Building a Better Wall
Assessing Children’s Design Technology Learning in Nature-Based Early Childhood Education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15401558 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chris Speldewinde (0000-0001-9114-0911, Deakin University, corresponding author), Coral Campbell (0000-0002-1373-9168, Deakin University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 39-56 |
| Publication date | 2024-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Journal of Science Mathematics and Technology Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1492-6156 • E-ISSN: 1942-4051 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s42330-024-00320-6 |
| OpenAlex | W4400731567 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 30 |
The teaching and learning of design technology that occurs in nature-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) contexts such as nature kindergartens remains under-theorised. There is a growing body of scholarship that describes how teaching and learning occurs in these contexts as well as highlighting the benefits for young children learning in the natural environment. Recently, in the perspective of the Australian ECEC sector, how students experience design technology in nature-based contexts (bush kinders, an adaption of the European forest school approach to ECEC) was reported on. Despite design technology being accounted for in bush kinders as part of play-based learning of STEM, assessment of how this learning is supporting student’s comprehension of design technology remains an area for further attention. Often, educators rely solely on observations and anecdotal note taking for assessment which points to a need to support teachers with more rigorous assessment models. This paper adapts an assessment model for science learning and reconsiders it in terms of design technology teaching and learning. The paper’s aim is to support educators to develop children’s deeper understandings of design technology and make learning meaningful in nature-based education settings. Using vignettes, the children’s learning of design technology available in natural surroundings is analysed. This paper proposes that bush kinders are a valuable context for teaching and learning as they allow educators to develop skills to assess children’s design technology knowledge. The analysis of the data and its consideration against one play-based learning assessment model is also valuable in generating a broader narrative that deepens insights into the teaching and learning experience of design technology education in early childhood nature-based contexts
Context (archaeology · Design and Technology · Developmental psychology · Early childhood · Early childhood education · Educational technology · Instructional design · Learning environment · Learning Sciences · Learning theory · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Scholarship · Science education · Teaching method · Children's Rights and Participation · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Outdoor and Experiential Education · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |