Logo image
Back
STEM Teaching and Learning in Bush Kinders
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

STEM Teaching and Learning in Bush Kinders

Chris Speldewinde
Canadian journal of science, mathematics and technology education, Vol.22(2), pp.444-461
05/2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-022-00207-4
pdf
STEM Teaching and Learning in Bush Kinders1.11 MBDownloadView
Published (Version of record) Open Access CC BY V4.0
url
STEM Teaching and Learning in Bush KindersView
Published (Version of record) Open CC BY V4.0

Related links

Metrics

31 File views/ downloads
2 Record Views
16 Times Cited - Web of Science

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Source: InCites

Abstract

Education & Educational Research Education, Scientific Disciplines Social Sciences
For over 50 years, the forest school approach to nature learning has gathered momentum in the UK and across parts of Europe including Scandinavia (Knight, 2016). In other contexts such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia, nature-based early childhood education and care settings, influenced by European forest school approaches, have begun to gain popularity. Opportunities for STEM education occur in nature-based settings, such as forest schools and nature kindergartens, yet this area has only garnered limited research attention to date. One such example of a nature kindergarten which emerged in the 2010s is Australian 'bush kinder' where 4- to 5-year-old preschool children experience and learn from nature. This paper arrives at an innovative conceptualisation of STEM teaching and learning in bush kinders. Through analysing research in early years STEM education, teacher pedagogy and early childhood learning, I propose a teaching and learning process that is replicable for similar nature-based early childhood education and care settings. Drawing on vignettes from ethnographic fieldwork data, the conceptualisation of an integrated approach to STEM teaching in bush kinders is illustrated. To frame the approach to STEM teaching, this analysis builds on the notions that STEM teaching and learning can take the form of a five-phased cyclical process. It is this process that contributes to the conceptualisation of STEM teaching and learning in early childhood education.

Details

Logo image