Catching the Big Fish : A 4E-Cognition Approach to Creativity in STEAM Education

> Context center dot The 4E approach proposes an alternative framework to understanding cognition and learning. However, its application to the study of creativity from new educational approaches such as STEAM is incipient. > Problem center dot How can the 4E approach that fosters creativity be implemented in STEAM education, through participation in technol-ogy-mediated learning ecosystems? > Method center dot Through face-to-face ethnographic participant observation, we ob-serve students engaging in creative activities suggested by our theoretical approach. We use these observations to illustrate our theoretical approach. > Results center dot Our examples show the many possibilities to encourage creativity by participating in STEAM educational environments that promote design and prototyping with technologies. We highlight collaborative work, disciplinary integration and learning by doing, characteristics of the STEAM approach, which favor the implementation of the 4E approach. > Implications center dot The STEAM approach encourages creativity and learning that gives primacy to training processes over final products, so it is consistent with the 4E approach. > Constructivist content center dot We adhere to the 4E approach to cognition: embodied, enacted, embedded and extended.