Key Takeaways

Abstract

Children are ready and eager to engage in science exploration, from their earliest years, but most early learning programs do not do enough to build on competencies in science. Research reveals that children entering kindergarten already have a great deal of knowledge about the natural world, including concepts related to physics, biology, psychology and chemistry. 5 They also possess dispositions and thinking skills that support later, more sophisticated, scientific reasoning. Young children question where cow babies come from, observe that people have eyes of different colors and generate explanations for this difference. 6 Older preschoolers are able to interpret simple data patterns and show some understanding of how different patterns support different conclusions. 7 In short, from their earliest years, children have ideas about how the world works and they investigate and refine these ideas by exploring and questioning the world around them. Despite children being ready and eager to engage with the content and practices of science, very little science teaching occurs in preschool classrooms. Teachers spend little time engaged in either planned or spontaneous science-relevant activities and rarely spend time in the discovery area or science table during children's free-choice time. 8 This situation is disturbing because adults play a critical role in helping children learn science content and skills. They can provide a " climate of curiosity " for children, can prepare the learning environment in ways that invite exploration and questions, can support and extend children's spontaneous investigations, and can help children attach language to the experiences that they are having. 9 Teacher-guided investigations tend to be longer, broader, more focused on relevant comparisons and supportive of more accurate understandings. 10 Although science has not traditionally received the curricular attention afforded language arts/literacy and mathematics, science content knowledge and practice skills are recognized as critical for students across age bands. For K-12 science, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide research-based standards developed by academic researchers, educators and state-level policymakers to ensure that U.S. students graduate from high school prepared for college, for career and for citizenship. 3 Although it is a K-12 document, the NGSS acknowledge that children arrive at kindergarten with skill levels, knowledge and dispositions that support — or limit — school readiness and achievement in science. Most states have adopted science learning and teaching expectations for preschool and some, such as Massachusetts, are aligning their preschool learning standards to the NGSS. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) recently issued a position statement that recommends teachers and education providers provide science learning experiences for children that engage them with the content and processes of science and that reflect an understanding of how these experiences connect to the content and practices described in the NGSS. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recently endorsed the NSTA statement, which affirms that engaging with science and engineering practices in preschool can form the basis for a lifetime of science learning in K-12 classrooms and beyond. 4