Engaging Young Engineers
Engaging Young Engineers
Teaching Problem-Solving Skills Through STEM, Second Edition
Angela Stone-MacDonald, Ph.D., Kristen Wendell, Ph.D., Anne Douglass, Ph.D., Mary Lu Love, M.S., Amanda Wiehe Lopes, Ph.D.
Early Childhood
Boost young children’s problem-solving skills and set them up for long-term success with the second edition of this practical guidebook! Enhanced with new lessons and timely topics— including equity and the use of makerspaces—this book will help you get all children ready for kindergarten by teaching them basic practices of engineering design and critical thinking skills.
Using a clear instructional framework and fun lesson plans tailored for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, you’ll guide your “emerging engineers” as they explore big ideas and develop new ways of thinking through engaging and challenging learning experiences. Practical materials include classroom-tested activities that incorporate children’s books, self-reflection checklists, practical strategies and modifications, Early Childhood UDL Planning Sheets, and blank Experience Planning Templates.
EDUCATORS WILL
- Introduce hands-on learning experiences that teach critical thinking skills—curiosity, persistence, flexibility, reflection, and collaboration
- Demystify and teach key phases of engineering design: think about it, try it, fix it, and share it
- Support school readiness by helping children work toward kindergarten standards, including Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
- Use universal design for learning (UDL) principles to ensure that learning experiences work for all children, with and without disabilities
- Encourage language and literacy development with suggestions for weaving reading into problem-solving experiences and using language to prompt children’s thinking skills
- Promote other skills needed for school success, including social-emotional skills, self-regulation, and executive functioning
WHAT’S NEW: Three new themes: computational thinking, makerspaces, and inclusion and equity in STEM | Every lesson plan updated | More lessons based on new children’s books | New art/music/drama lesson options for STEAM-focused schools | More coverage of spatial development | Expanded information on assessment | Updated book resources and references
Reviews
James A. Cox, Editor-In-Chief, Midwest Book Review - May 20, 2024
"Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, family, daycare center, preschool, community, school district, and college/university Science/STEM education collections and supplemental Education Lesson Planning curriculums for children ages 1-5."
Serra Acar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston - November 10, 2023
"Provides excellent examples of high‑quality STEM activities to support children's problem‑solving and critical thinking skills...a great resource for early childhood educators in inclusive settings.
The authors provide the theory and evidence base behind this problem‑solving framework and show how educators and caregivers can use the framework to participate in engineering learning experiences with young children."
Read an excerpt
Note to the Reader and Chapter 1
Watch a webinar
Think, Try, Fix, Share: Inclusive Engineering with Young Children Using Universal Design
Download the alignment
How Our Early Childhood Products Help Strengthen Head Start Program Quality and School Readiness
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