Engineering Education in Early Childhood: Reflections and Future Directions

Abstract

As the chapters in this book illustrate, engineering is a natural feature of early childhoodEarly childhoodlearning and development. Young children have innate tendencies to participate in engineering activities, displaying sophisticated design and thinking processes in doing so. Teachers need support, however, in facilitating this early development. The need for more developmentally and culturally appropriate curriculum resourcesCurriculum resourcesremains a pressing concern when trying to implement engineering in a range of early childhoodEarly childhoodclassrooms. Of the numerous areas requiring attention, this chapter touches on just a few in both reflecting on the current scene and suggesting recommendations for advancing the field. These include (a) the need to incorporate both engineering design processes and habits of mindHabits of mindin promoting early engineering learning, (b) the creation of developmentally appropriate experiencesDevelopmentally appropriate learning experiencesthat provide pedagogical affordancesPedagogical affordances, and (c) the integrationIntegrationof engineering in STEM educationSTEM education, with extensions to STEAM (scienceScience, technologyTechnology, engineering, the artsThe arts, mathematicsMathematics).