Bowdoin College and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance will share $2.25 million in federal funding for a project to expand science, technology, engineering and mathematics education for Maine preschoolers and kindergartners.
Funding comes from the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency.
The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, an Augusta-based nonprofit, was awarded $1,300,317 of the total, while Bowdoin, the liberal arts college in Brunswick, received $951,413 for its project.
Researchers will investigate how and to what extent preschoolers and kindergarteners can engage in STEM-related activity in play-based learning environments.
The project will also explore how spaces, materials and instruction can support and extend children’s engagement with science and engineering.
“Learning through play is critical in all aspects of child development,” said Alison Riley Miller, an assistant professor of education at Bowdoin serving as the school’s principal investigator on the project.
“We are building on prior research that demonstrates how rich, meaningful science sensemaking happens naturally through play, and we are interested in understanding how teachers can create environments that may deepen and enrich these opportunities for children,” she added.
Miller said, “Play is widely recognized among teachers, parents, and researchers as essential to children’s development and learning, yet education reform efforts often hinge on pushing structured curricula and direct instruction earlier and earlier into childhood.”
U..S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, announced the funding in a joint news release.
“We welcome this investment, which will leverage Bowdoin’s expertise and allow the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance to build on its proven track record of promoting STEM teaching and learning in schools across the state,” they said. “By supporting preschool and kindergarten teachers’ efforts to engage their students in STEM through play, this program can inspire young students and serve as a model nationwide.”
