Abstract
Experiences in early childhood set the foundation for lifelong learning. Given the integrative and applied nature of engineering and children’s natural curiosity, we suggest that prekindergarten classrooms are well suited for providing opportunities to promote the development of engineering habits of mind (EHM). Developmental theories suggest that children learn best through hands-on experiences that enable them to explore and discover concepts themselves and that others in the child’s environment can serve as active partners in exploration. Recognizing the emphasis on integrated curriculum in early childhood and the competing demands for time in preschool classrooms, we identify the EHM as an appropriate early engineering emphasis that can be embedded in everyday classroom moments. To this end, this chapter begins by pointing out connections among science , math, and engineering for early learners, highlights theories that inform our work with engineering in prekindergarten classrooms, discusses EHM in prekindergarten learners, briefly presents a pilot study of observing EHM in prekindergarten classrooms, and ends by drawing overarching conclusions and suggesting future directions for incorporating EHM into prekindergarten classrooms.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Azmitia, M. (1988). Peer interaction and problem solving: When are two heads better than one? Child Development, 59, 87–96. https://doi.org/10.2307/1130391.
Bagiati, A., & Evangelou, D. (2011). Starting young: Learning outcomes of a developmentally appropriate PreK engineering curriculum. Proceedings of the Research in Engineering Education Symposium. Madrid, Spain: Universidad Politecnica de Madres.
Bagiati, A., & Evangelou, D. (2015). Engineering Curriculum in the Preschool Classroom: The Teacher’s Experience. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 23, 112–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2014.991099.
Bairaktarova, D., Evangelou, D., Bagiati, A., & Dobbs-Oates, J. (2012). The Role of Classroom Artifacts in Developmental Engineering. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. San Antonio, Texas: ASEE.
Benjamin, N., Haden, C. A., & Wilkerson, E. (2010). Enhancing building, conversation, and learning through caregiver-child interactions in a children’s museum. Developmental Psychology, 46, 502–515. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017822.
Berry, A., & DeRosa, D. (2015). K-12 teachers as curriculum designers in engineering professional development. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Seattle, WA.
Besser, D., & Monson, D. (2014). Engineering in the K-12 classroom. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Bonawitz, E., Shafto, P., Gweon, H., Goodman, N. D., Spelke, E., & Schulz, L. (2011). The double-edge sword of pedagogy: Instruction limits spontaneous exploration and discovery. Cognition, 120, 322–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2010.10.001.
Bottomley, L. & Parry, E A. (2013). Defining engineering in K-12 in North Carolina. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Brenneman, K., Stevenson-Boyd, J., & Frede, E. C. (2009). Math and science in preschool: Policies and practice. Preschool Policy Brief, 19. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research.
Bruner, J. (1997). Celebrating divergence: Piaget and Vygotsky. Human Development, 40, 63–73.
Chiu, J. L. & Linn, M. C. (2011). Knowledge integration and wise engineering. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER), 1(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.7771/2157-9288.1026.
Clements, D. H., & Samara, J. (2007). Effects of a preschool mathematics curriculum: Summative research on the Building Blocks project. Journal of Research in Mathematics Education, 38, 136–163. https://doi.org/10.2307/30034954.
Colozzi, G. A., Ward, L. W., & Crotty, K. E. (2008). Comparison of simultaneous prompting procedure in 1:1 and small group instruction to teach play skills to preschool students with pervasive developmental disorder and developmental disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 43, 226–248.
DeJaegher, C. J., Chiu, J. L., Burghardt, M. D., Hecht, D., Malcolm, P. T. & Pan, E. (2012). Learning common core math concepts with WISEngineering. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Dewey, J. (1997). Experience and Education. New York: Touchstone.
Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychology Review, 95(2), 256–273.
Early Childhood Iowa (2012). Iowa Early Learning Standards. Retrieved from http://www.state.ia.us/earlychildhood/files/ECI_SITE_FILES/IAearlylearningstandards.pdf.
Glancy, A. W., Moore, T. J., Guzey, S. S., Mathis, C. A., Tank, K. M., & Siverling, E. A. (2014). Examination of integrated STEM curricula as a means toward quality K-12 engineering education. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Gold, Z. S., Elicker, J., Choi, J. Y., Anderson, T., & Brophy, S. P. (2015). Preschoolers’ engineering play behaviors: Differences in gender and play context. Children, Young, and Environments, 25, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.25.3.0001.
Gopnik, A., & Wellman, H. M. (2012). Reconstructing constructivism: Causal models, Bayesian learning mechanisms, and the theory. Psychology Bulletin, 138, 1085–1108. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028044.
