Understanding how children learn

Children's Learning in Math, Science, and STEM/STEAM

Quotes learned from this week’s readings

1. Children are supposed to be taught how to think on their own, not what to think (Coleman & McTighe, 2013). This quote is relevant in encouraging people to embrace education not as a tool for seeking economic empowerment but as an illuminating tool. Education is required to enable people in society to have an open mind, so as to think and act independently and rationally. In particular, children should be helped be autonomous in reasoning. The society should not imagine that a child’s mind cannot generate independent thoughts.

2. Children are born with a zest for knowledge, aware that they must live in a future molded by science, but so often convinced by their culture that science is not for them (Lott, Wallin, Rohaar, & Price, 2013). This quote delves on the attitude that engulfs most of the people in the society regarding the value and place of science. The quote ridicules the people’s beliefs with regards to the place and significance of science and culture. The society is then provoked to start empowering children with knowledge of science as opposed to the cultural knowledge.

3. Climate change is a threat to every section of our country, each sector of the economy and the well-being and future of every child. We can now witness its impacts and we know the poorest and the vulnerable citizens of the United States and other people around the world will suffer most of all (Mayberry, 2014). This quote admonishes the contemporary society about the possible effects of human activities to the climate. Mostly, the corporate and industrialized setups that endlessly emit greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. For now, the effects have reached a level where the world is gradually reckoning with the ugly outcomes of these imprudent human activities.

4. Education occurs to be a necessity that all people from diverse cultures, need to embrace. This includes Math, science, and the words of the world. To have the ability to speak and to have clarity as well as ability to think is the paramount gifts (NSTA, 2014). This emphasizes the significance of education especially to the children. If the bright future is anything to go by, then the world has no option but to invest dearly in the quality education. This is the only way sufficient to stimulate development and foster sustainable progress of the society.

What I have learned this week about children's learning in math, science, and STEM/STEAM

This week, I learnt that the aim of education should be to teach people how to think, rather than what to think. It ought to improve people’s minds, so as to enable them to think for ourselves, than to load their memories with other people’s thoughts (Roy, 2013). Furthermore, I have noted that every child deserves a champion; who is an adult that will never give up on them (Vardell & Wong, 2014). This adult should understand the power of connection with children and insist that they become the best that they can possibly be.

References

Coleman, J., & McTighe, E. (2013). Unlocking the power of visual communication: Interactive read-alouds help students decode science diagrams and other visual information. Science and Children, 50(5), 73-77.

Lott, K., Wallin, M., Rohaar, D., & Price, T. (2013). Catch me if you can! A STEM activity for kindergartners is integrated into the curriculum. Science and Children, 51(4), 65-69.

Mayberry, S. (2014). Gather ‘round: Exploring the wonders of science through read-alouds. Science and Children, 51(8), 63-67.

NSTA. (2014). NSTA position statement: Early childhood science education. Science and Children, 51, (7), 10-12.

Roy, K. (2013). Safety: The elementary mission. Science and Children, 51(2), 86-87.

Vardell, S. M., & Wong, J. S., (2014). Observe, explain, and connect. Science and Children,