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- Cronquist, Björn, 1956-, et al.
(author)
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Robotics and early-years stem education – the botSTEM project
- 2021
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- botSTEM is an ERASMUS+ project aiming to raise the utilisation of inquiry-based collaborative learning and robot-enhanced education. The project outputs are specifically aimed to provide in- and pre-service teachers in Childhood and Primary Education, and children aged between 4 and 8, with research-based materials and practices that use integrated Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) and robot-based approaches, including code-learning, for enhancing scientific literacy in young children. This presentation presents initial results in terms of a collection of tested educational practices summarized in a freely downloadable Toolkit, and results from a qualitative analysis of implemented activities in Swedish preschools. The preliminary analysis of the implementations indicates that robots function as motivation factors in young children’s inquiry of science and engineering design technology, in both teacher and children initiated learning situations.. Also, when compared, digital programming with a use of robots promotes discussions among teachers and children that involve more versatile robotic words then un-plugged programming does.
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| 2. |
- Fridberg, Marie, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Digitalization in early years chemistry and physics
- 2021
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This paper describes an analysis of teaching instances that were part of an in-service preschool teachers programme. The overall aim of the project was – together with teachers – to study model-based teaching and collaborative inquiry learning of chemical processes and physical phenomena in preschool, in relation to an object of learning. Central was the teaching of science in preschool, with particular focus on use of digital tools and the verbal communication as well as obstacles ‘threatening’ the intersubjectivity between teachers and children during learning situations in preschool. Our results show the need for the teacher to address what we call ‘intermediary objects of learning’ and the role of chosen wording andabstract models are emphasised. In addition, the paper highlights different communication categories used by teachers and children during science activities. How the communication varies with e.g. children’s age during teaching will be discussed at the conference.
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| 3. |
- Fridberg, Marie, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Spanish and Swedish teachers’ perspective of teaching STEM scaffolded by robotics in preschool : results from the botSTEM project
- 2021
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In: International journal of technology and design education. - 0957-7572 .- 1573-1804.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article describes outcomes from the Erasmus+ project botSTEM, involving a theoretical framework for Science, Technology, Engineering & Technology (STEM) and robotics and teaching activities for preschool teachers and teachers educating children four-eight years old. Spanish and Swedish preschool teachers’ self-efficacy and views of teaching STEM and robotics are presented, using a mixed methodology based on a questionnaire and focus group interviews. The three-year long project has improved the preschool teachers’ self-efficacy in STEM and robotics teaching, as described in a questionnaire answered by the preschool teachers after the project. Possibilities in STEM and robotics teaching experienced by them include an increase in children’s agency, knowledge and interest, and the obstacles are mainly structural or technical. Robotics teaching also supports children with special needs when interacting with peers. The results from the botSTEM project point to the benefit of supported long-term professional development for STEM and robotics teaching in preschools.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Fridberg, Marie, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Teachers’ and children’s use of words during early childhood STEM teaching supported by robotics
- 2021
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In: International Journal of Early Years Education. - 0966-9760 .- 1469-8463. ; , s. 1-16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With science and digitalisation emphasised further in the new Swedish preschool curriculum, there is a need to clarify teachers’ role in educating children in and about these areas. With research pointing out the importance of a conscious language use in STEM teaching, we here focus on words used by teachers and children during inquiry-based STEM activities in five different preschools. Bers’ powerful ideas about early childhood computational thinking (Bers 2018. Coding as a Playground. New York: Routledge.) were used for analysis and results highlight how digital programming and use of robots can promote a more versatile use of robotic words, compared to analogue, ‘unplugged’, programming without robots. Furthermore, it is also found that use of precise decontextualised language by the teacher seems to stimulate children’s use of words related to STEM and the object of learning. The findings add to the discussion about how teachers can scaffold children’s learning by inquiry teaching of STEM supported by robotics.
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| 6. |
- Fridberg, Marie, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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The role of intermediary objects of learning in early years chemistry and physics
- 2020
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In: Early Childhood Education Journal. - 1082-3301 .- 1573-1707. ; 48:5, s. 585-595
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The overall aim of the present study is to study model-based teaching and collaborative inquiry learning of chemical processes and physical phenomena in preschool, with a specific focus on the verbal communication established between teachers and children (4-5 years old). According to variation theory, learning is always directed at a specific content, called the object of learning. This study aims at highlighting what ‘threatens’ the teacher’s and preschool children’s intersubjectivity during the teaching of chemistry and physics content, and at discussing possible ways to continue the teaching of an object of learning, once sufficient intersubjectivity in a teaching/learning situation has been lost. The result shows the need for the teacher to divide and split a larger object of learning, such as e.g. water purification, into smaller learning steps ‘on the way’ in order to hinder breaks in intersubjectivity that otherwise may arise. We introduce the notion of ‘overarching object of learning’ and ‘intermediary object of learning’, and the intermediary objects of learning identified in this study are categorized as belonging to three different themes: the role of words, the role of theoretical models and science concepts and the role of analogies and abstractions. The teacher’s awareness of intermediary objects of learning as critical aspects for children’s individual learning is crucial for the teaching of everyday science in a preschool setting.
