Page 326 - Čotar Konrad Sonja, Borota Bogdana, Rutar Sonja, Drljić Karmen, Jelovčan Giuliana. Ur. 2022. Vzgoja in izobraževanje predšolskih otrok prvega starostnega obdobja. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem
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dren construct their own knowledge as active participants in the learning
process on the basis of their own experience.
The aim of the present paper is to expose and emphasize the importance
of implemented science education in the early years, and how early science
education contributes to scientific literacy and learns scientific concepts to
children. As demonstration, a few effective approaches towards teaching sci-
ence to preschool children will be presented. Additionally, the paper dis-
cusses the reasons for the lack of science teaching in preschool classrooms
and presents possible solutions to increase the quality of science education
in the preschool years.
Exposure to Science in the Early Years
Science education is of great importance to many aspects of a child’s de-
velopment, and many researchers suggest science education should begin
already during the early childhood period (Hadzigeorgiou 2002). Research
studies in developmental and cognitive psychology indicate that environ-
mental effects are important during the early years of development, and the
lack of important stimuli may result in a child’s development not reaching its
full potential (Trundle 2010).
Implementing science learning in the early years can take advantage of
children’s disposition to learn about natural phenomena during their every-
day activities. Science is all around us, therefore whether watching snails in
an aquarium, blowing bubbles, using a flashlight to make shadows, or exper-
imenting with objects to see what sinks or floats, a child is naturally curious
and engaged in finding out about the world (Conezio and French 2002). In
this way, already the youngest children actively engage with their environ-
ment to develop fundamental understandings of the phenomena they ob-
serve and experience. Children also acquire process skills essential to scien-
tific interpretation, such as observing, classifying, sorting and others. These
basic scientific concepts and science process skills begin to develop as early
as infancy, with the sophistication of the child’s competences developing
with age (Trundle 2010).
Conezio and French (2002) believe that children are biologically prepared
to learn about the world around them, just as they are biologically prepared
to learn to walk and talk and interact with other people. Because they are
ready to learn about their everyday world, they are highly engaged when
opportunities to explore occur, creating strong and enduring mental rep-
resentations of experiences through investigations of their everyday world.
They readily acquire vocabulary to describe and share these mental repre-
326
dren construct their own knowledge as active participants in the learning
process on the basis of their own experience.
The aim of the present paper is to expose and emphasize the importance
of implemented science education in the early years, and how early science
education contributes to scientific literacy and learns scientific concepts to
children. As demonstration, a few effective approaches towards teaching sci-
ence to preschool children will be presented. Additionally, the paper dis-
cusses the reasons for the lack of science teaching in preschool classrooms
and presents possible solutions to increase the quality of science education
in the preschool years.
Exposure to Science in the Early Years
Science education is of great importance to many aspects of a child’s de-
velopment, and many researchers suggest science education should begin
already during the early childhood period (Hadzigeorgiou 2002). Research
studies in developmental and cognitive psychology indicate that environ-
mental effects are important during the early years of development, and the
lack of important stimuli may result in a child’s development not reaching its
full potential (Trundle 2010).
Implementing science learning in the early years can take advantage of
children’s disposition to learn about natural phenomena during their every-
day activities. Science is all around us, therefore whether watching snails in
an aquarium, blowing bubbles, using a flashlight to make shadows, or exper-
imenting with objects to see what sinks or floats, a child is naturally curious
and engaged in finding out about the world (Conezio and French 2002). In
this way, already the youngest children actively engage with their environ-
ment to develop fundamental understandings of the phenomena they ob-
serve and experience. Children also acquire process skills essential to scien-
tific interpretation, such as observing, classifying, sorting and others. These
basic scientific concepts and science process skills begin to develop as early
as infancy, with the sophistication of the child’s competences developing
with age (Trundle 2010).
Conezio and French (2002) believe that children are biologically prepared
to learn about the world around them, just as they are biologically prepared
to learn to walk and talk and interact with other people. Because they are
ready to learn about their everyday world, they are highly engaged when
opportunities to explore occur, creating strong and enduring mental rep-
resentations of experiences through investigations of their everyday world.
They readily acquire vocabulary to describe and share these mental repre-
326
