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The Role of Imagination in STEM Concept Formation
A Cultural-Historical Journey into Researching Play-Based Settings
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Why has early childhood science education taken so long to become established as a field of research inquiry? Why do we continue to blame early childhood and primary teachers for their lack of confidence and competence in science education? This book tackles these questions and more.
Grounded in cultural-historical theory, this book explores the development of the field through the eyes of the author. Over 30 years the contexts, the questions, and the foci of a generation of science education researchers are mapped. As the field develops, new concepts, models of teaching and new methods and methodologies are theorised and empirically supported, bringing forward uniqueness of science education for children in play-based settings.
Grounded in cultural-historical theory, this book explores the development of the field through the eyes of the author. Over 30 years the contexts, the questions, and the foci of a generation of science education researchers are mapped. As the field develops, new concepts, models of teaching and new methods and methodologies are theorised and empirically supported, bringing forward uniqueness of science education for children in play-based settings.
Marilyn Fleer holds the Foundation Chair of Early Childhood Education and Development at Monash University, Australia. Additionally, she was awarded the 2018 Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Fellowship by the Australian Research Council, and former President, International Society of Cultural-historical Activity Research.
Acknowledgements
List of Figures and Tables
1 Beginning the Journey into Early Childhood Science Education Research: Beyond Alternative Conceptions
â1 Introduction
â2 Beginning the Journey
â3 Concluding Remarks and Future Directions
Paper 1: Childrenâs Alternative Views: Alternative to What?
2 Conceptual Play: New Research Agendas Driven by Policy Changes for Play-Based Settings
â1 Introduction
â2 National Reviews and Imperatives for Early Childhood Science Education
â3 International Imperatives Shaping Early Childhood Education
â4 Concluding Remarks and Future Directions
Paper 2: âConceptual Playâ: Foregrounding Imagination and Cognition during Concept Formation in Early Years Education
3 Building an Evidence-Based Model for Early Childhood Science Education: The Place of Emotions in Science, Motivating Learning into Play, and the Teacher in Play Relations
â1 Big Research Problems Need a Suite of ARC Discovery Grants
â2 Bringing in Emotions and Drama into Science
â3 Motives and Motivating Conditions
â4 Leaping Forward â¦
â5 Going Back â¦
â7 Thinking Differently about the Problem: Teachers Inside of Childrenâs Play
Paper 3: Affective Imagination in Science Education: Determining the Emotional Nature of Scientific and Technological Learning of Young Children
Paper 4: The Demands and Motives Afforded through Digital Play in Early Childhood Activity Settings
Paper 5: Pedagogical Positioning in PlayâTeachers Being Inside and Outside of Childrenâs Imaginary Play
4 Conceptual PlayWorlds: New Model of Practice for Supporting Early Childhood Teachers in the Intentional Teaching of STEM
â1 An Educational Experiment and a Conceptual PlayWorld as an Intervention
â2 The Five Characteristics of Conceptual Playworlds
â3 Conclusion
Paper 6: Conceptual Playworlds: The Role of Imagination in Play and Learning
Paper 7: Scientific Playworlds: A Model of Teaching Science in Play-Based Settings
Paper 8: Conceptual PlayWorlds as a Pedagogical Intervention: Supporting the Learning and Development of the Preschool Child in Play-Based Setting
5 Conceptual PlayLab for Early Childhood STEM: Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship Scheme
â1 Engaging with Social Media â Making and Curating Content
â2 Video Productions
â3 Halfway through the Five-year Period of Funding
6 Agentic STEM Practices: From Role-Playing âAs Ifâ Engineer/Scientist to Imagining This As a Career
â1 Mentoring in the Academy â¦
â2 Building the Legacy and Circling Back â¦
â3 Where Are We at Now?
â4 Future Imagining in Engineering
â5 Engineering PlayWorlds
â6 Looking Forward
Paper 9: When Preschool Girls Engineer: Future Imaginings of Being and Becoming an Engineer
Index
List of Figures and Tables
1 Beginning the Journey into Early Childhood Science Education Research: Beyond Alternative Conceptions
â1 Introduction
â2 Beginning the Journey
â3 Concluding Remarks and Future Directions
Paper 1: Childrenâs Alternative Views: Alternative to What?
2 Conceptual Play: New Research Agendas Driven by Policy Changes for Play-Based Settings
â1 Introduction
â2 National Reviews and Imperatives for Early Childhood Science Education
â3 International Imperatives Shaping Early Childhood Education
â4 Concluding Remarks and Future Directions
Paper 2: âConceptual Playâ: Foregrounding Imagination and Cognition during Concept Formation in Early Years Education
3 Building an Evidence-Based Model for Early Childhood Science Education: The Place of Emotions in Science, Motivating Learning into Play, and the Teacher in Play Relations
â1 Big Research Problems Need a Suite of ARC Discovery Grants
â2 Bringing in Emotions and Drama into Science
â3 Motives and Motivating Conditions
â4 Leaping Forward â¦
â5 Going Back â¦
â7 Thinking Differently about the Problem: Teachers Inside of Childrenâs Play
Paper 3: Affective Imagination in Science Education: Determining the Emotional Nature of Scientific and Technological Learning of Young Children
Paper 4: The Demands and Motives Afforded through Digital Play in Early Childhood Activity Settings
Paper 5: Pedagogical Positioning in PlayâTeachers Being Inside and Outside of Childrenâs Imaginary Play
4 Conceptual PlayWorlds: New Model of Practice for Supporting Early Childhood Teachers in the Intentional Teaching of STEM
â1 An Educational Experiment and a Conceptual PlayWorld as an Intervention
â2 The Five Characteristics of Conceptual Playworlds
â3 Conclusion
Paper 6: Conceptual Playworlds: The Role of Imagination in Play and Learning
Paper 7: Scientific Playworlds: A Model of Teaching Science in Play-Based Settings
Paper 8: Conceptual PlayWorlds as a Pedagogical Intervention: Supporting the Learning and Development of the Preschool Child in Play-Based Setting
5 Conceptual PlayLab for Early Childhood STEM: Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship Scheme
â1 Engaging with Social Media â Making and Curating Content
â2 Video Productions
â3 Halfway through the Five-year Period of Funding
6 Agentic STEM Practices: From Role-Playing âAs Ifâ Engineer/Scientist to Imagining This As a Career
â1 Mentoring in the Academy â¦
â2 Building the Legacy and Circling Back â¦
â3 Where Are We at Now?
â4 Future Imagining in Engineering
â5 Engineering PlayWorlds
â6 Looking Forward
Paper 9: When Preschool Girls Engineer: Future Imaginings of Being and Becoming an Engineer
Index
This book will be of interest to academics in science education.