Family at the Center

To better understand how family engagement supports school readiness in Los Angeles County, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment convened an advisory group of early childhood leaders and stakeholders to provide advice and explore opportunities to strengthen parent engagement. This report summarizes key insights and recommendations that emerged through these discussions and additional research about parent engagement programs and practices

Technology to Increase Peer Interactions in Preschool

Adding technology to the preschool classroom without interfering with social interactions is a dilemma for educators. Peer interactions are an important developmental goal in preschool age students. Increased pressure to include technology in education at earlier ages is often viewed as a hindrance to social interactions in play-based curriculum, with many educators feeling unprepared in the methods to incorporate technology. The goal of this literature review is to analyze current research to discover methods that can increase social interactions among peers with the addition of technology tools in the preschool classroom. This review looked at forty-seven studies of social interactions in children and technology uses in classrooms. Examination of this research showed the importance of social interactions, the barriers for adding technology in early childhood classrooms, and techniques in which technology use been used to show social benefits. The research demonstrates that technology has the potential to increase social interactions among preschool peers. Based on these findings, it is recommended that educators receive ongoing professional development in methods of adding technology into the social curriculum. Further research is needed to develop the most effect procedures for educator education

EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIALS UTILIZING DIGITAL PLAY-BASED LEARNING PACKAGE

This study explores the potential of digital play-based learning packages to enhance the reading and counting skills of young learners in kindergarten. The subjects of this study were the 30 kindergarten learners of Shuttle Elementary School, South Fatima District, Barangay San Jose, General Santos City enrolled during school year 2021-2022. This study used the pre-experimental design, specifically, the single group pre-test and post-test design. Frequency counts, mean and t-test were utilized to interpret and analyze the gathered data. Based on the findings, it was found out that Digital Play-Based supplementary learning packages were effective and had improved the reading and counting skills of kindergarten learners. Nevertheless, the use of Digital Play-Based Supplementary Learning Packages may be implemented in teaching reading and counting among young learners in the academe. Ultimately, this study provides valuable insights for educators who seek to promote creativity and engagement in their classrooms, and underscores the importance of leveraging technology in support of learning outcomes.  Article visualizations

Comparing Tablets and PCs in teaching Mathematics: An attempt to improve Mathematics Competence in Early Childhood Education

The present study investigates and compares the influence of using computers and tablets, in the development of mathematical competence in early childhood education. For the implementation of the survey, we conducted a 14 weeks intervention, which included one experimental and one control group. Children in both groups were taught Mathematics according to Greek curriculum for early childhood education in conjunction with the use either of the same educational software, which depending on the group, were running on computers or on tablets. In order to evaluate the mathematical performance of children we used the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3). The sample consisted of 256 children in Greece. The results showed that, teaching with tablets comparatively to teaching with computers has contributed significantly to the development of children’s mathematical ability to a greater extent. Moreover, factors such as gender and age did not seem to differentiate the development of mathematical competence of children

Comparing Tablets and PCs in teaching Mathematics: An attempt to improve Mathematics Competence in Early Childhood Education

The present study investigates and compares the influence of using computers and tablets, in the development of mathematical competence in early childhood education. For the implementation of the survey, we conducted a 14 weeks intervention, which included one experimental and one control group. Children in both groups were taught Mathematics according to Greek curriculum for early childhood education in conjunction with the use either of the same educational software, which depending on the group, were running on computers or on tablets. In order to evaluate the mathematical performance of children we used the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3). The sample consisted of 256 children in Greece. The results showed that, teaching with tablets comparatively to teaching with computers has contributed significantly to the development of children’s mathematical ability to a greater extent. Moreover, factors such as gender and age did not seem to differentiate the development of mathematical competence of children

Opening doors: a collective case study of integrating technology in the preschool through 3rd grade classroom in a developmentally appropriate way

