This article draws on recent research into early childhood teachers’ views on how they support children’s scientific learning. It identifies four strategies teachers used to increase their scientific knowledge base—learning from parents and children, learning from other teachers, learning with children and learning from outside sources such as books or the Web.

This project explored how ICTs in primary classrooms can enhance the teaching and learning of the practical and theoretical aspects of science. By building on teacher and Years 7/8 student prior knowledge and experiences with ICTs, the authors investigated how ICT use can structure activities that would offer enhanced opportunities for students to actively participate in science. The project generated examples of how ICTs can support ways of exploring and communicating science, and evaluating what has been learnt.

Global issues, such as ecological sustainability, can be difficult topics to address in early childhood education. This article reports on a research project exploring an approach based on the idea of “global citizenship”—where care for self, others and the environment are inextricably intertwined. It gives the perspective of one of the researchers and two teachers from a participating Auckland centre.

Two Years 7/8 teachers planned, implemented and reflected on teaching a unit about erosion and landforms with the support of ICT tools. They used videos, photos, animations and digital microscopes—as well as Internet resources, such as Google Earth and other maps—to help the students work and think like an earth scientist.