Children’s Creative Inquiry in STEM

This edited volume brings together international research that explores children’s creativity in STEM inquiry. It takes the position that creativity is relevant in all aspects of life and is essential for adaptable and innovative thinking. The research informed content of the book, highlights both challenges and opportunities for growing children’s creativity. The book focuses on fostering children’s creativity and natural curiosity in the world around them through STEM inquiry. Through STEM inquiry, children are learning through a cross- disciplinary approach where they apply concepts from multiple fields as they are thinking creatively, problem solving and constructing solutions. Educators play a critical role in encouraging children’s creativity by modelling creativity, providing creative projects for children and importantly, establishing rich culturally connected environments where children have the resources, conditions and opportunities for acting and thinking creatively. The book provides a lens for looking at children’s creativity in a range of different cultural settings. It offers insight and guidance to future research and will build educators’ capacity for developing children’s creative practices. Preface Acknowledgements Endorsements Contents List of Figures List of Tables Chapter 1: Introduction References Part I: Creative Dispositions and Processes – Synergies Between Inquiry and Creative Approaches to STEM Learning and Teaching Chapter 2: A Systematic Literature Review of Children’s Creative Inquiry 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The A to E of Children’s Creativity Framework 2.3 Methodology 2.4 Systematic Analysis Results 2.5 Thematic Analysis Results 2.5.1 Product: Criteria for Creative Outcomes 2.5.2 Person: Perspectives on Who Does the Original Thinking 2.5.3 Place: Elements of an Enabling Environment 2.5.4 Process: Characteristics of Children’s Creativity 2.6 Representation of STEM Studies 2.7 Conclusion References Chapter 3: Teachers’ Reflections on Their Changing Roles and Young Children’s Learning in Developing Creative, Inquiry-Based Approaches in Science Education 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Conceptual Framework 3.2.1 Definition of Creativity in Early Years and Mathematics 3.2.2 Key Features of Inquiry-Based Approaches to Learning and Dispositions Associated with Creativity 3.2.3 Synergies Between Inquiry-Based and Creative Approaches to Learning and Teaching 3.2.4 Curriculum Dimensions – ‘The Vulnerable Spider Web’ 3.3 Development of Curriculum Materials on Inquiry and Creativity for and by Early Years Teachers 3.3.1 Curriculum Development Through Action Research 3.3.2 Sample and Ethics 3.3.3 The CEYS Curriculum Development Process 3.4 Data Analysis: Impact of the CEYS Curriculum Development Process 3.5 Results 3.5.1 Curriculum Materials 3.5.1.1 Teachers’ Roles 3.5.1.2 Classroom Environment 3.5.1.3 Reflections and Interconnections 3.5.2 Teachers’ Portfolios 3.5.2.1 Planning 3.5.2.2 Teaching 3.5.2.3 Learning 3.5.2.4 Assessment 3.5.2.5 Contextual Factors 3.6 Discussion and Implications Appendicies Appendix 1: Prompt Questions to Support Teachers’ Reflections on their Changing Practice and Evidence of Children’s Learning Appendix 2: Format of the Curriculum Materials References Chapter 4: Developing Children’s Questioning Skills for Inquiry in STEM 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Background 4.2.1 Asking Questions for STEM Inquiry 4.2.2 Evaluating Children’s Questions 4.2.3 Questioning, Inquiry, and Creativity 4.3 Our Case Study 4.4 Methodology 4.5 Results 4.5.1 Introductory Lesson 4.5.2 First Inquiry Cycle 4.6 Second Inquiry Cycle 4.6.1 Third Inquiry Cycle 4.6.2 Final Lesson 4.7 Discussion 4.8 Conclusions References Chapter 5: Creativity and Motivation in Early Years Science as it Relates to Cognitive Styles 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Creativity and the Motivation to Do Science 5.2.1 Creativity and Motivation in Science Learning Settings 5.2.2 Creativity, Motivation and the Empathising-Systemising Theory 5.3 The Study 5.3.1 Goal and Research Question 5.4 Method 5.5 Results 5.6 Discussion and Conclusion References Chapter 6: Child-Focused Primary Science Inquiry: Can the Right Balance Be Found Between Creativity, Curriculum Objectives and Assessment Requirements? 