St Thomas School and Preschool in Goodwood has been announced as the South Australian winner of the 2018 Little Scientists Early STEM Award.
The award celebrates the commitment and dedication of early childhood educators to inquiry-based learning in early STEM education, providing opportunities for children to learn as they explore, discover, create, improvise, test theories and imagine.
“I’m delighted to present St Thomas School and Preschool with the 2018 Little Scientists Early STEM Award for their successful work in integrating STEM experiences in everyday learning,” said Sibylle Seidler, Project Director of Little Scientists Australia.
St Thomas School and Preschool’s project started when a child found a chrysalis on her grandparents’ farm and brought it to school. This sparked a fascinating project on monarch butterflies encompassing mathematics, literacy elements, time lapse photography as well as life cycles and artistic elements.
The project was inquiry-based, hands-on and very child-led. It featured a large amount of STEM content and wonderful links across the curriculum.
“We are very proud to have won the State Little Scientists Early Steam Award,” says Principal, Dan Cowan.
“This is very exciting and a wonderful celebration of the work all staff in the preschool are doing.”
Little Scientists’ workshops focus on the principles and practice outlined by the Early Years Learning Framework, teaching early childhood educators to program, document and communicate authentic and holistic learning for the children in their care.
“We want all of Australia’s children to grow into resilient individuals capable of critical thinking and problem solving through inquiry-based learning and playful scientific exploration. We firmly believe that together with early childhood professionals we are changing the educational landscape of Australia,” explains Sibylle Seidler.
Little Scientists designed the Early STEM Award to recognise educators and teachers who implement inquiry-based research and discovery in their early childhood services and schools. The ongoing dedication and effort of educators, as demonstrated by St Thomas School and Preschool, is crucial to spreading STEM learning across the country.
You can learn more about Little Scientists here.
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