EDUC06026 2022 STEAM 1

Articulate their knowledge of STEAM Literacy.

Investigate STEAM education policies and programs as a reflective citizen working with young citizens.

Compare their knowledge, attitude and experiences of STEAM education, pre and post module.

Playfully examine experiential learning possibilities which explore the foundations of the 5 STEAM areas.

Develop,and evaluate an inclusive STEAM learning opportunity to build and maintain highly reciprocal, responsive and respectful relationships with babies, toddlers and young children, foster the development of peer relationships and nurture the child’s positive dispositions, as defined by Aistear and informed by evidence based practice.

Teaching and Learning Strategies to support students’ learning will be practical and active. Students will be learning ABOUT STEAM through engaging IN STEAM educational experiences. All course material will be accessible and will consider diverse learning abilities. There will be planned debates and discussions. Flipped classroom will be used, where appropriate. Problem-solving will be an essential aspect of the wider teaching and learning strategy. Students will be given the opportunity to integrate their prior knowledge from the Nurturing Creativity and Playfulness Module, the Play and Pedagogy Module and the module in Nurturing Pedagogy. Students will plan, set-up and present a STEAM experience based on their module learning. The students will be reading, researching, reflecting and writing about their experiences of STEAM.

There will be two assessments for STEAM 1.

DIGITAL PORTFOLIO – Entries with prompt questions – Assignment to meet LO’s 1, 2, 3 and 4. This is an individual assessment.

Sample entries might include:

• Entry Week 3 Reflection on their experiential learning of STEAM FROM IN-CLASS PARTICIPATION AND PARTICIPATING IN SCIENCE WEEK (nov) (IN A FORMAT OF THEIR CHOICE) Students will have experimented with different formats for their portfolios in semester 1.
• Entry Week 6 an examination of STEAM in ECEC in those countries that excel in PISA (HK, China, Singapore &c) (small group work: SUPPORTED ACADEMIC RESEARCH ENTRY IN THE DIGITAL PORTFOLIO - WRITTEN). Recording a podcast/making an animation extolling the benefits of STEAM to ECEC practitioners AND identifying and justifying a STEAM in ECEC ‘top five’ ideas (paired: POST 4-WEEK PLACEMENT AND ILLUSTRATED WITH EXAMPLES FROM PRACTICE, CAN BE PREPARATION FOR THE CREATION OF THE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY).
• Entry Week 13 CREATE A ROLE-ON-THE-WALL (documenting students’ changing knowledge, attitudes and experiences), CREATED AT THE START OF THE MODULE AND ADDED TO THROUGHOUT THE MODULE. (REFLECT ON THIS POST-MODULE IN THEIR DIGITAL PORTFOLIO IN A FORMAT OF THEIR CHOICE).

Assessment 2 for STEAM 1 - Assignment to meet LO 5.

Create a learning opportunity for children (small group work). STUDENTS CONNECT THEIR LEARNING FROM PLAY AND PEDAGOGY MODULE AND NURTURING CREATIVITY AND PLAYFULNESS MODULE AND CONNECT TO CURRICULUM, ASSESSMENT AND DOCUMENTATION MODULE AND EXPERIENCES FROM PLACEMENT.

Students will receive formative feedback for learning from both peers and the teaching team at different points in the module and will be provided with clear and timely notification of assessment requirements. Criteria for success will be shared when the assessment brief is published.

Digital Portfolio - Repeat Digital Portfolio.

Paired STEAM Learning experience - Repeat Project.

1. Articulate their knowledge of STEAM Literacy.

According to research, the accessibility of STEAM to young children is in the hands of educators. Students on this module will learn, and grow familiar with the concepts, processes and activities of natural science, technological, engineering, arts and maths. This is so that they can develop their pedagogical content knowledge and skills in STEAM 2 and be able to include STEAM as a framework for learning in the ECEC setting. Having the foundational knowledge of STEAM Literacy is an essential step in not only supporting the students in this aspect of their future role as early years educator, but also in their thinking about how the five areas of STEAM influence and are influenced by the world they live in.

2.Investigate STEAM education policies and programs as a reflective citizen working with young citizens.

Young citizens learn, love and play in the context of family, early childhood educators and artists, neighbourhoods, community, society and public policies. Students will be introduced to a number of salient STEM policy objectives including the European Digital Education Plan (2021-2027), STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026 (Ireland) and a range of best practice STEAM policy guidelines being advanced internationally. Student's will read about, discuss and compare quality arts in early education practice and how this can scaffold children's learning in STEM. For example, by investigating the eight early childhood arts projects, researched for The Arts Council publication, Early Childhood Arts:Three Perspectives (2013).

3.Compare their knowledge, attitude and experiences of STEAM education, pre and post module.

Students will be supported to confidently situate and articulate their new knowledge of STEAM and attitudes towards STEAM education. They will have the ability to compare their new learning at the end of the module to their prior experiences, because they will have participated, played and experimented in practical STEAM learning experiences on and off campus. This helps them to take initiatives with their own knowledge.

4.Playfully examine experiential learning possibilities which explore the foundations of the 5 STEAM areas.

Students will discover first-hand how and why the 5 areas of STEAM are considered complementary and supportive. Through experiential workshops indoors and outdoors, students will begin to develop the knowledge and collaborative practice for integrated learning and importantly creative integrated teaching. This playful examination of the learning possibilities of STEAM as a framework for learning and teaching will build on the students prior learning of the importance of the affect and creativity dynamic for enhancing learning experiences.

5.Develop and evaluate an inclusive STEAM learning opportunity to build and maintain highly reciprocal, responsive and respectful relationships with babies, toddlers and young children, foster the development of peer relationships and nurture the child’s positive dispositions, as defined by Aistear and informed by evidence based practice.

Students will develop an inclusive STEAM learning opportunity based on evidence. They will explore ways in which they will build and maintain highly reciprocal, responsive and respectful relationships with babies, toddlers and young children and foster the development of peer relationships through the experience that they design. Students will have been introduced to the Aistear Curriculum Framework in the Curriculum, Assessment and Documentation Module and this will connect their learning across the semester.