My father called himself a tinker because as an engineer who was a metallurgist and a ceramicist he often applied new uses to the metals he worked with. A bar of aluminum became a tool for cooling coffee just the right amount and slices of copper piping were hammered into rings for his daughters. His habit of saving scraps of wood, leather, wire, and old bicycle tires meant there were always materials when we needed them to make a large rubber band, patch a leak in bucket, make a wire armature form for a clay sculpture or practice wood carving. 

I’ve just signed up for a massive online open course (MOOC) offered by the Exploratorium through Coursera, called “Tinkering Fundamentals: A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning.”

Here’s a bit of the course description: “Working with learning scientists, we have identified a set of design principles and indicators of learning that can help you to integrate tinkering activities into your elementary and middle school science programs. This course will focus on key design elements of high quality science-rich tinkering activities, facilitation strategies, and environmental organization. Selected tinkering activities will be centered around circuits for this course. We will review the ways in which tinkering supports science learning through providing opportunities to deepen engagement, intentionality, innovation, collaboration, and understanding.”

I’m not planning on introducing circuits in my preschool teaching where tinkering usually happens when a child begins creating with classroom materials such as sticks, boxes, tape and paper, and more tape. The course focuses on elementary and middle school programs and I hope to learn how tinkering fits into science education (and vice versa), strategies that can improve my teaching, and have fun. 

Calder’s Circus at the Whitney Museum of Modern Art

Pages on Pinterest, including early childhood educator Jenny Kabel’s “ECE Tinkering,” share views of tinkering. Some tinkering posts remind me of images of Alexander Calder’s workshop. His beloved Cirque Calder was one result of his vision and tinkering. Is his work too complicated to inspire preschoolers?  Watch the Whitney Museum of Modern Art’s video, “Conserving Calder’s Circus” for close-ups of his work in action.

What does “tinkering” mean in your early childhood setting? Museum educators share thoughtful responses to the question, “Do you think the current surge of making and tinkering spaces in science centers and museums is a temporary fad, or are they here to stay?” posed by The Association of Science-Technology Centers in their newsletter and a blog post. How can documenting and discussion help children learn science concepts through open-ended and child-led tinkering? What are shared tinkering and science education goals in your teaching? How does the National Science Teachers Association’s position statement on Early Childhood Education inform the tinkering in your program?

It is often said that “the wings of a butterfly can cause a storm on the other side of the world.” (That’s actually a simplistic description of Edward Lorenz’s chaos theory, but it is often used as an analogy for small actions that can have far-reaching effects.) Could a small child watching a butterfly have the same effect? Could sharing our insights on teaching and learning cause a storm of discovery across the globe?

In my last blog post (NSTA and ASE: creating pathways to better international cooperation in science education), I affirmed that “the world is flat.” I was not on a time trip to the Middle Ages, but my sense is that many pathways to greater international cooperation in science education might be easy to access. We know that children all over the world are eager to explore the natural world, and their teachers are ready to guide them. Differences in culture and language—which we must acknowledge—add richness to our international conversations and the potential for cooperation.

Global Conversations in the Windy City

Many of these paths toward stronger international partnerships will cross at the heart of our nation next month as thousands of science educators meet in Chicago for NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education, taking place March 12–15. For the tenth year, our International Committee has organized a special day of tours and discussion forums to support stronger links among educators across the globe. Events to support international collaboration are scheduled for Wednesday, March 11. Guests from around the world will join U.S. science educators to discuss issues that have piqued the interest of science educators in the past year. The Global Conversations in Science Education Conference will begin with a discussion of 10th Anniversary Milestones by Frank Owens and the impact of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Keynote presentation will focus on curriculum design in Ireland and the ICASE Profiles Project. Round table discussions will include:

• Early Childhood and Elementary School Science, with special presentations on work in Bangladesh and China
• Science Education and Technology, with information on pilot projects using IPads in Chemistry (Mexico and Turkey)

While the rooms will be filled with international guests, this isn’t just for visitors. There will be rich sources of information in this pre-conference “conversation” for every teacher and administrator to enjoy.

Lifelong Learning

As President of the National Science Teachers Association, I have been personally fascinated with presentations on new models for early childhood science in a variety of settings over the past year. In Ottawa, Ontario, at the North American Association for Environmental Education conference in October there were great models for early learning and for constructing learning environments that nurture discovery. The same enthusiasm for structured discovery was shared by teachers in the United Kingdom and participants at the January ASE conference. I look forward to sitting with Christine Harrison of ASE (United Kingdom) and Vic Dobos (Australia) to identify several substantive projects we can do together.

There is a lot more we can share on a wide variety of topics. At International Day in Chicago, Kathy Horstmeyer (committee member and President of the Society for Elementary Presidential Awardees) will be coordinating the early childhood conversation.

Butterflies provide another analogy—one of growth—that is both familiar and enticing. They appear one way, then metamorphosize into something entirely different. That’s the way interactions often work. We think we are just sharing coffee and conversation, but soon an idea begins to mature and the results can be amazing.

As teachers, we thrive on the lifelong learning that we get from conversations like the ones that will take place in Chicago next month. The Wednesday events are just the start—you can view the agenda online. Will you be there with us?

Juliana Texley is the 2014–2015 President of the National Science Teachers Association
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Editor’s Note: Registration for this event is available to all who are registered for NSTA’s National Conference. To register, please search under “networking opportunity” in the Chicago session browser and select M1—tickets are only $10 for the entire day! (No onsite registration will be available as this is a pre-conference event.)

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