic cups
- A child is painting, dabbing yellow paint on top of blue paint, saying, “Hey! I’ve got green now!”
What are informal learning experiences?
- Initiated by adults as children are engaged in naturalistic experiences
- Not pre-planned
- When the child may be doing the right thing in solving a problem, but needs a little cue or encouragement
Examples of informal learning experiences?
- A child has 4 balls with them, when asked to show how many they’re holding with their fingers, they hold up 3. Here an adult may correct them by pointing out another finger
What are structured learning experiences?
- Planned lessons, activities and experiences
- Usually chosen by adults who gives direction to the child
Examples of structured learning experiences?
- A teacher helps a child with the concept of a shape by suggesting a game to play and give them the direction to play the game
- After the child drew a painting of their hand on a board, the teacher later asks questions regarding the color, shape and numbers
