STEM Optics Workshop, Doncaster
In this interactive Optics workshop, you will learn to appreciate the magic of colour, mirrors, and shadows through the eyes of a child and explore the pedagogy behind developing child-led inquiry projects in your service or classroom.
This professional development workshop will give you the confidence to unlock the wonders of STEM in your service through the gateway of optics, develop and facilitate project work, and is a great workshop for educators who are both new and experienced in delivering STEM in early childhood settings.
STEM topic: Optics
In this hands on workshop, you will learn how to create rich STEM learning experiences and use optics as a topic through which to teach the outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework. Interactive activities can include:
- Split sunlight in different ways and make rainbows with crystals, soap bubbles, and CDs.
- Follow, catch, and trap your shadow.
- See how far you can “transport” light throughout a dark room.
- Explore reflections in everyday life and discover why some reflections are distorted, magnified, shrunk or even upside down.
- Make your own spying device.
- Build a shadow theatre and play with puppets.
- Investigate the connections between three dimensional objects, their shadows, and make your own sundial.
- Find out how to create and mix different colours of lights.
- Mix colours into brown, and then try unmixing them.
- Learn about binocular rivalry and test your own peripheral vision.
Pedagogy topic: Inquiry projects in early childhood
Ever wanted to run an inquiry-based project with the children in your service but have been unsure how to start? This is an essential workshop in which you will learn:
- The difference between a thematic approach versus project work in early childhood education.
- Your role as the “learning coach” through the four phases of the project.
- Different ways of approaching an inquiry-based project.
- The structure and purpose of projects in the early childhood setting.
- How to maximise children’s participation in the decision-making process throughout project work.
- How to foster the collaborative and innovative spirit of their group.
- To use colour, mirrors, and light to build a portfolio of inspiration for inquiry-based project work.
