Smithsonian Early Childhood Science Education Research Forum

Join us on Wednesday, June 20 for a Smithsonian Early Childhood Science Education Research Forum. Events begin at 9:00 am. This forum is open to all educators, administrators, researchers, and undergraduate students who are interested in Early Childhood Science Education in formal and informal environments. This is a free event but registration is required.

SCHEDULE:

9:00 am- 10:30 am 
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Ring Auditorium
Independence Avenue at 7th Street, SW

Foundations of Science Literacy (FSL): Professional Development that Impacts Adult and Child Learning in Physical Science
Presenters:  Nancy Clark-Chiarelli, Education Development Center (EDC), Cindy Hoisington (EDC), Jeff Winokur (EDC), and Holly Harrick (Connecticut Science Center)

Young children and science are a natural fit. In order to get the most out of their science experiences however, young children need the support of adults who can integrate science content and practices into children's explorations. FSL is a comprehensive professional development program designed to support science teaching and learning in the early years. In this presentation we will describe the FSL program, present research-based evidence of its impact, and share some compelling illustrations of what young children's science inquiry and learning can look like when it is facilitated by knowledgeable adults.  Holly Harrick from the Connecticut Science Center will address the significance of the FSL approach to informal learning environments.

This portion of the program will be webcasted on the National Air and Space Museum U-STREAM Channel.

11:30 am-12:30 pm 
National Air and Space Museum, Briefing Room
Independence Avenue at 6th Street SW

After the forum, guests are invited to come to the National Air and Space Museum Briefing Room for a lunchtime discussion of  the National Air and Space Museum's Science in Pre-K program. From there, we will meet at the National Museum of the American Indian for an afternoon of hands-on workshops offered by the Education Development Center and Culture Interpreters from the National Museum of the American Indian.

­1:00 pm-3:00 pm - Workshops
National Museum of the American Indian
Independence Avenue at 4th Street, SW

Once you have registered, locations of the workshops will be sent to you via email.

Exploring Water with Young Children
Presenter: Jeff Winokur, EDC
Water is a compelling material for young children to explore in both large and small amounts. As a topic, it has the potential to engage them in explorations over time and across settings and connect them to the "big ideas" in Physical Science. In this workshop, participants will engage in a "minds-on" drops investigation. They will be introduced to the teaching strategies and approaches used in the FSL professional development and observe them in action during water explorations in an early childhood classroom.

Discovering Nature with Young Children
Presenter: Cindy Hoisington, EDC
Nature explorations benefit children's physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development.  When scaffolded by knowledgeable adults, plant and animal investigations also have the potential to connect children to the "big ideas" in Life Science. In this workshop participants will engage in a "minds-on" small creatures investigation. They will be introduced to the teaching strategies and approaches used in the FSL professional development and observe them in action during animal explorations in an early childhood classroom.

Chesapeake Tour for Young Children
Presenter: Adrienne Smith, National Museum of the American Indian
Native people have inhabited the Chesapeake region for thousands of years, building their lives around local waterways and the abundance of plants and animals found here. See how young children can learn life sciences and culture through exploring a wetland, touching objects made of cattails, and learning how local tribes, both past and present, have cultivated meaningful relationships with their surrounding environments.

Great Plains Tipi Culture and Science for Young Children
Presenter: Mandy Foster
For Native people of the Great Plains life revolved around the bison.  They followed their migrations throughout the year, lived in homes made from their skins, and found over 100 ways to utilize the animal to support themselves.  For the Lakota people, the bison is considered their closest relative and the most generous of all beings because it gives its life for their survival.  Experience how young children can learn about science and material culture in how the bison was used, touch objects made from it, and what life on the Great Plains was like over 100 years ago.

Presenter Biographies:
Nancy Clark-Chiarelli, EDC, is Principal Investigator of Assessing Efficacy of a Comprehensive Intervention in Physical Science on Head Start Teachers and Children, an efficacy and replication study funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). She is leading teams researching a credit-bearing professional development program in New York State as part of an early childhood teacher quality grant. Findings support the effectiveness of the professional development on teacher instruction and children's science learning. In a newly-funded grant award from US Dept of Education, Nancy and her team will be partnering with the Connecticut Science Center to develop and test two new professional development programs in preschool science focusing on nature and structures.

Cynthia Hoisington, EDC, directs projects aimed at getting children and adults outdoors exploring together; helping teachers use educational television to facilitate science learning; and supporting low literacy families to scaffold children's language development through everyday science explorations. She has customized science trainings for United Way of Miami-Dade, University of Northern Iowa, National Education Association, National Head Start Association, and the Iowa Department of Education, and collaborated with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.  Currently, Cindy is leading professional development programs in preschools in New York and Westchester County as part of EDC's on-going research on early childhood science.

Jeff Winokur, EDC, is noted for his work in preschool and elementary science education, consulting with school districts and early childhood programs about their science professional development. Connecting science and literacy as a way to deepen students' science understanding is a key feature interwoven into his work.   Jeff is a coauther of the Young Scientist teacher guides and a lead contributor to EDC's preschool Water, Structures, and Nature professional development projects.

Holly Harrick, MA, Connecticut Science Center (CSC), leads the development and delivery of professional development programs at CSC.  Over the years, Holly has been a driving force in CSC's  professional development outreach to Connecticut's teachers. Currently, in partnership with EDC, CSC will be expanding their professional development portfolio to include preschool teachers in physical science, life science, and engineering initiatives.

Links:
Registration
Webcast

Questions? Please contact Lizzie Cammarata or Ann Caspari.

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