DEVELOPING CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING THROUGH STEAM PROJECTS IN EARLY ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: A CASE STUDY

This case study explores how project-based STEAM activities in English foster creative and critical thinking in young children. The participants were two boys, aged 3 and 5, native Serbian speakers exposed to English as a foreign language daily. A pressure-free, whole-child learning environment based on Montessori principles and Bloom’s taxonomy incorporated in STEAM activities supported their authentic learning experiences within the CLIL framework. Home-based projects addressed the boys’ developmental needs and interests while encouraging exploration, creativity, and critical thinking. Over three years, the researcher documented their progress through audio and video recordings, photographs, drawings, and written observations. The findings suggest that STEAM projects, combined with Montessori principles and CLIL lesson plans, enhance creative and critical thinking in problem-solving situations in English. The study highlights the benefits of conducting complex STEAM activities in early English language learning for deeper engagement in the learning and thinking processes.