Peer-reviewed article

STEM in Early Childhood Education

Hanno van Keulen · 6 Sept 2018

Abstract

This special issue of the European Journal of STEM Education is dedicated to STEM in early childhood education.Early childhood education with respect to STEM already starts in the womb, when the not-yet-born baby accustoms itself to the material world surrounding it (Smith and Gasser, 2005).Certain sounds become familiar and newborns can already discriminate their mother tongue from other languages.After birth, the force of gravity imposes itself on the child, forcing it down.This is the start of a yearlong struggle to rise, which becomes the source of many metaphors we all use to make sense of our lives.When things do not go our way, we feel down and depressed.When we succeed, we lift our hearts and enjoy high spirits.Consequently, teaching children the meaning of 'up' and 'down' is much easier than teaching them 'left' and 'right', as any parent and Kindergarten teacher will know.'Up' and 'down' are extremely meaningful and important to the child, whereas 'left' and 'right' are often quite arbitrary.Since we are subjected to gravity, we need flat feet and strong legs to cope with that force.We would notice it immediately when someone stands on its head and hands.But do you know which hand your colleague uses to pick up that cup of coffee?Children perceive and act before they can speak or think consciously.Experiences in and with the material world are the starting point of cognitive development.STEM in early childhood education is not explaining children the laws of gravity; it is guiding them to and through experiences in which gravity plays a decisive role.Or any other concept that is important to children's lives.Children are not yet interested in correct reproductions of true statements about the world.They first of all want to know what the things in the world afford them to do (Gibson and Pick, 2000).Can you eat it?Is it safe?The motor system will children help to act, and the sensory system will help them to correlate objects and phenomena in the world to their experiences.STEM in early childhood education is about rich material environments that children can explore.It is also about helping them with conceptual development, by drawing their attention to salient features and by suggesting words for 'this' and 'that'.Conceptual development starts with experiences that impose themselves upon the child and crave for attention and interpretation.Some things make sounds, some things flow, some things can be put in other things.The development of verbal language skills and vocabulary cannot do without this process, and the development of scientific concepts cannot do without the metaphorical use of words like 'up', 'in' or 'current' (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980;Browne, 2003).Words do not just come from personal, individual experience.They are suggested to the child from the social community in which it grows up.High quality interaction with adults, or older children, is as important for understanding the world and for healthy development as having the rich material experiences themselves.Learning about the material world is learning to play, is learning a language, is learning social skills, is learning to communicate (Van Oers, 2013;Vygotsky and Luria, 1994).Learning about the material world of course is also learning about STEM.STEM is about questions that can be explored scientifically; or about technological problems that can be solved through engineering and design.These questions and problems will take on sophisticated, often mathematical expressions in adult and professional life.They will build on previous experiences and conceptualizations.But when you unwrap all these layers of