Child-Centered Teaching and Learning in Elementary Science and Engineering

This science and engineering education methods textbook introduces child-centered teaching and learning to future elementary educators. The authors emphasize that all children deserve educational opportunities that position them as curious science sensemakers and creative engineering problem solvers. Illustrating how these educational opportunities can be created, the 11 chapters are based on two foundational premises that (1) all children are brilliant and (2) teachers are opportunity makers. The chapters also emphasize four principles, establishing that doing and learning science and engineering: (1) engage children in sensemaking about their world, (2) involve uncertainty and struggle, (3) involve a range of emotions, and (4) are empowering. These commitments and principles are highlighted in classroom vignettes that launch every chapter. Each chapter connects to the research base, and offers examples of student work, end-of-chapter questions, and suggested teaching practices adaptable to a range of classroom environments. Each chapter also features online resources, one offering practical insights useful to support teacher development and the second offering an annotated bibliography for readers who want to know more about the research base this work is founded on. Another distinctive feature of this textbook is its inclusion of both science and engineering throughout its chapters. Ideal for science and engineering methods courses, this textbook utilizes evidence-based research while offering accessible approaches to pre-service STEM educators, affirming child-centered science and engineering teaching and learning as an essential part of learning for all elementary-aged children.