The water station in The Pond Room had always been a popular option especially since in this region the summer heat is extremely intense. The Master Teacher noticed that Zach, a 3-year-old with special needs and an IEP from the local school district, returned to the water station over and over again and was very focused on his activities. His…

This article analyzes the perspectives of three preschool teachers on integrative STEM practices and the facilitating and hindering factors in their implementation. The participants were preschool teachers working at public preschools. They volunteered to participate in a 14-hour STEM professional development program and to share their…

This study aims to introduce inquiry-based play activities and to examine their effectiveness on young children's conceptual understanding of the shape of the Earth and the day-night cycle. The inquiry-based play activities for preschool children were designed to support children to learn the concepts of the shape of the Earth and the day-night…

The culture of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) teaching is still new among preschool teachers. Nevertheless, STEAM teaching is seen as challenging to be implemented if there is no clear guideline prepared by qualified experts. Therefore, a need analysis on STEAM teaching strategies ought to be conducted to ensure the…

The purpose of this research was to explore how beginning middle school teacher candidates describe their emerging visions for teaching. This collective case study of one cohort of teacher candidates in a middle grades teacher education program was informed by the literature on vision and by standards for middle level education. Twenty-two…

It is important that educators create a good basis for young students to develop their digital competence. This two-year case study aimed to find ways to foster the digital competence of young students in the early years of primary school education. The results show that spontaneous problems provided opportunities for students to show their…

This research aimed to (i) determine the validity, reliability, and appropriateness of an integrated project-based learning and STEM teaching and learning module (PjBL-STEM), and (ii) evaluate its effects on the scientific creativity of Fifth Graders. The first phase of evaluation involved seven subject matter experts and 30 Fifth Graders. Data…

Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) partnered with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to conduct a multi-year study of Michigan's implementation of competency-based education in K-12 schools. This mixed-methods study seeks to investigate the implementation and effectiveness of CBE using data from surveys administered to 21j…

Active engagement has become the focus of many early childhood science education curricula and standards. However, active engagement usually emphasizes getting children engaged with science solely through hands-on activities. Active engagement by way of hands, heads, and hearts are kept separate and rarely discussed in terms of getting all to work…

Researchers have found that middle school students undergo developmental changes that require unique educational structures and support. As a result, experts have suggested a number of specific strategies for organizing middle schools in order to best meet students' needs. This Information Capsule summarizes middle school redesign initiatives that…

Children naturally explore and learn about their environments through inquiry, and computer technologies offer an accessible vehicle for extending the domain and range of this inquiry. Over the past decade, a growing number of interactive games and educational software packages have been implemented in early childhood education and addressed a…

A team of researchers used a collaborative assessment protocol to compare the self-reported teaching beliefs of a convenience sample of preschool teachers (N = 57) to their documentable practices (i.e., practices that could be observed, recorded, and categorized using a deductive strategy). Data were examined from survey instruments, detailed…