PREPARING EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS TO SUPPORT YOUNG CHILDREN’S EQUITABLE SCIENCE SENSEMAKING

This chapter explores what is known about preparing early childhood teachers for science teaching. A review of recent research literature revealed findings closely related to those from elementary teacher preparation, with the majority addressing how various interventions, predominantly in science methods courses, shape preservice teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about science, the nature of science, and science teaching. A subset of studies examines preservice teachers’ interactions with children, the development of science teaching practices, and issues of equity and access. These studies are complementary with emergent perspectives on science in early childhood that privilege children’s innate curiosity about the world and drive to figure things out; consider the whole child, including their multiple and embodied ways of knowing; and foreground disrupting unjust interactions in science. Building from the review findings, the authors call for a holistic, asset-based approach to designing and studying teacher preparation for science in early childhood, including opportunities for candidates to investigate science alongside children. The authors raise questions about expertise, language, and power for the field, and they expand the emphasis on teacher knowledge to address identity, a pedagogy of listening and responsiveness, an inquiry stance toward teaching and learning, and a strong social justice orientation.