Promoting STEAM learning in the early years: “Pequeños Científicos” Program

Abstract

Education in the early years is an excellent space for promoting integrated learning. The STEAM education model combines Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics holistically and has gained force globally, mostly in developed countries. However, in developing countries of Latin America, STEAM education programs are incipient and still unfamiliar to many early childhood and primary school educators. "Pequeños Científicos" is a pioneer educational program in Chile aimed at providing extracurricular academic enrichment to students 3 to 10 years old, with a gender-empowering approach. With a cross-sectional design and integrating data from students, researchers and educators, this article documents program design and implementation issues based on a partial application of SWOT analysis grounded on strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. The strengths were the strongest elements that might be transferred to similar interventions, for instance, students were positively engaged in the learning processes and actively communicating their advances through diverse artistic formats. The weaknesses were mainly difficulties that can be avoided in future replication, such as teachers' management of children's behavior. Opportunities present alternatives to these types of programs to improve and grow; for example, through articulation of the courses and including children with additional needs. We call for tackling the weaknesses for more efficient application and discuss the promotion of STEAM learning in the early years in the contexts of high educational inequality for future replication in diverse contexts.

The power of STEAM activities in enhancing the level of metacognitive awareness of mathematics among students at the primary stage

“…It also helped to improve communication skills among students by asking colleagues for help when there was a glitch in a cooperative and friendly manner among them, distributing tasks and roles among them, and re-reading information in case the activity was not completed, which contributed to improving their corrective skills. This is what Cabello et al (2021) indicated in their study and on the development of the learner's own personality. Encourage learners to ask frequent questions and to ensure mastery and quality of work, as well as considering several options to complete the activity have contributed to the extent of monitoring the students' comprehension monitoring.…”

STEAM Implementation in Preschool and Primary School Education: Experiences from Six Countries

“…These are crucial skills for tomorrow's political leaders, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and teachers [15,61]. In addition to this, it has been shown both by this study and literature review [59,61,62] that STEAM can offer ways for extracurricular learning opportunities for all ages and educational levels. STEAM is a new way to promote students' creativity, collaboration, and collective being through transdisciplinary consciousness and conscience [42,61,63].…”

Introducing Virtual Reality and Emerging Technologies in a Teacher Training STEM Course

“…This aligns with the STEM approach that promotes students' active participation and integrates disciplines through project-based learning, enhancing academic and social skills [3][4][5][6]51]. Real-world problem-solving tasks further enrich the learning environment [22,36,37]. However, the practical application of these approaches still poses a significant challenge, underscoring the need to enhance teachers' technological competence [35,39,48].…”

“…The emphasis on developing teachers' digital competency is escalating, with a focus on gaining a deep understanding and skills to use technology to its fullest, particularly in delivering quality STEM education [22,36,37]. This urgent need goes beyond basic understanding, encouraging teachers to develop the capability to create, develop, and use innovative technological resources to enrich their pedagogical strategies [38,39].…”