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

项目总结/摘要 学前教育通常被排除在将STEM教育纳入学校环境的努力之外。因此，很少 STEM实际上发生在学前班教室，导致每年有数百万儿童进入K-12 有限的接触质量STEM学习。这对于代表性不足的少数民族来说尤其令人担忧。 (URM)儿童，他们往往从幼儿园开始缺乏学业成功所需的基础。如果孩子 没有及早参与高质量的STEM体验，他们失去了兴趣，缺乏信心，他们可以“做” 茎不幸的是，学前学习环境通常不能提供高质量的科学教育， 准备不足的教育工作者队伍，以及学前班和小学STEM教学实践之间的差距 被视为主要障碍。 为了弥合这一差距，该项目将汇集一个跨学科的幼儿教育工作者，K-12 STEM教师和学前教育机构，专注于建立一支更强大的学前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（应用教育中的学前教育）。 科学），一个创新的多组成部分的专业发展计划，专注于教学学前教育 教育工作者如何设计和指导有效的，基于探究的学习经验，教科学和发展 语言在健康生活中的作用。PEAS将解决在科学培训方面的差距， 幼儿教师威胁到以科学为重点的学习活动的有效实施， 最终，在科学领域代表性不足的少数民族（URM）儿童的长期成长和发展。 本计划旨在透过以下方法影响幼儿园的学习环境：（1）发展幼儿园教学指导， 新的方法来教幼儿教师如何设计和教学发展适当的， 为3-5岁的儿童提供综合的、基于探究的科学，与下一代科学标准保持一致。 科学实践与生命科学学科核心理念;（2）创建NIH SEPA PEAS研究所， 幼儿教师注重培养科学教学知识、科学教学兴趣， 参与计划的教师的科学教学效能;及（3）建立早期STEM支援网络， 先声夺人的教师，管理人员，计划教师和社区合作伙伴内部和之间的NC为基础的 领先计划，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，我们将影响超过350名教师和3,400名儿童与动手，调查- 基于科学的学习，随着教师继续实施 在随后的几年里，PEAS方法。此外，加强学前教育工作者队伍将改善 早期STEM经验的质量，“弥合学前班和K-12学习环境之间的差距”， 通过作为未来计划的模型来推进该领域，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.