Ready@Five Symposium, Children and Science

Ready@Five Symposium, September 17, 2008
Annapolis Sheraton

“Children and Science: A Natural Fit”
Jeffrey Winokur and Karen Worth
Center for Science Education

Presenter’s Opening Humor: In a ranking of preschool educational priorities, science education places about ninth behind literacy, math skills, literacy, literacy, literacy, literacy… and finally, down the list…science.

Why Science is Appropriate for Preschoolers: children are naturally curious and exposure to science offers a framework for thinking, talking, figuring out math ideas. Science is engaging. It gives a ‘real’ setting that researchers say is important to learning.

Science inquiry is well-suited to second language learners as entry into science inquiry is through experience and action, not language.

Characteristics of Science for Preschoolers: hands-on, allows for observance of cause and effect, questioning, sensory experiences, takes advantage of natural occurrences, teacher acts as facilitator, exploration of properties, noisy, messy, etc.

Inquiry Diagram delineates the steps of the scientific inquiry cycle, e.g., notice/wonder, focus/observe, plan/predict, observe/record, share/discuss/reflect, ask new questions… and the cycle goes on.

Inquiry develops skills that children will need in their lifetime of learning: raise questions, explore objects, observe, describe, use simple tools, make simple investigations, work collaboratively, share, discuss, learn new perspectives.

Criterion for Appropriate subject matter: draws from preschooler’s real/actual experiences, is developmentally appropriate, can be directly explored (not dinosaurs or planets, e.g.), open to deep exploration over time, builds science concepts.

Some possible subjects to study with preschoolers:
characteristics of living things, needs of living things, life cycles, diversity, habitat.

Applications to library and library programming:
displays of small animals, temporary displays of wild things (“they have to go back outside”) rigid tubes filled with interesting items to observe. And programming that includes science inquiry.

At the symposium, I talked to Connie Wilson, Programming Specialist in Carroll County, who told me about their science programming for preschoolers. They have regular science programs for preschoolers and use kits and ideas from The Vermont Center for the Book and a science related Mother Goose Program. (That Mother Goose is EveryWhere!)

I’d be happy to share any of the Symposium materials, if you’re interested.

Afternoon Meeting with State Library staff (for the first time!)
After the Symposium, in the afternoon, the DLDS staff convened library folks from the symposium at a nearby public library. Louise J. Corwin, the Director of Ready@Five came to this meeting and gave a presentation about their mission and resources in addition to offering these symposia. Check out their website.

Ready@Five is a state-wide, not for profit endeavor that offers no direct services to children but develops materials and programs for parents and educators. They collect and make available state-wide data relating to early education. Their work is in coordination with the Maryland Model of School Readiness.

One interesting statistic: This year, for the first time, we have state-wide longitudinal data comparing the relative school readiness of PreK students and the accomplishments/success of those same children at 3rd grade. It showed that only 1% of the PK students who were not assessed to be “fully prepared” in Pre-K made it to the “advanced” group in 3rd grade.

As the group discussed, the difference for a given student could be as ordinary as the availability and effectiveness of the library/media center services the child receives. (No pressure!)
Library experience ties to the Voluntary State Curriculum.

Examples of their products for teacher/parents/para-educators:
1)Read-Aloud scripts kits developed by Center for Applied Linguistics,
2)Learning Party materials, boxes for play/study that are centered on the 7 domains of learning as set out by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Their materials are available for purchase or download and are being developed in Spanish and other languages.

The rest of this meeting was a discussion of various topics or programs that offered to staff and the public in the counties represented. Some tidbits: MMSR training, Head Start reauthorization mentioned libraries this time for the first time so Ready At Five is preparing to highlight Head Start during Month of the Young Child in 2009, First Card programs, Sharing the Gift program, Peer Coaching wiki in Carroll County, and changes over the past few years in Howard County. Very interesting! Susan Modak