Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Support Young Children's Equitable Science Sensemaking

Abstract

This chapter explores what is known about preparing early childhood teachers for science teaching. A review of recent research literature revealed findings closely related to those from elementary teacher preparation, with the majority addressing how various interventions, predominantly in science methods courses, shape preservice teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about science, the nature of science, and science teaching. A subset of studies examines preservice teachers’ interactions with children, the development of science teaching practices, and issues of equity and access. These studies are complementary with emergent perspectives on science in early childhood that privilege children’s innate curiosity about the world and drive to figure things out; consider the whole child, including their multiple and embodied ways of knowing; and foreground disrupting unjust interactions in science. Building from the review findings, the authors call for a holistic, asset-based approach to designing and studying teacher preparation for science in early childhood, including opportunities for candidates to investigate science alongside children. The authors raise questions about expertise, language, and power for the field, and expand the emphasis on teacher knowledge to address identity, a pedagogy of listening and responsiveness, an inquiry stance toward teaching and learning, and a strong social justice orientation. In this chapter, the authors set out to review the research literature on the preparation of early childhood preservice teachers (EC-PSTs) for teaching science, with a goal of drawing implications for future research and practice. In recent years, there has been mounting interest among researchers and practitioners regarding young children and science, a focus also reflected in contemporary Early Childhood Education (ECE) reform globally. Science in ECE emphasizes the integrated nature of science learning for young children, presenting a holistic view of children and their proficiencies for investigation and embodied sensemaking practices (Siry & Gorges, 2020). Support for science in early years is grounded in children’s innate curiosity about how the world works and their drive to “figure it out” (National Research Council [NRC], 2007). A growing body of research indicates young children are capable of reasoning that reflects the work of the scientific community (Kirch, 2009; Metz, 1995; Monteira & Jiménez-Aleixandre, 2016; Trundle & Saçkes, 2012). Children who are exposed to science instruction early develop positive attitudes and interest in science (Eshach & Fried, 2005); when this does not happen, interest in science may drop off (Mullis & Jenkins, 1988). However, children from communities that experience unequal distribution of resources and power, or who are part of groups that have been historically marginalized in science, tend not to have access to equitable science instruction (see Haverly et al., 2020). Gaps in opportunities that begin early are amplified later in schooling and career choice (Mbamalu, 2001), creating an urgent need to attend to inequities embedded in science for ECE. The authors of this chapter position children as capable learners with multiple ways of knowing, who have the right to experience the natural world, make sense of it, and have their ideas taken seriously (UN General Assembly, 1989). Children’s learning in science is as much about the process of inquiry as it is about developing meaningful understanding of science concepts. Haverly and colleagues (2020) extend sensemaking in science to include classroom interactions that disrupt dominant epistemological orientations and normative ways of knowing and expressing understanding. Equitable sensemaking in science is conceptualized as a coconstruction of knowledge incorporating students’ epistemic resources—including language practices, discursive forms, and cultural practices (Nasir, Rosebery, Warren, & Lee, 2006)–not always traditionally legitimized in classroom spaces (Haverly et al., 2020, p. 65-66). Engaging with children in science in ways that cultivate their multiple and embodied ways of knowing can be challenging for teachers of young children, who have themselves been characterized as lacking confidence and knowledge for science teaching. The authors here assert that teachers of young children are uniquely equipped to support their science sensemaking (Zembal-Saul, et al., 2020). Given EC classrooms are often self-contained and emphasize socio-emotional development, EC teachers are positioned to notice, explore, and connect with children's differing cultural and linguistic resources, lived experiences, and value systems. This relational work can support a classroom community in which children feel safe and valued, shifting historicized positions of power (Haverly et al., 2020). Further, EC teachers’ proficiency in literacy instruction can be reimagined as an asset to facilitate science sensemaking – a collective discourse-rich endeavor (NRC, 2007). As such, the authors encourage readers to consider how teacher preparation experiences might be designed to build upon these overlooked assets. In sum, when EC teachers prioritize children’s equitable science sensemaking, they position young children as capable of asking and investigating scientific questions as part of developing science knowledge and practices, as well as reaching their full potential as human beings. Given these uniquely favorable features of the EC profession more generally, what is known from the literature about preparing EC-PSTs to support young children’s equitable science sensemaking? It is this question that frames the chapter, which continues with a description of the search methods, findings from the literature review, and discussion of emergent questions and future directions for the design and study of EC teacher preparation for science.