ERIC Number: EJ1158488
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2331-0464
EISSN: N/A
Four Methods for Engaging Young Children as Environmental Education Researchers
Green, Carie
International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, v5 n1 p6-19 Fall 2017
This article contributes to the ongoing dialogue regarding what it means to engage young children as active researchers in Early Childhood Environmental Education (ECEE) and Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS). Drawing from a participatory and phenomenological framework, this paper considers the advantages, challenges, and opportunities of four interactive data collection and analysis methods (Art Making, Role Playing, Building a Model, and Book Making) used to explore the nature of children's experiences in a northern boreal forest. Specifically, facilitating art and model building in the forest provides a backdrop for children to reflect on the beauty and awe of nature; it also provides an opportunity for children to interact with and incorporate aspects of nature into their artistic creations. Children's engagement in role-play in/with nature encourages children to construct stories and scripts to depict their interests and understandings of their local ecology. Children incorporate real and imagined elements into their schematic representations, drawing from past and present experiences within a sociocultural context. Additionally, bookmaking can be used as a tool to encourage children to create a narrative of their experiences. As a data analysis instrument, children are invited to reflect on photographs and artwork previously collected in order to interpret, reconstruct, present, and document their environmental experiences.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Young Children, Environmental Education, Student Research, Sustainability, Phenomenology, Art Activities, Role Playing, Models, Books, Experiential Learning, Forestry, Natural Resources, Teaching Methods, Data Collection, Data Analysis, Participatory Research
North American Association for Environmnental Education. 2000 P Street NW Suite 540, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-0412; Web site: https://naaee.org/eepro/resources/international-journal-early-childhood-environmental-education-ijecee
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Alaska
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A