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Blocks: Great Learning Tools From Infancy Through the Primary Grades
Preschool
Emma, 4 years old, carefully steps around the other block structures to inspect the hospital she helped build. She is problem solving. What will the community need next? Dylan and Rohit, frequent players in the block center, are deep in conversation. How should the river flow through the community? Nearby, Aditya, who recently began to play in the block center, chimes in, saying, "I think you need a bridge over the river. The ambulance has to get to the hospital." Further down the river Ms. Lisa kneels down to examine Emma's work. Emma discusses with her the merits of building the doctor's bed next to the hospital.
WEEKS EARLIER SCENES IN THE block center looked much different. Children wandered in and out of the area, playing without a clear purpose and rarely for any sustained period of time. When Ms. Lisa introduced the design process used by engineers-a methodical, creative, and recursive approach for problem solving-the block center was transformed into a child-centered hub of collaborative play.
STEM in the block center
With an increasing emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at the pre-Kto 12 levels, as manifested by the creation and adoption of STEM standards by many states, early childhood teachers and administrators may wonder how these STEM standards fit with developmentally appropriate practice and the needs of young learners (Moomaw 2012; Lindeman, Jabot, & Berkley 2013). An intentionally crafted and stocked preschool classroom block center can support planned intentional learning experiences, specifically in the area of engineering (Wynn & Harris 2013). Teachers can maintain all the hallmarks of child-directed play in the block center while incorporating STEM-in the form of the engineering design process-in developmentally appropriate ways.
Children as engineers
Engineers are problem solvers. To encourage children to think like engineers, the lead teacher, Ms. Lisa, introduces the engineering design process. The process provides a framework for children's block center activities: children learn how to define problems, research solutions, build and test prototypes, and share the results with friends and family. Research shows that when teachers facilitate the engineering design process, the amount of time children engage in an activity increases, as does the number of engineering behaviors they...