What is the capacity of A in the contexts of STEM?

Abstract

This article is based on a meta-approach to the results of two separate studies and concerns the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) in early childhood education. One of the studies focuses on how preschool teachers understand STEM and how it is taught in the preschool. The other concerns children's perspectives and strategies in their use of digital technology as part of the preschool's arts activities. Methodologically, the researchers have developed the idea of reading one study through the other using a meta-approach design. The results from this analytical approach show how different aspects of children's agency in play and aesthetic activity in the art room (i.e. atelier) can develop and inspire the teachers' pedagogical content knowledge in the subjects of mathematics and science. The results of following children and their processes and actions in the atelier can also influence teachers' knowledge and didactic choices in selecting teaching content and strategies. The findings are considered useful for educators and researchers in the field of early childhood education.

Teaching and learning in age-homogeneous groups versus mixed-age groups in the preschool – the Swedish example

“…The teachers of the age-homogeneous groups argue that it is easier to adjust the teaching level when they know what the children's interests are and that these interests are connected to the same age. In contrast, the teachers of the mixed-age groups describe that the education is based on the children's interests and agency and is designed accordingly (e.g., Magnusson & Bäckman, 2021). The findings thus suggest that the teaching in age-homogeneous groups is more governed by the teachers than by the children's interests.…”

“…The starting point should be what the children are interested in and from there a transition made to what the teacher wants to encourage interest in. Here, children's agency can be of particular interest (Magnusson & Bäckman, 2021). In a sociocultural view of teaching and learning, individuals, the group, the artefacts and the environment are part of a continuous interaction and communication (Selander, 2017).…”

“…According to them, children are regarded as a more significant resource than is the case in age-homogeneous groups (e.g., Logue, 2006). In addition, children in mixed-age groups have a greater age span, so that their participation and agency can inspire both spontaneous and planned teaching and connect to diverse parts of the curriculum (Magnusson & Bäckman, 2021).…”

‘Look, my name! I can write’ – Literacy events and digital technology in the preschool atelier

“…Apart from an exploration of visual art and aesthetic expressions based on the entangled use of technology, artefacts and materials, during the data collection the children also explored other subjects stated in the preschool curriculum. The children's knowledge development in mathematics, science and literacy was particularly noticeable in the study (Magnusson, 2021;Magnusson and Bäckman, 2021).…”

STEAM education: An opportunity to transcend gender and disciplinary norms in early childhood?

“…Overall, when it comes to STEAM, the research literature mainly looks at education for older students, with only a few examples that feature early childhood education (DeJarnette, 2018; Hunter-Doniger, 2021; Magnusson and Bäckman, 2021; Sullivan and Bers, 2018). Although one can assume that STEAM would fit well with the many national early childhood education curricula where arts-integrated education is a core feature (e.g.…”