Toward a New Way of Learning — Promoting Inquiry and Reflection in Palestinian Early Childhood Teacher Education

Highlighting the importance of STEM education in early childhood through play-based learning: A Literature Review

“…For this reason, Buchan and Cron (2020, p.31) call upon educators to be "STEM detectives" to observe children as incidental learning happens when they are playing. Similarly, significant studies (Isabelle et al, 2021;Khales & Meier, 2013) posit that teachers should support and scaffold children's developmental learning to meet the needs of each child through play-based learning by being a facilitator. Weng and Li (2020) pointed out that the full potential of children's learning cannot be realized without appropriate scaffolding as children need adults to answer their questions, assist in processing the world around them, and meet their different needs.…”

Playful maths! The influence of play-based learning on academic performance of Palestinian primary school children

“…A long history of social and political conflict and upheaval in Palestine resulted in a lack of educational resources and facilities so that academic achievement levels and school attendance rates were among the lowest in the world (UNESCO, 1991). The education system failed to meet the needs of students and pressed them to leave school and enter the work force at a young age (Al-Ramahi & Davies, 2002;Khales & Meier, 2013). The ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child (UNCRC), by the State of Palestine in 2014 placed children's rights at the centre of social and political agendas.…”

“…In recent years, pedagogic practice in Palestinian primary schools has undergone great reform to improve the quality of their education system towards meeting economic and social needs (Shinn, 2012). However, teaching methods in Palestine remain very much teacher centred, with didactic pedagogies and lecture type teaching where students passively acquire knowledge (Al-Ramahi & Davies, 2002;Khales & Meier, 2013). Textbooks classified according to student age contain the official material to be taught in schools and emphasis is largely on meeting official requirements of a subject-based curriculum rather than the learning process (Khales & Meier, 2013).…”

“…However, teaching methods in Palestine remain very much teacher centred, with didactic pedagogies and lecture type teaching where students passively acquire knowledge (Al-Ramahi & Davies, 2002;Khales & Meier, 2013). Textbooks classified according to student age contain the official material to be taught in schools and emphasis is largely on meeting official requirements of a subject-based curriculum rather than the learning process (Khales & Meier, 2013). Maths is one of the core curricular subjects in which this textbook based, didactic type teaching is prominent in Palestinian primary schools (Al-Ramahi & Davies, 2002).…”

“…This necessitates a change in both students' and teachers' attitudes and behaviours. Therefore, it is important that extensive professional development training and support are provided to teachers to deepen their knowledge and instructional expertise (Khales & Meier, 2013).…”