Research on early childhood robotics education often focuses narrowly on teaching young children STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) concepts and skills. In this qualitative case study, our research team examined what happened when we worked with young children (age 7) and combined the technologies of robotics education with…

Researchers have proposed integration as an approach to effectively teach social studies in primary grades. Many teachers integrate by teaching social studies content and skills during time allocated for other subjects, such as literacy, science, or math. Integration clearly uses time efficiently to allow for more social studies content. However,…

This ground-breaking book proves that Project Based Learning (PBL) does work in early childhood classrooms. Most common understandings of PBL in Pre-K through 2nd grade are rife with assumptions, misconceptions, and perceived barriers that have prevented its widespread implementation. "Implementing Project Based Learning in Early…

This article describes how second-grade students' literacy learning was enhanced as they used their developing knowledge of nonfiction in an integrated English language arts/science unit toward the creation of multimodal nonfiction science books. After explaining the Common Core State Standards that guided the unit, the author outlines the…

This article highlights what inquiry and design have in common, and what makes engineering design uniquely different from inquiry. A case study is presented that gives students practice in conducting fair-test experiments, in troubleshooting to learn how to make designs better, and in building science-based explanations for how things work. The…

This article suggests placemaking as a framework to more deeply understand how teaching and learning can take into account young children's cultural histories. Placemaking, a form of analysis commonly found in land development literature, critically interprets the relationship between power, politics and the production of place. In this article,…