Poster – STEM in the Playscape: Tools for Research and Education

Playscapes are intentionally designed nature-focused play environments for young children where children learn through exploration, discovery, play and adult supported provocations. The primary objective of this ongoing research-in-service to practice project is to engage in a collaborative mixed methods study to investigate aspects of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning with regard to playscape design, teacher efficacy, children’s learning, and dosage effects. It builds upon a previous NSF Pathways study.

The goal of this poster is to showcase the usable research and instructional tools developed by this project team and describe how they address our project’s aims.

Aims:

1. Create Early Childhood Digital Modules to Promote STEM Learning on playscapes, specifically to increase pedagogical content knowledge, promote effective instructional practices, and inform playscape design.
2. Investigate the impact of trained teachers on children’s STEM learning on playscapes. Trained teachers will use the Digital Modules as part of their professional learning to increase teacher efficacy.
3. Investigate what critical elements of playscapes are portable and adaptable to other early childhood nature-oriented play and learning settings.