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| 7. |
- Fridberg, Marie, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Undervisning om kemi- och fysik relaterade vardagsfenomen i förskolan : Samverkan med ett skolområde kring kompetensutveckling och forskning
- 2021
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Avsikten med denna rapport är att presentera ett treårigt samverkansprojekt mellan forskare vid Högskolan Kristianstad och ledning med personal på samtliga förskolor i ett skolområde. Projektet rör undervisning av naturvetenskap med särskilt fokus på kemi och fysik i förskolan.Ett skolområde i en medelstor skånsk kommun initierade ett samarbete med forskare vid Högskolan Kristianstad kring undervisning om naturvetenskap i förskolan, speciellt kopplat till det läroplanen benämner som enkla kemiska processer och fysikaliska fenomen. Projektet syftade till att studera modellbaserad undervisning och lärande i förskolan om kemiska processer och fysikaliska fenomen relaterat till hållbarhet i samhällsfrågor och barns vardagsliv. Traditionellt har arbete med naturvetenskap i förskolan handlat om naturen, om växter och djur och om miljörelaterade frågor. I samband med att den reviderade läroplanen trädde i kraft 2011 vidgades emellertid kunskapsområdet till att också omfatta kemiska processer och fysikaliska fenomen (Skolverket, 2010). Att undervisa om kemi och fysik i ett förskoleperspektiv kan av många förskollärare upplevas som svårt och behovet av kompetensutvecklingsinsatser har visat sig vara stort (Skolinspektionen, 2018). Utvärderingar visade att så var också fallet i det aktuella skolområdet.1 juli 2019 trädde ännu en reviderad läroplan i kraft i vilken användning av digital teknik lyfts fram som ett nytt målområde att sträva mot (Skolverket, 2018). Mot den bakgrunden och i takt med projektets genomförande har kunskap som rör såväl innehåll som lärandeprocesser och undervisningsstrategier implementerats med och utan stöd av modern informationsteknik.Projektet kan delas upp i två delar. Del I är den kompetensutvecklingssatsning som ovan kort beskrivits och del II är ett forskningsprojekt med fokus på fysik- och kemiundervisningens genomförande i barngrupp samt på projektets övergripande genomförande.Det övergripande syftet med projektet är att, tillsammans med arbetslag och rektorer i förskolan utveckla kunskap om FyKe-undervisning i förskolan, med respektive utan stöd av digitala verktyg, samt att 8longitudinellt följa utvecklingen hos deltagande arbetslag och rektorer under ett flerårigt kompetensutvecklingsprojekt.Flera delstudier har genomförts i projektet. Tre artiklar har hittills publicerats i vetenskapliga tidskrifter, ytterligare studier har genomförts med fokus på rektorers och arbetslags upplevelser relaterat till projektets innehåll och genomförande och delvis relaterat till digital teknik. Rapporten avslutas med några sammanfattande punkter med relation till projektets utfall.
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| 9. |
- Hansson, Lena, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Curriculum emphases, mathematics and teaching practices : Swedish upper-secondary physics teachers’ views
- 2021
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In: International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. - 1571-0068 .- 1573-1774. ; 19, s. 499-515
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article addresses physics teachers’ views about physics teaching in upper-secondary school. Their views have been investigated nationwide through a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire has been developed based on several published instruments and is part of an ongoing project on the role of mathematics in physics teaching at upper-secondary school. The selected part of the results from the analysis of the questionnaire reported on here cross-correlate physics teachers’ views about aims of physics teaching with their view of physics classroom activities, and perceived hindrances in the teaching of physics. 379 teachers responded to the questionnaire (45% response rate). The result indicates that teachers with a high agreement with a Fundamental Physics curriculum emphasis regarded mathematics as a problem for physics teaching, whereas teachers with high agreement with the curriculum emphases Physics, Technology and Societyor Knowledge Development in Physics did not do so. This means that teachers with a main focus on fundamental theories and concepts believe that mathematics is a problem to a higher extent than teachers with main focus on the role of physics in society and applied aspects or physics knowledge development do. Consequences for teaching and further research are discussed.
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