Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Full Steam Ahead: Creating Interdisciplinary Informal Learning Opportunities For Early Childhood Teacher Candidates, Sara L. Hartman, Danielle Dani

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

Early childhood teacher candidates benefit when presented with opportunities to engage meaningfully with their clinically-based school community. Informal learning events that are hosted after school hours but within school settings present a valuable way to provide these opportunities. Too often, content areas exist in isolation in classrooms, a stark contrast to the real world where content is connected and overlapping. Additionally, while many early childhood teachers express insecurity about their ability to teach STEM content, an integrated STEAM (STEM + Arts & Humanities) approach may help to promote comfort with STEM content and presents an authentic example of content integration. …