Haden, C. A., Cant, E. A., Hoffman, P. C., Marcus, M., Geddes, J. R., & Gaskins, S. (2014). Supporting family conversations and children’s STEM learning in a children’s museum. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29, 333–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.04.004.
Hess, J. L., Sprowl, J. E., Pan, R., Dyehouse, M., Wachter, C. A., & Strobel, J. (2012). Empathy and caring as conceptualized inside and outside of engineering: Extensive literature review and faculty focus group analyses. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Hintze, J. M., Volpe, R. J., & Shapiro, E. S. (2002). Best practices in the systematic direct observation of student behavior. Best Practices in School Psychology, 4, 993–1006.
Hobson Foster, C., Husman, J., & Mendoza, C. (2013). Engineering Solar Energy in the Fourth Grade Science Classroom. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Katehi, L., Pearson, G. & Feder, M. (2009). The status and nature of K-12 engineering education in the United States, The Bridge: Linking Engineering and Society, 39(3), 5–10. https://www.nae.edu/Publications/Bridge/16145/16161.aspx.
Loveland & Dunn. (2014, March). Engineering Habits of Mind in Technology Education. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Lucas, C. G., Bridgers, S., Griffiths, T. L., & Gopnik, A. (2014). When children are better (or at least more open-minded) learners than adults: Developmental differences in learning the forms of causal relationships. Cognition, 131, 284–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2013.12.010.
McCabe, M. P. (1991). Influence of creativity and intelligence on academic performance. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 25, 116–122. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1991.tb01361.x.
Mercer, N., & Howe, C. (2012). Explaining the dialogic processes of teaching and learning: The value and potential of sociocultural theory. Learning, Culture, & Interaction, 1, 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2012.03.001.
Moore, T. J., Glancy, A. W., Tank, K. M., Kersten, J. A., Stohlman, M. S., Ntow, F. D., & Smith, K. A. (2013a). A framework for implementing quality K-12 engineering education. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Moore, T. J., Tank, K. M., Glancy, A. W., Kersten, J. A., & Ntow, F. D. (2013b). The status of engineering in the current K-12 state science standards. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Atlanta, GA.
National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (NAE and NRC). (2009). Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Nelson, D. K., O’Neil, K. A., & Asher, Y. M. (2008). A mutually facilitative relationship between learning names and learning concepts in preschool children: The case of artifacts. Journal of Cognition & Development, 9(2), 171–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248370802022621.
Newman, B., & Newman, P. (2009). Development through life: A psychosocial approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Pawlina, S., & Stanford, C. (2011). Preschoolers Grow Their Brains: Shifting Mindsets for Greater Resiliency and Better Problem Solving. Young Children, 66(5), 30–35.
P21: Partnership for 21st Century Learning. (2016, February 15). http://www.p21.org/index.php.
Piaget, J., Cook, M. (trans). (1954). The Construction of Reality in the Child. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., & Hamre, B. K. (2008). Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Manual, Pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
Rehmann, C. R., Rover, D. T., Laingen, M., Mickelson, S. K. & Brumm, T. J. (2011). Introducing systems thinking to the engineer of 2020. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2011). Classroom observations in teaching practice. Practice Teaching: A Reflective Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tank, K. M., Moore, T. J., Babjide, B., & Rynearson, A. M. (2015). Evidence of students’ engineering learning in an elementary classroom. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Seattle, WA.
Verdine, B. N., Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Newcombe, N. S., Filipowicz, A. T., & Chang, A. (2014). Deconstructing building blocks: Preschoolers’ spatial assembly performance relates to early mathematical skills. Child Development, 85(3), 1062–1076. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12165.
Virani, S., Burnham, I. B., Gonzalez, V., Barua, M., Fredericksen, E., & Andrade, S. J. (2011). Work in progress: Designing an innovative curriculum for engineering in high school. Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education National Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Vygotsky, L. (1997). Interaction between learning and development. Mind and Society, pp.79-91. In M. Gauvain & M. Cole (Eds.) Reading on the Development of Children (pp.29-35). New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. (Original work published 1978).
Wolfgang, C. H., Stannard, L. L., & Jones, I. (2001). Block play performance among preschoolers as a predictor of later school achievement in mathematics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15, 173–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568540109594958.
Zigler, E., & Styfco, S. J. (2010). Hidden History of Head Start. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lippard, C.N., Riley, K.L., Lamm, M.H. (2018). Encouraging the Development of Engineering Habits of Mind in Prekindergarten Learners. In: English, L., Moore, T. (eds) Early Engineering Learning. Early Mathematics Learning and Development. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8621-2_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8621-2_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-8620-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-8621-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)