More PEAS Please! Bridging the Gap Between Preschool and K-12 Science Learning Environments

项目摘要/摘要 学龄前教育通常被排除在将STEM教育融入学校环境的努力之外。因此，几乎没有 STEM实际上是在学龄前教室里进行的，导致每年有数百万儿童进入K-12 接触到高质量的STEM学习的机会有限。这对代表不足的少数族裔来说尤其令人担忧 (URM)儿童，他们上幼儿园时往往缺乏取得学业成功所需的基础。如果孩子们这样做了 如果不及早参与高质量的STEM体验，他们就会失去兴趣，对自己可以做到的事情缺乏信心 茎。不幸的是，学龄前学习环境通常不会为高质量的科学教育提供 教育工作者队伍准备不足，学前教育和初级STEM教学实践之间存在差距 被认为是主要障碍。 为了弥合这一差距，该项目将汇集一个由幼儿教育工作者组成的跨学科团队，即K-12 培养教师，并启动幼儿园，专注于建设一支更强大的学前STEM教育工作者队伍。 我们这个项目的中心目标是开发、评估和传播PEAS(学前教育应用 科学)，这是一个创新的多组成部分专业发展计划，专注于教学龄前儿童 教育工作者如何设计和指导有效的、基于探究的学习体验，从而教授科学和发展 在健康生活的背景下使用语言。豌豆将解决在科学培训中所描述的空白 威胁有效实施以科学为重点的学习活动的幼儿教师，以及 归根结底，科学方面代表不足的少数族裔(URM)儿童的长期成长和发展。 该项目旨在通过以下方式影响幼儿学习环境：(1)开发豌豆教学指南， 教幼儿教师如何设计和教授适合发展需要的新方法， 为3-5岁儿童提供符合下一代科学标准的综合性、探究性科学 科学实践与生命科学学科核心理念；(2)创建NIH国家环保总局豌豆研究所 幼儿教师注重建立科学教学知识、科学教学兴趣和 参与教师的科学教学效能感；及(3)建立早期STEM支持网络 总部设在NC内部和之间的Head Start教师、管理员、项目教员和社区合作伙伴 Head Start计划，以确保持续的教师支持和计划的可持续性。 在该计划的过程中，我们将影响350多名教师和3400名儿童的动手，询问- 以科学学习为基础，随着教师继续实施 在随后的几年里，豌豆公司将采取行动。此外，加强学前教育工作者队伍将改善 早期STEM体验的质量，“弥合”学前教育和K-12学习环境之间的差距， 通过作为未来项目的典范来推动该领域的发展，并最终为STEM管道提供支持。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Preschool is generally excluded from efforts to integrate STEM education into school settings. As a result, little STEM is actually taking place in preschool classrooms, resulting in millions of children each year entering K-12 having limited exposure to quality STEM learning. This is particularly concerning for underrepresented, minority (URM) children, who often start kindergarten lacking the foundation needed for academic success. If children do not engage in quality STEM experiences early, they lose interest and the lack the confidence that they can “do” STEM. Unfortunately, preschool learning environments do not generally provide quality science education with a poorly prepared educator workforce, and a gap between preschool and elementary STEM teaching practices being cited as primary barriers. To bridge this gap, this project will bring together an interdisciplinary team of early childhood educators, K-12 STEM faculty, and Head Start preschools to focus on building a stronger preschool STEM educator workforce. Our central goal for this project is to develop, evaluate, and disseminate PEAS (Preschool Education in Applied Sciences), an innovative multi-component professional development program focused on teaching preschool educators how to design and guide effective, inquiry-based learning experiences that teach science and develop language within the context of healthy living. PEAS will address well-described gaps in the scientific training of early childhood teachers that threaten the effective implementation of science-focused learning activities, and ultimately, the long-term growth and development of underrepresented minority (URM) children in science. This project aims to impact preschool learning environments by: (1) developing the PEAS Teaching Guide, a novel approach to teaching preschool teachers how to design and teach developmentally appropriate, integrative, inquiry-based science for 3-5-year-old children aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards’ Practices of Science and the Life Science Disciplinary Core Idea; (2) creating an NIH SEPA PEAS Institute for Early Childhood Teachers focused on building science teaching knowledge, science teaching interest, and science teaching efficacy among participating teachers; and (3) establishing an early STEM support network of Head Start teachers, administrators, program faculty, and community partners within and between NC-based Head Start programs to ensure continued teacher support and program sustainability. Over the course of the program, we will impact over 350 teachers and 3,400 children with hands-on, inquiry- based science learning, with thousands of additional children reached as teachers continue implementing the PEAS approach in subsequent years. Further, strengthening the preschool educator workforce will improve the quality of early STEM experiences, “bridge the gap” between preschool and K-12 learning environments, advance the field by serving as a model for future programs, and ultimately feeding the STEM pipeline.