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Science Inquiry 6.3 Creativity 6.4 Creativity in the Science Inquiry Process 6.5 Science Inquiry and Assessment 6.6 Creative Scientific Inquiry in Practice: Two Case Studies 6.7 Supporting Inquiry in the Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS) 6.7.1 Findings from the GSSfS 6.8 The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) Project 6.8.1 Findings from the TAPS Project 6.9 Conclusion References Chapter 7: Working with Inquiry Activities to Encourage Creative Thinking 7.1 Introduction 7.2 The Role and Nature of Inquiry in Science Learning 7.3 Barriers to Implementing Inquiry-Based Science 7.4 Fostering Creativity Through Play and Possibility Thinking 7.5 Background to the Inquiry Projects 7.6 Vignettes 7.7 Discussion: Opportunities for Creative Thinking in Inquiry Classrooms References Part II: Characteristics of Creative STEM Learning Environments Chapter 8: Young Children’s Creativity in the Context of STEM Learning Experiences 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Theoretical/Conceptual Background 8.3 Method 8.3.1 Research Site and Participants 8.3.2 Data Collection and Analysis 8.4 Results 8.4.1 Product 8.4.2 Person 8.4.3 Place 8.4.4 Process 8.5 Discussion 8.5.1 Product—What Do Children’s Creative STEM Products Look Like? 8.5.2 Person—Who Initiates Children’s Creative STEM Processes? 8.5.3 Place—How Do Environmental Elements Support Children’s Creative STEM Thinking? 8.5.4 Process—What Are the Characteristics of Children’s Creative STEM Processes? 8.5.5 Agency 8.5.6 Being Curious 8.5.7 Connecting 8.5.8 Daring 8.5.9 Experimenting 8.6 Implications 8.7 Limitations 8.8 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 9: ‘Creatively’ Using Pre-School Children’s Natural Creativity as a Lever in STEM Learning Through Playfulness 9.1 Introduction 9.2 STEM Education and the Needs of the Twenty-First Century 9.3 Complexity Theory, Constructionism and Play 9.4 Methods: Narrative Inquiry 9.5 Participants, Context and Disciplinarity 9.6 The First Narration: ‘Playing with the Square Root’ 9.7 The Second Narration: ‘Investigating How a Compound Dissolves in Water’ 9.8 Discussion 9.8.1 The Adult as a Designer 9.8.2 Learning as Play 9.9 Concluding Remarks: The Adult’s Willingness References Chapter 10: Characteristics of Learning Environments and Teachers’ Support for Children’s Creative STEM Enquiry in Japan 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Background 10.3 Elements of Creative STEM Enquiries and National Curriculum for Kindergartens 10.3.1 Creativity in the Curriculum 10.3.2 STEM Enquiries in the National Curriculum 10.4 Learning Environments and Teachers’ Support for Creativity in STEM 10.4.1 Various Environments and Trial and Error During Play for Creativity 10.4.1.1 Playground Environment 10.4.1.2 Origami (Paper Folding) 10.4.2 Teachers’ Provision of Intentional Environments and the Use of Trial and Error 10.4.2.1 Relevant Environments to Children’s Interests and the Real World 10.4.2.2 Support for Children’s Trial and Error During Play 10.5 Analysis of the Practice Record 10.5.1 Practice Record at Wako Kindergarten (Komatsu, 1975) 10.5.2 The Teacher’s Provision of an Environment and Support for Creativity 10.6 Discussion and Conclusion References Chapter 11: Bush Kinders in Australia: A Creative Place for Outdoor STEM Learning 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Understanding Creativity in Early Years Education 11.3 Understanding Bush Kinders: Influences on Children’s Creativity 11.4 Observing Creativity in Play 11.5 Bush Kinder Environments: Providing Strong Opportunities for Children’s STEM Creativity 11.6 Observing Creative Play Experiences 11.6.1 Vignette – Sand Drawings/Body 11.6.2 Vignette – Solving a Perplexing Problem 11.6.3 What the Teachers Said About Creativity 11.6.3.1 Fluency 11.6.3.2 Flexibility 11.6.3.3 Originality 11.6.3.4 Elaboration 11.7 The Environment as an Enabler of Children Creativity and Creative Play 11.8 Rethinking Creativity Using Different Frameworks 11.8.1 Children’s Creative Play Experiences 11.8.2 Teachers’ Pedagogy Related to Creativity 11.8.3 The Environment as an Enabler of Creativity 11.9 Concluding Comments References Part III: Creative Approaches to Teaching STEM Chapter 12: Exploring an Engineering Design Process and Young Children’s Creativity 12.1 Introduction 12.2 The E in STEM: An Engineering Design Process 12.3 Creativity and an Engineering Design Process 12.4 Our Learning Design Experiment 12.4.1 Context and Participants 12.4.2 Action Research and the Design Experiment 12.4.3 Indicators of Creativity 12.4.4 Data Collection 12.5 Learning Stories 12.5.1 Cycle 1 Learning Story: Constructing a Choo-Choo Train 12.5.1.1 Introduction 12.5.2 Cycle 2 Learning Story: A Boat for Sally 12.5.2.1 Introduction 12.6 Creative Engineers: Impact of the Design Process 12.6.1 Children’s Demonstration of Creativity Indicators References Chapter 13: From Slavery to Scientist: Dramatising a Historical Story to Creatively Engage Learners in Resolving STEM Problems 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Theorising the Nature of Creativity 13.3 The Creative Use of Drama Conventions to Promote Inquiry 13.4 Exploring Ways of Using Historical Stories for Promoting Learning 13.5 The Historical Story Drawn on to Inform This Dramatic STEM Inquiry 13.6 The Action Research Approach 13.7 The Nature of the Intervention: A Sequence of Dramatised Activities 13.8 Findings 13.9 Discussion 13.10 Conclusion References Chapter 14: Leonardo da Vinci’s Apprentices or Tinkering Belles and Boys at Ludic Play? 