Abstract:

This contribution describes a learning path on the properties of water for 5-year-old children, developed using the emergent approach, according to which scientific knowledge and investigations emerge from children’s ideas and interactions. The idea stems from the constructivist belief that learning is a cultural and social practice: since children continuously develop behaviours characterised by curiosity and finalised to exploration, it should be possible to construct the science curriculum starting from their questions, conversations and interactions. The teacher supports these processes by organising open-ended, flexible learning situations where the children’s ideas and intuitions are valued, their participation is encouraged, and their attention is oriented toward the core science concepts.

Specifically, our research questions were:
(1) Is it possible to build scientific knowledge on the properties of water in preschool using an emergent approach,
(2) what are the advantages of this approach?

The specific topic of the learning path were mixtures, solutions and water drops. The participants in this study were 11 children in the third year of kindergarten (5-6 years old). The activities were led by the teacher-researcher (1st author), who carefully prepared tools and materials in order to support children’s investigations and favour the co-construction of knowledge through the interaction with others and with the learning environment.

In order to gain insights into the research questions, children’s interactions with each other and with the teacher as they discussed and investigated the phenomena were recorded and analysed. Children’s drawings at different points of the learning path were also collected, and an evaluation rubric was filled in by the teacher and an external observer to evaluate the learning outcomes of the intervention. Finally, a self-evaluation was proposed to the children and a short interview was carried out to take into account the children’s point of view on the learning path.

Our results suggest the emergent approach is effective in building scientific knowledge on the properties of water in preschool. In fact, the learning outcomes of the learning path (observing and describing the phenomena; reporting knowledge; experimenting; collaborating; reporting discoveries using words and drawings) were reached in a satisfactory way by all the children.

Second, our results support the claim that the main advantages of the emergent approach are: the co-construction of knowledge thanks to the interactions with each other and with the teacher; the active role of the children, which activated their curiosity and interest toward science topics; the valorisation of diversity and the possibility for each children to work according to her/his perspectives and styles; and the promotion of peer-to-peer relationships and collaboration.

A reflection on the teacher’s role is also presented. The teacher-researcher shaped her intervention in a flexible way, trying to be a non-invasive but at the same active presence, capable of orienting the children’s intuition and supporting them when necessary. Some typical practices were asking questions, listening to the children, structuring investigations, and referring back to the hypotheses. The creation of favourable and rich learning environment to support children’s interactions and investigations was also decisive.

Keywords:

Emergent approach, Preschool, Water, Science education, Physics education.