Supporting Early Learners with Technology

Supporting Early Learners with Technology and the
21st Century Classroom

Susan B. Gunnewig, M.Ed.

October 13, 2011

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Today’s Speaker

Susan B.
Gunnewig, M.Ed.
Product Development
Director, Hatch

Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com
Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com #hatchexperts | |Copyright 2011 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved.
#hatchinars Copyright 2011 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Are you concerned about
the inclusion of
technology in the early
childhood classroom?

Early Learning Technology | www.HatchEarlyLearning.com #hatchexperts | Copyright 2011 Hatch Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Grunwald & PBS Survey
K-12 teachers are more avid users of digital media in their
classrooms than Pre-K teachers.

100%
97% 95%
80%
60% 82% 62%
40%
65%
20% 28% Pre-K Teachers
0% K-12 Teachers
Use of
Frequent
Digital Use of
Use of
Content Video
Digital
Content
Content


Why?
• One main reason may be
that 50% of Pre-K teacher
believe it is the content
offered in fee-based
resources that is not
appropriate for their
students’ age or ability.

Grunwald, 2010


Susan Linn, Executive Director of Campaign for a Commercial
Free Childhood & Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard

“The more you engage with it, the more you want to
engage with it. Children who engage with screen
media under the age of 3 tend to have a harder time
turning it off when they’re older.”
“We don’t seem to be thinking developmentally.”
“We need to be ensuring that babies and toddlers and
preschoolers have the time, the space, the silence
and the inspiration to engage in play.”


Lisa Guernsey, director of the Early Education Initiative
with the New America Foundation

“I get nervous when people just close the door
on technology in preschool. There’s an
opening of windows onto new worlds that
occurs when you have a computer there-a
YouTube video or a Skype chat with other
preschools in Sweden or Singapore. These are
magical moments that can happen with
young kids.”


What is Your Stance?

• Different or New Does Not Automatically
Mean Better—Nor Worse….
• Just bringing in technology will not increase
quality IF other components are not in place
• But if they are, technology can greatly
enhance children’s opportunities for learning


Sources of Guidance
One place to go to right now is NAEYC’s new position statement
on technology use with children….

• It is the position of NAEYC and the Fred Rogers Center that
technology and interactive media are learning tools
that, when used in intentional and developmentally
appropriate ways and in conjunction with other traditional
tools and materials, can support the development and
learning of young children.

NAEYC 2011 Technology in Early Childhood Programs


Making the Connection

Let’s take a step back and look at practices in
general that make for an effective early
childhood classroom.

Literacy & Math
focus presented
in a systematic
way.

Appropriate
educational
technology which What does Attention to the
supports skill learning needs
development in research of all children.
all domains. show works
in EC
classrooms?
Progress Varying group size
monitoring at instruction lasting
least 3-4 times a 7-10 minutes
year to guide with focus on a
instruction. specific skill.

So how specifically
can educational
technology fit in the
EC classroom and
support positive
outcomes for
children?


The Right Equation
The best content +
Meets the needs of all learners +
Has what teachers need to use it =
Teachers want to use it =
Children benefit….


Content
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Social-Emotional


Literacy

Report of the National Early Literacy Panel-January 2009
The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) funded the panel’s work in consultation with the
National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the U.S. Department of
Education, and the Office of Head Start in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


National Early Literacy Key Findings
To be school ready, all young children
must:
• Be able to say most of the alphabet
rapidly
• Be able to name objects rapidly
• Be able to write name or letters
• Be able to remember, detect and
manipulate sounds (phonological
awareness)
Source: Developing Early Literacy, January 2009


Mathematics

A landmark report: Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths Toward
Excellence and Equity by the Committee on Early Childhood Mathematics National
Research Council and funded by the Office of Head Start, has shed light on the
critical and urgent need to attend to mathematics in early childhood.

National Research Council Key
Mathematics Findings
To be school ready, young children
must:
• Be able to count
• Be able to add and subtract
• Be able to measure
• Be able to identify shapes
• Be able to do spatial thinking
Source: Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood, July, 2009


Social-Emotional
Why so Important?
“The early years of life present a unique
opportunity to lay the foundation for
healthy development. It is a time of
great growth and of vulnerability.
Research on early childhood has
underscored the impact of the first five
years of a child’s life on his/her social-
emotional development. Negative early
experiences can impair children’s
mental health and effect their
cognitive, behavioral, social-emotional
development.”
Shonkoff, J.; Phillips, D. A.; Council, N. R. (Eds.). 2000. From Neurons
to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.