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Dramatic Inquiry, Framing and Improvisational Roles 14.3 Playful Learning 14.4 Research Design 14.5 Ethical Considerations 14.6 Data Collection 14.7 An Illustrative Example: The Bridge Commission 14.7.1 Step 1 Define the Problem 14.7.2 Step 2 Generate Ideas and Possibilities 14.7.3 Step 3 Select Ideas and Plan 14.7.4 Step 4 Make and Test 14.7.5 Step 5 Evaluate and Iterate 14.8 Findings 14.9 Discussion and Implications for Classroom Practice 14.10 Limitations of the Study 14.11 Conclusion References Chapter 15: Working with Nature of Science in Early Childhood Education: Inspiring Children’s Curiosity, Inquiry and Play 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Nature of Science in Preschool? 15.3 The Project 15.4 Results 15.4.1 Narrative 1: An Investigation of the Food Choices of a Snail (Children Aged Two to Three) 15.4.2 Narrative 2: Investigations About Spiders (Children Five to Six Years Old) 15.5 Discussion and Concluding Remarks References Chapter 16: Taking STEM to STEAM and Enhancing Creativity 16.1 Introduction 16.2 STEM to STEAM 16.3 Nurturing Creativity Through STEAM Approaches 16.4 Case Study: Hammond Park Catholic Primary School 16.5 Discussion and Implications References Part IV: Digital Creativity in Children’s STEM Learning – Looking Forward in the Digital Era Chapter 17: Integrating Tangible Technologies with Young Children’s STREAM Project 17.1 Introduction 17.2 Methods 17.2.1 School Context 17.2.2 Data Collection and Analysis 17.2.3 Classroom Context 17.3 The Computer Project 17.3.1 What Is a Computer? 17.3.2 What Makes a Computer a Computer? 17.3.3 Playing Office 17.3.4 Creating the Magnolia Office 17.3.5 Parents as Experts 17.3.6 Locating Parents Work Places 17.3.7 Including City Structures 17.3.8 Navigation 17.3.9 Mapping Our Classroom 17.4 Discussion 17.5 Conclusion References Chapter 18: The Creative in Computational Thinking 18.1 Introduction 18.1.1 Computational Thinking 18.1.2 Creative Thinking 18.1.3 The Intersection of Computational Thinking and Creative Thinking in Unplugged Programming 18.2 Methodology 18.2.1 Sessions 18.2.2 Data Collection and Analysis 18.2.3 Operationalising Creative Thinking 18.2.4 Operationalising Computational Thinking 18.3 Results 18.4 Discussion 18.4.1 Computational Thinking and Creative Thinking 18.4.2 Limitations 18.4.3 Future Directions 18.5 Conclusion and Implications References Chapter 19: Young Children’s Playful Engagement and Learning with a Fairy-Tale Themed Augmented Reality Coding App 19.1 Introduction 19.2 Introducing Little Red Coding Club 19.3 Creativity in Young Children’s Playful Engagement and Learning with a Fairy-Tale Themed Augmented Reality Coding App 19.3.1 Creativity and Young Children’s Digital Engagement 19.3.2 Creativity and Coding in Early Childhood 19.3.3 Creativity, Augmented Reality and Coding in Early Childhood 19.3.4 Attending to Creativity and Coding in the Present Study 19.4 Methodology 19.5 Findings and Discussion 19.5.1 Process 19.5.2 Place 19.5.3 Product 19.5.4 Person 19.6 Conclusion 19.6.1 Limitations 19.6.2 Implications for Research and Practice References Chapter 20: Preparing Greek Pre-service Kindergarten Teachers to Promote Creativity: Opportunities Using Scratch and Makey Makey 20.1 Introduction 20.2 Visual Programming and Robots 20.3 The Scratch 3 Visual Programming Environment 20.4 The Makey Makey Educational Robotic Kit 20.5 Methods 20.5.1 Participants 20.5.2 Study Design 20.5.3 Data Collection 20.5.4 Data Analysis 20.5.4.1 Project Analysis 20.5.4.2 Students’ Self-Efficacy Analysis 20.6 Results 20.6.1 Ethical Considerations 20.7 Limitations 20.8 Discussion—Conclusion References This edited volume brings together international research that explores children's creativity in STEM inquiry. It takes the position that creativity is relevant in all aspects of life and is essential for adaptable and innovative thinking. The research informed content of the book, highlights both challenges and opportunities for growing children's creativity. The book focuses on fostering children's creativity and natural curiosity in the world around them through STEM inquiry. Through STEM inquiry, children are learning through a cross- disciplinary approach where they apply concepts from multiple fields as they are thinking creatively, problem solving and constructing solutions. Educators play a critical role in encouraging children's creativity by modelling creativity, providing creative projects for children and importantly, establishing rich culturally connected environments where children have the resources, conditions and opportunities for acting and thinking creatively. [Publisher summary, ed]