Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS): Facilitating Scientific Ways of Thinking, Talking, Doing, and Understanding / Edition 1

by Rochel Gelman Gallistel

Overview

To ensure they're meeting state early learning guidelines for science, preschool educators need fun, age-appropriate, and research-based ways to teach young children about scientific concepts. That's just what they'll get with this hands-on guidebook! The basis for the PBS KIDS show Sid the Science Kid, this innovative teaching resource helps children ages 3-5 investigate their everyday world and develop the basics of scientific thinking skills they'll apply across subject areas when they enter school. A fun and engaging way to introduce science to young children, PrePS is a must-have because it Is based on the domain-specific approach to cognitive development. The collaborative work of cognitive researchers and preschool educators, this approach incorporates lessons learned from developmental research and classroom experience. Provides age-appropriate introduction to key science practices (see box). Supports a range of cognitive and social skills. PrePS uses science to help children develop math skills, early literacy and language skills, and social and emotional sensitivity. Makes the most of children's natural curiosity. PrePS isn't a rigid curriculum that asks children to memorize facts. It's a flexible, hands-on approach that helps teachers build on what children do best actively explore their world. Encourages collaboration between teachers and children. PrePS encourages children's full participation, making learning a true partnership between adults and children. Enhances any curriculum. PrePS gives teachers creative new ways to support science learning and reasoning within everyday routines and lessons. Taps teachers' creativity. Because PrePS is designed to energize teachers and tap in to their personal creativity, teachers who already use the PrePS approach have reported an increase in professional satisfaction. This reader-friendly guide gives educators the guidance they need to work PrePS into their existing prog

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598570441
Publisher:	Brookes Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Rochel Gelman is a professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science, and the codirector of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS). Before joining Rutgers, she was Professor of Psychology first at the University of Pennsylvania and then at the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA). She is widely known for her pioneering research on what infants and preschool children already know or learn with relative ease. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; a William James Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science; and a recipient of the Society for Research in Child Development's Distinguished Lifetime Scientific Contribution to Child Development Award, the Early Career Research Contribution Award, and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association. She has received a Mentor Award from Division 7 of the American Psychological Association for her training of other scientists, especially women who have gone on to distinguished careers in psychological research.

Dr. Gelman's research program is organized around a longtime interest in learning, cognition, and developmental cognitive science. Her book, The Child's Understanding of Number (Harvard University Press, 1978), with C.R. Gallistel, is considered a landmark publication about preschool children's numerical competencies. Dr. Gelman's other publications include several edited volumes and monographs and more than 100 book chapters and papers. She has collaborated with school and museum professionals in published research on the creation of environments that promote math and science learning in schools and museums. Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS™) represents her most extensive effort of this kind.

Gay Macdonald is Executive Director for Early Care and Education, Krieger Center, UCLA.

Moises Roman is Curriculum Coordinator for Early Care and Education, Krieger Center, UCLA.

Read an Excerpt

https://brookespublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Preschool-Pathways-to-Science_Excerpt.pdf

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Tables, Boxes, and Activities
About the Authors
Acknowledgments

1: Introduction to PrePS™

• Science for Preschool?
• More Competence than Meets the Eye
• A Preview of PrePS
• Conclusion

2: The Nature and Development of Concepts: Implications for Teaching Preschool Science

• More about Theories
• Theory into Practice
• Developing the PrePS Framework
• Flexible Plans
• Conclusion

3: Key Science Practices

• Observe, Predict, Check
• Compare, Contrast, Experiment
• Vocabulary, Discourse, and Language
• Counting, Measurement, and Math
• Recording and Documenting
• Planning for the Science Practices
• Activity 3.1: Introducing Observation
• Activity 3.2: Making Predictions
• Activity 3.3: The Blubber Glove Experiment
• Activity 3.4: Animate/Inanimate Distinction Activity
• Using Wind-Up Toys

4: Getting Started and Moving Forward

• Getting Started with PrePS
• Early PrePS Learning Experiences
• Time to Explore ... an Explore Some More
• Activity 4.1: Exploring the Functions of Senses: Comparing and Contrasting with Apples
• Activity 4.2: Exploring the Functions of Senses: Describing Coconuts
• Activity 4.3: Exploring the Functions of Senses: Matching Sounds
• Activity 4.4: Exploring the Functions of Senses: Felt Weight and Balance Scales

5. Assessment

• How Do We Know PrePS Supports Development of the Whole Child?
• How Do We Know PrePS Supports Scientific Thinking and Understanding?
• How Can Teachers Assess the Effects of PrePS on the Classroom Environment and on Students' Learning?
• How Do I Know If I'm Doing It Right?
• Some Final Thoughts

References

Index

Editorial Reviews

"This approach to science offers unique insights into providing challenging learning experiences."

Gail Perry

"A framework that will support thoughtful teachers in developing their own science activities that build on children's inherent curiosity about the world . . . This book should be required reading for students preparing to teach in early childhood. They will never again underestimate a young child's incredible intellectual ability."

Lucia French

"If you are an early childhood administrator or educator curious about the emerging excitement around preschool science or a preschool science teacher looking to expand science in your classroom, PrePS is an easy read and a great place to start!"

Preschool Matters, August 2010 - Daryl B. Greenfield

"A great source of ideas for teaching methods for students going into the early childhood field . . . the authors integrate theory and teaching practices in a very complete way . . . this book will be a wonderful selection for a teaching candidate's personal library."

NSTA Recommends - Kimberly Elpers

"[A] wonderful, user-friendly book . . . I urge directors and teachers in preschools and day care centers to implement its splendid suggestions."

Professor of Psychology, Harvard University - Susan Carey

"There is much to like in [the] PrePS™ curriculum...we think that such a goal of a science curriculum is needed not just in preschool, but at each level of education to promote in all scientists-in-waiting a better understanding of science as a process and institution. Researchers and policy makers alike would be wise to consider this goal for the citizens we are educating in our technologically and scientifically complex society."

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

"An important new early childhood science program based on ground-breaking research on children's thinking and learning . . . Teachers can enjoy this program as much as the children."

Teachers College, Columbia University - Herbert P. Ginsburg

"This approach to science offers unique insights into providing challenging learning experiences."

Young Children - Gail Perry