Children today are growing up in a technology-saturated world and yet early childhood teachers do not typically include technology in their classrooms, or if they do, they include it inappropriately. The literature states that integrating technology in early education can yield many benefits, but many teachers of young children avoid using technology because they do not know how to incorporate it appropriately. This dissertation is an exploratory observational study of early childhood teachers (preschool through third grade) who integrate technology in their programs in developmentally appropriate ways. This study involved three classroom teachers who were identified as model teachers at integrating technology in their classrooms: a preschool teacher and two kindergarten teachers. The study was guided by the recommendations from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children\u27s Media at Saint Vincent College (2012) position statement for early childhood teachers in the appropriate use of technology and digital media in the early childhood classroom. In this exploratory collective case study, visits to the classrooms were conducted several times and observations were performed. Checklists and field notes were used to record the findings. The teachers were interviewed before and after the observations to create a clearer picture of the classroom practices. This resulted in three cases that can serve as examples for teachers on how to integrate technology in the early childhood classroom in a developmentally appropriately way for young children. This study also provides recommendations for teachers who want to provide children with digital learning tools that can extend, enrich, and scaffold their learning. This study contributes four conclusions and five recommendations to guide teachers in integrating technology in a developmentally appropriate way for young children

Professional development for digital competencies in early childhood education and care. A systematic review

Digitalisation places new demands on the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce to navigate the care and well-being of children in the digital age. This literature review examines frameworks for digital competencies (DC) in education, with a focus on ECEC, as well as variation in DC requirements for ECEC staff with different responsibilities. It explores strategies for a successful integration of DC in ECEC workforce development programmes. The review shows there has been limited research and policy support regarding the development of DC in ECEC and discusses the importance for the ECEC workforce to understand how digital technologies may be incorporated to their work, encompassing both technical aspects and responsible use, as well as the social and collaborative dimensions of professional development in this area. The review examines also how attitudes towards technology use with young children condition skills development in the sector

Current Trends in Game-Based Learning

A myriad of technological options can be used to support digital game-based learning. One popular technology in this context is the mobile device, considering its high penetration rate in our societies, even among young people. These can be combined with other technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), to increase students’ motivation and engagement in learning processes.Due to this, there is an emergent need to know and promote good practices in the development and implementation of game-based learning approaches in educational settings. This was the motto for the proposal of the Education Sciences (ISSN: 2227-7102) Special Issue “Current Trends in Game-Based Learning”. This book is a reprint of this Special Issue, collecting a set of five papers that illustrate the contribution of innovative approaches to education, specifically the ones exploring the motivational factors associated with playing games and the technology that may support them

This is What Stem Looks Like! How to Get and Keep Girls Engaged in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Nationally, and in Colorado, the demand for a skilled STEM workforce is growing and STEM jobs offer higher salaries than non-STEM jobs. Women working in STEM jobs earn, on average, 33 percent more than those in other fields, yet women account for only 29 percent of the STEM workforce.  In Colorado, women earn more than 50 percent of two-year and four-year degrees, but less than a third of Colorado graduates in STEM are women.  Women's under-representation in STEM fields starts early, with gender gaps in STEM interests beginning in middle school and growing throughout high school, college, and career. Far too many girls and women are discouraged from pursuing success in STEM fields.We've created this guide to introduce parents, caregivers, and educators to the many opportunities that STEM can provide for girls and women. You'll find resources to help girls explore and prepare for those opportunities and tools to inspire, motivate, and prepare young women to thrive in STEM careers. In addition to tools for creating exciting, hands-on learning experiences, the guide includes: an overview of the status of girls and women in STEM in Colorado, definitions of STEM-related terms, and a call to action. Each chapter includes strategies that are specific to a certain age group, as well as benchmarks to strive for in each stage of girls' lives to prepare them for future STEM opportunities. You might also see some repetition in concepts as they are relevant for girls of many ages. We've included a sampling of the many STEM resources available locally, statewide, and from across the nation