A Cultural-Historical Study of Children Learning Science

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

   PDF

2. Theoretical Foundations for Learning Science in Early Childhood

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Learning Science in Everyday Life – A Cultural-Historical Framework

      • Marilyn Fleer

      Pages 3-22

   3. How Preschools Environments Afford Science Learning

      • Marilyn Fleer

      Pages 23-37

   4. Imagination and Its Contributions to Learning in Science

      • Marilyn Fleer

      Pages 39-57

   5. Theoretical and Conceptual Insights – The Young Learner in Science

      • Marilyn Fleer

      Pages 59-63

3. Knowledge Construction in Science

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 65-65

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   2. Knowledge Construction in Early Childhood Science Education

      • Marilyn Fleer, Niklas Pramling

      Pages 67-93

   3. Knowledge Construction Is Culturally Situated: The Human Invention of Empirical, Narrative and Theoretical Knowledges

      • Marilyn Fleer

      Pages 95-111

   4. Positioning Children in Research and the Implications for Our Images of Their Competences

      • Niklas Pramling

      Pages 113-122

4. The Pedagogical Construction of Learning Science

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 123-123

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   2. Learning and Metaphor: Bridging the Gap Between the Familiar and the Unfamiliar

      • Niklas Pramling

      Pages 125-132

   3. Simile, Metaphor and Learning to Perceive the World in Functional and Culturally Relevant Ways

      • Niklas Pramling

      Pages 133-147

   4. Learning to ‘Read’ and Produce Graphical Representations in Science

      • Niklas Pramling

      Pages 149-178

   5. The Nature of Scientific Educational Encounters

      • Niklas Pramling

      Pages 179-192

   6. Theoretical and Conceptual Insights – Representations in Science

      • Niklas Pramling

      Pages 193-196

5. Models of Early Childhood Teaching

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 197-197

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   2. A Cultural-Historical Model of Early Childhood Science Education

      • Marilyn Fleer

      Pages 199-213

This book moves beyond the traditional constructivist and social-constructivist view of learning and development in science. It draws upon cultural-historical theory in order to theorise early childhood science education in relation to our currently globalised education contexts. The book argues that concept development in science for young children can be better theorised by using Vygotsky’s concept of Imagination and creativity, Vygotsky’s theory of play, and his work on higher mental functions, particularly the concept of inter and intrapsychological functioning. Key concepts are extracted from the theoretical section of the book and used as categories for analysis in presenting evidence and new ideas in the second section of the book. In this second part of the book, the authors examine how science knowledge has been constructed within particular countries around the globe, where empirical research in early childhood science education has occurred. The third part of the book examines the nature of the encounter between the teacher and the child during science learning and teaching. In the final part of the book the authors look closely at the range of models and approaches to the teaching of early childhood science that have been made available to early childhood teachers to guide their planning and teaching. They conclude the book with a theoretical discussion of the cultural-historical foundation for early childhood science education, followed by a model of teaching scientific concepts to young children in play-based settings, including homes and community contexts.

• Bruner narrative knowledge
• CHAT
• Davydov theoretical knowledge and dialectical thinking
• Slowmation
• Vygotsky
• Vygotsky imagination and play
• Vygotsky theory of play
• cultural-historical theory
• early childhood science education
• play-based early childhood education
• play-based settings
• teaching & learning and developmental psychology
• learning and instruction

• Monash University, Frankston, Australia

  Marilyn Fleer

• University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

  Niklas Pramling

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