Science is fun – embedding experimental science activities and eLearning into kindergarten educational contexts: a case study

Abstract

Science is fun… - how could anyone have doubts about that? What if we could gather this potential of funny moments about science, combine it with the educational potential of eLearning, and develop one Kindergarten Teachers training course aimed to promote competences of educational contexts design embedding experimental science activities and eLearning strategies and resources into kindergarten educational contexts? And what if this course could also promote the development of digital literacy, ICT use effectiveness, and empower the trainees on their skills of developing autonomous lifelong learning events, gathering the potential of web 3.0 philosophy and resources? This presentation describes one innovative face-to-face Teachers Training Course which applied possible answers to the educational questions above, developed with a group of Kindergarten Teachers in Portugal, in a constructivist eLearning embedded training context. The course is one of the case-studies of a qualitative educational PhD study, researching successful characteristics of adults lifelong training eLearning contexts in Portugal. It has been found that the course has been successful due to: the training context design - the decisive option of the trainees empowerment, in the constructivist educational approach used; the overall training development dynamics, where the trainer frequently acted as a tutor, a Moodle platform page was the digital organizational backbone throughout the course; a practice community, with powered growth by the frequent face-to-face group work, digital sharing practices and the extra motivation experiencing science activities; the training activities, intentionally and systematically selected to foster later competences transfer into teachers’ working contexts; the training activities resources selection criteria, a “best choice” approach evaluated from educational effectiveness / low or no cost / easy availability or access / safety on use / 4 R´s perspective (reduce, reuse, recycle, reinvent). KEYWORDS: eLearning, kindergarten experimental science activities, teachers trainin