Developmentally Appropriate STEM

"Some of us consider STEM in early childhood education to be better thought of as STREAM: science, technology, relationships, engineering, arts, and mathematics," declared Dan Gartrell in his article "Developmentally Appropriate STEM: It's STREAM," in the Beginnings Workshop curriculum unit, Inquiry-Based Science.

"The key to [Developmentally Appropriate] STEM is not the efficient instruction of teacher-led, pre-set science lessons....  [It is] the ability to use trust-based relationships with children to nudge them into perceiving openly, acting with materials creatively, and interacting with others cooperatively about their efforts and discoveries.

"DA STEM cannot happen by itself.  To effectively implement STEM, teachers need to bring intentional openness to new teaching and learning opportunities.  They need to work at organizing intriguing learning opportunities.  They need to nurture and celebrate children’s amazing responses while doing activities.  Energy, organization, and reflective enthusiasm are required on the teacher’s part.

"Developmentally appropriate STEM is holistic.  For the child, scientific problem-solving, artistic creative expression, and building and using meaningful structures all take similar self-affirming, brain building exploratory processes.  Interaction with others about these experiences is natural, and positive interaction, especially with adults, is vital."

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