The Hechinger Report – Jamie Martines
“Toy building blocks aren’t an unusual sight in a preschool classroom. But teachers aren’t typically using them in a physics lesson about force and gravity with their four-year-olds. That’s largely because teachers aren’t comfortable with introducing young children to science, according to a group of educators committed to helping elementary school teachers become better at teaching STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and math – in the early grades. Last week, representatives from 11 educational institutions from across the country came together to tackle this challenge: promoting active STEM learning in the early education years, from preschool to third grade. That effort starts with finding ways to support classroom teachers and help them get students on the path toward understanding higher-level concepts in the upper grades.”(more)