Understanding Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM)

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss the essential role of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) in the education of all young children in inclusive preschool settings where children with and without disabilities learn together. Effective STEAM instruction for all children occurs when teachers value children’s active engagement in learning and are able to plan and implement activities focusing on STEAM content and processes as well as children’s motivation to learn. We begin by reviewing effective instructional approaches for STEAM in preschool. We discuss the importance of intentional teaching in early education settings, particularly with regard to the needs of young children with disabilities. A focus on intentional teaching leads us to a more comprehensive approach or framework for engaging early educators in systematically planning for support for young children with disabilities. We use our work in Children’s School Success (CSS) (Children’s school success: An experimental study of a school readiness curriculum, Bloomington, IN, 2003) and Children’s School Success Plus (CSS+; Children’s school success: A framework for inclusive education, Baltimore, MD, in preparation) to highlight key instructional strategies for science and math learning in early childhood while also directing the reader to other researches that underlie these points. CSS+ is based on a series of grant-funded projects in which we worked with preschool teachers as research partners to develop and test the efficacy of an integrated comprehensive preschool curriculum framework designed to meet the needs of preschool children at risk for school failure. We developed the CSS+ curriculum framework that we describe in this chapter to guide teachers’ thinking about STEAM activities that support children’s readiness for school learning, especially with regard to needs of children who have or are at risk for disabilities. The classroom in which Cathy, Anna, and Sherry work is revisited throughout the chapter to provide specific examples about how the curriculum framework can be used to develop STEAM activities to support learning for all children. The descriptions of the three preschool teachers and their classroom are based on teachers we came to know through CSS+.