Reference no: EM133781170

Early Learning in STEM Multimodal learning in the 21st century

PROJECT REPORT
Research commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training under the Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) pilot program initiative

Executive Summary
The purpose of this project was to investigate the range of useful STEM education Apps that are currently available for early learning in the preschool year (4-5 years of age). The approach undertaken was as follows:

To conduct a review of the research literature on the origins of STEM education in order to generate a working definition of STEM for early learning that would form the basis of the investigation.

To use this definition to guide a systematic search of the Apps available for young children in the preschool year (Aged 4-5 years of age) that could support early learning in STEM.

To generate a list of useful STEM Apps and undertake detailed reviews of ten Apps in order to consider their potential to engage with STEM concepts and skills and the learning outcomes as stated in the Early Years Learning Framework (quality review framework).

To provide a ‘gap' analysis that would enable DET to think about potential future Apps that may fill the gap and provide innovative contexts for new learning in the early years.

The findings from this project are:
The conceptualisation of working definition of STEM for early learning that refers to the creation of learning environments in which children's curiosity about the world can thrive via systematic, authentic investigations that utilise a range of design thinking skills and scientific knowledge and processes which forms a useful foundation for educators to design exemplary STEM learning activities in the preschool years
A table listing forty five STEM Apps that align with this definition that can be categorised as being:
Skills based: playing an important role in complementing real world materials and events to help young learners acquire essential foundational skills and concepts for learning.
Exploratory games-based: to extend the foundation skills to create new contexts for learning in a digital world.
Construction and experimentation: that enable young children to play and build with STEM concepts.
Interactive eBooks: that complement traditional storytelling events with digital books to offer possibilities for interacting with narratives in new and dynamic ways.

Creative and open-ended: supporting the communication and documentation of ideas and new knowledge in multimodal formats.
Ten detailed reviews that describe the functions of the Apps and consider their potential to engage with STEM concepts and skills as well as the learning outcomes as stated in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). This information enabled a quality review framework based on the academic literature (e.g. Handal et al. 2013; Lee & Cherner 2015; Hirsh-Pasek et al 2015) to be generated and presented as a matrix to link the selection, review and appraisal of the Apps explicitly to the five stated EYLF learning outcomes.
A ‘gap' analysis that revealed that there are a large number of Apps available on the market, but only a limited number can be considered as being useful to educators to encourage STEM in early learning. There are opportunities to enter this App environment with innovative designs that are cognisant of the pedagogies and practices of early childhood educators to support multimodal early learning via playful explorations (Yelland, 2011). These could include narrative based experiences that incorporate the use of customised characters for learners to identify with as they embark on learning journeys that contain the elements (skills, concepts and dispositions) of STEM education. There is also an identified need to support early childhood educators with educational resources that encourage them to use existing Apps in diverse and interesting ways. These can be supplemented with professional learning opportunities in communities of practice. Such advice and support will encourage multimodal learning using both digital, traditional and real world objects.

Recommendations
A conceptualisation of STEM for early learning be adopted, that pertains to the creation of learning environments in which children's curiosity about the world can thrive via systematic, authentic investigations that utilise a range of design thinking skills and scientific knowledge and processes.
A list of appropriate STEM Apps, based on a systematic search of available resources, and which are suitable for encouraging early learning be provided to Australian early childhood educators.
Educational App developers and educators can be directed to informative online reviews of products (Apps) that will inform them in more detail about what is available to support STEM education in early learning.

Educators are supported and encouraged to think about the ways in which the use of Apps, together with traditional learning and play activities, can link to the learning outcomes at stated in the EYLF.
New learning Apps that would fill an important ‘gap' in the current App environment should feature:
a clear context and narrative
characters that young children can identify with
activities that stimulate curiosity and are challenging
opportunities to practice skills and communications
connections to the real world in terms of ideas and events
the ability to return to the activity at a later date
the building of skills and knowledge in sequence, and
visually attractive and engaging graphics and interactivity.
Educational resources can be created for educators to illustrate the ways in which existing Apps might be linked to early learning programs as well as extended with non-digital materials.

Introduction
Background
This report pertains to STEM education and the early learning experiences of preschool children (aged 4-5 years of age). In particular it focuses on the use of tablet technologies (iPad) and the ways in which they might provide opportunities for young children to participate in investigations of their lifeworlds, that is, all the places that young children inhabit. This learning forms the foundation for later learning in terms of the acquisition of knowledge, skills and dispositions that will enable children to participate in schools and society in a meaningful and productive ways.
This research report was commissioned to:
Identify a range of STEM Apps currently available on the iTunes Apple store that generate STEM learning opportunities for children aged 4-5 in early learning environments.
Develop a working definition of STEM for the early years.
Conduct a gap analysis of the identified early learning STEM Apps that explicitly connects these with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
Review 10 exemplary Apps in depth and develop a qualitative review framework.
In this section a working definition of STEM for early learning is derived from the research literature and linked with early years pedagogies as exemplified in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)1 This conceptualisation then forms the basis of a systematic search of the Applications (Apps) currently available for STEM education that are available in iTunes.