Science Education during Early Childhood: A Cultural-Historical Perspective (Cultural Studies of Science Education Book 6)

Children's learning and understanding of science during their pre-school years has been a neglected topic in the education literature something this volume aims to redress. Paradigmatic notions of science education, with their focus on biologically governed development and age-specific accession to scientific concepts, have perpetuated this state of affairs. This book offers a very different perspective, however. It has its roots in the work of cultural-historical activity theorists, who, since Vygotsky, have assumed that any higher cognitive function existed in and as a social relation first. Accepting this precept removes any lower limit we may deem appropriate on children's cognitive engagement with science-related concepts. The authors describe and analyze the ways in which children aged from one to five grapple with scientific concepts, and also suggest ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers can be prepared to teach in ways that support children & rsquo;s development in cultural and historical contexts. In doing so, the book affirms the value of cultural-historical activity theory as an appropriate framework for analyzing preschool children & rsquo;s participation in science learning experiences, and shows that that the theory provides an appropriate framework for understanding learning, as well as for planning and conducting training for pre-school teachers Front Matter....Pages i-xi Front Matter....Pages 15-18 Learning, Development, and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory....Pages 1-14 The Origins of Reading: Science Texts....Pages 19-39 The Genesis of Conceptual Categories....Pages 41-60 Front Matter....Pages 61-66 Engaging Children in Collective Curriculum Design....Pages 67-90 Margin|Center....Pages 91-110 Darkness|Light....Pages 111-134 Front Matter....Pages 135-137 Creating the Potential for Learning in Early Childhood Education....Pages 139-160 Preparing Teachers for Early Childhood Science Teaching....Pages 161-180 Magnifying Effects with LIGHT....Pages 181-197 Front Matter....Pages 199-199 Valuing Children’s Early Science Experiences....Pages 201-207 Back Matter....Pages 209-221