Social-Emotional
• Executive Function
– Attention
– Approaches
– Cognitive skills


Social Competence
– Positive group
behaviors
– Pro-social behaviors
and communication
– Self-efficacy


• Behavioral Skills
– Self-control
– Self-regulation


Emotional Skills
– Identifying emotions
– Match intensity of emotions

*http://www.samhsa.gov/children/earlychildhood_social.asp


Meets All Learners’ Needs

• Type of learner
– Tactile/Kinesthetic
– Visual
– Auditory
• Group Size
• Scaffolded Approach


Type of Learner
• Tactile/Kinesthetic
• Visual
• Auditory


Group Size
• Large
• Small
• Individual


Importance of Small Groups
• Children benefit from small group instruction when the
teacher has a specific goal or objective in mind
• Provides for opportunities to assess a child’s
understanding of the skill
• Allows children to develop language by encourage
sharing of ideas in conversation
• Groups should be flexible
• Small group lesson should last no longer than 10
minutes with an intentional appropriate lesson plan


Group Size


Scaffolded Approach
Developed

Developing

Emerging

Pre-Emerging


Learners with Special Considerations

What is the definition of English Language
Learners (ELL)?
– A term used to identify heterogeneous populations
of students who have a first (home, primary, or
native) language other than English and are in the
process of acquiring English


ELL Achievement Gap

• Many ELL children lag behind compared to
native-English speakers in educational
achievement.
• ELL children usually have lower math and
reading test scores, academic grades than
their peers.
• If ELL have opportunities to acquire English
early the outcome is not as grave.


Best Practices for Teaching Young ELL
Children in Literacy
• Have same expectations, instruction
strategies, and routines that are consistent.
• Use visual cues and physical gestures.
• Highlight the similarities/differences between
English and the home language.
• Build upon home language skills.
• Frequently assess comprehension.
• Avoid “flip flopping” between languages.


How Can Technology Support ELL Children?


Special Needs
• Tailoring instruction
– We talked about types of learners; many special
needs learners are dominant in tactile, visual, or
auditory so technology can easily adapt to this.
– Attention problems are common; technology can
often be novel and self-contained enough to
capture and keep their attention so learning can
occur.
– Technology can be customized by level or type of
activity for their specific need (e.g., more
exposure to a certain concept; extra support in
math)

How can technology support special needs children?


Has What Teachers Need

• Standards/Objectives/Outcomes
• Lesson Plans/How To’s
• Customizable
• Progress Monitoring
• Integrates with Curriculum
• Training and Support


Do you know where you are going?


How to get there?


Customizable, so all children get there…


Confirm children got there…


Integrates with the Curriculum


Training & Support

• Teachers should know how to use the
educational technology
– Built in to software (help videos)
– Offered by Company/Vendor
• Training
• Professional development
– Learning Communities
• Professional development at the program level with
teams and mentors/coaches or on-line opportunities)


21st Century Classroom

• Dramatic Technological Revolution
• Will have a greater impact on society than the
transition from an oral to a print culture.1

1 Kellner, Douglas; New Media and New Literacies: Reconstructing Education for the New
Millennium


“21st Century Skills”
Term being used a lot now.
• Emphasizes core subjects
• Emphasizes learning skills

From Learning for the 21st Century, www.p21.org


Key Principles

• Learning is Active vs Passive
• Outcome-based vs Time-based
• What Students Know, Can Do and Are Like vs
Memorization of Discrete Facts
• Student-centered vs Teacher-centered
• Integrated -Interdisciplinary Curriculum vs
Fragmented Curriculum


Portfolio Samples


"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I
remember. Involve me and I
understand."
- Chinese proverb


Summary & Questions

• Effective EC Classrooms
• How these components translate to Ed Tech
supports for EC Classrooms
• 21st Century Classroom


Interactive Technology & Learning Activities

Brought to you by The Early Learning Experts


Touchscreen Solutions
+ Research-Based Activities
= Better Student Results

RECENT STUDY of Hatch TeachSmart Learning System:
82% “ready to read” & 92% “school ready” in math


NEXT SESSION: November 15 @ 2PM EST
The Impact of
‘screen time’ on Kids
Lisa Guernsey
Director of the Early Education Initiative
at New America Foundation


December 1st @ 2PM EST
5 Big Ideas for The Future of Early Childhood
David Kirp Author of “KIDS FIRST”

November 15th @ 2PM EST
How “Screen Time” Impacts Toddlers & Preschoolers
Lisa Guernsey Director of the Early Education Initiative
at New America Foundation


And the Winner Is…


Webinars@HatchEarlyChildhood.com


Supporting Early Learners with Technology

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